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Gonzaga Basketball

Five-star guard Hunter Sallis signs with Gonzaga

Hunter Sallis is shown wearing a Gonzaga T-shirt at Millard North High School when he verbally committed to GU on March 26th.  (Anna Reed/Omaha World-Herald)

Five-star guard Hunter Sallis made it official Thursday, signing his National Letter of Intent with Gonzaga after orally committing last month on his 18th birthday.

Sallis, a 6-foot-4, 175-pound guard from Millard North High School in Omaha, Nebraska, is just the third signee in program history to be named a McDonald’s All-American, joining Jalen Suggs and Zach Collins. Gonzaga has had transfers join the program who were McDonald’s All-Americans.

Sallis is the highest-rated recruit in program history in 247sports’ composite rankings. He’s No. 6 in the 2021 class, edging out Suggs, who was 10th when he committed to Gonzaga and 11th in the final 2020 rankings. The 247sports composite rankings are a combination of 247sports, ESPN and Rivals ratings.

“Hunter is a great person, that comes from a great family,” head coach Mark Few said in a GU release. “He is a high-character individual with a bright future. We’re really looking forward to when he gets here.”

Sallis figures to make an immediate impact with the Zags. Two-year starter Joel Ayayi has declared for the NBA draft and Sallis should be in the mix for a starting spot.

Sallis led Millard North to the program’s first state championship. He finished with 25 points, five rebounds and five assists as Millard North beat Bellevue West 84-78 in overtime last month.

He averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists as a senior. He scored 1,819 career points, third most in Class A history, and he’s the first five-star recruit in Nebraska preps history.

Sallis said last month he picked GU over Creighton, located in his hometown of Omaha, and North Carolina.

He joins Kaden Perry, a 6-9 forward at Battle Ground (Washington) High, in Gonzaga’s 2021 class. Perry signed in November. Forward Ben Gregg was in the 2021 class but graduated early from high school and joined Gonzaga’s team in December.

Chinese native Fanbo Zeng, who orally committed to Gonzaga in November, is reportedly considering reclassifying to the 2021 class. Zeng is ranked 33rd by ESPN in the 2022 class.

Zakharov transfers to Cal Baptist

Former Gonzaga center Pavel Zakharov is transferring to Cal Baptist, according to Stadium’s Jeff Goodman.

Zakharov played sparingly in two seasons with the Bulldogs, logging 114 minutes in 29 game appearances. The majority of the 7-footer’s playing time came in his freshman season when he played 86 minutes in 19 games.

Zakharov, a Russian native who was in Montverde (Florida) Academy’s Center for Basketball Development program before signing with Gonzaga, joins a Cal Baptist program that finished 13-10 last season, 6-6 in the Western Athletic Conference.

The Lancers, located in Riverside, recently completed their third season in a four-year transition to full Division I status.