Basketball Recruiting Update: AAU Season Begins

This past weekend was the start of both the Nike EYBL and the Adidas gauntlet which means almost every target for Washington in the 2019 class was on display. These are obviously very small sample sizes but for some players who come from high schools that don’t publish box scores, it’s the easiest source for us to get stats. It’s also a higher competition level than almost all high schools (although also less organized). Before that the Washington coaches were almost all on the road making visits. So here’s an update on some of UW’s top targets. But first, a quick note on the 2018 class.

There’s still no indication that Washington is after a specific player with their one open scholarship. The only player still available who would be good enough to justify opening that spot with ties to Washington is Tacoma’s Emmitt Matthews Jr. He spoke with Rivals this weekend and he said he’s completely wide open but didn’t mention Washington as a school he’s been in contact with. I’m still expecting that last spot to go to an undergraduate transfer or a player reclassifying into 2018 later in the period. Unless Washington throws out a new offer, don’t expect news on that front for a while.

Class of 2019 (Listed in order of 24/7 composite ranking)

Wendell Moore, SF, 6’5, 210. Cox Mill H.S, Concord, North Carolina

247Sports: 5 star, #26 overall; Rivals: 5 star, #25 overall; ESPN: 5 star, #22 overall

Other Offers: Duke, North Carolina, NC State, South Carolina, Kansas

The Huskies made Moore’s top-10 last fall and have kept up their interest in the spring. Moore cited UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, NC State, South Carolina and Washington as the schools that have been recruiting him the hardest. You’ll notice that the Huskies stick out like a sore thumb on that list. If Hopkins beats out 5 schools from the Carolina’s for a 5-star prospect from North Carolina then it means Moore hates living in North Carolina or we should expect an FBI inquiry. Moore is playing for Team CP3 and went 2-1 on the weekend leading his team in scoring with 16.2 ppg, 5 rpg, and 1.5 apg.

Isaiah Stewart, PF/C, 6’8, 243. La Lumiere School, Rochester, New York.

247Sports: 5 star, #23 overall; Rivals: 5 star, #10 overall; ESPN: 5 star, #13 overall

Other Offers: Duke, Villanova, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Texas

Coach Hopkins had an in-home visit this week with Stewart as well and he would be an absolutely phenomenal get if it somehow happened. Basically every team in the country has either offered Stewart or shown interest. A source told me Hopkins feels he has a good shot at Stewart due to his relationship recruiting him at Syracuse but Stewart hasn’t brought up Washington in any of his interviews so it seems slim. He played AAU ball with Naz Carter so at least there’s that. Stewart averaged 13.2 ppg and 9.2 rpg in 4 games this weekend with The City Rocks.

Jaden McDaniels, SF, 6’9, 175. Federal Way H.S, Federal Way, Washington.

247Sports: 4 star, #91 overall; Rivals: 4 star, #45 overall; ESPN: NR

Other Offers: Arizona, Oklahoma, San Diego State, Texas

I’ve been saying that Jaden McDaniels should be Hop’s biggest priority for the 2019 class for a while now and it looks like the rest of the country is about to take notice. Jaden absolutely balled out playing for Seattle Rotary helping to lead them to a 3-1 record with 19 ppg, 6.8 rpg, and 0.8 bpg. He went just 2/9 from the 3-point line but still shot 61% from the field while shooting a scorching 70% from inside the arc. Rivals gave him a shout out as one of the big stories of the weekend. Expect some east coast blue bloods to get involved soon. Or expect them to ignore the Pacific Northwest like they usually do.

Max Agbonkpolo, SF, 6’8, 180. Santa Margarita Catholic H.S, Rancho Santa Margarita, California.

247Sports: 4 star, #60 overall; Rivals: 4 star, #94 overall; ESPN: NR

Other Offers: USC, Arizona, Arizona State

By my recollection, I’m fairly certain this is the first offer that Washington has given out since the fall. Max (who has a great first name) only played 2 minutes per game his sophomore season which is why he had no power offers in the fall. He started playing point forward for his high school team part way through the year so he has the ball handling skills from the wing that Hop loves. He’s one of the fastest risers on recruiting boards as he went up 45 spots in Rivals’ latest update. He had a great weekend on the Adidas circuit with 15.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, and 2.5 apg.

Noah Williams, PG, 6’3, 175. O’Dea H.S, Seattle, Washington.

247Sports: 3 star, #235 overall; Rivals: NR; ESPN: NR

Other Offers: NONE

Noah had a solid showing with Seattle Rotary this weekend averaging 12 ppg, 4.5 rpg, and 3apg. The thing that caught my eye though is they listed him as 6’5 on the Seattle Rotary roster. It’s not uncommon to see height fibbed by a few inches but if Williams is actually up to 6’5 then he could be essentially a straight upgrade on Michael Carter III. We’ll see if anyone else gets involved.

Class of 2021

Paolo Banchero, 6’8, 220. O’Dea High School, Seattle, Washington.

I just wanted to put Paolo on the radar of anyone who isn’t aware of him. Banchero has a chance to be one of the best recruits in the country. He’s a rising sophomore which means he’s not on any of the major recruiting sites yet. Paolo plays for Seattle Rotary and is a full two years younger than everyone else on his team and almost everyone he’s playing against. And he still averaged 14.8 ppg, and 8.8 rpg this weekend. That’s ridiculous. Banchero’s parents both went to UW and he’s been rooting for the Huskies since he was little. His mom was Washington’s all-time leading scorer when she graduated and the 1st Husky drafted in the WNBA while his dad played Tight End for the football team. Hopkins offered him in the fall so he’s made it a priority to build a relationship early which will be good because next year everyone in the country will be coming after him.

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