SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga junior
Rui Hachimura has declared for the NBA Draft, he announced Monday. He will pursue a professional career with the representation of an agent.
"The last three years at Gonzaga have been a dream come true, and now I'd like to pursue my next dream of playing in the NBA," Hachimura said. "This was a significant decision for my family and myself. I just want to thank everyone at Gonzaga, especially the coaching staff and all of my teammates who went to battle with me and are my brothers for life. My three years as a Zag were very special and something I will never forget. I want to thank Zag nation and Spokane, Washington, for all of the love and support, and to the people of Japan who have been there cheering me on the whole way. Forever a Zag."
Hachimura was named the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award winner recently. He was the 2019 West Coast Conference Player of the Year and the USBWA District IX Player of the Year. He was named first team All-American by the NABC and the USBWA, and Wooden All-American. He averaged 19.7 points per game this season, shooting 59.1 percent from the field. The junior added 6.5 rebounds per game and finished with 27 blocks this season. He made 63.5 percent of his shots from the field in conference play, which ranked fourth in the league.
Hachimura has scored 1,230 points in 102 appearances in a Zag uniform. He made 57.9 shots from the field over the past three seasons, which ranks seventh in program history. He grabbed 452 rebounds during his three years at GU. Following his sophomore season, Hachimura was named NABC All-District Second Team and First Team All-WCC. He scored in double-digits 58 times as a Bulldog, reaching 20 or more points 26 times.
During his three years at Gonzaga, Hachimura was a part of three trips to the Sweet 16, two Elite Eights, and an appearance in the national championship game. The Zags have won a national best 102 games over the past three seasons, going 50-2 in West Coast Conference play with three league regular season titles.
