Gonzaga signs California prep standout

Larry Gurganious, a 6-foot-5, 185-pound senior-to-be at Saint Mary’s High School in Berkeley, Calif., has made an oral commitment to play basketball for Gonzaga University next winter.

Gurganious, who averaged just over 20 points and eight rebounds a game as an off guard for Saint Mary’s last year, visited the GU campus over the weekend and committed to the Bulldogs on the spot.

“What impressed me the most was how comfortable I felt in the city and how the players on the team treated me,” said Gurganious, a first-team All-Bay Shore Athletic League selection on a Saint Mary’s team that finished 22-7 after losing to powerhouse Saint Joseph in the CIF Division IV playoffs last winter. “They treated me like I was already going there.”

Gurganious said he was also impressed by the Bulldogs’ new 6,000-seat McCarthey Athletic Center that will open this fall and serve as the new home for The Kennel.

“It was nice in there,” he said. “It’s going to be a real good place to play. I can’t wait to see what it’s like when the people fill it up.”

Mark Olivier, Gurganious AAU coach, said the Zags have landed a real gem.

“He’s a great player,” said Olivier, who has coached Gurganious in the summer since he was in eighth grade. “His intensity on defense is amazing and his athleticism is just unbelievable.

“When he gets to the basket, he can use either hand, and he can dunk with the best of them.”

Gurganious said he had earlier entertained recruiting advances from Washington State, UCLA, Oregon State, Baylor and Valparaiso, among others, but decided to cancel his remaining campus visits after spending the weekend in Spokane.

“Gonzaga just seemed like the perfect fit for me,” he explained, “so I’ve decided not take any other recruiting trips.”