Much attention has been on offers and recruiting being done by the Pitt basketball staff of high school juniors.
Some might have forgot that Pitt still has one scholarship remaining for the Class of 2018.
The thinking has been that Kevin Stallings might wait and use that remaining scholarship on a transfer at the end of the season.
While that still might turn out to be the case, the Panthers have reached out and extended an offer to an explosive guard from Michigan.
Bryce Washington (6-foot-4, 175 pounds) from Southfield, Michigan received the offer yesterday from Pitt and it was Washington’s first Power Five offer.
Considering his resume, it’s a bit surprising no other major program extended him an offer.
Washington was the 2017 Associated Press Co-Player of the Year in Michigan. He recently became the all-time leading scorer in Southfield High School history and last year averaged 20 points, shooting 62% shooting from the field and 42% from three point range.
To get some insight into Washington, PSN caught up with Braeden Proctor, senior contributor and scout for Prep Hoops Michigan. You can follow them on Twitter at @PrepHoopsMI.
“To sum up his game, Bryce is an elite, explosive athlete who has a very quick first step with the ball that he uses to blow by defenders. He’s an ambidextrous finisher, which makes him difficult to defend attacking the hoop when combined with his explosive leaping ability. Bryce is at his best offensively in transition without question,” said Proctor.
“Defensively, he uses those physical gifts combined with a high motor, grit and toughness to be a very good perimeter defender who can check multiple spots. That energy and toughness also allows him to be a very good rebounding guard who is more than willing to bang inside with bigs.”
I asked Proctor what has kept bigger programs from offering Washington.
“His jump shot has been great so far in high school season as well. He has high elevation on his jump shots. That was a bit of an issue in AAU. He shot 20% or worse from three during EYBL play. If he can get his jump shot to fall consistently, that’s huge. I think his major inconsistencies shooting against elite competition in AAU were the biggest issues holding him back from more high major offers.”
“His athleticism and motor were there and his grades/character are definitely there as well. If he can’t blow by defenders off of triple threats or close outs, he tended to struggle breaking players down with a dribble in the half-court, which limited him to being a catch and shoot guy, and he struggled at that as well, so offensively he was very limited. So far this season, he has been great shooting from three, and still has been dominant in transition,” said Proctor.
Bryce Washington highlight videos:
We’d like to once again thank Prep Hoops Michigan for the insight on Bryce Washington.
