Advertisement
football Edit

Washington Not A Done Deal

There seems to be little doubt that at some time within the past week, Wesley Washington made some kind of commitment to the Minnesota basketball program.
The question now seems to be, will that commitment stick and be consummated during the fall signing period?
Advertisement
Rivalshoops.com recently caught up with Irma Brown, the mother of the 6-2 shooting/combo guard from Mater Dei H.S. in Santa Ana, Calif. Mrs. Brown accompanied her son on the visit to Minnesota, which took place the weekend of Oct. 4-6.
"We are concentrating on Wesley's SAT right now," she said. "I am not worried about anything else. He could even visit a couple of more schools to see what else is out there, we are not trying to rush it or anything."
Mrs. Brown said that everything is on a permanent hold until Wesley takes the SAT again on Nov. 2. Initially, Brown had committed to California last spring, but the Golden Bears wound up pulling the scholarship this fall amid question marks about Washington's academic resume.
"Eventually he could take some more visits, but not now," Brown said. "Maybe in January or after the basketball season is over with. We don't have anything set up right now."
Mrs. Brown said she spoke with the coaching staff at Minnesota, and has informed them that her son will not do anything early until his SAT situation is resolved.
"The bottom line is that I am not focusing in on any schools right now, I am focusing in on making sure he gets what he has to qualify," she said. "That's what I want Wesley to focus in on, and he should be telling you guys the same thing."
Of course, Washington's letter will not be valid without the signature of a parent or guardian, and Mrs. Brown is steadfast that nothing will be signed until her son gets a qualifying SAT score.
Mrs. Brown was a little more than miffed that word of her son's commitment leaked out so quickly last week, as it was reported by many internet sites and newsstand publications.
"He visited Minnesota, and he did enjoy it and liked the school," she said. "When he left, he told the coaches he liked it and that he would like to come to that school, but we are not signing any letters. Unless something drastically changes, right now to this day, I will not be signing any letters in November."
In addition to Minnesota, schools such as Oregon State, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Southern Methodist called to express interest in Washington after it was learned that he wouldn't be attending California.
"We haven't done anything but with Minnesota," Mrs. Brown said. "That's probably why it's so out there. I've only spoken to a few coaches on the phone, and that was very briefly."
Rivalshoops.com will stay on top of Washington's situation as it evolves this fall and possibly into the winter and spring, so stay tuned.
Advertisement