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Gonzaga takes unconventional route to first two ’13 recruits

mark-fewAP

Mike Miller

It’s not as if the armchair quarterback can evaluate the way the Gonzaga basketball program has done business over recent years and argue with the results. While the program has had their fair share of transfers, the coaching staff has largely landed under-valued players that have found their way to excel in the West Coast Conference.

With that said, the first two recruits in the Bulldogs’ 2013 recruiting class, 6-11 center Ryan Edwards of Montana, and in-state forward Lucas Meikle haven’t been on many radars prior to making their commitments to the Gonzaga program, and there’s the possibility that the coaching staff has found some diamonds in the rough.

The track record of Montana high school players in the major college basketball ranks isn’t a long one, and Edwards hasn’t been seen by any scouts. Presumably incoming freshman Przemek Karnowski will hold down the post for a while in terms of newcomers, giving Gonzaga the opportunity to redshirt Edwards. Meikle could be a player that Gonzaga simply got in on first, to the benefit of the program going forward.

Very few non-BCS schools have had the overall success over the last several seasons that Gonzaga has maintained. They have seemingly mined the greater Northwest, Canada, and internationally to come up with a winning roster. While it is not clear exactly where Edwards and Meikle fit into the grand scheme of things, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time that Gonzaga struck with underrated prospects.

Kellon Hassenstab runs Hoopniks.com. Follow him on Twitter @hoopniks.