The Gonzaga Bulldogs have steadily developed NBA-caliber big men under coach Mark Few, a trend that All-American Graham Ike is hoping to continue.
Ike is not projected by many to get selected in next month’s NBA draft, but the 6’9 big man excelled at the G League combine earlier this month, showing off an array of post moves, outside shooting, and improved defense during a pair of scrimmages against other draft hopefuls.
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Perhaps the biggest benefit to Ike’s draft stock was his measurements, which included a height of 6’9 3/4 barefoot and a remarkable 7’5.25 wingspan, which more than makes up for his relative height disadvantage at the next level. Ike also had massive hands and a standing reach of 9’2, which could start to put him on the radar at the tail end of the second round – or at least make him a priority free agent signing.
That is where CBS scouting director Adam Finkelstein has Ike at the moment, slotting him at No. 89 in his updated top 100 big board, which was published on Monday.
Ike earned All-American Third Team honors as a senior this past year, averaging 19.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while shooting 60.9% on twos and 33.8% from three. He put Gonzaga on his back following the injury to star forward Braden Huff, carrying the Zags with nine straight games of 20 or more points, falling one point short against Portland in the home finale – a game he also set Gonzaga’s program record with seven steals.
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While his age, injury history, and relatively unproven outside shot likely make a path to becoming an NBA regular difficult, Ike is a tenaciously hard worker who has toughness, physicality, and length on his side – and should get a long look as a two-way candidate this summer if nothing else.
Other notable names
Ike is the lone player from the new look Pac-12 on Finkelstein’s top 100, and one of just three players from the WCC – joining a pair of Santa Clara stars in Allen Graves (No. 30) and Elijah Mahi (No. 91).
The most notable non-Ike name on the list for Gonzaga fans is Jack Kayil, who committed to GU back in October but recently announced he plans to keep his name in the NBA draft process after getting feedback that he felt would net him a first-round selection. Finkelstein is not there with the 6’5 guard yet, slotting Kayil in at No. 80 on his updated board.
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BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas‘ Darryn Peterson, Duke’s Cameron Boozer, and North Carolina‘s Caleb Wilson unsurprisingly make up the top four, with Darius Acuff (Arkansas), Keaton Wagler (Illinois), Kingston Flemings (Houston), Mikel Brown Jr (Louisville), Brayden Burries (Arizona), and Nate Ament (Tennessee) rounding out the top ten.
Other names that Gonzaga fans will recognize include Kentucky forward Jayden Quaintance (No. 13), Alabama guard Labaron Philon (No. 14), former Saint Mary’s and most recently Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson (No. 37), Cincinnati forward Baba Miller (No. 45), UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau (No. 53), and Oregon center Nate Bittle (No. 68).
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/gonzaga as Gonzaga forward Graham Ike lands on CBS Sports NBA draft big board.
