Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren is about to have his coming out party at the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Every year, the NCAA Tournament catapults a small number of players into national stardom. From Kemba Walker back in 2011 for UConn to Johnny Juzang at UCLA in last year’s tournament.
With the field about to be set for the 2022 tournament, one player that is about to get a serious boost of camera time and social media followers is 19 year-old Gonzaga freshman Chet Holmgren.
The 7-foot phenom from Minneapolis, MN was the No.1 rated recruit coming out of high school this past year and a McDonald’s All-America. He had offers from the likes of North Carolina, Baylor, Texas, Michigan, USC and a dozen more but chose to follow his high school teammate Jalen Suggs to Spokane and play for Mark Few. He is the highest rated recruit to ever sign with Gonzaga.
Holmgren has lived up to the hype and then some being named WCC Freshman of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and first team All-WCC after averaging 14.2 points per game along with 9.6 rebounds. He also ranks No.4 in the country with 3.6 blocks per game.
When you think about most 7-footers, more often than not they lumber up and down the floor or can be found hovering underneath the basketball, but not Holmgren.
The big man can be seen scooping up a defensive rebound and then dribbling the ball coast-to-coast capped off by an emphatic dunk. Holmgren can go old-school and play with his back to the basket if needed, but more often than not he can be found hovering around the three-point line showing shades of Dirk Nowitzki as a big man with unstoppable range from behind the arc.
Holmgren has a chance to be the No.1 pick in the next NBA draft and at worst will be a lottery selection.
Gonzaga went 26-3 on the season wining the West Coast Conference and will be a No.1 seed in the tournament.
The casual college basketball fan who will pick up their bracket on Monday morning is about to get a crash course in college basketball’s next superstar; Chet Holmgren.
