The Gonzaga Bulldogs class of 2023 remains just one player deep as we head into the July recruiting period, but that player is one Zag fans should be excited about.

Dusty Stromer, a 6’6 combo guard out of Sherman Oaks, California committed to GU back on May 1, and since then we have seen his stock continue to climb and climb – a common theme among Gonzaga recruits and a testament to the staff’s excellent eye for talent.

Stromer was recently named to the All-Star team at the very prestigious Top 100 camp – effectively meaning he was among the ten best performing players at a camp filled almost exclusively with four and five-star kids.

While Stromer may not have the name value of a Suggs or Holmgren (or even a Hunter Sallis) he is an excellent fit for the Zags, and Sports Illustrated’s lead recruiting analyst – Jason Jordan – gives us some details why:

“Great length, great skill-set, very versatile,” Jordan commented on the Locked on Zags podcast. “What I really like about him is he really controls pace. Guys get out there and I’ve seen it a lot with him, they think they can speed him up and they try to pressure him because they think he’s slower. But he’s quick – I won’t say he’s fast – but he’s deceptively quick and you’re not going to speed him up. So I really like that.”

Stromer picked Gonzaga in part because he felt the team’s high-octane pace suited his brand of basketball, a theme we have seen a handful of time out on the recruiting trail. And it’s not hard to understand why – players who love to score in bunches want to go to a program that averages nearly 90 points per game, as opposed to a Virginia or (shudders) Saint Mary’s.

Stromer has a chance to be next in line among great Gonzaga guards, and there is one word that many analysts – including Jordan – often come back to when discussing Stromer’s game:

“Just smooth, that’s the best way to describe him,” Jordan continued. “Plays at his own pace and he gets where he wants to get on the court.”

While Zag fans await updates on Mookie Cook, as well as Xavier Booker and Kaden Cooper, they can take solace in the fact that Stromer will be joining this team in 2023 and he has the mentality, length, skill-set, and “smoothness” to be a household name as soon as he steps foot on campus.