Zags sign Japanese forward Rui Hachimura
Another week, another recruit picks Gonzaga.
Japanese forward Rui Hachimura has signed a letter of intent, sources confirmed. Scout.com first reported Hachimura’s commitment. Jacob Larsen, a center from Denmark, committed last week and Chicago shooting guard Zach Norvell did the same Nov. 2.
The threesome joins a 2016 class that includes Las Vegas forward/center Zach Collins and French forward Killian Tillie. Hachimura, whose mom is from Japan and dad is from Benin, is becoming more proficient with the English language. He still has to meet Gonzaga and NCAA entrance standards, leaving open the possibility of reclassifying to the 2017 class.
The 6-foot-8, 210-pound Hachimura averaged 22.6 points to lead all scorers and 6.6 rebounds in the FIBA U17 World Championships last year, including a 25-point effort in a blowout loss to Team USA.
Hachimura is “by far the most dominant player” at the high school level in Japan, according to a June article in the Japan Times. He’s listed as a four-star recruit by verbalcommits.com.