NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Impact of Isaiah Stewart picking Washington

The next domino to fall

With Stewart committing to Washington, all eyes are now on the next pair of frontcourt player prospects, Matthew Hurt and Jaden McDaniels. Kansas is a considerable favorite to land Hurt, while more McDaniels is more wide-open. His name was even dropped by Stewart, who has hopes of joining forces with McDaniels to create a star-studded frontcourt with the Huskies.

Washington is one of five teams gunning for the fellow top-10, along with Kentucky, UCLA, Texas, and San Diego State. His older brother Jalen plays for the Aztecs this season and is viewed as a projected NBA Draft first round pick, so there are big ramifications involving that particular program. And with the Washington state native possibly wanting to stay out west, the Huskies are a viable contender for McDaniels.

Something else to think about this offseason would be what may happen with both Los Angeles schools, USC and UCLA. Each program is having bad seasons overall, with the Bruins already firing Steve Alford and Andy Enfield of the Trojans far from safe. Both programs have elite 2019 recruiting classes (USC currently No. 2) but players could be looking elsewhere if things continue to go downwards. Dana Altman and Oregon were the hot Pac-12 team for the past few years, maybe Washington will be next, initiated by Stewart.

Recruiting battles can be as entertaining and impactful as what happens on the court at times. The Washington Huskies got a big win with Stewart’s commitment, so what comes next with them? And how do the other finalists rebound after missing out? The coming weeks and months will determine what the following season will look like for both the player and teams involved.