Portland’s Terrence Ross Commits to Washington

2010 UW guard recruit Terrence Ross, a six-foot-five star in the making has committed to Washington, according to a source of ours who spoke to Ross today. The source said that Ross told them that he had spoken to Romar, “A day and a half ago” and told the Washington coach that he had decided to commit to Washington. We heard about this at right before 6PM (PST) on Sunday, but were unable to post this report until now. Just as we reported this news on Husky Digest, Zagsblog posted as article with a quote from Ross.

“I am going to Washington because of the great relationship I have with the team and coaches. I thought it would be the best choice for me and I would fit in with the team.”

This would seem to doubly confirm what we heard through a very credible 3rd party, but Scout’s Chris Fetters has been saying on the internet that, “They are wrong. He hasn’t committed to anyone yet.”

I believe that Fetters is wrong and that Dawgman are rather out of the loop when it comes to Husky Basketball, but who cares about that. Let me be the first to say welcome to Seattle Mr. Ross. UW fans are really going to like this guy. Most of the media has focused so hard on Terrence Jones that Ross has quietly been in the back ground. This should not be the case. Our sources and all that we have gathered about Husky recruiting have told us that Ross has been at the top of UW’s list for at least two years now.

The last player with his kind of height and skill set that was in his class as a guard prospect was Brandon Roy, but I think a better comparison for Jones is former Temple and NBA 1st round pick Mark Macon. Ross is a whale of a shooter from distance, but also has great handles and the ability to get to the cup and create his shot in the paint. He’s also a long athlete with a high basketball IQ and I believe that he will seriously compete for starters minutes this year.

The word is that he needs to take the ACT, but that he, his family and UW are confident that everything will work out. This is a very big moment for Washington basketball. The biggest thing that the Dawgs lost with Quincy moving on was scoring. The second biggest thing they lost was rebounding and the ability to manufacture points around the hoop. As far as jut solid scoring numbers I believe that Ross (on his own, regardless to what Terrence Jones does) can make up for a lot of that scoring output.

As far as the rebounding, defense and manufacturing points that left UW with Quincy I believe that Ross, Aziz N’Diaye, Wilcox, Simmons and the guys remaining can bridge that gap and really the biggest addition (so far) to doing that is Ross. The big concern was just plain scoring numbers and this commit tonight should make UW fans feel very good going forward. There are a number of videos on the net, but none newer than late 2009.

Ross has gotten better since then according to all reports. We spoke to a pro talent evaluator and he compared Ross to the NBA’s J.R. Smith. It’s hard to expect a lot from a freshman, but Ross is very, very good and kind of off the radar out here because he did not play after leaving Maryland mid-season. Most pro evaluators see Ross as being on an elite level as a shooter, but some see him as not only a top end marksman, but a great defender, ball handler, passer and rebounder. In my opinion Ross is a better player than Jones, but just smaller, which I know is a huge factor.

Terrence Ross is the complete package and when UW signs him and he shows up in the fall, the Dawgs will have a player that should make a major impact as a freshman. I feel that he has a chance to have an impact similar to that of Isaiah Thomas as a freshman, but because Thomas will be there and improved more than likely, probably not quite as much as a scorer. Ross should have a great impact to the UW team as a whole though and especially in regards to the overall scoring picture.

More Husky Recruiting

According to the Oregonian, who appears to be on top of the recruiting of Ross and Jones, Jones may have eliminated UCLA and Oklahoma. There is no mention of the Bruins or the Sooners in an update which was part of a feature on the Oregon coaching hire.

“Portland’s Terrence Jones, the Jefferson High School star, visited Kansas on Sunday but is still considering Oregon, along with Washington and Kentucky.”

Rivals is reporting that 2011 wing Darius Nelson of Sacramento CA feels that UTEP is his leader because of former USC Head Coach Tim Floyd. Doesn’t he read ESPN that reported that Floyd gave money to a handler of O.J. Mayo and was then forced out of his job? We have heard from a number of sources that Tim Floyd may be the fall guy, but that he was not by any means the entire problem there. Not much is known, but there should be some response from the NCAA after that huge hearing in Arizona in February.

In the update in Rivals Nelson reportedly relayed that, “USC, Loyola Marymount, North Carolina, NC State, Washington, Washington State, Memphis and Kentucky are also involved”.

Is John Calipari guilty of cheating? You be the judge, but this Facebook message from consensus 2011 top-10 player Marquis Teague to a phony Calipari Facebook page that baited him with references to improprieties certainly paints a dim picture for those Kentucky fans that remain unwavering in their denial to that question.

Pac-10 Round Up

J’Mison “Bobo” Morgan, who transferred out of UCLA after two unimpressive years under Ben Howland, traded up by choosing Baylor. The Bears lost to eventual champion Duke in the Elite-8 while UCLA experienced a dreadful season for them with embarrassingly convincing losses to a number of mid-major to low mid-major programs.

Oregon may finally have a new coach in Dana Altman, but the ship is still sinking as highly touted freshman Jamil Wilson is teetering on the edge of transferring.

On a positive note for the Ducks, 2011 forward recruit Dwayne Polee is going to take a close look at /Oregon before deciding. The Ducks hired Altman just in time it appears, as Polee was getting ready to announce for either St. Johns or Georgia when the news came out about the hire of the now former Creighton Head Coach which made him decide to wait.