Washington Basketball 2013 Recruiting: Gordon, Hamilton, Bird, Lee and Robinson

Jabari Parker recently released his list of top ten schools, leaving the University of Washington Huskies off of it. However, Parker was just one of numerous top recruits Washington Coach Lorenzo Romar is actively recruiting in the 2013 class. 

The Huskies already have a commitment from the 2013 Rivals’ No. 46 overall 4-star Findlay Prep SG, Nigel Williams-Goss. Williams-Goss, a 4.0 student, was also considering Harvard before making the commitment to Washington, where he plans to possibly do a double major.

For the Huskies, who are after several top recruits, recruitment of the 2013 class will very likely go well into next year. 2013 could end up being the best recruitment class in the Washington program's history if things fall into place for Coach Romar. The Huskies' number of available 2013 scholarships, and potential changes in that number, were recent topics covered by the Husky Haul and can be seen by clicking here. 

Here is a brief look at some of the other top 2013 recruits being pursued by the Washington men’s basketball program that the Huskies have a decent shot at recruiting, including: Aaron Gordon, Isaac Hamilton, Jabari Bird, Marcus Lee, Tyree and Tyrell Robinson. 

Aaron Gordon is currently Rivals’ No. 5 overall 2013 prospect and a 5-star SF recruit from San Jose, California. Gordon is expected to make his decision in Spring 2013 after his senior basketball season, but it is no secret that he is the Huskies' best bet for an elite 2013 recruit. Other programs with strong interest in Gordon include Kansas, Kentucky, Arizona and Oregon. 

In Washington’s favor is that Gordon seems particularly keen on the Huskies. Bustingbrackets.com recently had this to say about Gordon and the Washington program:

Gordon has publicly dubbed the Huskies the favorite because of his relationship with the coaches. Since he began pursuing the San Jose native, Lorenzo Romar has been a steadying influence on the recruit as he works his way up the high school ranks. Explains one insider with knowledge of this recruitment: “Aaron Gordon to Washington is the closest thing to a lock of any top-10 unsigned recruit.”

Isaac Hamilton is currently Rivals' No. 12 overall 2013 recruit. The 5-star G out of Los Angeles is being "recruited" to the Washington program by Williams-Goss, who mentioned he would, “put my recruiting hat on when it comes to players like Aaron Gordon, Isaac Hamilton, and a [California Supreme] teammate of mine Marcus Lee! I really think we can do special things at Washington and possibly have one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.”

Back in 2011 Hamilton listed Washington as an option, but mentioned UNLV, St. John’s and Arizona as standout programs. However, a lot can change in a year. In May of this year the Los Angeles Times reported Isaac Hamilton as being wide open on recruiting, and included Washington on his list of options.

Hamilton’s high school coach told the Times, “He’s [Hamilton] looking for a relationship with the coach and the style of the team.”

Williams-Goss' relationship with Romar was a major factor in his decision to come to Washington, and it is something he’s very likely to express in his “recruiting” attempt of Hamilton. 

Jabari Bird is currently ranked as Rivals’ No. 18 overall 2013 recruit. The 5-star F from Richmond, California has offers from five Pac-12 schools (Arizona, Cal, Colorado, Oregon and Washington).

Last month, Bird told Sports Illustrated, “UW (Washington) and Cal are at the top…I like both [Washington and Cal’s] respective styles of play and I love their coaching staffs.” 

Marcus Lee is currently ranked as Rivals’ No. 33 overall 2013 recruit. The 4-star F from Antioch, California has offers from dozens of programs. Several top programs are very actively recruiting Lee at this point, including Cal, Duke, UNC, Texas and Texas A&M. Reportedly, Lee plans to narrow the list down to seven programs within the next two weeks. It will be easier to see where Washington stands after that point.    

Williams-Goss is one of the Huskies' better connections to Lee, since he is the point guard on their California Supreme AAU team. 

Rivals ranks twin brothers, Tyree and Tyrell Robinson No. 74 and No. 133 overall in the 2013 basketball class, respectively. The brothers are looking to play both college basketball and football. While they have offers from numerous programs, Rivals’ Adam Gorney suggested back in May that Washington may have solid placement on their list:

Visits to Washington, Oregon and Notre Dame could happen this summer and while neither brother would say there are surefire favorites, those three schools continued to pop up when they discuss schools of high interest.