Gonzaga freshman Zach Collins declares for NBA Draft

Freshman forward Zach Collins is leaving. After one year and a run to the NCAA Championship Game, Gonzaga is losing a major piece for next year.

The NBA’s “one-and-done” rule is a controversial policy among player, coaches, and fans of NCAA basketball. Yet, it is the NBA’s rule, and players throughout college basketball will declare for the draft. Those who do not sign with an agent can withdraw from the draft and return to school. That is not the case for one player.

Gonzaga is knows as a team that gets the scrappy players and builds a quality team. Players go there with the mindset of staying for three or four years. It is not Kentucky, which brings in a crop of new talent each year only to have it harvested by the NBA. Or even North Carolina or Duke — this does not happen there.

It does now. According to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, freshman 7-foot forward Zach Collins is leaving Gonzaga and declaring for the draft. He is also signing with an agent.

Our experts at The Step Back rates Collins as the No. 12 player in this year’s draft, at least so far. He is the No. 2 pure power forward but questions surround if these rankings are truly accurate, especially when looking over his stats.

For the 2016-17 season, Collins only averaged 10 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game he played. Not numbers that will jump off the page when scouting a 7-foot player. However, it is crucial to see that he only played 17.2 minutes per game, going no longer that 23 minutes in any contest. His best performance was against South Carolina in the Final Four, going for 14 points and 13 rebounds. It was his only double-double of the year.

The numbers do not astound you. But, 36 percent of his offensive possessions came in the post. If he is to remain a power forward, that trend must continue. He is patient with double teams, and makes players think twice before driving.

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At 7-feet and 230 pounds, he can fill up the lane. Yet, he is only 19 years old and not done growing. Was his freshman year enough to get the attention of NBA scouts? He is banking on it. It is NBA or nothing for Collins.