5-star level guard Kingston Flemings has formally listed Gonzaga in his remaining 5 potential touchdown spots for the 2025 season. Together with Gonzaga the San Antonio native has narrowed his checklist to Arkansas, Texas, Houston, and Texas Tech. As of now, the sensible cash appears to be on the College of Texas to land the extremely touted recruit, however as we’ve seen time and time once more, the Gonzaga recruiting machine shouldn’t be underestimated.
Who’s He?
In accordance with On3.com, Flemings is the quantity 1-ranked level guard within the class of 2025 and the quantity 13-ranked participant general. He stands at 6’3, 170 lbs. and is wanted for his selflessness, imaginative and prescient, and uptempo model of play. In his junior season, Flemings averaged 17 factors, 7.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and a couple of steals per recreation for the Brennan Bears and led his staff to the UIL Boys Basketball Event semifinals. Alongside the way in which went from nationally unranked to a consensus top-30 prospect and some of the closely recruited gamers within the class of 2025. His potential dedication would make him the very best ranked incoming level guard in program historical past.
Type of Play
Offensively, Flemings can damage you from wherever on the court docket, however particularly in transition. His elite imaginative and prescient and passing make him exactly the type of level guard defenses battle to game-plan towards and exactly the type of level guard Mark Few has come to depend on because the Zags’ offensive effectivity metrics went from “actually good” to “frankly astounding.” Within the lane, he makes use of his footwork and good physique management to get clear appears on the rim or muscle his method in direction of the basket for a fast, acrobatic end. At 38% he’s additionally a legit 3-pt menace with a fast set off from the highest of the important thing. His model of play calls to thoughts Rasir Bolton, David Stockton, Nigel Williams-Goss, and Joel Ayayi abruptly, by some means. Briefly, he’s the whole bundle. It’s not onerous to see why each faculty within the nation is salivating over him.
Defensively, the closest analog to Flemings might be (and thrillingly) Hunter Sallis. Flemings is likely one of the greatest perimeter defenders within the nation and he makes use of his fast arms to simply choose the pockets of those that don’t handle the ball. He performs quick and relentless; sprinting and slicing and discovering open house off the ball whereas serving as a lockdown defender on the opposite finish of the ground.
Flemings’ recreation isn’t with out its flaws, although. Traditionally, if you wish to get yelled at by Mark Few, the quickest method is to be a degree guard who employs the “drive-hard-to-the-basket-and-figure-it-out-later” model of play popularized by Josh Perkins in his youthful years. Flemings might be responsible of this similar type of anguish-inducing impatience in his offensive assault, however like all GU level guards earlier than him, Few and Co. would make deprogramming this impulse a prime precedence.
No matter “deficiencies” one can notice in Flemings’ model of play are simply trumped by his upside. He’ll inevitably spend the following yr getting larger, stronger, and extra expert and wherever he finally ends up can be extraordinarily fortunate to have him.
How would he slot in?
What concerning the Braeden Smith of all of it? One of many smartest strikes Gonzaga made on this final low season was to usher in Colgate switch Braeden Smith to helm the offense as soon as Ryan Nembhard strikes on. Smith has already acknowledged his intentions to redshirt this upcoming season and can enter 2025 with a yr’s price of headstart time spent studying the ins and outs of Gonzaga’s punishingly environment friendly flex-motion offense. He can even achieve this whereas practising towards–and studying from–some of the criminally underrated backcourt duos within the nation. Ought to Flemings decide to Gonzaga he would achieve this beneath the implicit understanding that his minutes within the first years of his school profession are removed from assured. Flemings would arrive at GU already in stiff competitors for the position of wheelman in probably the most punishingly environment friendly offenses within the county. It’s a extremely prized position for a younger participant, however not one that may be given with out appreciable behind-the-scenes work on Flemings’ half. Within the NIL period, this may flip many gifted recruits like Flemings in direction of colleges the place they could take a extra outstanding position on the staff proper off the bat.
All that being mentioned, it’s turn out to be exceptionally uncommon for true freshmen to get vital minutes on the level guard spot wherever. All the colleges Flemings has talked about in his top-5 are well-stocked on the level guard spot for not less than the following 2-3 years and it’s due to this fact secure to imagine that participant growth is a serious precedence for Flemings. Though UT is the present front-runner to safe his dedication, the Zags’ participant growth program is legendarily nice and its latest observe document with proficient level guards in recent times may make the Bulldogs a extra engaging possibility for Flemings than many prognosticators have up to now cared to acknowledge.
In conclusion…
Flemings will go to Gonzaga in early October for its annual Kraziness within the Kennel exhibition occasion. Kraziness has confirmed to be a robust recruiting software prior to now that’s helped sway the choices of excessive profile recruits like Drew Timme, Julian Strawther, and Jalen Suggs to remain in Spokane. Though some could suspect Flemings’ dedication to the UT Longhorns is imminent, the Gonzaga recruiting equipment must not ever be underestimated. One thing about stepping foot within the Kennel and listening to the roar of the native crowd in individual has
There are many colleges within the nation that may fortunately signal Flemings as a one-and-done phenom making a pitstop on his approach to the NBA. There are additionally loads of colleges within the nation who would additionally throw gobs of NIL cash at a participant like Flemings and make credible guarantees of great enjoying time as quickly as he arrives on campus. There’s something to be mentioned for this specific profession path for a participant like Flemings, however it’s not one which Gonzaga has traditionally supplied. Somewhat, Gonzaga is a faculty the place gamers can spend a number of years getting league-ready beneath the tutelage of one of many biggest coaches within the historical past of the game. It’s a faculty the place they will play in entrance of some of the passionate fan bases on the planet and in some of the feared arenas in school basketball evening after evening. Based mostly on the areas of the opposite colleges in Flemings’ top-5, the long run star appears fascinated with staying near residence. Gonzaga’s inclusion on that very same checklist suggests that he’s open to creating an extended trek for the suitable alternative.