Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Suggs started playing basketball as soon as he could walk. His father, Larry, drove him to many basketball camps, and at age seven, Suggs flew to Dallas without his family to attend a camp. In seventh grade, he played three games of junior varsity basketball for Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis before moving to the varsity team. Suggs was a starter at the varsity level as an eighth-grader, averaging 17.5 points, 4.4 steals and four assists per game.
High school career
As a freshman at Minnehaha Academy, Suggs averaged 21.5 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game. He scored 22 points, including 15 in the second half, to win the Class 2A state championship over Crosby-Ironton High School. Suggs was named to the MaxPreps Freshman All-American first team. In his sophomore season, he averaged 16 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, leading his team to another Class 2A state title. Suggs earned Associated Press All-State first team and MaxPreps Sophomore All-American second team honors. As a junior, he averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game, winning a third straight Class 2A state championship. Suggs was named to the AP All-State first team and MaxPreps Junior All-American third team. As a senior, he averaged 23.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, five rebounds and 3.9 steals per game. His season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic one day after he won a section title, and he was unable to help Minnehaha defend its state championship. He left as his school's all-time leading scorer, with 2,945 career points. Suggs earned MaxPreps All-American first team and Minnesota Mr. Basketball honors, and was named Minnesota AP Player of the Year. He was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit, but all three games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to basketball, Suggs played the quarterback position for SMB, a cooperative football team representing Minnehaha Academy and two other schools. He led his team to a Class 4A state championship as a junior in 2018. In his senior season, Suggs helped SMB finish as Class 4A runners-up and was named Minnesota Mr. Football. In his senior year, he was recognized as MaxPreps Athlete of the Year for his success in basketball and football. He became the first athlete in Minnesota history to win the state's Mr. Basketball and Mr. Football awards in the same season.
Recruiting
On January 3, 2020, Suggs committed to play college basketball for Gonzaga University, choosing the Bulldogs over offers from Florida, Florida State, Iowa State and Minnesota. He became the highest ranked player to commit to the program. Suggs was a consensus five-star recruit, with ESPN considering him the fifth-best player and the second-best point guard behind Cade Cunningham in the 2020 class. In football, Suggs was considered a four-star dual-threat quarterback by ESPN but is not expected to play the sport in college.
