Meet Gonzaga’s Zach Collins: The latest Final Four freshman who could be a game-changer

Gonzaga is building a powerhouse and Zach Collins is the latest reminder

Since the first time the Gonzaga Bulldogs made a late run in the NCAA Tournament way back in 1999, they’ve had their doubters. As each year passed in which regular season success was followed by March disappointment, critics issued Dennis Green-like calls of, “they are what we thought they were!”

There was a history of failure for those skeptics to point to. In 2002, the first year the Bulldogs were a single-digit seed, they were upset by Wyoming in the first round.  After three straight second-round losses, they were on the verge of an Elite Eight berth in 2006 when Adam Morrison’s squad collapsed against UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen. Flash forward to 2013, Gonzaga’s first No. 1 seed and the Wichita State loss that reignited the same criticism. Throughout the Bulldogs’ run of NCAA Tournament appearances since 1999 there have been letters to the editor and opinion columns highlighting their March shortcomings.

Last weekend, though, an 83-59 victory over No. 11 Xavier in the Elite Eight helped to stem the tide of naysayers as Gonzaga made its first Final Four in school history.

The program has come a long way from the upstart mid-major it was when it made that first Cinderella run in 1999. In terms of finances, Gonzaga invests and makes as much, or more, money than several of its peers. The Bulldogs have been to 19 straight NCAA Tournaments. Only three schools — Duke, Kansas and Michigan State — are in the midst of a longer active streak. They have also dominated their conference foes to a greater degree than any other team since 1999, according to an analysis done by FiveThirtyEight last season. The basketball program has even fueled a resurgence at the university as a whole, with one major donor calling it “the catalyst for changing Gonzaga.” Even in the face of so many successes, firsts continue to define the Bulldogs like the aforementioned trip to the Final Four.

The 2016-17 Bulldogs’ roster is also shaped by another program first. On March 16, 2015, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) junior Zach Collins verbally committed to play his college basketball for head coach Mark Few. As a high school senior, Collins became a McDonald’s All American, making him the first freshman in Gonzaga history to have received such an honor.

Collins is also the highest-rated recruit to commit to the Bulldogs out of high school since 1999. He was ranked No. 33 in the 2016 recruiting class by 247Sports, edging out 2007 recruit Austin Daye (No. 34) for the top spot. Of course, being a highly rated recruit and a McDonald’s All American does not guarantee collegiate success, but Collins has been terrific as a freshman, pushing his way onto NBA draft boards despite coming off the bench for the Bulldogs — a fact that accentuates both just how good and deep this Gonzaga team is.

The 19-year old’s statistical production — 9.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks —  doesn’t jump off the page until you realize he’s playing just 17.2 minutes per contest. Collins is the only player in the country averaging 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in fewer than 18 minutes per game. When his stats are aggregated based on a per 40 minutes basis, the picture of how good he has been becomes even clearer. Using those numbers, Collins is on par with the frontcourt players being named to All-America teams this spring in nearly every category:

Collins has been ridiculously efficient on offense as a freshman, posting a 70.6 true shooting percentage (TS%), which is designed to account for 3-point shooting and free throws. He’s not Caleb Swanigan from behind the arc, but he has made nine of his 20 3-point attempts and shot 74.5 percent from the foul line this season. Inside the arc, Collins has been dominant. His per possession numbers (percentile in parentheses) there outpace the All-Americans in almost every category:

A large bulk of Collins’ offensive possessions (36.4 percent) take place in the post, which makes sense given that Gonzaga ranks seventh nationally in terms of percent of possessions (18.7) used on post ups. It’s part of why he originally committed to the school. “They use their bigs more than anybody in the country,” Collins said at the time. “The fact they play two bigs all the time and their bigs get the most touches, I think I’ll be most successful at that school.”

In the second round of March Madness, Collins showed off his arsenal. Few relied on the young player down the stretch as Northwestern stormed back into the game. “It’s like having another starter … I have no issue playing him late in the games, playing him at crunch time, and finishing games with him,” the head coach said seemingly foreshadowing the day prior to the game. Mid-way through the second half, Collins flashed a drop step and spin move for an and-one, giving a glimpse of why Few believes in him so thoroughly:

Later in the game, he showed patience against a double team as he backed his defender down, spun away from it and finished through contact for a huge bucket:

The freshman also fundamentally changes the way that the Bulldogs are able to play defense. While senior starter Przemek Karnowski is no slouch, Collins simply offers a bit more versatility because of his athleticism and lateral quickness.

With Karnowski on the floor, Gonzaga is unable to switch pick-and-rolls, for example, and while the Pride of Poland does a nice job of challenging shots at the rim, he doesn’t have the same type of mobility that the young freshman does. Here’s a good example of what Collins brings to the table. Watch as he chases down this block in transition:

Collins’ production on defense — he’s one of three players in Division I posting 1.5 blocks and 0.5 steals in under 18 minutes per game — is an important part of why this has been Few’s best defensive team at Gonzaga. In a season of firsts, this is also the first time in the KenPom era that the Bulldogs have had the top-ranked defense based on adjusted efficiency. That defense has carried Gonzaga to the Final Four with its opponents scoring a meager 0.85 points per possession through four tournament games so far, per Hoop Lens.

With the Bulldogs on the biggest stage in school history, it’s time for the nation to meet Zach Collins. McDonald’s All Americans are no stranger to coming off of the bench and making a big impact in the Final Four.

In 2008, Kansas freshman Cole Aldrich put on a show in the semifinals against National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough and North Carolina. Aldrich tallied eight points, seven boards and four blocks in just 16 minutes en route to the title game. More recently, Duke’s Grayson Allen came off the bench in the 2015 championship game to score 16 points in 21 minutes against Wisconsin as the Blue Devils secured their fifth national title.

Collins is the only player from last March’s McDonald’s game left in the tournament and he has the tools to make a statement. If he does, Gonzaga has a chance to be last team standing in the remnants of the Madness. Another program first in a season that’s been full of them.