One of the elite remaining prospects in Arizona's 2023 Class is now off the recruiting board, as AZ Compass Prep's talented 6-foot-4 senior guard Tru Washington has announced his verbal commitment. Washington announced his decision on Tuesday on social media - announcing that he has chosen to verbally commit to the University of New Mexico and Head Coach Richard Pitino and his men's basketball staff.
University of New Mexico basketball is on the rise and now the program has landed Washington - one of the elite 2023 prospects in the West. Washington chose New Mexico over offers from TCU, LSU, Georgia, UNLV, Portland, DePaul, Pepperdine, Arizona State, Nevada, UC-Santa Barbara, IUPUI and Portland State.
Washington had a terrific spring and summer performance, and then capped it off with a Top 25 All-Star Game MVP performance @ the Pangos All-American Camp in Las Vegas. Washington was also selected as this year's Pangos Best of Arizona League CO-MVP.
After bursting on to the recruiting scene as a freshman at Cesar Chavez High School, Washington transferred to Mountain Pointe High School as a junior, and then decided to transfer to AZ Compass Prep for his senior season, where he has helped the program to a Top 10 national ranking consistently all season.
Washington is an intriguing prospect at 6-4, as he is able to play as a combo-guard, but is at his best while scoring the basketball from the off-guard position. He has a nice shooting stroke with range on his shot, which makes him difficult to defend for opposing guards. He is at his best when putting the ball on the deck and making plays off the dribble, where he is a strong finisher at the rim, as a result of his left-handed prowess, which makes him even more difficult to defend. He has excellent body control and is a strong finisher around the basket and in the lane, or in the open floor where he thrives. He also possesses a good mid-range game, which allows him to operate between the lines at a high level.
Washington is also a strong rebounder from the guard position as well, and is able to post up smaller guards around the basket and be very effective at making plays or drawing fouls from the opposition. A left-hander, Washington is a very good ball handler and does not play around much with the basketball. Instead, he makes plays efficiently and with purpose. He is a good passer as well, and sees the floor, while also pushing the ball up the court to the open player or teammate, and then filling the break. He likes to play fast and with good intensity and aggression.
Congratulations to Washington, the AZ Compass Prep basketball program and the Washington family on his commitment and great luck to him in the future from our staff here at Arizona Preps.
