In a recent piece from CBS Sports' Isaac Trotter ranking the best individual defenders in college basketball by archetype, Maryland Basketball's Solomon Washington was named the second-best "Wing Stopper" in the country. Although he cites several defensive statistics in his analysis, Trotter's rankings are primarily based on game tape and thus factor in more context than just using statistics alone. His full spreadsheet with the top players for each archetype can be found below:
Who are college basketball's best defenders at each archetype?
— Isaac Trotter (@Isaac__Trotter) September 3, 2025
Some guys who didn't make All-Defense last year but popped on tape: Florida's Boogie Fland, Houston's Emanuel Sharp, La Tech's Kaden Cooper, UCLA's Skyy Clark, UConn's Silas Demary Jr. and Arkansas' Billy Richmond. pic.twitter.com/NPWxLUmfhB
Finishing one spot behind St. John's Dillon Mitchell and one spot ahead of TCU's David Punch on the Wing Stoppers list, Washington received recognition for his excellent defensive rate stats. The former Aggie posted a 7.6 block percentage and 3.2 steal percentage in SEC play last year, both top-10 marks in the league. He was a key member of a Texas A&M unit that finished 10th in KenPom's Defensive Rating last season.
While Solomon Washington has never been much of a scorer in his college career, he provides plus value in other ways. Back in high school, his intensity and defensive versatility earned him the nickname "The Five-Star Stopper." Now entering his senior year, Washington is coming off consecutive seasons of being both a top-15 shot-blocker and top-20 offensive rebounder in SEC play, in terms of both counting stats and rate stats. His productivity especially stands out when considering the bevy of athletic wings he was tasked with guarding in a loaded SEC. Looking ahead to the 2025-26 campaign, EvanMiya's analytics project that Solomon Washington will be Maryland's most valuable defensive player.
Last season's Maryland squad finished a few spots above Texas A&M with the seventh-best defense in the country per KenPom. Despite zero players or coaches from that Sweet 16 team returning for 2025-26, the Terps likely won't experience too steep of a drop-off on that end as head coach Buzz Williams comes to College Park with a couple key pieces from last year's stout Aggie defense. Arguably most important among them is Solomon Washington, whose combination of length, athleticism, motor, and instincts stands to make him one of the nation's most impactful defensive players.