Lake City big man Blake Buchanan commits to Virginia over Gonzaga

Blake Buchanan will travel across the country to play college basketball, but the Lake City High center will play for someone who made his name coaching less than 100 miles from his hometown of Coeur d’Alene.

Two weeks after narrowing his college choices to Virginia and Gonzaga, Buchanan committed Sunday to the Cavaliers and former Washington State coach Tony Bennett.

Buchanan is considered a three-star recruit by 247Sports.com’s composite rankings, the top recruit in Idaho, the country’s 15th-ranked center and the nation’s 107th ranked overall prospect.

Along with Virginia and Gonzaga, Buchanan had Division I offers from WSU, Iowa, Pepperdine, Idaho, San Jose State and Utah Valley.

Buchanan was formally offered by Gonzaga after a strong performance at the Section 7 tournament in Phoenix, leading Lake City to a 4-0 record against teams from California and New Mexico.

Buchanan’s commitment came after the senior-to-be returned from a solid week at the NBPA Top 100 camp held in Orlando, Florida. The 6-foot-9, 215-pound center averaged 8.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and recorded five blocks in five games at the high school event showcasing players in the 2023, 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes.

Gonzaga has a single player – Southern California four-star Dusty Stromer – committed in its 2023 recruiting class. Mookie Cook, a five-star forward in the 2023 class who once listed Gonzaga in his top three, recently reopened his recruitment after giving a commitment to Oregon.