Fort Myers, Fla. – Just months removed from dazzling fans in Minnesota high school gyms, Jalen Suggs stepped onto the floor for his first college basketball game on Thursday — against one of the nation's blue bloods no less.
And Suggs didn't flinch.
The five-star standout from Minnehaha Academy and the highest-ranked recruit in Gonzaga history scored 24 points in his debut as the top-ranked Bulldogs defeated No. 6 Kansas 102-90 at the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off and before a national television audience.
Today on TV: Gonzaga vs. Auburn at 10 a.m., Ch. 9
The 6-4 Suggs, starting at guard and wearing No. 1, got in foul trouble in the first half but found his stride after intermission, scoring 17 points. For the game, he was 9-for-15 from the field (2-for-3 from three-point range) with eight assists, four rebounds, two steals and just one turnover in 23 minutes, 44 seconds of playing time.
"When I got out here today, I was going to play loose and really have fun with the game," Suggs said. "I know when I have fun, I play a lot better, a lot looser, and that's what I did today, especially in the second half — and came up with a great one."
It was victory No. 1 for Suggs but No. 600 for his coach, Mark Few, in just 724 games.
"I got an ice shower in the locker, which I didn't expect," said Few, who has been at Gonzaga since 1999. "[Kansas coach] Bill [Self] and I set this up for a big college basketball game on Thanksgiving Day before the [Dallas] Cowboys game. That's why we love college basketball. There's a lot more games like this coming across the season."
