Report: Louisville Reaches Out to '23 Ohio State Decommit George Washington III
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - An old Class of 2023 target of the Louisville men's basketball program is reportedly back on their radar.
Just hours after Dayton (Oh.) Chaminade Julienne shooting guard George Washington III announced Wednesday that he would be backing off of his verbal commitment to Ohio State, the Cardinals were one of a handful of teams to reach out to him, according to Rivals' Travis Graf.
"First, I would like to thank coach (Chris) Holtmann and the entire coaching staff for believing in me. I would also like to thank Buckeye Nation and the entire OSU family for welcoming me into the community," Washington III wrote on Twitter. "However, at this time, after much thought, prayer and deep discussion with my family, I would like to announce that I'll be de-committing from The Ohio State University and reopening my recruitment."
Louisville hasn't been the only team contact Washington in the limited time he has been back on the open market. Virginia, Texas, Dayton, Missouri, Auburn, Seton Hall and Oklahoma have also reached out, according to Graf.
Washington III and Louisville, both the program and city, do have ties to one another. An Austin, Tex. transplant, his family moved to Louisville prior to his sophomore year in high school, and he spent two seasons with Christian Academy of Louisville. The family moved to Ohio when his father, George, accepted an assistant coaching position with the Dayton women's basketball program.
Following his sophomore year at C.A.L., Washington III landed a scholarship offer from the Cardinals and former head coach Chris Mack last summer. He committed to Ohio State last November.
On top of the local connections, Washington III is also a legitimate top-100 prospect in the 2023 cycle. During his junior year at C.A.L., the 6-foot-2, 165-pound guard put up 23.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for the Trojans, while also shooting 35.8 percent on three-pointers. According to 247Sports' in-house rankings, he ranks as the No. 9 shooting guard and No. 76 overall prospect in the class.
La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere small forward Kaleb Glenn is Louisville's only commit in the 2023 cycle, but the program is after several prospects in the class. They are most notably after Camden (N.J.) HS teammates point guard D.J. Wagner and center Aaron Bradshaw, but are also deep in the mix for guys like Woodland Hills (Calif.) Taft point guard A.J. Johnson and Bloomfield Hills (Mich.) Brother Rice small forward Curtis Williams Jr.
(Photo of George Washington III via Stock Risers)
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