Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Biggest winners and losers from 2019 classes

By Tristan Freeman

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 25: Penny Hardaway, head coach of the Memphis Tigers, watches the action during the game against the Charleston Cougars at HP Field House on November 25, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 25: Penny Hardaway, head coach of the Memphis Tigers, watches the action during the game against the Charleston Cougars at HP Field House on November 25, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 22: Head coach Mike Hopkins of the Washington Huskies reacts as they take on the Utah State Aggies during the first half of the game in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 22: Head coach Mike Hopkins of the Washington Huskies reacts as they take on the Utah State Aggies during the first half of the game in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

No. 5 Winners – Washington Huskies

In a down season for the Pac-12 overall, it was Washington who took advantage to win the regular-season title. With four senior rotation players and a future NBA prospect and Conference Player of the Year in Jaylen Nowell, the Huskies were in a must-win mode. And now with them all gone, the program will have to rely on their incoming recruiting class to keep them viable in the league next year.

Fans couldn’t have asked for much more, with Washington having the 10th-best class in the nation. It’s led by a pair of five-star frontcourt prospects in Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels, both ranked top-10 overall as individuals. The acquisition of McDaniels has even more meaning considering that he’s from the Seattle area. Next to Los Angeles, Seattle is the most fertile recruiting ground on the west coast.

Washington had a firm lock in that area under former head coach Lorenzo Romar but when Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins was hired, that part of the state was figured to become fair game for programs such as Arizona, Gonzaga and Oregon to make a move. If the Huskies can keep Seattle in their firm grasps, they’ll be in very good shape.

With Gonzaga (more on them later) thriving and Pac-12 programs such as Arizona, UCLA, Oregon and USC having annual top-15 recruiting classes, the Huskies will have to keep up. They were able to make a big splash with the five-stars and also brought in a pair of high-profile transfers in Quade Green and J’Raan Brooks. And even better, there are no off the court issues when it comes to recruiting for Washington. Depending on what happens with the NCAA, this program could become an even bigger winner.

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