THE RIVALS150: 2015 | 2016

When Howard Washington and his family decided the combo guard would transfer from Canisius High School (N.Y.) to Montverde Academy (Fla), the Buffalo native knew he was headed to a program with plenty of guard depth and a high energy coach.

"Coach (Kevin) Boyle is really intense," said Washington. "You've got a lot of talent, the top 14 players have Division 1 talent. Practice is more fun now, because everyone is used to it and everyone is getting better. You just get better every day. You have no choice but to get better."

In his sophomore season at Canisius, Washington was the Monsignor Martin Association's Co-Player of the Year and averaged 15 points and 5.5 assists per game for a team that finished the season 23-3. At Montverde Academy, 28-1 and ranked No. 1 nationally by several polls, every game during the season is the opponent's biggest game.

"Coach Boyle tells us that there's a target on our back and we're everyone's Super Bowl and that is exactly what it is," said Washington. "Every team is coming to play their best game against us, so we've got to be prepared and ready to win."

Shortly after arriving at Montverde Academy, Washington took an unofficial visit to Miami and picked up an offer. The Hurricanes are one of several ACC schools the No. 55 prospect in the Rivals150 for the 2016 class told us that is in steady contact.

Miami, Virginia, Wake Forest, Ohio State, Maryland, West Virginia, Boston College, Stanford, Oregon are schools in contact with Washington.

Noticeably absent from that list is a school Washington grew up watching on TV -- Syracuse.

"I hear from them," Washington said. "They haven't officially offered yet, but I have been in contact with Coach Boeheim. I've been to camps on campus with Coach Boeheim and assistant coach (Mike) Hopkins, who talks to my dad a lot and my AAU coach talks to him, too. So I've been in touch with them a lot and have been to campus."

If nothing else, the recruiting process is about developing relationships. There are many similarities in how coaches go about that, so when a coach comes at a recruit from a different angle, it helps him stand out. It also helps if that coach went to high school a couple of hours away from the prospects hometown, as is the case for Ohio State assistant Greg Paulus.

"He was one of the first coaches that caught me off guard," Washington said. "All of the coaches say that they want to build a relationship, but the first thing he asked me was who would be helping me with my decision and after I told him my parents, he asked for their contact information and he contacted them. He was one of the first coaches I've seen do that. He's also one of the younger guys, so he can relate a lot more and just talk a little bit different than any other coaches."

The four-star combo guard, who told us he's now up to 6-foot-3 and "maybe 183 or 184" pounds, is preparing to take the S.A.T. in a few weeks and indicated that he could take some official visits soon after that. Washington also said he could end his recruitment during or soon after his travel season ends with Albany City Rocks.

"Yeah, we'll see what happens during AAU season" said Washington. "Hopefully we'll have a great AAU season playing on the EYBL circuit and I'll see what else comes and make a decision after that."

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