Top recruit Chet Holmgren commits to Gonzaga with an amazing custom shirt
After an undefeated regular season and an appearance in the national title, Gonzaga has added the nation’s highest recruit in Chet Holmgren.
The 18-year-old is a McDonald’s All-American who won Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year and Naismith Prep Player of the Year. You may remember Holmgren as the 7-foot high schooler who crossed over Stephen Curry back in 2019.
These days, his star is still on the rise as he is set to make the big step to college basketball. He decided on Gonzaga over Georgetown, Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio State. He also considered Minnesota, where his father Dave Holmgren played college basketball.
All things considered, the news wasn’t considered too much of a surprise, especially considering he had a custom shirt with edits of him in Gonzaga jerseys made for the announcement:
Chet Holmgren commits to Gonzaga.
Pretty cool commitment shirt pic.twitter.com/B8F4lY0oBj
— jace frederick (@JaceFrederick) April 19, 2021
His father, who was sitting next to him, was also wearing the shirt.
Holmgren was asked if this decision was official or if he was also still considering turning pro to play for the G League Ignite. He confirmed that this decision was official and he would be playing college basketball next season.
You can watch the video of his announcement in the clip, embedded below.
Chet Holmgren is headed to Gonzaga pic.twitter.com/p2SxlxdoAj
— CJ Fogler #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) April 19, 2021
The big man played alongside standout Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs, a projected top-five pick in the 2021 NBA draft, at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Holmgren said that Suggs helped him make his decision. Based on Suggs’ Instagram story, it seemed like he was present for the announcement and pleased with the decision.
Holmgren and Suggs were also AAU teammates, dominating for Grassroots Sizzle on the Under Armour circuit.
While playing for Grassroots Sizzle in 2019, though still only a sophomore in high school, Holmgren averaged 15.1 points per game while shooting 45.7 percent from beyond the arc.
He also added 4.9 blocks per game and his block percentage (14.9 percent) ranked as the best overall among all AAU players, per Open Look Analytics.
CHET HOLMGREN COMMITS TO GONZAGA
@ChetHolmgren pic.twitter.com/j5M7yOl3TX
— Overtime (@overtime) April 19, 2021
Even just a few minutes watching his highlights make you see why he is so exciting.
Holmgren is a projected top pick in the 2022 NBA draft. While Gonzaga wasn’t able to seal the deal and win a national title this season, he could be the missing piece of the puzzle for head coach Mark Few, especially if key players like Drew Timme and Andrew Nembhard return for another year.
If that happens, the shirt that he wore when he announced his commitment will be a coveted piece of memorabilia for fans of the program.