In case you missed it, please check out our State of the Recruiting 2010 Class post. I’ll give you an update on what’s changed since I posted the 2010 column soon, as some players mentioned have indeed made commitments.
As promised, here’s a breakdown of who we could be looking at in Husky uniforms two years from now. These are guys who will play their junior seasons this year, and (likely) make their commitment to a school sometime between now and spring 2011.
By the time any of the players below would don a Husky uniform, Quincy Pondexter, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Venoy Overton, and Justin Holiday will all have graduated. Abdul Gaddy will have played the two seasons he’s required to before considering a jump to the NBA, due to his age. And, Isaiah Thomas would be a senior.
All of these guys have been linked to UW as possible targets. Height/weight info courtesy of ESPN. Players are listed in order of their (generally-accepted) rating with the first listing being the most highly-touted, and the last being the least prominent recruit.
Anthony (Tony) Wroten, Jr.*The skinny: Wroten is clearly a gifted guard, who can score, jump, and dish off oh no, he didn’t! passes, but he has a bit of a reputation of trying to push the issue and being a little too flashy at times. Of all the negatives you could say about a guy, that’s the best one to bring into the UW program, since Coach Romar has a long history of reining guys in without stifling their creativity and natural talent.
*Wroten tore his ACL two weeks ago on the football field, and will miss the entire upcoming high school season. Whether he pushes it to get back for AAU ball is an unknown, but he’ll still have his senior season to bounce back. Given his age, it’s a distinct possibility that he comes back at 90-100% of what he was before, but there’s no way to know for sure.
UW’s chances: Wroten just belongs at the Dub. His father went here. He’s a local kid, and he fits into the system here. And, just as Abdul Gaddy might be leaving after his sophomore year, and Venoy Overton is graduating, it would make all the sense in the world to slot Tony into the backcourt. There have been rumors he might want to explore going east to play, but I think this one is going to end happily for us. I’d guess we’ve got a 60% chance of landing Wroten.
Angelo CholThe skinny: Chol is a lefty with a good jump hook who projects to be a skilled shot-blocker. ESPN has compared him with to “a young Chris Bosh.”
UW’s chances: In July, he did an interview with Scout.com and said UW, UCLA and ASU had shown the most interest in him, with UW and ASU offering scholarships. But, Chol said UW was the favorite at this point, pointing to how much he likes Coach Romar. I think there’s a 50% chance of landing Chol.
Norvel PelleThe skinny: Pelle is long and lean and looks like he could be a nightmare as a shot-blocker. I’m seeing a Darnell Gant-type with better hops and a more consistent jump shot, but with less intensity to his game. Also, Pelle’s ceiling seems high. Like, NBA high.
UW’s chances: UCLA and Arizona are on Pelle’s list, but UW is the leading contender as of late August, according to Scout.com. I see this kid in purple, but he’s said that we’ll have to wait until his senior year to find out for sure. I think there’s a 60% chance of landing Pelle.
Jabari BrownThe skinny: A true slasher with a good mid-range jumper, Brown is sometimes described as a combo guard, but seems more suited to the shooting guard spot. The biggest knock on him seems to be that he’s not a long player and that his body isn’t prototypical for a big-time college baller.
UW’s chances: At this point, there’s nothing to tell me that we’ve got any better chance at Brown than the nine other schools (including the Arizona schools, the Oregon schools and Cal) on his list. I think there’s a 10% chance of landing Brown.
Gary Bell, Jr.The skinny: An under-sized shooting guard, word out of his AAU games this summer was that Bell was putting in time at the point guard position too. His stock seemed to rise more than other 20’11 classmates this summer as he continued to develop a more consistent jump shot.
UW’s chances: UW is one of three schools to offer Bell as scholarship at this point (Cal and Gonzaga are the others), but he’s in no hurry to make a choice, which means it could be a year before we know anything. He has mentioned UW in interviews, and he is a local kid. I’m going to guess, assuming we’ve got enough spots left, we have a 40% chance of landing Bell.
Byron WesleyThe skinny: Lauded for his inside/outside game, Wesley is a solid jump-shooter with a good game in the post. Noted for his hard work at both ends of the court, Wesley has been criticized for jacking up too many three-balls.
