SB Nation Seattle - Washington Basketball Recruiting 2012: Demarquise Johnson Commits To WSU

Washington Basketball Recruiting: Anthony Bennett Top 5 Includes UW, Oregon, Kentucky, Florida, UNLV

2012-01-08T22:05:09Z

The Washington Huskies are missing any impact recruits for their 2012 basketball recruiting class. That could change with a big pick-up by one of the best bigs in 2012 class.

Anthony Bennett is considered one of the most athletic power forwards in the country. Playing at Findlay Prep, he gets overlooked for the better-known and more complete big in Brandon Ashley. His highlights showcase his promising athleticism.

C2CHoops.com: Anthony Bennett December Mix (via Coast2Coasthoops)

Bennett seems to have the Huskies on his mind, as the Canadian big has narrowed up his list of schools he will consider.

@ABennett24
Anthony Bennett It was a hard decision but I've finally made a top 5 #UW #UK #UF #UNLV #Oregon
Jan 08 via Twitter for iPhoneFavorite RetweetReply

To discuss Washington Huskies basketball recruiting, go to UW Dawg Pound. To talk about recruiting at other schools in the mix, check out Alligator Army (Florida), Addicted to Quack (Oregon), and A Sea Of Blue (Kentucky).

Washington Basketball Recruiting: Jabari Bird Includes UW In Top Three

2011-12-30T18:48:52Z

A recent interview with Jabari Bird revealed that the five-star basketball recruit has Washington high on his list of possible destinations:

Cal, Arizona and Washington are Bird's favorite three. Recently, Duke assistant Jeff Capel inquired about Bird after seeing him at the City of Palms. UCLA and Oregon are also going after him.

"With Arizona and U-Dub (Washington), two programs right now that can make runs in the tourney," Bird said. "I feel like if I go there, I can help put them over the top." (Via: Five-Star Basketball)

Bird is a 6'6" forward from the Class of 2013. He is currently ranked as the No. 11 best player in ESPNU's Super 60 rankings. Bird currently attends Salesian HS in Richmond, California, the same high school current redshirt freshman Desmond Simmons attended.

He reportedly will not make his decision until the end of next summer according to an earlier report.

To discuss Washington basketball recruiting, check out UW Dawg Pound.

Washington Basketball Recruiting: Pittsburgh Transfer Khem Birch Has UW In Top Six

2011-12-29T23:59:56Z

Freshman forward Khem Birch told Jeff Goodman at CBS Sports that he is considering transferring to Washington, Gonzaga, Florida, UNLV, Xavier and New Mexico State.

Birch reiterated that he wants to go somewhere more up-tempo and a spot where he can develop his four-man skills. "I want to play more four," he said. "That's one of the main reasons I went to Pittsburgh in the first place. I know I don't have the four-man skills yet, but I want to develop them." (Via: CBS Sports)

The Huskies definitely offer an up-tempo style of play. As for being able to develop four-man skills, Birch will have to make that judgement himself. Jon Brockman was a successful four-man in the Huskies' system and was able to make it to the NBA. Other than Brockman, there aren't any other power forwards from Washington currently in the NBA.

Birch is a 6'9" athletic and explosive big man who was considered one of the top shot-blockers in his recruiting class. He was named a McDonald's All-American his senior year at Notre Dame Prep.

When he decides on a school, Birch will have to sit out two semesters before he can start playing again. He also has the option of entering his name into the 2012 NBA Draft.

Washington has yet to sign a recruit or gain a verbal commitment from a player from the class of 2012, but theoretically only has one scholarship to give with only Darnell Gant leaving after this season.

Khem Birch Future Pittsburgh Panther - Class of 2011 - Notre Dame Prep - National Prep Showcase (via CityLeagueHoopsTV)

Washington Basketball Recruiting: Aaron Gordon Visits Huskies Last Weekend

2011-11-16T23:32:11Z

The Washington Huskies basketball team seems to be pretty close to striking out on the 2012 recruiting trail (not like they need to pick up that many players this season, but still). So it's time to start trying to mine for gold in 2013 for the top recruits in the country.

One of UW's biggest targets Aaron Gordon, the big man from Archbishop Mitty in San Jose, California, is considered one of the most extremely talented individuals out there, and seems like the sort of open-court player that would thrive in Lorenzo Romar's system. Gordon has a top 5 of Arizona, Kansas, Oregon, Stanford, and Washington, and it appears his interest in the Huskies is genuine. He visited Seattle unofficially this past weekend.

Here are Gordon's summer highlights by the way. You might want to take a look at him.

(via Coast2Coasthoops)

Look at that athleticism. Don't you think Romar is telling Gordon that he'll get to play in this type of system if he comes to Seattle? Gordon to the Pac-12 (and a team like Washington) would be the perfect type of star for the conference to market under the new TV deal for basketball.

To discuss Washington basketball recruiting, check out UW Dawg Pound.

Washington Basketball Recruiting: Stephen Domingo Enjoys Seattle Visit

2011-11-08T16:00:55Z

The Washington Huskies are close to striking out on their recruiting targets for 2012. So they're going to have to try and start landing some big-time players in 2013 if they plan to avoid falling behind the rest of the conference.

Stephen Domingo is one of their primary targets, and they hosted the San Francisco star from St. Ignatius this weekend. Domingo seemed pretty impressed by what he saw according to an interview he did with Left Coast Recruiting.

"The team was really cool. They do a lot together, the whole team went to the football game together. That was cool." Domingo said. He was able to see what it was like in the locker room before and after the SPU game, walk the tunnel before the football game and hear the trash talk of the Oregon and Washington rivalry.

At the SPU game he was able to see just exactly what the coaches have been telling him in the recruitment. "They give their wings so much freedom. CJ Wilcox has the green light to shoot." Domingo said. This mentality and coaching style is what Domingo has been hearing about when it comes to how he would be used in the Husky offense.

Domingo in Washington would probably be a solid fit, since most of Washington's current guards in the program would have filtered out by the time he arrived. The history of solid Washington guard play, their ability to make it to the next level in the NBA, and the stability of playing with a coach like Lorenzo Romar (who's been at Washington for a decade) have to appeal to Domingo, and he's probably strongly considering the Huskies as his college destination.

For more on Washington basketball recruiting, head to UW Dawg Pound.

Washington Basketball Recruiting: Stephen Domingo, Landen Lucas, Zena Edosomwan Visiting

2011-11-03T14:01:00Z

The Washington Huskies have had a quiet 2012 recruiting class up to this point. That might change soon, as three big West Coast prospects are visiting according to Left Coast Recruiting. UW landing any one of those three could be really crucial, particularly one that's still two years away from playing any college hoops.

Center Landen Lucas from Portland, Oregon is in town. He has Washington in his final four and has already taken visits to Cal, Stanford and Tennessee; he had something good to say about each school, so you figure this battle could go right down to the end.

Power forward Zena Edosomwan from North Hollywood, California. Apparently the favorites are Cal and USC, although Edosmwan wants to see if he can get into Harvard before making a decision. Washington might be the odd team out in his recruitment.

However the big recruit is still a junior in high school--shooting guard Stephen Domingo from the 2013 class from St. Ignatius in San Francisco. Domingo seemed really happy with his Arizona visit, so Lorenzo Romar is really going to have make a big pitch to win over the wingman.

For more on Washington basketball recruiting, hit up UW Dawg Pound.

WSU Basketball Commit: DeMarquise Johnson Picks Cougars Over Huskies

2011-10-24T22:38:56Z

The Washington Huskies, Washington St. Cougars and Gonzaga Bulldogs all were vying to land the verbal of one DeMarquise Johnson, a shooting guard from Pontiac, Michigan. Johnson had them all in his top three, and finally ended up committing to WSU basketball a few weeks ago. Percy Allen of the Seattle Times has more on this commitment.

Johnson made up his mind Friday night and announced this morning he's going to sign with Washington State.

"It's somewhere that I can play right away," he said during a telephone conversation. "I can get recognized. And it's a good fit for me."

Here's a look at some of his video highlights, and you get a sense of his potential athleticism at the wing position.

Demarquise "Que" Johnson Highlights - HardwoodElite.com (via HardwoodEliteDotCom)

Verballing to the Cougars probably makes the most sense for Johnson, who could become a feature guard in Ken Bone's offense similar to the way Klay Thompson was utilized the last few seasons. In Lorenzo Romar's system he probably would've had to wait his turn, and could've risked spending most of his seasons buried on the depth chart. In Washington State Johnson has the best chance to break out in a top Division I basketball program.

For more discussion on Johnson, best to check out CougCenter for all your WSU basketball needs.

Washington Basketball Recruiting 2012: Demarquise Johnson Leaves Town Without Committing

2011-09-29T03:31:26Z

The Washington Huskies are in the midst of putting together their class of 2012, and one of the team's top targets is Phoenix resident Demarquise Johnson. Johnson paid Washington a visit this past weekend but left without committing, according to Ryan Greene of the Las Vegas Sun.

The 6-foot-5 athlete, ranked 77th overall by Rivals.com, is a guard/forward at Arizona's Westwind Preparatory School. He has narrowed his list of schools down to four finalists: UNLV, Gonzaga, Washington and Washington State. Johnson visited UNLV unofficially in August, and he is set to visit the Rebels on a weekend-long official event in early October.

This is not good news for the Huskies. Washington's lack of a commitment from Johnson and the upcoming official visit together imply that Johnson may be leaning toward UNLV as his final destination. Nothing is final yet, but the Huskies will have to make a late run in the coming month in order to have a shot at one of their top targets.