Basketball Recruiting Update: Cut Down Time

The last week has been incredibly busy for Washington recruiting. The Fab 48 happened in Vegas which is one of the largest opportunities for the coaching staff to view a wide range of targets. However, the biggest news to come out of the last 2 weeks involves a pair of trimmed down final lists.

Dawgs Make the Cut

Nate Roberts

PF; Brewster Academy, NH; 6’10”, 220

Scout: 3 stars, #140 overall; 247 Sports: 3 stars, #195 overall; ESPN: 4 stars

Other Offers: Syracuse, Connecticut, Wake Forest, Nebraska

The first was from Brewster Academy forward Nate Roberts who included Washington in his announcement of his Final 5. Roberts had this to say about the Dawgs: “I chose Washington because me and Coach (Mike) Hopkins has had a close relationship since he was back at the Cuse (Syracuse) and he’s just believed in me ever since. He has been honest from the jump and has a plan set for me to help me develop as a person and player. They also produce pros so that’s another plus.”

It’s so difficult to read the tea leaves in two sentence sound bites but I get the sense in reading his views on all of those programs that Washington is either in the lead or close to it. He set no timetable for official visits so we are still probably a long ways from a decision.

Roberts’ stock has dropped in the last several months as he has struggled in the Nike EYBL and Peach Jam. He averaged just 1.6 points and 2.6 rebounds in limited minutes at Peach Jam which may have scared off some programs or at least moved him down their boards. There is still some disagreement about his official height and weight. Many sites still list him as 6’8 but he has grown several inches since then and is closer to 6’10 or 6’11 now. He still plays facing the basket and will need time to adjust to his new found height to be a post player rather than a super tall small forward.

Heartbreak City

Dimon Carrigan

C; Woodstock Academy, CT; 6’9”, 212

247Sports: 4 Star, #133 Overall; ESPN: 4 star; Rivals: 3 star, #145 overall

Coach Hopkins suffered a setback today when possibly the best shot blocking prospect in the country left the Huskies off of his top-8 list. Clemson, Texas, and Syracuse all offered in the last 2 weeks and all of them leapfrogged the Dawgs. Washington was the only west coast school going after Carrigan and it’s possible that the distance was too great for him. That’s the easiest explanation and is the least damaging for the program. Hop has grabbed several east coast recruits but it’s a long way between Seattle and Boston and not everyone will be ok with that. I had Bryan Penn-Johnson and Dimon Carrigan as 1a and 1b on my wish list for center so now BPJ takes slots 1 and 2.

Hop’s Sights Set

Kamaka Hepa

PF; Jefferson High School, OR; 6’9”, 215

Scout: 4 stars, #47 overall; 247 Sports: 4 stars, #52 overall; ESPN: 4 stars; #62 overall

Other Offers: Gonzaga, Texas, USC, Oregon, Arizona

Coach Hop was one of several coaches who were watching Hepa play in Vegas this past week. The Top-100 Power Forward has yet to narrow his list but did say that at this point in his recruitment the leaders are UW, Gonzaga, Texas, and USC. A trimmed list is likely coming next month. Kamaka averaged 12.8 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting better than 40% from long range in the Nike EYBL so he looks like a prototypical stretch 4. Gonzaga has been considered the favorite for quite a while as they began recruiting him while he was still in Alaska while everyone else discovered him once he moved to Portland. Coach Hop is definitely going up against some top programs for a highly sought after recruit so this will be tough. It does appear though that UW has passed Oregon for a guy now living in Portland which is good news.

For those unfamiliar with Hepa’s story, check out this article. He is from a small town in Alaska that is as far North as it’s possible to be in the United States and won the Alaska state title as a freshman. He’s got a chance to be the best basketball player ever to come out of the state of Alaska and it’d be awesome if he started out his college career in Seattle.

Marcus Zegarowski

PG; Tilton High School, NH; 6’2”, 180

Scout: 2 stars; 247 Sports: 3 stars; ESPN: 4 stars

Other Offers: Arizona State, Minnesota, Penn State, Pitt, Creighton

Zegarowski has been a big riser over the last several months even if it hasn’t been reflected on the recruiting sites. The point guard from New Hampshire averaged 15.6 points per game at Peach Jam while shooting 37.5% from deep. If you include the entirety of the Nike EYBL he shot an even better 41.6% from beyond the arc on almost 150 attempts for a pretty good sample size. The head coaches at all of the schools above were on hand to watch Zegarowski play in Vegas and at this point he still appears to be UW’s primary target at point guard for the 2018 class.

