Ben Gregg, Kaden Perry make it official, sign with Gonzaga
Ben Gregg and Kaden Perry, teammates and roommates on a Portland AAU team a few summers ago, on Wednesday signed with Gonzaga.
Gregg and Perry followed up their oral commitments – Gregg in September and Perry in June, 2019 – by signing letters of intent on the first day of the signing period.
Gregg, a 6-foot-10, 225-pound forward at Clackamas (Oregon) High, is rated No. 29 by ESPN and No. 58 in 247sports’ composite rankings. Perry, a 6-9, 225-pound forward at Battle Ground (Washington) High, is rated No. 34 by 247sports and No. 75 by ESPN.
Gregg was the Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists last season. The two-time all-state selection helped Portland’s Columbia Christian win the Class 2A state title in 2018.
Gregg was born in Spokane. His dad, Matt, coached in Post Falls and at Freeman High before becoming head women’s coach 13 years ago at Warner-Pacific in Portland.
“Ben is a super-skilled forward that’s a coach’s kid,” Few said. “He’s been a guard his whole life and now he’s grown to 6-10. He is going to be a great face-up player for us at the forward spot. He grew up rooting for the Zags and it’s awesome to have someone that wants to be a part of this so badly.”
Perry averaged 23.7 points, 15.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks for Battle Ground last season. As a sophomore, he helped Battle Ground make its first state tournament appearance since 2002.
“Kaden is going to remind people a lot of Brandon Clarke,” said Few, referring to the former Zag who received All-America recognition in 2019 before becoming a first-round NBA draft pick. “He’s a little bit bigger than Brandon, but he runs the floor and plays above the rim much like Brandon did.
“We’re just scratching the surface right now with his ability. He’s been so excited to be a Zag. He’s been loyal throughout the whole process. It’s going to be great to get him here and have our staff get our hands on him development-wise because he has a big, big future.”
The Zags are in the mix for 7-footer Chet Holmgren, ranked No. 1 in the 2021 class by ESPN and 247sports. Holmgren, who played with GU freshman guard Jalen Suggs at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, lists seven finalists – Gonzaga, Ohio State, Minnesota, Michigan, Memphis, Georgetown and North Carolina.
He had 24 points, 20 rebounds, 12 blocks and five assists in the third-place game at the Pangos All-American Camp last weekend.
Rivals.com recently ranked favorites for Holmgren as Gonzaga, Ohio State, Minnesota and Michigan, in that order.
“Gonzaga has a ton working in its favor, so I feel somewhat comfortable having them in the top spot despite not feeling confident enough to enter an official prediction,” Rivals.com’s Rob Cassidy wrote. “Holmgren likes the way Mark Few’s system can adapt to his versatility, which seems to mean a lot to the 7-footer.”
Hunter Sallis, a guard from Omaha, Nebraska, ranked No. 6 by 247sports, put Gonzaga on his list of 12 schools, but 247sports’ crystal ball projection has Kentucky as the favorite.