Washington Basketball Coach Hopkins visited Bryan Penn-Johnson on September 11. Still, as time moves on, Washington is not the only school interested in the 7-foot-0 center. Will Penn-Johnson select Washington from the growing list of suitors?
Washington Basketball head coach Mike Hopkins has pulled some rabbits out of hats so far in recruiting very talented basketball players to the Huskies. Still, the team continues efforts to attract center Bryan Penn-Johnson. So what type of progress is the team making? Without a statement, there is no way to link facts. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to segregate fact from fiction, narrative from rumor. But there are these facts:
Center Bryan Penn-Johnson has been heavily recruited by the Washington coaching staff for months. He is a very promising talent, and his size and skillset places him highly on the list of virtually every collegiate basketball program in the nation. But in virtually each conversation, Penn-Johnson continues to mention Washington University by name.
So far, so good.
However, Bryan Penn-Johnson found himself hosting both Washington Coach Mike Hopkins and DePaul head coach Dave Leltao on September 11, 2017. Two days later, Wichita State visited the young man. And…. the sweepstakes is on.
A momentary scare
Then, a social media pointed out that Rivals.com had temporarily omitted Washington from the list of interested schools.
Per Rivals, no longer listing @UW_MBB
— Jim Basnight (@jimbasnight) September 13, 2017
Rivals.com has since reinstated Washington among the list of interested schools. Now Bryan Penn-Johnson has caught the eye of nearly every major college program. And as such, new offers continue to stream in. Major college basketball programs.
Still, there is something to be said about a college program which competes in a major conference being there the entire time. That loyalty builds loyalty. At least, that is the hope of Coach Hopkins and the Washington Basketball program.
So much talent, so little time
So who is Bryan Penn-Johnson? I’m glad you asked… He is a very tall young many who is filling up his 7-foot-0 form. At 215 pounds, and still in his teens, he is just scratching the surface of his potential. So far, that potential flashes frequently.
In the new Washington basketball scheme, he would be a cherished recruit to a Mike Hopkins program. Many basketball programs believe their scheme has a blue-blood pedigree which speaks for itself. Washington Basketball has had an incredible run recently of propelling young men into the NBA. Conversely, the team itself has regressed over the years recently.
Can Hopkins pull this one off?
The Washington Basketball program is ideal for the type of player Bryan Penn-Johnson appears to be. The program is in the national spotlight, plays in a fiercely competitive conference, and with the lack of NCAA tourney history, Penn-Johnson will be the feature of highlight reels.
Next: Washington Basketball head coach Hopkins opens up
The team needs a big, and Penn Johnson is one of the most heavily recruited tall players in the nation right now. So far, virtually every interview steers him towards other schools, but he turns it back to include the Washington Huskies.
Let’s hope that trend continues when he makes his verbal commitment.
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