Local Guard Dusty Stromer Commits to Gonzaga Over UCLA Men’s Basketball
The Bruins will have to wait a little longer for their first 2023 commit.
Notre Dame (CA) shooting guard Dusty Stromer made his commitment Sunday afternoon, and he wound up picking Gonzaga over his other three finalists – Houston, Arizona and UCLA men’s basketball. The Bruins were widely regarded as the favorite for Stromer for the past few months, but once he announced his commitment date at the end of April, the Bulldogs started picking up steam as his destination of choice.
Coach Mick Cronin and his staff offered Stromer back in August and had connected with him at several circuits over the past year.
Stromer took multiple unofficial visits to UCLA, but had an official visit to Gonzaga in February that seems to have made an impression.
The Sherman Oaks, California, native took a major leap this season, averaging 20.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game for Notre Dame. Stromer shot 46% from the field, 38% from deep and 78% from the free throw line, all career highs for the high school junior.
247Sports, Rivals and ESPN all have the 6-foot-6 Stromer pegged as a four-star prospect. The 247Sports Composite has Stromer ranked as the No. 5 player in California, No. 10 shooting guard in the country and No. 47 prospect in his class. Stromer is ranked no lower than No. 52 overall across the major outlets.
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With Stromer headed to Spokane, Washington, the Bulldogs officially have their first commit in the 2023 cycle. The Bruins’ class, on the other hand, remains empty.
Stromer was one of the top targets Cronin’s staff was pursuing, but there are still several elite prospects left on their board. There are still 10 uncommitted recruits sitting on offers from UCLA, and the team seems to be in good standing with five-star power forward Ron Holland, four-star forward Andrej Stojakovic, five-star shooting guard Ja’Kobe Walter and five-star point guard Isaiah Collier.
The Bruins were also a finalist for four-star shooting guard Rayvon Griffith, but he committed to Cincinnati on Instagram Live just minutes after Stromer announced his decision.
Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyger Campbell, David Singleton and Jules Bernard are all likely entering their final seasons in Westwood, and incoming McDonald’s All-American guard Amari Bailey is likely a one-and-done NBA Draft candidate. There could be as many as eight scholarship openings for the Bruins heading into the 2023-2024 season, meaning Cronin will have to build out the largest recruiting class of his tenure over the next year.
Cronin can hit that mark with transfers, but the vast majority of the additions will likely come out of high school. With Stromer and Griffith not being a part of that integral group, Cronin and his staff will have to start focusing elsewhere when targeting their first commitment of the 2023 cycle.
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