Washington offers Johnny Zuppardo, junior college forward

Currently we are in the heat of transfer season, the time when Dana Altman finds all of his players. Last season, it appeared that the Huskies were going to make a huge splash in the transfer market with fifth-year senior Mike Moser before Altman yanked him away.

Lorenzo Romar is now looking for impact players in the same vein again, and has started with JuCo forward Johnny Zuppardo, who received an offer Monday afternoon.

Zuppardo is looking for the fourth home of his college career. After attending prep school he went to Arkansas State for the 2011-2012 season, where he played seven minutes per game and had a minimal impact on the floor. He then transferred to Southern Miss, and had to sit out the 2012-2013 season due to transfer rules. Before stepping onto the court for Southern Miss, Zuppardo left to go to Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Miss.

He played one season for the JCJC Bobcats, and led the team in scoring with 15.2 points per game and was a big cog in the team's run to the national championship, which added to his hardware: he won a state championship during his time at St. Stanislaus, his prep school. He will have two years to play two.

What Zuppardo brings to the court is versatility scoring the ball. He shot 43 percent from deep while also being able to score in the post with his 6'9, 230-pound frame, leading to an overall shooting percentage of 64 percent. He is able to score with his back to the basket as well as face up and drive to the hoop.

His release isn't that high, but when he catches the ball it goes up in a hurry. He shows a smooth post game with the ability to score in traffic. Zuppardo seems most comfortable catching and shooting off of pick n pop plays, at least judging by his highlights.

Zuppardo visited Mississippi State last Friday, and will visit UW on Friday, April 18. He also holds offers from Kent State, Louisiana-Monroe, St. Bonaventure, Tulane and Wichita State.