Las Vegas product Julian Strawther looks to lead top-seeded Gonzaga to a national title

By Case Keefer (contact)

Thursday, March 17, 2022 | 2 a.m.

Last year’s NCAA Tournament was equal parts exhilarating and exasperating for then-Gonzaga freshman Julian Strawther.

On the one hand, the local native had a front-row seat to watch one of the most statistically dominant teams in college basketball history make a run all the way to the national championship game. On the other, rooting on his teammates while sitting on the bench for all but 14 total minutes of garbage time wasn’t what Liberty High’s all-time leading scorer had in mind upon committing to Gonzaga as a prized recruit.

“It was difficult not being on the court after always being used to playing the whole game,” Strawther tells the Weekly during a recent phone interview, “but at the end of the day, I had to keep that glass-half-full mentality knowing this coaching staff is great and had plans for me.

“They would say, ‘You’re going to be a big part of the team next year and contribute.’ I just made sure I put in the work, so I could put myself in the best spot possible to do that.”

Strawther has fully succeeded in that objective. He’s now a key piece of Gonzaga’s starting lineup as the Bulldogs look to avenge last year’s upset loss to Baylor in the championship game by winning the first national title in school history.

Gonzaga enters the tournament as the overall No. 1 seed for the second straight year and the betting favorite to win the title at +275 (i.e. risking $100 to win $275)—in large part because of Strawther’s rise in the backcourt. Gonzaga’s first game will come against No. 16 seed Georgia State on March 17 in Portland, a 1:15 p.m. game set to be shown on TNT.

The Bulldogs’ offense runs through big men Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren, but Strawther has been Gonzaga’s breakout star on the perimeter and third-leading scorer at 12.3 points per game.

“It’s a whole different mindset now that I’m a starter, a main piece of the team,” the sophomore says of his mentality entering this year’s tournament. “Last year, I was just making sure I was being the best teammate I could be, the best cheerleader I could be. Now I’ve got to make sure I’m performing for the team, because this is elimination basketball.”

Though Strawther’s path to playing time might not sound all that unusual, it’s becoming increasingly rare in the basketball’s modern age. Players of his caliber typically get on the floor right away, and if they don’t, they often transfer to a new team, given the NCAA’s ever-more-flexible eligibility rules.

But Strawther says he never felt tempted to leave Spokane, Washington. He knew it was where he was meant to be as soon as he arrived on campus, even if it didn’t go as smoothly as he’d anticipated.

He spent the first part of 2020’s pandemic shutdown getting into the best shape of his life in preparation for the move and a chance to make an immediate impact at Gonzaga. But, he recalls, his first summer workouts alongside teammates like Jalen Suggs and Corey Kispert—now both in the NBA—were humbling.

“I was trying things that I used to do in high school, and there were moments where I was like, ‘OK, this doesn’t work here,’” Strawther says.

Strawther couldn’t overpower or outmaneuver teammates who led Gonzaga to a 30-0 record before the Baylor loss the way he did against local prep competition. He says he needed to “simplify” his game more than diversify it, so that’s how he spent the next year.

He put in the most work on his jump shot, knowing it needed to be his “best asset” to fit with the strengths of Timme, Holmgren and the rest of the Bulldogs.

No one really knew what to expect of his production coming into this season, but Strawther began thriving from the first game. He was the Bulldogs’ leading scorer through the first month of the season, a stretch that saw him combine for 32 points in a pair of high-profile, neutral-site games at T-Mobile Arena in late November—an 83-63 win over UCLA and an 84-81 loss to Duke.

Strawther continued to play his best in front of friends and family in his hometown in early March, when he led Gonzaga to a West Coast Conference tournament championship at Orleans Arena. Bulldogs coach Mark Few credited Strawther for keeping the team afloat during a first-half “lull” in the championship game against St. Mary’s, which had upset Gonzaga 10 days earlier at the end of the regular season, praising his progression.

“Julian has been on some great runs, especially thinking back to how he played against Duke,” Few said.

Strawther had a team-high 20 points against the Blue Devils, looking not the least bit outmanned matching up against surefire top NBA Draft picks like Paolo Banchero and Wendell Moore. Strawther has since shot up draft boards, too, now sitting as a late first-round pick in some mocks.

Strawther says he’s not really thinking about that yet, not with the NCAA Tournament looming.

“This season has meant a lot, especially coming off last year, having to wait my turn, sit on the bench and put the work in,” Strawther said. “Being able to come out here and have the opportunity to show all the preparation I put has been big for me.”

Rooting interest: More local grads to follow

Frankie Collins, Michigan The freshman guard out of Coronado High provides ball-handling ability off the bench and averages 2.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 points per game.

First game: No. 11 seed Michigan plays No. 6 seed Colorado State at 9:15 a.m. on March 18 on CBS.

Will McClendon, UCLA The freshman guard out of Bishop Gorman should be visible on the bench where he’s sitting out as a redshirt after injuring his knee but should be a big part of the Bruins’ plans in future years.

First game: No. 4 seed UCLA plays No. 13 seed Akron at 6:50 p.m. on March 18 on TBS.

Mwani Wilkinson, LSU The sophomore forward out of Bishop Gorman High started 29 of 33 games, contributing to the Tigers’ defense-first mentality and averaging 3.9 points per game.

First game: No. 6 seed LSU plays No. 11 seed Iowa State at 4:20 p.m. on March 18 on TBS. –Ray Brewer

This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.