NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Impact of Isaiah Stewart picking Washington

Washington got a big commitment from five-star big man Isaiah Stewart. How does this affect both the Huskies and the teams who didn’t land him?

The big men of the 2019 NCAA Basketball recruiting class are starting to pick their homes, after top-5 players James Wiseman (Memphis) and Vernon Carey (Duke) selected their respective programs for the upcoming season.

The latest was Isaiah Stewart, a 6’9 and 250-pound center who’s an elite post scorer and rebounder. He’s a gold medalist for USA Basketball’s U-17 team. His already sky-high stock was raised by averaging nearly 20 ppg and 11 rpg on the AAU circuit. There could be players with higher ceilings concerning the NBA but Stewart could be the readiest to produce immediately in college as a freshman next season.

This past Sunday, Stewart choose the Washington Huskies over Duke, Syracuse, Michigan State, and Kentucky. It’s a win for Mike Hopkins and a program looking to ascend the Pac-12 ladder. As for the other programs that were in the running, it’s back to the drawing board for the remaining star recruits in the 2019 class that are committed.

For this piece, I’ll be taking a look at a few things concerning Stewart’s decision. The good, the bad and what happens next, as well as the ramifications going forward for everyone impacted. Also, is this the only five-star big man joining the Washington Huskies 2019 recruiting class?