Prospect Spotlight: Brian Goracke (2020 Churchill HS)
Brian Goracke is up to the challenge. The athletic 6-foot-5, 190-pound wing is moving on to Churchill High School after playing at Monroe last year and he’s ready to tackle things head on. The junior spent the summer playing high-level AAU basketball and this past month, got further experience by participating in the Prime Time Top 40 Showcase in Portland.
“It was a great opportunity to show how you stack up against the rest of the talent in the state,” Goracke said. “I was just happy to be there – it was a good time and a lot of fun. I just tried to make sure I played hard and gave full effort.”
Goracke was impressive with his athleticism and ability to attack the hoop during the event. His nomination comes off the heels of an active summer with Nike Team Northwest’s 16U squad, one in which he was able to showcase himself in front of college coaches but also work on his game at the same time.
“The summer went good for me,” Goracke said. “I was playing good, loose, and within the system, trying to keep my teammates involved. I’ve been working on my shooting – that’s got to be dialed in for college – and my speed and explosiveness too.”
Goracke noted that college coaches have been in contact since the summer ended, including those from UC San Diego, Portland State, and San Francisco. He’s hopeful to hear from more and is just getting started with the recruiting process. “I just want a coach that wants me,” Goracke said. “A coach that will play me in the right spots and have me in a role where I feel comfortable and I can excel.”
When asked about the move up to Churchill, Goracke noted that it has been seamless and he’s expecting nothing less than a state championship this year. “The transition has been pretty easy for me because I’ve played on the same AAU team with a lot of the kids at Churchill,” Goracke said. “So socially it’s been easy. We’ve started open gyms and it’s been really fun.”