Martin Breunig Commits to Washington

Martin Breunig, a 6-foot-9 forward, who originally committed to play for Gary Williams and the Maryland Terrapins was granted a release after the coaching change that led Mark Turgeon to College Park.

Since being released, Breunig had two schools in mind: South Florida and Washington.

Breunig finished up his visit to South Florida earlier this week and it didn't take him long to announce his intentions to sign with the Washington Huskies.

Breunig gave Lorenzo Romar his fifth commitment in the 2011 class and the big the Huskies desperately needed.

Breunig joins a class that features Tony Wroten Jr, Hikeem Stewart, Jernard Jarreau and Andrew Andrews that is certainly going to help continue success at Washington.

Breunig is a face-up mid-range four man that can attack the defense with his solid jump shot. He has to develop more post moves and utilize his physical talents but his overall game is solid and this is a great pickup for the Huskies.

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UCLA Rediscovers Their Identity

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

The UCLA Bruins (3-3) did not generate a lot of buzz, and is currently riding a three game losing streak.

However, that three-game losing streak could possibly be in jeopardy if the referees did not bail the Kansas Jayhawks (7-0) out late in the ball game by calling a foul on a loose ball.

Nonetheless, during that game, Ben Howland's team showcased their unique talent, and ability to hang with the elite teams in the country.

The mastermind pacing the sidelines for UCLA, Howland, made a great decision electing not to start freshman Joshua Smith due to his recent foul troubles.

Smith stayed out of foul trouble for most of the game, and made the Jayhawks work for every attempts in the post.

Smith came away with 17 points, 13 rebounds, no turnovers, while shooting 50 percent from the field.

That seems to be the equation for success and I would expect to see Howland continue to bring Smith off the bench until he learns to play defense without fouling.

I would be willing to say, if Smith did not face foul trouble at VCU, or Villanova, the Bruins are (5-1).

Not to mention, Tyler Honeycutt is playing like a pro in the making. Honeycutt exploded on No. 4 Kansas for 33 points, and nine rebounds, while hitting the game tying three with five seconds left in the game.

UCLA in recent years has been able to conquer with great play from their guards and frontcourt. This season, if Smith can stay out of foul trouble, I think UCLA has a great shot at winning the conference title and possibly creating matchup problems for teams in the tournament.

The Bruins currently have two solid lead guards in Lazeric Jones, and Malcolm Lee. Honeycutt is the Bruins superstar, while Smith poses as the great competitor down low.

One game never makes your season, but it certainly dictates the pace. The Bruins have finally established themselves as competitors, and gained a lot of confidence despite falling by one in Lawrence.

UCLA has until December 18, 2010 to welcome in another top-25 opponent. The Bruins will face off against the No. 25 BYU Cougars and could pick up a marquee win as their non-conference schedule nears a close.

The Bruins displayed how well they can play with Smith on the floor, however, establishing depth will be critical.

It's not a promise that Smith can stay out of foul trouble every game. If UCLA has any shot at becoming Pac-10 champions over the Washington Huskies, or even proving that they are competitors, they'll need to establish depth.

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Tony Wroten Jr Headed to the Pac-10

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

On a day where Jabari Brown announced Oregon and Johnny O'Bryant is set to announce LSU, Tony Wroten Jr, a 6-foot-4 point guard from Seattle, Washington stole the show.

Wroten was conceived to announce Louisville today. He posted on his Twitter how much he really liked Louisville at the moment and it almost seemed like Head Coach Rick Pitino was on the verge of acquiring one of the better guards in the country.

However, that was not the case. Yesterday, Wroten Jr decided that he would stay close and play in his home town of Washington. The Washington Huskies picked up there third recruit in the 2011 recruiting class.

Wroten joins a class with Hikeem Stewart, Jarnard Jarreau and could possibly attract more highly-touted recruits.

"I love [Seattle] and want to represent Seattle and UW to the best of my ability," Wroten Jr told ESPN. "The up and down style of play and them scoring almost 80 points per game is attractive."

Wroten chose the Huskies over Louisville, UConn, Villanova, and Seattle.

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Tony Wroten Jr Really Likes Louisville

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

Before the  U-17 team took the Gold Medal not many people knew Tony Wroten Jr. In fact, because of his play during the tournament his recruiting elevated and his name grew as a result.

Wroten Jr, a 6-foot-4 guard, opened eyes with his sensational play off the bench for the U-17 team, and during summer camps.

If you ask someone with knowledge of Wroten Jr's recruitment, you understand that his two favorites are the Louisville Cardinals, and Washington Huskies.

The weekend of September 25th, Wroten Jr took a visit to Louisville. If you're a follower on his Twitter account you knew just how much fun he had. Not to mention, he was really impressed with the new Yum Center.

Foregoing his college visit to Louisville there were already rumors out that Wroten Jr committed to the Cards. He silenced the rumors, but did say "really liking Louisville now."

Wroten Jr to Louisville could lure more top-tier talent in hopes of competing with John Calipari's 2011 recruiting class. Nonetheless, we still have a while before Wroten Jr makes his final discretion. Washington is still in the running for Wroten Jr and we're prepping for another mini-decision on October 7th at Garfield High.

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Kuemper, Stewart Both Go Local With Collegiate Decisions

Posted by CoHoops Paul Seaver

Pac-10 schools Washington and Oregon each received good news from local targets on the 2011 recruiting circuit.


The Washington Huskies received the verbal commitment from 6-foot-3 guard Hikeem Stewart. Rated as the 36th best shooting guard in the class, according to scout.com, Stewart a resident of Seattle, Washington decided to remain home with his collegiate decision.

Stewart had a great summer, turning some heads, and moving up the rankings. He is great shooter in transition and Huskies fans should be thrilled to have him, however they will continue to hold out hope on Tony Wroten Jr., a Washington native himself, who is considered one of the top point guards in the nation.

Stewart chose the Huskies over the likes of Colorado, Oregon State, UNLV, and Washington State.

Oregon, on the other hand, picked up the verbal commitment from big man Austin Kuemper. The 6-foot-9 center is a native of Portland, Oregon and becomes the first member of new Ducks head coach Dana Altman's class of 2011.

Kuemper is considered the 22nd best center in the class, according to scout.com and has a high upside with a nice skill set around the basket. He also considered Iowa State, Oregon State, San Diego State, and Washington State.

The local pick-ups for both Oregon and Washington are key as each of the Pac-10 schools look to stay on top of the talent in the area. Some of the top Northwest talent most recently has included the likes of Terrence Jones and Kyle Wiltjer, members of the class of 2010 and 2011, respectively, both of whom decided to head to Kentucky with their collegiate decisions.


*Photo: Hikeem Stewart *Credit: espn.go.com

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