Recruiting Update: Ben Gregg (2021 Columbia Christian HS)
There’s no beating around the bush – the first day of the Les Schwab Invitational didn’t go as Ben Gregg would have hoped. But the versatile 6-foot-8, 190-pound forward knew that he and his Columbia Christian teammates were much better…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThere’s no beating around the bush – the first day of the Les Schwab Invitational didn’t go as Ben Gregg would have hoped. But the versatile 6-foot-8, 190-pound forward knew that he and his Columbia Christian teammates were much better than what they showed against Gonzaga Prep and bounced back to knock off Southridge on the second day, and for Gregg it was one of the best performances of his young career as he notched a triple double – in front of Pac-12 college coaches in attendance.
“There was a lot of pressure on me I felt like so I really wasn’t playing my own game,” Gregg said. “So today I just wanted to play fun and play free, so that’s what I did.”
On the day, Gregg was flat out unstoppable. He scored 36 points on 12-for-18 shooting including 4-for-7 from three, but also grabbed 15 rebounds, dished out 11 assists, and blocked four shots. It wasn’t the first triple double for Gregg – he had done it earlier in the year against Amity in the finals of the Westside Christian Tournament – but to get this one done against a big school opponent was definitely something special.
“It’s been good playing against better competition and we know that we can play against these 6A teams,” Gregg said. “Last night we didn’t play to our full capability but we bounce back today and we were able to do this. I’ve been more aggressive and my defense has improved a bit. I’m shooting the ball pretty well too.”
Thursday was the end of the dead period for NCAA Division I college coaches so on the sidelines, Gregg put up these numbers in front of Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle and assistant coaches from Cal and Oregon. Oregon State has previously offered a scholarship and it wouldn’t be surprised to see the Golden Bears and Ducks step up their interest.
“It’s fun playing in front of these coaches,” Gregg said. “I’ve dreamed of this since I was a little kid so it’s fun doing it now.”
While he remains wide open, Gregg has continued to work on his college recruitment. He recently made a trip down to Arizona where he made unofficial visits to Arizona and Arizona State. While there are no new offers, there’s no question he will continue to hear from the Wildcats and Sun Devils.
“I saw Arizona beat Kansas which was cool,” Gregg said. “It was a good experience. They’ve been telling me to keep on working hard and they’ll be watching me play in the future.”
Gregg and his Knights teammates still have games left to play. On Friday they will take on defending 6A champion Grant and the sophomore is hopeful for some good results. “We’re going to try and win the consolution bracket – that’s our goal right now,” Gregg said. “Hopefully we’ll move on from there and win the state championship.”
Gregg currently ranks as the #2 player in the PrepHoops Class of 2021 rankings.