A quick introduction before I jump into the good stuff, my name is Kevin Cacabelos, you may have seen my writing around SB Nation Seattle or other places on the internet. Anthony was kind enough to invite me onto the writing staff at UW Dawg Pound. I'll be covering the basketball team's recruiting efforts along with some general coverage of the team. If there is any specific coverage you'd like to see, please leave a comment or contact me via twitter (@kevincacabelos) or shoot me an email (kcacabelos@gmail.com).
Here's a current breakdown of the roster for next season's roster (2013-2014):
Seniors
SG- C.J. Wilcox
C- Perris Blackwell
PG- Dion Overstreet*
Juniors
SG- Hikeem Stewart
SG- Quinn Sterling*
PF- Desmond Simmons
PF- Austin Seferian-Jenkins*?
PF- Martin Breunig
PF- Shawn Kemp Jr.
Sophomores
PG- Andrew Andrews (RS)
PF- Gilles Dierickx
PF- Jernard Jarreau (RS)
Freshmen
SG- Darin Johnson
PG- Nigel Williams-Goss
*= indicates walk-on
The team loses Abdul Gaddy, Aziz N'Diaye and Scott Suggs to graduation but could retain as many as 12 players from this season's current roster. Transfers Perris Blackwell and Giles Dierichx will become eligible after sitting out this season. In terms of walk-ons, Dion Overstreet, Quinn Sterling and Austin Seferian-Jenkins all could return next season. Although listed on the official roster for this season, it remains to be seen if Seferian-Jenkins will continue his basketball career at Washington.
Darin Johnson and Nigel Williams-Goss both signed their letter of intents during the early signing period in November. The Huskies have 11 scholarship spots taken for 2013-14 with two open spots. The team reportedly has three different open offers out to 2013 prospects. Here are quick breakdowns of the two current commitments along with the three prospects that currently hold offers from Washington.
Commitments:
Darin Johnson, SG, 6'4, 195lbs
Sacramento, Calif. (Sheldon High)
Scout Grades: ESPN (3 stars), Scout.com (4 stars), Rivals.com (4 stars)
Also Considered: Oregon, San Diego St., Texas A&M
Expert's Take:
Physically, with his body type, he is ready to go right now," Romar said of Johnson. "He's aggressive, strong and a slasher that goes to the basket, but he compliments it with a nice jump shot. I don't want to compare him to Terrence Ross, but Terrence had that blend of being a slasher and a shooter. Terrence is probably a better shooter, but in terms of slashing, Darin is probably better at slashing to the basket. (Via: GoHuskies.com)
Breakdown:
Johnson looks like an elite scorer at the next level. He is athletic with a solid slashing ability, just the type of player Romar and his staff love in their system.
Highlight Video:
Darin Johnson OFFICIAL Summer Mixtape... Washington Bound!!! (via Yayareasfinest2006)
Nigel Williams-Goss, PG, 6'3, 180lbs
Happy Valley, Ore. (Findlay College Prep)
Scout Grades: ESPN (4 stars),Scout.com (4 stars), Rivals.com (4 stars)
Also Considered: Harvard, Oklahoma, UCLA, UNLV
Expert's Take:
He is a great floor general. He is very intelligent and has high, high basketball I.Q. He understands what it takes to win and is a great leader," continued Romar. Guys like him don't come around very often." (Via: GoHuskies.com)
Breakdown:
Williams-Goss will likely become Andrew Andrews' backup at the point guard position. He looks like the consummate teammate, a player that is more concerned with victories than the number of assists he dishes out each game. UW offered Williams-Goss when he was a freshman in high school.
Highlight Video:
Nigel Williams-Goss highlights (via KUTheShiver)
Prospects:
Jahmel Taylor, PG, 6'0, 160lbs
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pacific Hills School)
Scout Grades: ESPN (2 stars), Scout.com (3 stars), Rivals.com (3 stars)
Reported Offers: Colorado, Long Beach St., Oregon, San Francisco, SMU, USC, Virginia Tech, Washington, Washington St.
Expert's Take:
Overall, it will be interesting to see how he develops because physically he appears to be already maxed out. Taylor's overall savvy for the point guard position needs to improve. (Via: ESPN)
Breakdown:
Most scouting reports on Taylor peg him as a scoring guard even if he listed as a point guard. An opposing high school coach in Taylor's league described him as extremely athletic. Taylor is currently averaging over 20 points a game for Pacific Hills.
Aaron Gordon, PF, 6'8, 215lbs
San Jose, Calif. (Archbishop Mitty HS)
Scout Grades: ESPN (5 stars), Rivals.com (5 stars)
Final Three: Arizona, Kentucky, Washington
Expert's Take:
Gordon is the No. 1 prospect in the west regardless of class. He is not only becoming as bouncy as his older sibling Drew Gordon (transferred from UCLA to New Mexico) but he is a much better all-around player. (Via: ESPN)
Breakdown:
Gordon cut down his list to three schools in mid-November and has already made his official visits to those three schools. Though Washington has been considered a favorite throughout Gordon's recruitment, Romar and has staff have yet to beat out Kentucky and Arizona for such a highly-regarded recruit. At the same time, besides the case of Terrence Jones, I can't remember another time when the Huskies were this deep in the running for such a highly regarded recruit. Gordon's recruitment will make or break this 2013 class for Romar. He is the type of player that can turn a team into an instant contender.
Video Highlights:
Aaron Gordon Kicks Off His Senior Season In STYLE! SICK First 3 Games Of Season Mix! (via Ballislifedotcom)
Kameron Rooks, C, 7'0, 270lbs
San Marcos, Calif. (Mission Hills)
Scout Grades: ESPN (3 stars), Scout.com (3 stars), Rivals.com (3 stars)
Final Four: Arizona, Arizona St., California, Washington
Expert's Take:
Rooks has very soft hands, finishes well and plays smart basketball, looking for teammates out of the post and always fighting for rebounds. (Via: Scout.com)
Breakdown:
Rooks is not the most athletic player, but his size alone makes him a high-level recruit. While his skill-set does not necessarily match UW's system, having such a big player gives Washington something that other teams do not have and simply cannot match up against.
Video Highlights:
Kameron Rooks '13, Mission Hills Junior Year vs. Crawford, 12/20/11 (via SportsOnTheSide)