Syracuse lands 2017 G Washington

Despite missing the 2017 NCAA Tournament, Syracuse remained at work on Thursday, landing the commitment of Howard Washington. A 6-foot-1 lead guard who was originally committed to Butler before mutually agreeing to a parting of ways last year, Washington took a prep year this past winter before making it official for the ACC program.

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A native of Buffalo, New York, Washington is a very savvy and mature lead guard who can play both on and off of the basketball. Whar he lacks in quickness and athleticism Washington makes up for through his feel for the game, shot making skills and passing abilities. Capable of creating for others against a set defense, the newly committed guard is the exact type of perimeter weapon that the Orange has been lacking in recent years.

Relying more on score-first type of guards to run its offense, Syracuse has been able to achieve some success, like its Final Four run last year, but has also struggled at times, like this year’s exclusion from the NCAA Tournament. It hasn’t been since the early departure of Tyler Ennis that Jim Boeheim has had a playmaking guard who can create for others and himself within the halfcourt setting.

Washington is a teammate of Oshae Brissett, a fellow Orange commit at Athlete Institute.

“I grew up loving Syracuse," Washington said. "It is a place that I can go and make an impact right away. I love the coaches, their passion for developing guys and the fact that they care about their guys’ future. I am really close with Tyler Lydon, who I played AAU with, and I go to school with Oshae.”

Brissett, a four-star recruit who should fit in seamlessly within the Orange offense, has done his work in recruiting Washington.

“He loves playing with me,” Washington said. “We mesh well together and we think that the chemistry will definitely help us at the next level.”

Syracuse will lose John Gillon and Andrew White, their two primary weapons in the backcourt, to graduation this spring. That could create an opening for Washington to contribute early.

“They need someone to come in and control the team,” Washington said. “Just scoring when I need to but really someone who is a good point guard who can get us far in the tournament and hopefully win the national championship.”

Washington joins his Athlete Institute teammate in Brissett along with top-150 center Bourama Sidibe in Syracuse's 2017 recruiting class.