2012 Mark McLaughlin Commits to the University of Washington

Mark McLaughlin is the first player to sign with the 2012 Huskies basketball recruiting class. When Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten decided to head to the NBA, McLaughlin saw an opportunity to play for UW right away.

McLaughlin is listed by some as the best JUCO guard in the nation and the top scorer with 27 points a game. In 2008, he was a top 100 recruit out of high school at Inglemoor in Seattle but after a few bumps in the road he landed at Tacoma Community College.

He originally committed to Washington State but after a high school switch, he switched his commitment to Nevada. The coach he committed to was Mark Fox and Fox ended up leaving the program, leaving McLaughlin with another decision. He decided to attend Baylor University, he even made his way to campus but after a short stay he wanted to be closer to his son in Seattle. He transferred to Seattle University and played in 17 games but the fit didn’t feel right and decided JUCO was the best ruote. That is his “few bumps” in the road.

He told Bob Condotta in an interview that, “A lot of people that don’t know me think I’m a head case, I just had to grow up.” McLaughlin recognizes that his unorthodox travels through schools will lead to many doubters but he is going to be a Husky for the next two years.

He feels right about his decision to be a Husky and with only two years left of eligibility he plans to make that decision work.

McLaughlin can come in and play right away for the Huskies. He is good enough, according to one basketball analyst I talked to, that he could even start. He can shoot the three and can play off the dribble. He will draw immediate comparisons to Terrence Ross because of his ability to play all over the court. However, you will also notice how different he plays compared to Ross. The main thing they have in common is they both can score.

He has to adjust to the D1 game at the Pac-12 level but he could be the next guard from the Huskies finding their way into the NBA. He is a talented scoring guard and the Huskies will utilize his abilities.

He chose the Washington Huskies over many schools in the nation including Gonzaga and West Virginia.