Bishop Gorman Senior, Zach Collins has had an illustrious high school career, culminating in an appearance in the 2016 McDonald’s All-American Game. Collins, a Gonzaga commit, has long been known as an elite recruit in the Class of 2016, but even this caught him by surprise. “It was really a shock that I was selected,” Collins admitted. “I’ve worked really hard to get to this point and it’s nice to be recognized for that. There is so much that I can say and so many people that I could thank. It’s a pretty hard game to get into, so it’s really a blessing.”

Although Collins began playing basketball around the age of six, it wasn’t until years later when he developed into the All-American that he is today. “When I was young, I wasn’t really growing and developing my athleticism like everyone else was,” Collins said. “I definitely had to push through that and see the bigger picture.”

Within a few years, Collins started to rack up offers from schools such as Arizona, Oregon, and, of course, Gonzaga. While many players wait until their Senior year to commit, Collins had a different strategy, committing in February of his Junior year. “It was definitely nice to make my decision early so that I could play through the summer and through my high school season without anything going on aside from basketball.”

Now, with his high school career reaching its conclusion, Collins will be joining a solid recruiting class at Gonzaga. “It’s a great recruiting class,” said the 6’11” Center. “I’m really excited to get there this summer and get to know them a lot. I think we’ll have great chemistry on the court.”  

Despite his early decision to commit, Collins wouldn’t recommend rushing to a decision. “Some advice that I would give to other recruits would be, ‘Just take your time and enjoy every bit of it because not many people get to go through the process. It’s definitely a blessing for someone to go through that. So, just enjoy everything and have a good conversation with the coaches.’”

Many highly ranked recruits may be overwhelmed by the stress of the media, coaches, and recruiting; Collins, on the other hand, was prepared. Attending Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas, NV), Collins played behind two McDonald’s All- Americans in Chase Jeter and Stephen Zimmerman and there is no doubt that while it may have been a challenge, it helped him in becoming the player that he is today: “Having to play behind two All-Americans for the first couple years of my high school career was definitely tough, but I know that it helped me develop into the player that I’ve become in the last few years,” He said, “It helped going up against them every day in practice, guys like Chase Jeter. That’s was kind of tough, but it made me a lot better than I would have been without them.”

Playing at Bishop Gorman wasn’t the only thing that helped turn Collins into the elite player that he is today. Collins played his AAU basketball with Team Fast, joining fellow top recruits, Payton Pritchard, who benefited greatly from playing with Collins. “Zach is one of my best friends and was a great teammate. I know he is going to be great at Gonzaga.” The feeling goes both ways for Collins as he knows the impact that Pritchard had on his consistent improvement throughout high school. “I played with a stellar point guard in Payton Pritchard, so that helped me a lot. Key point guard play helps a big man excel, so that was important. Overall, AAU really helped my confidence and my belief in myself.”

Now, with his confidence at the zenith and a great future ahead of him at Gonzaga, Zach Collins is a prospect to keep on your radar next year. Praised by his high school teammate, Charles O’Bannon Jr. as “The best big man passer in all of high school basketball,” Collins has undoubtedly shown glimpses of greatness and has proved that he is seeing, "The Big Picture".