UW Re-Focuses Hoops Recruiting

Lorenzo Romar is no longer focused on landing big man recruit Richard Peters. It has long been rumored that UW was backing off the big man when he wasn’t able to make it in the class of 2011.

There are many reasons for this, but the main reason is UW was able to get Shawn Kemp Jr. to come in 2011, who has a very similar playing style to Peters. They also have other big men recruits in the class of 2012 that they are focused on that are projected higher than Peters and may fit better in UW’s system.

UW is not completely off of Peters but they have backed way down on recruiting him. This has allowed Peters to open up his recruitment and that news broke yesterday by TheRecruitScoop and Jason McCleary. Now that Peters is no longer a primary focus in the 2012 recruiting class who is?

UW has 2 guaranteed scholarships with Darnell Gant and Scott Suggs graduating next season. However, there is a high possibility that a player could leave early for the NBA draft. There are a few guys on the team that has the potential to be a really special player this year and find a clear-cut path to the NBA. Think guys like Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten Jr.

Romar seems focused on filling his available scholarships with at least one guard and one big man. Here is a complete list of all that UW is recruiting in 2012. However, there seem to be a few guys that are the primary targets.

• Anthony Bennett- A 6’8 Forward/Center from Findlay Prep seems to be a major focus in the 2012 recruiting class. He has recently declared his list as: Kentucky, UConn, West Virginia, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Florida, Missouri, UNLV, Oregon State, and Washington.
• Demarquise Johnson- He is one of the top (if not the top) guards on West Coast. He is a 6’5 and is high on UW but is also taking visits to Gonzaga and Washington State. Oregon State, Missouri, and UNLV are still hanging around. He has no set favorite and wants to take all his visits before deciding on a school.
• Zena Edosomwan- A 6’8 Power Forward out of Hollywood California that has a final list of Harvard, Wake Forest, California, Texas, USC, and Washington.
• Skylar Spencer- Also a 6’8 Forward/Center from Los Angeles that has a final list of Washington, Washington State, San Diego State, and Nevada.
• Sam Cassell Jr. – A 6’4 Point Guard from Maryland. He holds an offer and is coming to visit in September. Read more about him here.

Now there are others out there that may also be in the mix but this seems to be the focus right now in this recruiting class. I will be tracking down more information on all the above and anything else that pops up.