UW Basketball Recruiting Update: Back To The Glory Days?
Lorenzo Romar is a special coach. As someone who has had the pleasure of meeting him, I can say from personal experience – and from what I’ve heard from everyone else whose met him – that he is also a great person. There is no one I’d rather have leading the UW basketball program.
Many people have been calling for his head the past few years, as the Washington Huskies have struggled to make it to the big dance. But the man who gave those fans their lofty expectations in the first place by turning UW into a winning program has the Dawgs on the road back to the top once again.
Romar recently received�a commitment from 6’7″ Canadian PG�Jermaine Haley. Haley is rated 5 stars, the #6 PG�in the class of 2016 and the #26 player overall. Not to mention the kid�is 15, and could be even taller by the time he arrives on Montlake. Oh yeah, did I mention he’s a point guard?
Now you might be thinking, “2016? Im still getting used to it not being 2013.” But the Huskies 2015 class is also a program changing group. It’s so far made up of four players. All of them ranked 4 stars, all of them top 20 players at their position, and all of them top 100 overall in the country.
Dejounte Murray (#9 SG, #37 overall)
If you keep up with the Seattle Pro-am circuit, which is mostly events put on by Jamal Crawford, you know who “Baby Boy Murray” is. The similarities with Crawford are striking, beyond just the fact that they both went to Rainier Beach. Murray can light up the scoreboard in the time it takes you to come back from the concession stands. He has handles and athleticism that are to drool over. The Pro-am I went to, Murray was the leading scorer in the game. This particular game happened to include guys like Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, Spencer Hawes, Tony Wroten and ohhhhh I don’t know……..
Here’s a link of CP3 hooking up Murray with oop.
Murray is going to be a star.
David Crisp (#17 PG, #97 overall)
Now I’ve seen Dejounte Murray play. But in high school, I PLAYED against David Crisp. So you are getting 1st hand information right here. I played a LOT of basketball on the AAU circuit, and for my school. Crisp is the hardest player to stay in front of I have ever guarded.
Going left, he has a RIDICULOUSLY quick first step, and shields the ball with his body, holding defenders on his hip with ease without allowing them to cut him off. The problem is, he isn’t as good going right and is therefore sometimes predictable. He gets tunnel vision at times, but that is probably due to having to carry his team at Clover Park before transferring to Beach. He can stroke it from deep as well so it’s really pick your poison with Crisp. Think of a more consistent Andrew Andrews.
Marquese Chriss (#8 PF, #47 overall)
For the time being, he’s more of a 3-4 tweener, but add some muscle to his frame, and you’ve got Aaron Gordon-like potential. Chriss is 6’8″ with off-the-charts athleticism and long arms. He has great timing and bounce off the floor defensively and is a great rebounder for his size. Offensively, he is a matchup nightmare with his ability to both take the ball to the rim with the drive, as well as hit mid-range jumpers. Back-to-the-basket game needs polishing, but the potential is there.
Matisse Thybulle (#15 SF, #73 overall)
Thybulle is exactly what you want in a small forward. The guy does it all, both offensively and defensively. He has the athleticism to get the rim and the length and body control to finish in traffic. He is also a great ball-handler and passer, especially for his size. He impacts every part of the game. If he develops like he should, we could be looking at Quincy Pondexter 2.0.