Jalen Suggs has an opportunity to add to his growing athletic legacy Monday night when he leads Gonzaga into the NCAA Tournament championship game against Baylor at 9:20 p.m. ET on CBS. The Minnesota native and his teammates are chasing a piece of history by attempting to become the first unbeaten national champion in college basketball since Indiana did it in 1976.
The 6-foot-4 freshman guard and potential No. 1 NBA Draft pick already cemented his place in March Madness lore with his game-winner at the buzzer against UCLA on Saturday night. High school fans in Minnesota probably weren't shocked to see it as Suggs dominate the prep scene in multiple sports during his run at
Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis).
See a sampling of his top plays in basketball and football in the video above.
Here's a glance at some of Suggs' accomplishments the high school level:
- 2019-20 MaxPreps National Athlete of the Year, joining a list of past winners that includes Derrick Henry, Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray.
- 2019-20 MaxPreps All-America first team in basketball.
- Three-time Minnesota state champion in basketball and likely would have made it four if not for COVID. Finished career with 2,945 points, 883 rebounds and 735 assists in 154 games.
- Led team to 2018 state championship in football.
Suggs is averaging 14.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assist per game this season at Gonzaga, playing his way into consideration to be taken with the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft along with the likes of Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green and Evan Mobley.
Interestingly, Gonzaga is the favorite to land Suggs' former teammate at Minnehaha Academy and the nation's No. 1 high school prospect in
Chet Holmgren. The 7-footer will attempt to lead the Redhawks to their fifth state title since 2013 this week at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
Jalen Suggs rises for a dunk against California power Sierra Canyon during a game in January of 2020.
Photo by Josh Johnson
