Howard Washington
Montverde's Howard Washington plays during a game against St. Benedict's Prep on Feb. 14, 2015, in Kean, N.J. (Gregory Payan | The Associated Press)
(Gregory Payan)
Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse basketball coaches are keeping tabs on two Class of 2016 point guards, their AAU coach said today.
Quinton Rose, a 6-foot-5 point guard from Bishop Kearney High School in Rochester, and Howard Washington, a 6-foot-3 point guard from Buffalo now playing for powerhouse Montverde Academy, remain on the Orange recruiting radar.
NCAA sanctions will require that SU has just 10 players on scholarship for the 2016-17 academic year. Right now, the math is too muddy to predict that far into the future. SU has said it would still have a scholarship for Class of 2016 forward Matthew Moyer, who reiterated his interest in the Orange after sanctions were announced last Friday. SU, too, is still in pursuit of Tyus Battle, the coveted Class of 2016 point guard. Battle's dad, Gary, said Sunday that his son had not eliminated SU from his list of seven potential college destinations.
Battle is the lone Class of 2016 point guard to be offered a basketball scholarship at this point. He has long been SU's primary target at that position. But if he decides to go elsewhere, the Orange continues to be involved with two New York state guards who play for the Albany City Rocks, an AAU program whose graduates include Dajuan Coleman, Chino Obokoh and Tyler Lydon.
City Rocks coach Jim Hart said today that SU has not offered scholarships to either Rose or Washington, but that both players are interested in the Orange. Those two point guards have been offered scholarships by Division I programs, including several schools in the ACC.
"Both are going to end up at high majors," Hart said. "If Syracuse doesn't get them, they'll be playing against them."
Hart's assessment of each player:
Quinton Rose: A point guard who "caught a growth spurt" and whose game resembles Michael Carter-Williams' at this stage of their careers. Rose has great length and wingspan. He can break down defenders off the dribble — "he's a match-up nightmare." His slender frame right now allows defenders to bump him off his line to the rim, but at age 16, he has ample time to fill out. He's explosive — "he'll go over a 6-11 guy and dunk on him." And "he's an unbelievably good citizen — great student, everybody loves him, high quality kid."
SU assistant coach Mike Hopkins watched Rose play last week. Chino Obokoh is a graduate of Bishop Kearney, the school Rose attends.
Among the programs that have offered Rose: George Washington, Providence, Memphis, Temple.
Howard Washington: A point guard from Buffalo who plays now for the high school program with the nation's No. 1 recruit in Ben Simmons. Washington has some Tyler Ennis in his game — "he's very poised, you can't speed him up, he's good with pick-and-roll reads." He can knock down the perimeter shot. And he has "good leadership skills." Like Rose, he is a solid student and good citizen.
Among the programs that have offered Washington: Wake Forest, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Memphis, George Washington.
Quinton Rose video:
Howard Washington video: