New Mexico transfer Tru Washington commits to Miami

Tru Washington made 33 starts for the Lobos as a sophomore this past season

New Mexico Lobos guard Tru Washington (3). | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

New Mexico basketball advanced to consecutive NCAA tournaments for the first in a decade this season, losing to Michigan State in the second-round last month. Following the season, head coach Richard Pitino left after four seasons, accepting the same position at Xavier University. Pitino led the Lobos to 53 wins over the past two seasons, winning the conference tournament last season and the regular season title this year.

Pitino’s exit led to a mass exodus, with the Lobos getting picked apart in the college basketball transfer portal. New Mexico point guard and Mountain West Conference Player of the Year Donovan Dent entered the transfer portal and immediately became one of the top available players. Dent quickly committed to UCLA, returning closer to home after his standout high school career at Corona Centennial in California’s Southern Section.

New Mexico’s third leading scorer this past season, Tru Washington, also joined Dent in the portal. A 6-foot-4 sophomore out of Phoenix, Washington was a four-star recruit coming out of Compass Prep when he signed with the Lobos in the class of 2023. He recently announced his decision to head to Miami for his junior season, committing to new Hurricanes coach Jai Lucas.

Washington played in 35 games for the Lobos as a freshman, averaging seven points and three rebounds in 18 minutes per game. He moved into the starting lineup this season and took a step forward. Playing 28 minutes per game, Washington averaged 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals per game while shooting 34 percent from three-point range. He was top 10 in the conference in steals in both seasons, showing his ability to be a defensive disruptor. Washington posted his best career outing in February’s 82-79 win over Utah State. He finished with 25 points, knocking down four of his eight three-point attempts while also totaling five rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks.

Next season’s New Mexico roster will look much different after the recent movement in the portal. In addition to Dent and Washington, New Mexico has also lost Braden Applehans (Drake), Filip Borovicanin (Xavier), Jovan Milicevic (Xavier) and Quinton Webb (Cal State Northridge). Head coach Eric Olen has begun the reload, adding Jake Hall, Chris Howell and Antonio Chol in the first two weeks on the job.