Washington looks for more interest

Florence, Ariz., is a small town about an hour southeast of Phoenix, not exactly a basketball recruiting hotbed, and playing there is 6-foot-1 point guard Kyle Washington, who is putting up big numbers but hasn't received any recruiting attention yet.

Washington hopes that changes this AAU season.

Whether it's a location problem or something else Washington isn't sure but he could do little else on the court to help his situation - although he's always thinking about what else he can accomplish to start getting letters.

"I think it's just not being noticed, maybe being out here in Florence," Washington said. "I played AAU ball last year and I thought I played well but no one really talked to me.

"I played for Arizona Premier and I had a pretty good season. I'm just hoping. I've been working really hard and now I'm hoping to have a better AAU season and taking over the team even more.

"It is more motivating. I ask myself sometimes how good can I become? What do I need to do to get to the point where people will come out and watch me and get some letters? It will be a big off-season for me."

Washington, who also plays football and is originally from the state of California, averaged 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals this past season and helped lead Florence to the first round of the playoffs. In his sophomore year, Washington had 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists per outing.

"This year was kind of rebuilding because we had a new coach and all seniors that didn't play before, they just kind of came out so we only had two returning players," Washington said.

This off-season is extra motivating for Washington because he said basketball is still fun but if he wants to continue onto the next level then recruiting will have to pick up soon. He's going to do everything he can on the court to make sure college coaches take notice during AAU ball.

"It's really important to me and I'm taking things a lot more serious now," Washington said.

"When I was younger I was playing basketball just for fun. I'm still playing for fun but now it's so important if I want to continue playing I have to perform and perform to the best of my abilities and at the same time relax. If you push too hard you don't get the results."