Gonzaga commit named to Naismith High School Player of the Year watch list

Gonzaga has had multiple recruits on this list over the past half decade

Gonzaga Bulldogs assistant coach Brian Michaelson (left) and head coach Mark Few (right). | Photo by Erik Smith

Less than 24 hours after officially putting pen to paper and signing with the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Luca Foster was named to the Naismith Boys' High School Player of the Year watch list.

The 6'5 wing was one of 50 high schoolers named to the list, which is awarded annually to the best high school basketball player in the country by Naismith - the same group that hands out the Naismith Award for the best college player.

Foster is a Pennsylvania native who is set to play his senior season at Link Academy in Missouri, where he'll be joined by two other players on the watch list - small forward Tahj Ariza, an Oregon commit, and 5-star center Ethan Taylor, who remains uncommitted.

The No. 36 ranked prospect in the 2026 class according to 247Sports' composite rankings, Foster committed to Gonzaga less than a week after wrapping up an official visit in October, arriving in Spokane to see the team's win over NAIA Northwest University in an exhibition contest on Oct. 19.

Foster picked Gonzaga over a top nine that included Michigan, Oregon, Villanova, Ohio State, Virginia, Oklahoma, Pitt, and Georgetown.

He is joined in Gonzaga's 2026 class by 4-star center Sam Funches and 6'5 German guard Jack Kayil, with the trio getting ranked as the No. 15 best class in the country by ESPN.

Foster is the latest Zag commit to make this list, joining current freshman Davis Fogle who was on the 2024-25 list before his senior season at Compass Prep in Arizona. Dusty Stromer was also on this list before his senior season at Notre Dame high school in Sherman Oaks, CA.

Foster is a gifted scorer who averaged 16 points on 37% shooting from three while playing for Team Final on the AAU circuit over the summer.

"Foster is a long and smooth scoring wing," Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports said. "Foster is a multi-dimensional scorer who has consistently added new weapons to his game and yet continues to have a lot of room for future growth as he continues to get stronger and more consistently assertive."

Foster, along with Kayil and Funches, will join Gonzaga as they enter the new look Pac-12 in the 2026-27 season. Gonzaga will need the new talent to help replenish a roster that has many key players in their final year of eligibility, including Graham Ike, Tyon Grant-Foster, Adam Miller, and Jalen Warley.