By ADAM ZAGORIA
Ben Gregg, the class of 2021 power forward from Clackamas (OR) and the Oakland Soldiers AAU program, will graduate high school early and enroll at No. 1 Gonzaga.
He will be available to play as a freshman once he passes all university health protocols. The Clackamas, Ore., native, will wear No. 33 for GU this season.
“Ben is a super-skilled forward, that’s a coach’s kid,” head coach Mark Few said in his signing day release. “He’s been a guard his whole life, and now he’s grown to 6-10. He is going to be a great face-up player for us at the forward spot. He grew up rooting for the Zags, and it’s awesome to have someone that wants to be a part of this so badly.”
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— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) December 17, 2020
The 6-foot-10, 224-pound Gregg chose Gonzaga in September over Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Cal and Virginia.
“I grew up in the Spokane area,” he told ZAGSBLOG then. “My dad coached there in Spokane for the beginning part of my life and then I moved here [to Oregon] when I was like 7. So a lot of my family still lives in Spokane and my relatives, so I think it will be fun to have them close to me and obviously Gonzaga is a well-known program. I think they’re probably as close to a blue blood as you can get now.
“They’re No. 1 in the country this year preseason, so it’s kind of hard to say no to them.”
Gregg attended a preseason game last season at Gonzaga and said “we watch all their games all year so I’m really familiar with them. They’ve been talking to me since my summer going into my sophomore year, maybe a little my freshman year, too, so I built a good relationship with their staff.”
Assistant Brian Michaelson was the lead recruiter.
After Washington native Paolo Banchero committed to Duke Aug. 20, Gonzaga zeroed in on Gregg.
According to 247Sports, Gregg is ranked No. 75 nationally and is the No. 2 prospect in Oregon.
“I think they way they play my position is different from a lot of other schools,” Gregg said. “I think they really value where I play at. A lot of guys have success there, so that’s definitely a big reason why.”
Gonzaga has produced its share of pros from the frontcourt, including Brandon Clarke, Domantas Sabonis and Kelly Olynyk, while Drew Timme is starring on the current team.
“A lot of stretch fours that shoot the ball and they like to play through them a lot,” Gregg said. “I definitely see myself playing in their system. “[I’m a] big that can stretch the floor and shoot the three,” he added.
“My IQ’s probably the best aspect of my game. I can post up a little guy on me, and if I have a bigger guy I can bring him outside. I definitely need to work on my defense and being able to go out on the perimeter and if I’m able do that, I think I’ll be pretty successful there.”
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