Michael Porter Jr., the No. 2 prospect in the Class of 2017, and his younger brother Jontay, a four-star prospect in the Class of 2018, announced over the weekend that they will be playing the remainder of their respective high school careers at Nathan Hale HS in Seattle.
The Porters were previously at Father Tilton in Columbia, Missouri. They’re transferring to the Pacific Northwest because their father, Michael Porter Sr., accepted a job as an assistant coach on Lorenzo Romar’s staff at Washington. Porter Sr. was previously an assistant on Missouri’s women’s team.
Why is this relevant?
Well, Nathan Hale isn’t exactly known for being a basketball powerhouse. The team went 3-18 last season. But the program also hired a new head coach for next season -- former UW star Brandon Roy. The expectation, ever since Romar hired Porter Sr., has been that Michael would end up enrolling with the Huskies for his one-and-done season; Jontay is already committed to Washington.
And if the familial connection wasn’t enough, the Porters have moved to a city with a strong basketball tradition and, instead of playing for Garfield HS (Roy, Tony Wroten) or Rainier Beach (Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson, Terrence Williams), they wound up at the school being coached by a former UW superstar.
Michael’s top five includes Washington, Missouri, Indiana, Oklahoma and Virginia.