Blake Harris' departure could signal a mass exodus on Montlake and the dismantling of UW's 2017 recruiting class ranked the best in school history.
A day before they introduce new men’s basketball coach Mike Hopkins, the Huskies lost a prized recruit from a 2017 class that’s considered the best in school history.
Blake Harris, a 6-foot-3 point guard at Word of God Christian Academy in North Carolina said he had been released from the scholarship papers he signed with UW last November.
Harris is ranked as the No. 99 player overall in the ESPN 100 and the No. 20 point guard in the nation.
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He committed last July to Washington over an offer list that included Miami, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, Memphis, Florida State, Iowa State, LSU, Ole Miss, Seton Hall and Georgia Tech.
Washington athletic director Jen Cohen said last week that she would release recruits from their commitments only after they had met with Hopkins.
Harris’ exit could be the first of many for the Huskies.
Michael Porter Jr., ESPN’s No. 1 2017 recruit and projected 2018 No. 1 NBA draft pick, is seemingly distancing himself from Washington. He signed a NLI with the school last fall, but it’s widely believed he and his father Michael Porter Sr., a UW assistant, will land elsewhere. They’ve been linked to Missouri.
UW’s incoming class, which was ranked No. 2 nationally by ESPN, also includes: Garfield High guards Jaylen Nowell and Daejon Davis; and forward Mamoudou Diarra, a Mali native who plays for St. Louis Christian Academy in Missouri.
A source with knowledge of the situation said Nowell and Davis are monitoring the situation at Washington. There is no timetable for when they’ll make decisions on whether to play for the Huskies.
On Monday, Immanuel Quickley, a five-star point guard from Maryland, eliminated Washington from his college choices, citing the coaching change on Twitter. He is said to have close ties with UW assistant Raphael Chillious, who isn’t expected to be retained by Hopkins.