Busting Brackets
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Pac-12 Basketball: 5 biggest takeaways from 2019 recruiting classes

By Tristan Freeman

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 08: A Pac-12 basketball logo is displayed on the court after a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament between the Stanford Cardinal and the UCLA Bruins at T-Mobile Arena on March 8, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bruins won 88-77. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 08: A Pac-12 basketball logo is displayed on the court after a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament between the Stanford Cardinal and the UCLA Bruins at T-Mobile Arena on March 8, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bruins won 88-77. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 16: Head coach Mike Hopkins of the Washington Huskies gestures to his players during the championship game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Oregon Ducks at T-Mobile Arena on March 16, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ducks defeated the Huskies 68-48. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 16: Head coach Mike Hopkins of the Washington Huskies gestures to his players during the championship game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Oregon Ducks at T-Mobile Arena on March 16, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ducks defeated the Huskies 68-48. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

2. Mike Hopkins makes massive noise out west

Several years ago, Mike Hopkins was set to become to coach-in-waiting for Syracuse when he was still an assistant. But with head coach Jim Boeheim set to remain with the program for as long as he wants to, Hopkins elected to go all the way out west with the Washington Huskies. It wasn’t a slam-dunk that the program would get back to contention, as he planned to utilize the 2-3 zone. And with Gonzaga emerging as a national power, the west coast recruiting battles were going to be touch.

But the 2019 recruiting class for Washington went even better than the most positive of expectations. Five-star center Isaiah Stewart was an upset pickup for Hopkins thanks to his previous connections with the recruit. And following that up after the end of last season, top-10 overall prospect Jaden McDaniels picked Washington over Kentucky and others to vault the team to a top-15 overall class.

These are the two clear-cut starters next season and will give the zone defense for the Huskies a major boost. Add top-100 guard RaeQuan Battle and you have a strong young foundation to work with. It should keep the program in contention for another NCAA Tournament berth next season and should have the attention of some of the top class of 2020 prospects. If McDaniels and Stewart have great freshmen campaigns and become top NBA Draft picks later, Washington will be a perennial threat for the top players just like Arizona, UCLA and Oregon are.

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