Isaiah Washington, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound Class of 2017 point guard from the New Heights AAU program and St. Raymond’s High School in The Bronx, committed to Minnesota during his official visit on Sunday, St. Ray’s coach Jorge Lopez told SNY.tv.
I’m officially a gopher 〽️��
– isaiah Washington (@Jellyfam_Dimes) September 11, 2016
Arguably the best player in New York City at the moment, Washington was recruited by New York native Kimani Young, the former New Heights director and now a Minnesota assistant under head coach Richard Pitino.
Washington also considered Seton Hall, Texas A&M and New Mexico, but Minnesota scored by getting him on a visit first.
“Minnesota has worked extremely hard recruiting Isaiah for the past two years,” Adam Berkowitz of New Heights said. “He was their top priority even before he blew up over the past year. He is a tough dynamic New York cIty point guard with supreme confidence. He will bring a lot of excitement to the Gophers.”
Said Lopez: “Isaiah is pass-first point guard who will thrive in the pick and roll offense Minessotta runs. Isaiah is also a prolific scorer who can finish strong at the basket, knock down the mid-range shot and shoot the open 3. What makes him most special is his ability to make the other guys around him better with his passing.”
Washington came on strong this summer, going for 46 points one night at Dyckman Park and then garnering an invitation to the Under Armour Elite 24 Game, where he finished with 36 points – just shy of the Elite 24 scoring record held by Lance Stephenson — while battling Trevon Duval.
“I like Isaiah,” Jamal Mashburn said before the game. “The one thing I told him was when the game was down he showed me how to play the game and get back in the game. He had four free throws to get us back in the game. Little details such as offensive rebounding, little things even for his size are critical.”
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