Gonzaga men's basketball walk-on Joaquim Aruz Moore understands 'winning basketball'
The Gonzaga men's basketball team will have several new faces in 2023-24.
Among the newcomers looking to contribute right away is freshman walk-on Joaquim Aruz Moore, a Marin County, California, native who's competed and played alongside some of the state's premier talent at Southern California Academy.
The 6-foot guard started his career at Branson, one of the best academic high schools in Northern California, before transferring to SCA to play under head coach and well-known trainer, Julius Von Hanzlik.
Hanzlik had experience developing players from the Marin County area — Will Heimbrodt (Seattle University) and Miles Keeffe (Vanderbilt), who was Aruz Moore's teammate at Branson before SCA, are some of the most recent names that came to Hanzlik's mind.
"A lot of the kids in his area are super coachable. They play the right way. They're tough. They play winning basketball, and they're super skilled," Hanzlik said. "So when I got a call about [Aruz Moore], and I found out what area he was from, obviously those things were the first things I thought of."
SCA's roster was stacked with four of the top 40 class of 2023 recruits in California according to On3.com. Surrounded by numerous Division I-caliber athletes, Aruz Moore stood out as a team leader.
"He impacted our team immediately just because of his leadership and again, his toughness," Hanzlik said. "He set our culture. He was just great for us."
Hanzlik, who also trained incoming freshman and Notre Dame High School star Dusty Stromer since his youth, is familiar with the type of players Gonzaga looks for from conversations he's had with the coaching staff in the past. While Aruz Moore's role as a freshman could be limited to just practice reps with the Zags, Hanzlik doesn't rule out a larger impact from the walk-on in the future.
"I think it'll be hard in the beginning. But I think eventually, you know, with development he'll eventually earn a role," Hanzlik said. "He'll definitely be a candidate for [a scholarship].
