Quick, who’s the highest rated Gonzaga recruit for upcoming season according to 247 sports? It’s Pavel Zakharov, who was ranked 37th best player in the nation and the 9th best center. According to his recruiting profile, he “catches and finishes well. Skilled passer with potential as a shooter. Effective in low and high post. Willing defender but could improve his defensive presence. Has intriguing upside and likely ends up as a first rounder.” Zakharov along with Timme, Ballo and Watson give Gonzaga has four of the nation’s top 50 bigs.
Pavel was recruited by Tommy Lloyd after seeing him during the 2017 FIBA U16 European Championships where he averaged 8.