Washington Lands Kentucky PG Transfer Quade Green

It's football recruiting season but Washington got a huge commitment today from Kentucky PG transfer Quade Green. The 6'0 Philly native is a former 5-star recruit.

Green took an official visit to UW earlier in the week and apparently enjoyed himself. Syracuse was a close 2nd choice for Green when he committed to Kentucky so there was a pre-existing relationship with Coach Hopkins as he was still an assistant there at the time. By transferring now and enrolling for winter quarter it ensures that Green will be eligible for UW before conference play next season.

EDIT: I initially thought that Green would have 2.5 years of eligibility left but he only has 1.5 years. The example I’d been thinking of as a similar case was someone who left as a freshman rather than a sophomore. So he will be able to play the final half of the 2019/20 season and all of the 2020/21 season.

By all accounts Green was a model teammate at his time in Kentucky. He was overshadowed last year by future lottery pick PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and then Calipari brought in another two 5-star PGs this fall. With his playing time diminished, Green saw the writing on the wall and decided to transfer with Cal's full support.

Green was averaging 8.0 ppg, 2.3 apg, 2.3 tpg, 44.9% FG, 42.3% 3pt, 89.5% FT in just 18 minutes per game so far this season. The turnover figures are too high but there’s a strong possibility that some of that comes from forcing plays due to a desire for more playing time and an uncertain role. If you average out his stats in his first 1.5 years in Kentucky on a per-35 minutes basis they look like this: 13.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.6 turnovers, 45.1% FG, 38.5% 3pt, 83.1% FT.

Green isn't a freak athlete like many 5-star PGs and doesn't have ideal size for the zone. But there's no reason to think he can't be at least as successful on defense as David Crisp who is almost the same size. On offense, Green will give the Huskies plus shooting from the PG spot which Hop hasn't had since he got here. He’s also very capable of running the offense and creating in the half court set.

Exactly how many minutes Green gets and what his role is in the offense will depend upon Jaylen Nowell. The odds are that Nowell comes back for his junior season but if he finishes another season averaging 16+ points per game and ends up shooting 40%+ from 3 like he right now then it wouldn't be a shock to see him head to the NBA. If he stays then I would expect Green and Nowell to alternate ball handling duties as the starting 1 and 2 spots once Green becomes eligible. Otherwise, Green will likely be the primary ball handler whenever on the court. The Huskies will also have 3-star freshman Elijah Hardy (who has only played 2 minutes this year due to a broken hand) and incoming 3-star combo guard Marcus Tsohonis at the PG spot.

Coach Hopkins saved an extra scholarship for this season and that decision is paying off by allowing them to add Quade Green right now. With Green claiming one, there are still 2 more open scholarships for next season. Conveniently, the Huskies are still after 5-stars Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels. The hope is that Green’s addition may make it more likely those two wind up at Montlake.

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