While July 4th is a national holiday, very rarely are there days off in the recruiting world. On Thursday, 6-10 forward Tristan Etienne has verbally committed to attend Washington. The news was first reported by Percy Allen of the Seattle Times.
A native of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Etienne is the first commitment in the 2014 class for head coach Lorenzo Romar.
“Growing up as a kid when I started watching the NCAA, Washington was a school that I took a liking to,” Etienne told Allen. “When I realized I had a chance to go D-1, it was the school I was shooting for and the school I was dreaming about. I’m just so happy I had the opportunity to go there and play.”
Washington has just one senior in its front court rotation for the 2013-14 season, San Francisco transfer Perris Blackwell, but the Huskies can certainly use another body with Gilles Dierickx, Jernard Jarreau and Shawn Kemp Jr. rounding out the rotation.
Having that experience on the roster should help Etienne’s development once he gets to Seattle, and his grassroots coach Pasha Bains stated in Allen’s story that injuries have impacted his physical development.
With Blackwell and C.J. Wilcox out of eligibility following the 2013-14 season, Washington has two scholarships available for the 2014-15 campaign.
Raphielle can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.