Player Profile: Connor Zralka (2019/West Linn/Team FAST)
Connor Zralka is a talented 6’5 2019 combo guard who just recently made the decision to transfer from 3A Horizon Christian to 6A power West Linn for his junior year. We caught up with Zralka to discuss his high school season, how the spring AAU season went, and what he’s looking for in a potential college.
Zralka recently wrapped up the spring AAU season, playing for Team FAST 16U on the Nike EYBL circuit. After several big games against some of the best teams in the country, Zralka has gotten on the radar of college programs from all levels. While he has no official offers yet, he is hearing from schools like Oregon, Washington State, Portland, and Point Loma among others. “We didn’t win as much as we would have liked to, but every game in the EYBL is against the best competition and the exposure to colleges can’t be beat.” As far as what he is looking for in a college program, he commented “I want to find the balance of playing at as high of a level as possible, where the team will have success and I’ll have a chance to play a lot. I’m really unsure of what I want to study, so at some point that will have an impact on my decision as well.”
The long and athletic wing lead his Horizon Christian team to the Oregon class 3A state tournament where they lost to eventual state champion Dayton in the quarterfinals. Along the way Zralka averaged nearly 20 points and 10 assists per game. When asked about his recent transfer to West Linn, he replied, “I made the move to play against the best competition every day, get the most exposure possible, and to play with some long time friends. I’m excited to get going.” West Linn head coach had this to say about his newest player, “Connor does a lot of things well. He’s going to be a great fit for how we want to play with his offensive skill set. We’re glad that he’s with us.”
When asked to assess his strengths and weaknesses, Zralka was open and honest. “I’m a pretty good spot up shooter with the ability to finish above the rim. My biggest strength is my vision and passing abilities, I really like to get all my teammates involved on offense. The areas that I need to work on the most are continuing to get stronger and adding some good weight. I also need to continue to improve my on the ball defense.”
Summer highlights for Zralka include the Oregon Team Camp, the July AAU circuit, and some unofficial visits with as many programs as he can get to. He also has plans to work out regularly both on the floor and in the weight room.
Prep Hoops Oregon Evaluation:
Connor Zralka is an athletic 6’5 combo guard who recently transferred to West Linn HS in Portland. He is a highly skilled player, who can finish at the rim, shoot to range, and really pass the ball. Physical strength and the ability to guard elite perimeter players are areas that he must continue to improve on. An intriguing prospect, will be interesting to see how he reacts to a higher level of play. Class of 2019 is down in Oregon, he might have the highest ceiling of any guard in the class.