Edit: A previous version mistook Marcus’s stat line with that of his brother Max.

Bryan Penn-Johnson

C; Coronado High School, NV; 7’0”, 215

Scout: 4 stars, #98 overall; 247 Sports: 4 stars, #39 overall; ESPN: 4 stars

The Huskies continue to doggedly pursue BPJ as one of their highest priority targets for the 2018 class. That focus becomes even more content with the bad news about Dimon Carrigan. This week Penn-Johnson said that he isn’t going to rush into a decision which is probably not great news for UW whose advantage was partly that they offered a few months before the major national programs. That advantage dissipates as time goes on. BPJ stated that he expects to trim a list in December and commit in January but with no timeline to set visits. But the Huskies still get mentioned constantly. In the link above he states that the two coaches he has the closest relationships with at this point are Coach Hop and Arizona’s Sean Miller. Hop still talks to him every single day. This interview wanted to focus on Oregon, UCLA, and Arizona but he also gave a shout out to UW and said that academics and location will be the biggest factors for him. The academics focus is a plus for UW but location is much more open ended. He’s from Vegas so he could either want to stay in a warmer climate or may relish the chance to live by the water. He’ll continue to be UW’s top target at center regardless.

THE LIST

(in approximate order of likelihood to commit to UW)

• Nic Lynch

C; Seattle Prep High School, WA; 6’10”, 255

Scout: 3 stars; ESPN: 2 stars

Other Offers: Wazzu, Columbia, Toledo

Highlights

• Marcus Zegarowski

PG; Tilton High School, NH; 6’1”, 165

Scout: 2 stars; 247 Sports: 4 stars; ESPN: 4 stars

Other Offers: Arizona State, Minnesota, Penn State, Pitt, Creighton

Highlights

• Nate Roberts

PF; Brewster Academy, NH; 6’10”, 220

Scout: 4 stars; 247 Sports: 3 stars; ESPN: 4 stars

Others in Final 5: Syracuse, UConn, Wake Forest, Nebraska

Highlights

• Bryan Penn-Johnson

C; Coronado High School, NV; 7’0”, 215

Scout: 4 stars, #95 overall; 247 Sports: 4 stars, #72 overall; ESPN: 4 stars

Other Offers: Arizona, UCLA, Utah, Oregon, Louisville, Kansas, Florida State

Highlights

• Elijah Hardy

PG; Bishop O’Dowd High School, CA; 6’1”, 165

Scout: 4 stars; 247 Sports: 4 stars; ESPN: 4 stars

Other Offers: USC, Cal, Nevada

Highlights

• Kamaka Hepa

PF; Jefferson High School, OR; 6’9”, 215

Scout: 4 stars, #36 overall; 247 Sports: 4 stars, #37 overall; ESPN: 4 stars; #48 Overall

Other Offers: Gonzaga, Texas, USC, Oregon, Arizona

Highlights

• Xavier Johnson

PG; Bishop O’Connell High School, VA; 6’3”, 170

Scout: 3 stars

Other Offers: NC State, Georgetown, Providence, Creighton

Johnson told ESPN this week that Washington, Nebraska, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, and South Florida are some of his top schools right now.

Highlights

• George Conditt

C; Corliss High School, IL; 6’10”, 200

Scout: 3 stars; 247 Sports: 3 stars

Other Offers: Arizona State, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa State, VCU

Highlights

• Majur Majak

C; Village Christian Schools, CA; 7’1”, 205

Scout: 3 stars; 247 Sports: 3 stars; ESPN: 3 stars

Other Offers: Connecticut, Nevada, Seton Hall, San Diego State

Highlights

• K.J Hymes

C; St. Mary’s High School, AZ; 6’10”, 215

Scout: 3 stars; 247 Sports: 3 stars; ESPN: 3 stars

Other Offers: BYU, Colorado, USC, Virginia, Oklahoma

Highlights

• Jamal Bey

SF; Bishop Gorman High School, NV; 6’6”, 195

Scout: 3 stars; 247 Sports: 3 stars; ESPN: 3 stars

Other Offers: Arizona State, USC, Utah, UNLV

Highlights

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