Will Washington Huskies Decommits Regret Leaving?

Jul 19, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USA forward Draymond Green (14) moves with the ball while player development coach Mike Hopkins defends during a practice at Mendenhall Center. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports /

Following the coaching change of the University of Washington Huskies Mens Basketball team, many students and incoming freshmen departed for other programs. But will they regret that decision?

University of Washington Huskies Men’s Basketball players had difficult decisions following the head coaching change of the team. It was logical, expected and natural. In the aftermath, many incoming freshman, as well as some players, opted to pull up anchor and sail away to other programs. But will they regret that decision?

Perhaps. Most likely many will. “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” is a saying which describes that very scenario.

It’s human nature to focus on an event, change, or situation and lose periphery vision of all other factors. In spite of our best efforts, sudden change triggers emotions. Emotions trigger immediate action.

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No No Noah!

When forward Noah Dickerson had requested his release, it capped the exodus of a number of solid recruits. At the time, we summarized the outflow thusly:

"He joins the departure of power forward Matthew Atewe.Right now, the 2017 Mens Basketball team roster appears a little on the light side. With the two player exodus paired with the release of Michael Porter Jr from his National Letter of Intent obligation, and the release of Blake Harris from his 2017 National Letter of Intent."

Since that point in time, Noah Dickerson has elected to remain a Husky. His decision came at the heels of the election of David Crisp and Carlos Johnson to stay as well.

The team surrendered the potential of a significant NCAA Men’s Basketball recruiting class of 2017 in changing head coaches. But with recent trajectory, there were simply no guarantees raw talent would translate into wins for the Washington Huskies.

Ch ch ch changes

Now Michael Porter Jr. is with the University of Missouri. Blake Harris has joined him there. Daejon Davis has moved on to Stanford. Mamoudou Diarra has moved east to Cincinnati. Former player Matthew Atewe has graduated and plans to play his final year at one of five schools

Washington grad transfer Matthew Atewe tells me he has cut his list to Pepperdine, South Florida, Georgetown, Rutgers, and DePaul.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 18, 2017

But in the rush to thwart change in their lives, each player elected an even more significant change. Did each run towards something, or did they simply place the coaching change at the University of Washington in their rear view mirror and go as fast and as far as possible?

Each player must now face the ever nagging question: What If? Had they stayed, how would things turn out differently?

Next: Former Washington Huskies Kelsey Plum Impacting WNBA. Her Way

For the Washington Huskies part, the team can find better than expected success this season. It would be a fitting reward for the players who found the courage to remain. And success will certainly be more likely to cause regrets for those who did not stay. And I, for one, am okay with that.

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