The Washington Huskies have missed the NCAA Tournament the last five seasons, but few coaches have more momentum on the recruiting trail right now than Lorenzo Romar. With the news that five-star recruit Michael Porter Jr. is transferring to Seattle’s Nathan Hale High School to play for former Portland Trail Blazers superstar Brandon Roy, the Huskies are legitimately in line for three straight classes led by one-and-done lottery picks.
Mega-recruit Michael Porter Jr. is transferring to play for Brandon Roy. That’s good news for Washington
The No. 2 recruit in the class of 2017 will spend his senior season playing for a team coached by former Washington standout Brandon Roy. This all sets up perfectly for the Huskies.
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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
How did we get here?
It started at Thursday night’s NBA Draft, when Marquese Chriss (No. 8) and Dejounte Murray (No. 29) each became first-round picks. The Huskies also have the potential No. 1 overall draft pick stepping in next season in point guard Markelle Fultz. And by the time Fultz is shaking Adam Silver’s hand at the 2017 NBA Draft, Porter Jr. should be preparing for his freshman season at Washington.
Porter Jr. has has not given a verbal commitment anywhere yet, but he’s been considered a lock for Washington since Romar hired his father as an assistant coach in May. Michael Porter Sr. had been an assistant with Missouri’s women’s team for the last three years, coaching his daughters Bri and Cierra. Now the family is moving out to the Pacific Northwest with Michael Jr. and younger brother Jontay Porter set to play at Nathan Hale for Roy, a former Washington standout.
Roy was the Pac-10 Player of the Year at Washington before becoming the sixth pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. His brilliant NBA career was tragically cut short by injuries, and he retired after a brief comeback with the Timberwolves in 2012-13. He’s taking over a Nathan Hale team that finished last season just 3-18 overall. Adding the Porter brothers should change that.
Michael Porter Jr. is a 6’9 combo forward ranked as the No. 2 recruit in the class of 2017. He’s a great athlete with three-point range on his jump shot who is just now starting to learn how to use all of his physical gifts. Porter is the second-leading scorer in the EYBL this season, averaging 22.8 points per game playing for MOKAN Elite, a team sponsored by Kevin Durant.
Jontay Porter is a year younger and is considered a four-star recruit in the class of 2018. He’s listed at 6’10, 240 pounds and has already given a verbal commitment to Washington.
Few people are better prepared to help Porter Jr. navigate through the early stages of stardom than Roy, who recently provided great perspective on his own journey on J.J. Redick’s podcast. Romar and Washington certainly appear in line to be the biggest beneficiary. Now it’s time for Washington to finally get back to the business of winning. Adding players the caliber of Fultz and Porter Jr. is the best way to do that.
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