The wild and wacky world of spring basketball recruiting got a little crazier for Minnesota fans earlier the week when Both Gach officially entered the transfer portal.
To the outsider that may not seem like a big deal. But to those who follow the program closely, they understand that Richard Pitino has pursued transfers as consistently as any college coach in the country.
It is also understood that Gach is the first Minnesota native in the portal that has drawn the interest of the Gopher coaching staff. That is understandable. In fact, Gach may be as highly sought after as any available player in the country. He reportedly has heard from Arkansas, Auburn, BYU, Creighton, Georgetown, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, The t-foot-Oregon, Utah State, and Vanderbilt as well.
The 6-foot-5 wing is originally from Austin, Minnesota. He was a crucial part of the Packers State Championship in 2017. From there, he played a prep season at Arizona Compass in Phoenix before choosing the Utes over Texas Tech, San Diego State, New Mexico, Kent State, LMU, North Dakota, Portland State, and Southern Utah.
Gach eventually trimmed his list to San Diego State, Texas Tech, and Utah.
While at Compass Prep, Eric Bossi described Gach as, "a 6-foot-7, athletic point guard with a high basketball IQ, great passing ability and a great feel for the game," Kaffey told Rivals.com. "He plays with a high motor and he's very good in transition, especially running the floor with and without the ball. He shoots the three ball well and can get to the rim at will.
"Coaches are very high on him because he's a natural passer and they feel like he can come in and be impactful at the point guard position because of his passing and ability to guard three positions on the floor."
As a freshman in Provo, Gach started in 14 games. He played average of 20.2 minutes per contest and netted 7.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. He shot 47.2% from the field and 31.6% from three-point territory. He got to the line fifty-six times and shot 85.7%. He had nine double digit outings, and had a season high 22 points on the big stage against Kentucky.
The past season, Gach started in 25 games and logged over thirty minutes per game. He raised his averages to 10.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. Gach shot 39.7% from the field and 25% from deep. He was also a 77.5% foul shooter. He also converted a very impressive 69.1% of his two-pointers.
Gach went over the twenty point plateau on three occasions. He had a career high 28 point outing versus Colorado. He also scored 24 against Oregon and 22 versus Nevada.
Utah played Minnesota back on November 15, and Gach provided a good showing. He had 19 points on 5 of 9 shooting. He was also a perfect 7 of 7 from the line. Gach also had 14 points against Kentucky.
Gach's career numbers have been plagued by poor outside shooting and scoring inconsistencies. He is only a 27.9% shooter from outside the arc while making 58.0% from inside. Also, last season Gach scored in double figures twelve times, but failed to get to the ten-point mark on fifteen other occasions.
After a 24-point barrage on January 4 against Oregon, Bach went nine straight games in single-digits in which he didn't score over eight points. He then had three straight games against Stanford, Cal, and Colorado with a 20.7 point average. He went for just four points in the next game, which was the. season finale against Oregon State.
The Gopher Report spoke with a current Pac 12 coach how gave us an educated scouting report on Gach.
"He is an athletic combo guard. He was inconsistent as the year went on, but he is still really talented. Gach can make plays off the bounce, and can really score in that capacity of his game. He has the ability to play three positions. He is not committed to the game defensively, but he has great length and should get better."
Gach will have two more years of eligibility after sitting out next season unless he was cleared via a waiver. Minnesota still has two scholarship spots open on its roster.
To the outsider that may not seem like a big deal. But to those who follow the program closely, they understand that Richard Pitino has pursued transfers as consistently as any college coach in the country.
It is also understood that Gach is the first Minnesota native in the portal that has drawn the interest of the Gopher coaching staff. That is understandable. In fact, Gach may be as highly sought after as any available player in the country. He reportedly has heard from Arkansas, Auburn, BYU, Creighton, Georgetown, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, The t-foot-Oregon, Utah State, and Vanderbilt as well.
The 6-foot-5 wing is originally from Austin, Minnesota. He was a crucial part of the Packers State Championship in 2017. From there, he played a prep season at Arizona Compass in Phoenix before choosing the Utes over Texas Tech, San Diego State, New Mexico, Kent State, LMU, North Dakota, Portland State, and Southern Utah.
Gach eventually trimmed his list to San Diego State, Texas Tech, and Utah.
While at Compass Prep, Eric Bossi described Gach as, "a 6-foot-7, athletic point guard with a high basketball IQ, great passing ability and a great feel for the game," Kaffey told Rivals.com. "He plays with a high motor and he's very good in transition, especially running the floor with and without the ball. He shoots the three ball well and can get to the rim at will.
"Coaches are very high on him because he's a natural passer and they feel like he can come in and be impactful at the point guard position because of his passing and ability to guard three positions on the floor."
As a freshman in Provo, Gach started in 14 games. He played average of 20.2 minutes per contest and netted 7.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. He shot 47.2% from the field and 31.6% from three-point territory. He got to the line fifty-six times and shot 85.7%. He had nine double digit outings, and had a season high 22 points on the big stage against Kentucky.
The past season, Gach started in 25 games and logged over thirty minutes per game. He raised his averages to 10.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. Gach shot 39.7% from the field and 25% from deep. He was also a 77.5% foul shooter. He also converted a very impressive 69.1% of his two-pointers.
Gach went over the twenty point plateau on three occasions. He had a career high 28 point outing versus Colorado. He also scored 24 against Oregon and 22 versus Nevada.
Utah played Minnesota back on November 15, and Gach provided a good showing. He had 19 points on 5 of 9 shooting. He was also a perfect 7 of 7 from the line. Gach also had 14 points against Kentucky.
Gach's career numbers have been plagued by poor outside shooting and scoring inconsistencies. He is only a 27.9% shooter from outside the arc while making 58.0% from inside. Also, last season Gach scored in double figures twelve times, but failed to get to the ten-point mark on fifteen other occasions.
After a 24-point barrage on January 4 against Oregon, Bach went nine straight games in single-digits in which he didn't score over eight points. He then had three straight games against Stanford, Cal, and Colorado with a 20.7 point average. He went for just four points in the next game, which was the. season finale against Oregon State.
The Gopher Report spoke with a current Pac 12 coach how gave us an educated scouting report on Gach.
"He is an athletic combo guard. He was inconsistent as the year went on, but he is still really talented. Gach can make plays off the bounce, and can really score in that capacity of his game. He has the ability to play three positions. He is not committed to the game defensively, but he has great length and should get better."
Gach will have two more years of eligibility after sitting out next season unless he was cleared via a waiver. Minnesota still has two scholarship spots open on its roster.
