After a suspenseful win 86-82, Washington Basketball’s Coach Hopkins has already severed the 13 game losing streak and ignited a spark of hope in players, coaches, fans, and alumni. But what of the recruits who chose a different path than UW? Any regrets?
The University of Washington recruiting class of 2017 was ranked as one of the best in the nation and even as one of the best in school history. But after the horrific end to the 2016-2017 season, it was a bittersweet carrot at the end of a very long stick. In the end, the Washington Basketball program faced a tough choice. On one hand, do nothing and reap a great class. On the other hand, change everything and turn the program in a new direction.
The choice was change. That change meant the Washington Basketball program would turn in a new direction at head coach, and that meant new scheme for the players. While that is not the optimal event for the development of a young man’s basketball skills, it can be rather telling of something about the player.
Stay and fight, or take off in flight.
Of the 2017 recruiting class for the Washington Basketball team, one chose to stay. That player was Jaylen Nowell, the same star who scored 32 points as a freshman to help lead the Huskies to a dramatic come from behind win over the Belmont Bruins. But what of the others? In an article written nearly a year ago, I touched on the then recruiting class of 2017:
That was then
The list of committed players from ESPN are as follows :
- Michael Porter Jr Small Forward 6-foot-10 212 pounds Seattle, WA Nathan Hale High School ESPN Grade 97
- Daejon Davis Shooting Guard 6-foot-4 175 pounds Seattle, WA Garfield High School
- Jaylen Nowell Shooting Guard 6-foot-5 191 pounds Seattle, WA Garfield High School
- Blake Harris Point Guard 6-foot-3 190 pounds Chapel Hill, NC Word of God Christian Academy
- Mamoudou Diarra Power Forward 6-foot-9 205 poundsSaint Louis, MO St. Louis Christian Academy
Even forward Matthew Atewe decided to seem his basketball elsewhere. In the aftermath, Michael Porter Jr. and Blake Harris would eventually land with the University of Missouri. Daejon Davis ended up at Stanford. Finally, Mamoudou Diarra ended up at Cincinatti. Only Jaylen Nowell elected to remain with the Washington Huskies.
This is now
Ultimately, the players who left have been replaced. Coach Hopkins wasted almost no time in recruiting a new class as follows:
- Hameir Wright Small Forward 6-foot-7 203 pounds Albany, NY
- Michael Carter III Shooting Guard 6-foot-5 180 pounds Seattle, WA
- Jaylen Nowell Shooting Guard 6-foot-5 191 pounds Seattle, WA Garfield High School
- Nate Pryor Point Guard 6-foot-1 165 pounds Seattle WA
- Nahziah Carter Small Forward 6-foot-6 185 pounds Rochester NY
While its not something many will cover, I will be curious all season as to the outcome. Is the University of Washington better off now?
Well, we know that several players came right out and stated that they would stay. Those players include David Crisp, Matisse Thybulle, and Carlos Johnson. Noah Dickerson, however, was on the fence at first before deciding to make his stand with the Washington Huskies. To those players, they have earned our respect and applause.
What of the players who exited? Are they getting strong basketball play elsewhere? Since I will be curious, I’m guessing there may be some other fans who are as well. Let’s dive right in then shall we?
Oh, those guys
Let’s dive right into it. How did the players who left do so far?
SF Michael Porter Jr. – Missouri Tiger Porter’s debut was cut short. He played two minutes. scored two points, and brought down two rebounds.
PG Blake Harris – Missouri Tiger Harris played a reserve role and played eight minutes, scored two points, brought down three rebounds, dished out two assists, got one steal, but committed two turnovers and two personal fouls.
SG Daejon Davis – Davis enrolled at Stanford, but never saw playing time.
PF Mamoudou Diarra – Diarra enrolled at Cincinnati, but never saw playing time.
Totals: 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 2 personal fouls
Our guys
Now for our players. Since Nowell stayed, obviously his performance will remain with the Huskies.
SG Jaylen Nowell -Washington’s Jaylen Nowell had a tremendous debut for the Huskies. In 36 minutes played, he scored 32 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 1 personal foul
SG Michael Carter III – Carter came off the bench for 7 minutes of playing time and pulled down 1 rebound and handed out 1 assist.
SF Hameir Wright – Wright came off the bench for 6 minutes and pulled in 2 rebounds, 1 block, 1 turnover and 4 personal fouls
PG Nate Pryor – Pryor did not see playing time in the opener
SF Nahziah Carter – “Naz” came in off the bench for 9 minutes, scoring 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 turnover.
Totals: 36 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 3 steals, 3 turnovers, 5 personal fouls
Summary
In the end, there is no way to compare what might have been to what is. Had Michael Porter Jr. elected to stay, he may not have injured his hip, and the nation would be oohing and ahhing over his 32 point debut as Jaylen Nowell played his backup.
Was any of this foreseeable? We certainly posed the question about potential regrets for the recruits who opted to depart. With age comes wisdom, and wisdom usually leans towards taking opportunities and seeing your decisions through to the end. Regrets come from running from change and never trying the opportunities that come you way. In the end, happiness requires trying to limit the “what ifs” in your life.
Point is.. UW is on track now
But that was and is not the point of this article. In the end, the consternation over the loss of that nationally recognized recruiting class of 2017 was unnecessary. The Washington Huskies, led by Coach Hopkins, has restocked the roster with young men who truly want to play as Huskies.
Science has yet to develop a means of measuring a person’s “heart”. But you could see it on the court in the November 10, 2017 home opener. The Washington Basketball team, loses of 13 straight games, had to fight from behind to win the game against Belmont in the closing minutes.
Next: Which freshman helped Washington win the first? Nowell
National rankings greatest flaw is measuring individuals. That misses the “team factor”. Right now, the Washington Huskies proved that this is a team, a group of young men who win and lose together.