Gonzaga commit Jalen Suggs named MaxPreps male athlete of the year

Jalen Suggs added another prestigious honor to his growing awards collection.

Suggs, the headliner in Gonzaga’s three-player 2020 recruiting class, was named MaxPreps Male Athlete of the Year. The two-sport star from Minnesota joins an illustrious list of winners, including Derrick Henry (2012-13), Patrick Mahomes (2013-14) and Kyler Murray (2014-15).

Suggs averaged as 23.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.0 rebounds and 3.9 steals per game for Minnehaha Academy before his senior season was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic just prior to the state tournament. Minnehaha was eyeing its fourth consecutive state title.

Suggs was a finalist for the Naismith and MaxPreps player of the year awards. The 6-foot-4 point guard led Minnehaha to a 115-15 record during his career. He scored 2,945 career points.

Suggs was a two-way standout in football. He passed for 2,213 yards and 25 touchdowns and ran for 978 yards and 12 TDs. He also played defensive back and picked off nine passes, two that he returned for touchdowns.

Suggs became the first athlete in Minnesota history to win the state’s Mr. Football and Mr. Basketball awards in the same season.

Suggs, at No. 8 in 247sports’ composite rankings, is the highest-ranked recruit in GU history.