Gonzaga Basketball Recruiting: Josh Perkins

Feb. 9, 2013; Spokane, WA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few looks up at the score board during a game against the Loyola Marymount Lions during the second half at the McCarthey Athletic Center. The Bulldogs beat the Lions by a final score of 74-55. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

To put into perspective how Josh Perkins recruiting has been blowing up lately, here is a tweet from ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.

His stellar play in the last few months during the AAU circuit has made him a topic of conversation with the biggest names in the college basketball media. It is astonishing to think that a 17 year old kid is being talked about like that.

For those that are not aware with Perkins, he is a five star point guard from Regis, Colorado, and has garnered a ton of interest from some of the elite programs in the country. Perkins was playing at the Pangos All American Camp this weekend and has been turning some heads, as evident from the following tweets from renowned recruiting analysts across the country.

In the afternoon session yesterday, Perkins reportedly had 17 assists with only 2 turnovers. People are absolutely raving over his court vision and passing ability. As alluded to before, a lot of the elite programs around the country are showing interest in Perkins, but according to a report by CBS Sports, Perkins has announced the schools recruiting him the hardest are UCLA, USC, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Mark Few and his staff has made him the priority recruit for there 2014 recruiting class.

Perkins is a player that already has 10 division one offers, according to scout.com. Those ten teams would be Arizona, Colorado, Creighton, Denver, Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, Stanford, UCLA, USC, and of course the Zags.

Perkins reportedly visited UCLA and USC this weekend, and is set to visit Gonzaga this weekend. Right now, it seems like the Trojans and the Bruins are Gonzaga’s main competition for locking up Perkins for the future.

What are the chances of Perkins coming to GU?

Perkin’s recruitment has been blowing up as of late, so it is hard to gauge right now if Gonzaga is a serious contender. Big time schools like UCLA and Kansas have offered him, and Kentucky has shown interest in Perkins. However, those schools have not been recruiting him for nearly as long as Mark Few and his staff.

When it is all said and done, it will ultimately be about what is important to Perkin’s. If the five star point guard wants to play for elite program that would contend for a national championship every year, he will most likely go to a school like UCLA, Kentucky, or Kansas. If he wants to play at a program where he could make an immediate impact and become a proverbial superstar, Gonzaga would be a great choice for Perkins.

Campus life, housing, and the overall location of ambiance of the college plays a significant part in a recruits decision, along with the basketball program. What Gonzaga has working for them currently is that they have been recruiting Perkins extremely hard for a long period of time. The Bulldogs are definitely a contender for Perkin’s services at the moment, but do not be surprised if something changes if Perkin’s get even more offers from elite basketball programs.

How would Perkin’s fit at Gonzaga?

Perkins has showed that he has an extraordinary ability to pass the basketball and put his teammates in better situations. Gonzaga is well known for it’s skilled big men, so a player that could feed them the ball with such ease such as Perkins could be a fantastic asset for the Zags. He is also no slouch in the scoring department as well.

Perkin’s would be a phenomenal fit for Gonzaga. He is a high caliber player whose skills coincide perfectly with what Gonzaga does on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Keep an eye out for Perkin’s recruitment by Gonzaga as the 2014 recruiting year unfolds.

Highlight Tape: 

Here’s a good look at his passing ability.

Here’s a good look at his overall game (ignore the rockchalk Jawhawk part at the beginning):