Josh Perkins: The Future of Gonzaga Basketball
By Ben Plaster
Dec. 19, 2012; Spokane, WA, USA; A Gonzaga Bulldogs logo is shown before a game against the Campbell Fighting Camels at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Josh Perkins recently commited to Gonzaga University, and that means GU has officially taken the TOTAL full circle step into the “big dog” status of college basketball by landing their best recruit they’ve ever sniffed at. This kid, Perkins, has been ranked as high as #24 by ESPN for the 2014 graduating class. He’s the real deal.
Perkins is a pure passer, and one of the highest quality ones in the nation at that. He throws no look passes, behind the back passes, skip passes, bounce passes, and any other pass you could think of. Some of these are videogame-level passes, some Rajon Rondo “how-did-he-just-do-that” passes. He’s got a nice handle, and great explosiveness. He’s also got good size for his position at 6 foot 3 inches.
What then does this mean for the GU program? Well, it means that there’s going to be a logjam in the backcourt for a long time ahead in Gonzaga’s future, assuming nobody goes professional early. Pangos and Bell should both still be starters, leaving several other backcourt players challenging for playing time, which should be interesting to watch. Personally, I could see a point guard as talented as Perkins steal major playing time from Pangos. He’s a better pure point guard, and he has a higher ceiling both on offense and defense, where his solid size and good athleticism should make him a terror defensively somewhere down the road.
His impact should be immediate, and GU fans should be excited about the future with this kid.
Until next time, thanks for reading.
Ben Plaster (@androidben)