Dejounte Murray upgrades the Class of 2015 recruiting class from a solid group with David Crisp and Marquese Chriss to a class that is one with the capabilities to put UW back on the map. Murray was a stud for Rainier Beach last season, averaging nearly a triple double.
I Am Excited To Announce I Will Be Attending The University Of Washington #GoDawgs #206 pic.twitter.com/FCs3bqYwXd
— Dejounte Murray (@GODS_GIFT2015) June 4, 2014
The fact that Murray tweeted a picture of the new court with his announcement shows that being "flashy" and stylish really does matter when it comes to recruiting. Ahmaad Rorie listed "the gear" when he committed to Oregon, and it seems that this may have made an impact with Murray, or at the very least it was something he liked.
Murray is one of the best in-state prospects, and is actually rated as the best player in-state by ESPN (Crisp is second). There is a resurgence of talent coming through the state, and Murray is the headliner for the first of several solid groups of players, that we will be taking a closer look at as the summer and dead period creep up on us.
Nabbing the 6'5 guard is a very good sign that the program still has the ability to keep the kids home when they have to, after not taking a single in-state prospect in either of the past two seasons. This is important with the aforementioned resurgence of local talent.
Here is a quick scouting report from the lovely Erik Erickson from his article this morning:
After playing limited minutes as a sophomore, Murray emerged as a key piece in Beach's third consecutive state title run in 2014, nearly averaging a triple double. He is a versatile player who can play and guard multiple positions. While he is a great scorer, its his passing and rebounding skills that stood out many times this year, including a 33 point, 30 rebound performance against West Seattle. Playing AAU for Northwest Xpress, Murray averaged 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists in the Nike EYBL.
Murray currently holds offers from UW, WSU, USC, Cal, Colorado, Gonzaga, Oregon, UCLA, UNLV, Boise State, Arizona, Nevada, Seattle U, and Tulsa
That is an impressive offer sheet. Murray had the chance to go to any school in the west he wanted, and chose to go to UW. Romar's still got the ability to go after big fish when he needs to, just not the national guys, though he is currently doing his best to convince top-ten recruit Ivan Rabb to make his way to UW.
Murray's commitment makes it three straight seasons that UW has landed a highly-rated wing (though Murray has the ability to run the point in a pinch). Darin Johnson was followed by Donaven Dorsey and now Murray, who is the highest-regarded of all. This bodes well for a return to a fast-paced offense, with three highly athletic wings (though we won't see Murray for another season) along with a combo guard in Crisp.
This is great news for Dawg fans, we could have a player who can make a Nigel Williams-Goss-like impact when he steps on the court.