Report: Gonzaga new favorite for five-star guard Hunter Sallis

Gonzaga is listed as the new favorite for five-star point guard Hunter Sallis, according to 247sports.

Sallis, ranked No. 6 by 247sports and No. 13 by ESPN in the 2021 class, had been trending toward Kentucky, but 247sports’ Travis Branham’s crystal ball projection Tuesday has the top-ranked Zags as the favorite.

Sallis, a 6-foot-5, 180-pound point guard from Omaha, Nebraska, cut his list of finalists to eight last month. He’s considering GU, Kentucky, Kansas, Creighton, North Carolina, Iowa State, Oregon and UCLA.

Sallis visited Gonzaga last January. The Zags have been recruiting Sallis long before he began soaring up recruiting rankings. He said in November he was planning on waiting until spring to sign “to visit some campuses and make sure I’m making the right decision.”

Gonzaga’s 2021 commits are forward Ben Gregg, who graduated from high school early and will be on GU’s roster as soon as he clears medical protocols, and forward Kaden Perry.

The Zags are loaded at guard this season, but freshman Jalen Suggs is a potential one-and-done and juniors Joel Ayayi and Andrew Nembhard declared for the 2020 NBA draft before opting to return to school.