Washington basketball: Much needed big Nate Roberts commits

Nate Roberts, a three-star player, committed to the Washington Huskies Tuesday evening. That makes it four for new coach Mike Hopkins.

Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Nate Roberts has played his basketball career at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. It was a coup for Washington to convince the kid to play on the other side of the country in Seattle, Washington. The official visit taken on Sept. 1 must’ve done wonders for him.

When Mike Hopkins was at Syracuse, he helped recruit Roberts to play there, and the Orange still went after him even after the coach’s departure. Along with Nebraska, it was Syracuse and Washington fighting for his services. Wake Forest and UConn also lurked around in the picture.

While Roberts is considered a “big” for now, he’s only been this way for a year. Around this time last year, he was listed at 6’7-6’8. Now, he’s between 6’10-6’11 and may still grow with another year before college. So while his 247 Composite ranking is currently No. 203, it remains to be seen how effective he will be at the next level as he continues to grow into his body.

There are three other players already committed for 2018; point guard Elijah Hardy, shooting guard Jamal Bey, and wing Ed Chang. Hopkins now has a future player at each position in a rebuilding basketball program and doesn’t have to panic over not having a good big.

As far as the current players on the roster, there are two frontcourt players that will be affected by this signing. Noah Dickerson is a junior and arguably the best player on the team. Roberts can come in slowly and develop at a good place with Dickerson a senior.

The other is sophomore Sam Timmins, a 6’11 post player. He showed some potential but was a huge defensive liability, something that Hopkins won’t tolerate much of coming in. Roberts will be a threat in a year for playing time if improvements aren’t made.

Next: Top center for 2018 down to two schools

The senior year of high school for Roberts should be an intriguing one, as he starts to get used to playing as a true frontcourt player. His athleticism and now versatility will be an asset if Hopkins employs the Syracuse 2-3 zone. It will take a minute for him to get going, and it might take a couple of college seasons for true contributions to be made. However, if patient, this could be a steal for the Huskies.