JC Washington Decommits from Northern Colorado

In September, dynamic wing man JC Washington verbally committed to Northern Colorado, and he was seen as a great athlete as a high school big man, making it a pretty nice coup for the Bears.

On Wednesday, he showed why these things are just verbal commitments, and nothing is final until they actually sign the letter of intent, as he recommitted, per Texas Boys Basketball:

Per source J C Washington 2014 6'6" 3/4 has decommitted from Northern Colorado @ReggieRankin
— texasboysbasketball (@TXboysbasketbal) November 13, 2013

Obviously, it it stinks for the Bears. I am sure that Washington was seen as a key cog for them in the future, and certainly if he re-committed, they would be thrilled. However, I simply can't fault Washington.

All the time, you hear of coaches changing their mind. Scholarships get offered, and then rescinded. More commonly, coaches leave for better jobs with no recourse, while players have to sit out a year if they decide to transfer. This is commonly accepted practice. Thus, a guy needs to make sure that where he commits to, that is where he wants to go to school. If Washington had doubts, he was within his rights to change his mind, because things become a lot more difficult once you sign that LOI. So to that end, I understand his decision, and I can't fault him for it.

But it's still a tough break for Northern Colorado.

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JC Washington Commits to Northern Colorado

With Derrick Barden and Connor Osborne as seniors this season, BJ Hill and Northern Colorado need to re-stock the frontcourt. They took a big step in doing that this past week with the commitment of forward JC Washington. It was first reported by Jim Hicks:

JC Washington (Yates HS 2014) has committed to Northern Colorado. He played summer ball with Texas PRO. FYI that is his legal name.
— Jim Hicks (@RcsSports) September 3, 2013

Different sites list Washington as being anywhere from 6'4'' to 6'7'', but one thing is clear - he is a guy that brings a high motor, the ability to rebound the ball well anywhere on the court, and the ability to defend multiple positions (sounds like Barden).

Here is a scouting report from June of this year:

Strengths:
Tough as nails power forward rebounds in and out of area. Scores in and around the lane on put backs and short jumpers. He is a good straight line driver and dives on the floor, takes charges and blocks shots on the ball and coming to help from the weakside. Does the dirty work to help is team win. Great motor, energy and effort at all times.

Weaknesses:
Washington not only must add strength but develop his perimeter skills and back to the basket moves in addition to his ball handing under intense pressure. Continue to improve overall ball skills.

Bottom Line:
Washington is a super glue guy that does what ever he has to do to help his team. Scores in transition, around the rim or on the glass. Multiple position defender as well. Washington competes at a high level with matching productivity.

He should be able to step right in and contribute for the Bears. He looks like a higher caliber high school big man recruit than they have been getting in the past couple of years, which is a good sign that the program continues to be headed in a stable direction. Washington may be counted on to play some minutes right away, and he seems capable.

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