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Updated now with another major piece of information relating to Baylor's stance with the Harrison twins, two of the top recruits in the 2013 class.
Harrison twins trim list to three. Kentucky, Maryland and SMU a distant third according to father Aaron Harrison who I spoke with 30 sec ago
— Reggie Rankin (@ReggieRankin) September 13, 2012
It appears we don't have to worry any longer about whether the Motley commitment influencing the Harrison twins as we have been eliminated. It's down to Kentucky and/or Maryland, supposedly, with SMU hoping for a miracle. I don't have anything else to add to this except my relative disappointment; everything we had heard recently had us firmly in the mix. I don't know what happened in the interim to make us no longer an option. Easy money has to be Kentucky in this race.
Hopefully we can find out more about what happened with Baylor later this evening or in the next few days. And maybe what the heck is going on to put SMU back in the mix?
Hit the jump for more MBB recruiting.
4-star center Kyle Washington down to four schools: #Baylor #Buckeyes #NCState and #Washington per a source
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) September 13, 2012
The second bit of news-- and the original impetus for this post-- is much more positive. According to Badger Nation (that's the guy that tweeted), 4* PF Kyle Washington narrowed his list to the 4 schools listed in the tweet to the right. Coincidentally enough, Washington's Rivals profile indicates that he will be on campus this weekend for a visit. I have no idea whether it will be of the official or unofficial variety.
Washington is a similar height to Johnathan Motley, who committed last night and sent our recruiting underpants all a-flutter, but dissimilar build. Where Motley is listed at a svelte 195 pounds, Washington is 20 pounds heavier and noticeably thicker on film. Motley may one day grow into a larger player than he is currently, but Washington seems to already have the frame of a prototypical power forward, even at 17 years old. He's no Rico Gathers-- few are-- and in fact seems to be almost an anti-Rico. Where Gathers' game was defined by brute strength, Washington's is predicated more (at this point) on speed, agility, and athleticism. I wonder if an apt description might be a slightly shorter Isaiah Austin.
According to ESPN's recruiting analysts, Washington is the 66th-ranked recruit in the country in 2013 and the top-ranked player from the state of Minnesota. For that reason, getting him could be a major coup for a program also hoping to woo that state's best player next year, PG Tyus Jones. Jones is also one of the top 2 or 3 recruits in the entire 2014 class.
Washington's 247Sports profile lists offers from Baylor, Louisville, Florida, Notre Dame, Ohio State, West Virginia, and at least a dozen others, including the two schools listed above as finalists.