UW’s chances: UW is in the mix for Wesley, although so are several other schools. Wesley named Wake Forest the favorite back in January, and says he might choose early just to get it over with. Who knows, but I feel like this kid is a longshot for us. I think we have a 5% chance of landing Wesley.
Spencer DinwiddieThe skinny: Rail thin, but with time to grow into his long frame, Dinwiddie would fit well into UW’s go-go-go system. His improving jump shot will serve as a good accompaniment to his slashing style if he’s able to bulk up so he can better take a hit on his way to the hoop.
UW’s chances: I hear Spencer’s name bandied about in Seattle more than recruits like Brown or Wesley. We’re on his list of favorites along with four other Pac-10 schools and Pepperdine (don’t tell me you wouldn’t at least consider playing in Malibu). All said, there’s enough buzz here for me to say we’ve got a 20% chance of landing Dinwiddie if some of our more high-profile point guard options don’t pan out.
Christian BehrensThe skinny: Behrens will likely need to bulk up wherever he plays, but particularly to hang in a major conference. But, his length, athleticism and defensive instincts should help make him a success wherever he plays.
UW’s chances: Christian told us recently that he had a long list of schools recruiting him, including UW, but that he hadn’t ordered his list yet at all. I don’t get a sense that we’re in any kind of driver’s seat here, but he is a Washington kid, so I’ll say we’ve got a 15% chance of landing Behrens.
And here are some other names loosely linked with UW who could become more serious possibilities in the coming weeks and months. When they do, you’ll hear it here:
Nick Johnson: ESPN’s #24 prospect in the entire 2011 class, Johnson will play for Findlay Prep this season. The combo guard would’ve been the second player listed above if I had any sense that UW was something more than a needle in a haystack of schools in the running. Johnson looks to be warmest to the two Arizona schools at this point in the process, but will likely wait until next summer to narrow his list further.
Darius Perkins: A smallish shooting guard (6’0″) with a sweet stroke, Perkins has suffered in the past from bad shot selection and too many turnovers. The Florida baller hasn’t tipped his hand much as to the front-runners recruiting him, but at least one major site includes UW on the list of possibilities.
Jonathan Davis: Davis is a 6’5″ forward out of Simi Valley, CA. Looks like he’s pretty sweet on ASU at this point, but a year ago, he did list UW as one of the schools going after him.
Ryan Anderson: Anderson, out of Long Beach, CA, is a skilled power forward still growing into his frame. Not projected to be a banger, he’s said to have good range from 16-18 feet. No sense of where UW ranks on his list, or how seriously he’s on the Dawgs’ radar.
Kiwi Gardner: ESPN’s #52 point guard in the 2011 class, Gardner is a guard from Manteca, CA, and he’s quite small at this point (5’7″, 150 lbs.) but Coach Romar doesn’t tend to shy away from mini-guards. Seems like Kiwi might be part of our backup plan for 2011 if some of the more prestigious recruits spurn the Dub.
Darius Nelson: A fast-rising 6’5″ forward prospect out of Sacramento, Darius is still very early in the process, and considering a host of schools back east, as well as some in the Pac-10.
Hey, thanks for coming!
In an article today on Scout.com’s pay site, Josh Smith revealed that he hadn’t yet set any official visits to go see the schools recruiting him.
We were lucky enough recently to speak to the player most of Husky Nation will be looking to as the team’s leader during the upcoming season, Quincy Pondexter.
It’s Sunday, and I’m probably not awake yet. But, I came across some videos this week that were pretty terrific. So, while I sleep, you enjoy these fun clips.
For the next in our series of opposing player interviews, called “Reconnaissance Mission,” I had the opportunity to speak with Spencer Soo, a 5’8″ guard from UCLA. Soo will be starting his junior season this year, playing again as a walk-on. Soo only appeared in six games last season, but is a fan favorite at Pauley Pavilion, in part at least for his 
Without making any definitive statements, Lorenzo Romar told Andy Katz, in a report on ESPN.com today, that while Husky basketball games are likely to tip-off with two guards on the floor, they may often choose to finish with three. 
I had a chance to speak with local baller Christian Behrens, a 6’7″ forward from Tahoma HS. He’s been linked with UW, largely, I think, because he’s local and the hometown Dawgs would make a lot of sense.