Eight months ago, when Sports Illustrated informed Chet Holmgren that he was indeed going to finish as the No. 1 player in the SI99 basketball rankings, he was appreciative of the appointment but made it clear that he cared about only one ranking.
“I want to be No. 1 on draft night,” Holmgren said matter-of-factly. “That’s it.”
No, a dominant showing Friday, when Holmgren leads No. 1 Gonzaga into T-Mobile Arena for its 10:30 p.m. ET clash with No. 5 Duke, won’t lock up the first handshake with NBA commissioner Adam Silver come June.