Five-star point guard TyTy Washington committed to the Kentucky Wildcats over the Arizona Wildcats and other teams on Wednesday.
The Arizona native was initially going to commit on May 15 but decided he didn’t need to wait that long to make his college decision.
.@tytywashington3, who is ESPN's No. 12 overall recruit in the 2021 class, has committed to @KentuckyMBB, per @PaulBiancardi.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 13, 2021
( :: @theballdawgs) pic.twitter.com/Y7TPdoBxJk
Kentucky was the overwhelming favorite, with 10 of 11 Crystal Ball predictions trending that way. Washington, the No. 21 player in the 2021 class, was also considering Baylor, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU and Oregon.
Arizona has added several players since hiring Tommy Lloyd as head coach but remain thin at the point guard position. Rising sophomore Kerr Kriisa is the only returner at that spot right now. James Akinjo, Jemarl Baker Jr. and Terrell Brown Jr. all transferred away and four-star recruit K.J. Simpson decommitted and landed at Colorado.
Gonzaga transfer Aaron Cook and former Kentucky commit/Arizona target Nolan Hickman, a top-40 recruit, could be on Arizona’s radar, but there have been no reports to suggest that. New names are surfacing in the transfer portal on the daily, so other options surely will emerge too.
Arizona pursued Washington feverishly, as Lloyd was FaceTiming him at least two times a day. That plus the proximity to home and Lloyd’s track record with guards like Jalen Suggs at Gonzaga made Arizona appealing to Washington.
Ultimately, he chose to be a Kentucky Wildcat instead.