Zach played out of his mind during his senior season. He has many games scoring over 30 points and even dropped over 40 a couple times. He’s a dynamic guard who’s athleticism will surprise you. His handles are impressive, as it seems like he keeps the ball on a string. He runs the pick and roll smoothly, being able to find his open teammates or pull up mid-range to hit the jumper. College coaches should be all over this guard after an amazing senior year.

Luz clutched up in a loser-out game against Graham Kapowsin, taking the Eagles into overtime and owning the extra period. He started the game out showing his tough shot-making ability, hanging in the air to outlast defenders and convert in the paint. Then he started creating more space with shot fakes, pivots, and began to space the floor more as he found a rhythm from outside. The 3s continued to rain down in the second half when Luz really took off. He was hitting contested jumpers and needed very little space to get catch and shoot shots off, hitting multiple big shots in the waning minutes to force overtime. In extra time, he controlled the pace of play, getting to the line for eight attempts and drilling all eight of them. Mount Rainier now faces off with Puyallup in another loser-out game today. They need just two more wins to advance to the 4A state tournament.

Luz and Mt. Rainier had a tough opening night matchup against Puyallup, but that didn’t stop Luz from posting a big night. He has a quick and low crossover and snatch that allows him to work heavily in the mid-range. But Luz also knows how to use his body going to the hoop and can get a lot of shots off inside even though he’s only 6-foot-1. He’s gone over 30 points in back-to-back games to start the season while also pulling down 10-plus boards and notching over five steals in both games.

Luz is just tough. He’s not the biggest, not the fastest, or most athletic. He isn’t super long or rangy, but he has an extremely high IQ and attention to detail. He showed off an all-around skillset as a scorer, attacking defenders with angles, initiating contact to create space for his shot inside, and showing the footwork and focus to hit tough shots from the outside. It takes a lot to throw off his shot and he was one of the more efficient players on the afternoon.

Luz put up huge numbers at Mt Rainier last season and was one of the higher usage players probably in the state. While I don’t think that will change this winter, he does look like someone who has figured out how to be more efficient with his touches. Luz is also a kid who showed some remarkable defensive impact at times as a junior, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him take another step forward on that end as well.

Zach was relentless attacking the basket with tough drives. Many of those he was able to absorb contact and get to the free throw line. He shot 6 freebies for his efforts and finished with 13 points. All his points came in the paint. He showed some nice spin moves and fade away jumpers. I was impressed with how hard he went at the defense and he kept on coming. I don’t know that he shot many outside the paint but was very effective getting to the rack. Tough player.

Mount Rainier has had an up and down year so far but Zach has been a solid facilitator with great court vision. He is patient with the ball and won’t force much. He gets his teammates going but also knows to get himself going. He is a great shooter from deep, hitting the shot more times than he misses them.

Zach is a gritty guard who gives his all on the court every single time. He creates his shots well off the dribble, which he contains nicely. He is a great rebounder for his size as he’s not afraid to get involved down low. Against Highline on 12/15/2022, Zach led his team to a victory by scoring 24 points, pulling down 11 rebounds, and adding 4 assists on the night.

He was everywhere in the season opener vs Bonney Lake, erupting for 41 points, 10 rebounds and 4 steals. He showed off his skill set with impressive drives to the hoop, pull-up jumpers and threes. This kid is fun to watch and made a statement with his opening night performance.