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6-10 forward Tristan Etienne verbally commits to attend Washington

Washington Alumni Basketball

Lorenzo Romar drives the inside lane during the “Legends” portion of the Washington Alumni basketball game on Sunday June 23, 2013, in Seattle. (AP Photo/The Seattle Times, Bettina Hansen) OUTS: SEATTLE OUT, USA TODAY OUT, MAGAZINES OUT, TELEVISION OUT, SALES OUT. MANDATORY CREDIT.

AP

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.

“When you look down the road the next 2-3 years, he’s a kid who hasn’t been in the weight room much,” said Bains. “He’s had a couple of injuries that kind of stalled that and I see that as a good thing. These other kids have filled out already. He can probably put on 20-30 pounds as he matures. Washington likes to run and he can do that. He’s a really bright kid. He’s been a 4.0 student and he scored really well on his SAT. He’s just a really good team guy. I think Washington is lucky to have him.”

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.