Oregon Forward Builds Basketball Following, Including UW
He's one of the more intriguing Northwest high school basketball players out there right now. Before everyone's eyes, he's still physically developing. He has a catchy first name.
Yet Winters Grady, from Lake Oswego High School in the Portland suburbs, remains a full three years removed from joining the collegiate ranks.
This week, the 6-foot-7, 210-pound power forward released a list of 17 schools that have either offered him or shown interest in his game — among them are UCLA, Oregon, Oregon State, California, Colorado, Gonzaga, WSU and the University of Washington.
Again, young Winters, who spends his summers on the AAU circuit, is a Class of 2025 recruit and will be required to play three more high school seasons before he can advance.
He comes off a freshman season at Lake Oswego High in which he averaged 20-plus points per game playing mostly with seniors and was named all-conference.
Rather than attack the basket explosively, Grady presents a power game geared to wear people down. As a bonus, he has a soft shooting touch that stretches all the way to 3-point range and he can handle the ball.
Recruiting analysts note how Grady has streamlined his physique and shed pounds since they first saw him. Remember, he's just a 15-year-old kid who still maturing.
He's had to learn how to make adjustments in his play when an opponent specifically sends a defense after him to stop him. In a game against West Linn High, he scored 22 points in the opening half but was held to five thereafter and his team lost by seven.
While it's unclear if he has any interest in the UW, and how big of a deal he'll become when he's through with his growth spurt, Grady certainly brings the right mindset to the possibility of impending stardom.
On social media, he posted the following mantra, "Never will I ever need a ranking to tell me how good I am or predict my future."
Words to play by
Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Inside the Huskies stories as soon as they’re published.
Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.
Find Inside the Huskies on Facebook by searching: Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated
Follow Dan Raley of Inside the Huskies on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven