TyTy Washington could solve UK's point guard dilemma. (Rivals.com Photo)
Kentucky fans have been hoping for months that signee Daimion Collins of Texas could be a special player for coach John Calipari next season. The final 247Sports Player Rankings seems to justify the hopes that Kentucky fans have. He was elevated to No. 10 in the final rankings — the 13th straight year John Calipari has signed a top 10 rated national recruit.
Collins is the third-ranked power forward in the 2021 class behind Paolo Banchero (No. 2) and Jabari Smith (No. 4).
Kentucky’s other remaining signee, four-star Bryce Hopkins, did make the top 20 at No. 39. That positioned him as the No. 8 power forward in the 2021 recruiting class.
Former UK signee, point guard Nolan Hickman, finished at No. 41. He asked for his release from UK last week and is now weighing his other college choices just like former Creighton commit TyTy Washington is doing.
Washington, a five-star prospect, made a big jump in the final rankings going from No. 33 to No. 16 to reflect his strong play in the second half of the season. He is the third-rated point guard in the 2021 group behind Kennedy Chandler and JD Davidson. Chandler is a former UK recruiting target who signed with Tennessee and was ranked 8th overall.
Washington has narrowed his college choices to Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU, and Oregon. He will make his choice on May 15.
Another former UK recruiting target, Hunter Sallis, came in at No. 7. He signed with Gonzaga.
If Kentucky could land Washington after adding Iowa transfer guard CJ Frederick Wednesday it would certainly enhance UK’s position going into next season. At 6-3, Washington has good size and is an excellent 3-point shooter who can also create for himself or his teammates.
He outplayed then UK signee Nolan Hickman late in the season and impressed those who watched him with his continued improvement all season.
