NCAA Basketball: 6 teams that should target Iona transfer Isaiah Washington
Seton Hall Pirates
With leading passer Quincy McKnight graduating and reserve point guard Anthony Nelson going to Manhattan, the Pirates are left with Harvard grad transfer Bryce Aiken and rising senior Shavar Reynolds to handle the ball for the Pirates next year. That puts a lot of pressure on three-star prospect Jahari Long for the season after so there’s a good chance that this team will be using the portal to find another point guard anyways.
Four-star class of 2021 recruit Ryan Conway also can handle the ball but coach Kevin Willard likes to have his teams older if he can help it. Again, Washington may not be a starter on a power conference contender but he can play off-ball as well if need be. And considering that Seton Hall is the best program closest to home at the moment, they may have a compelling case for the Iona transfer if making the NCAA Tournament is the goal.
St. John’s Red Storm
The Red Storm missed out on Monmouth grad transfer point guard Ray Salnave to have a true lead ball-handler this upcoming season. It looks like they’ll have to rely on Rasheem Dunn, LJ Figueroa and incoming three-star combo guard Posh Alexander for 2020-21 while looking for a true point guard for next year.
As the true “hometown” potential option, Washington could play for head coach Mike Anderson and provide St. John’s a true ball-handler with experience and shores up a current weakness they have.
Another program to consider is Dayton, who’ll be looking for another transfer besides off-guard Elijah Weaver. It’ll be interesting to see whether Isaiah Washington ends up either in the power conference or the mid-major level but look for a program closer to New York to be one of the top contenders.