Saturday, January 26, 2013
25 days, 25 names: Andrew Basham
By Mason Kelley
Adam Fermstad tried to come up with an adequate description for Andrew Basham’s combination of size and speed.
The coach at Lynnwood (Wash.) settled on a single word for the talent the 6-foot-4, 305-pound prospect possesses: “Insane.”
Basham’s potential is impressive.
“There aren’t many guys of his caliber that you see live,” Fermstad said during an interview this summer. “When you do, it just blows you away.”
One of six defensive linemen in Washington’s 2013 class, Basham gave the Huskies a verbal commitment in June. He joined six other prospects at a local restaurant not far from Husky Stadium and announced his plans to play for the Huskies.
“It's really special,” Basham said the day he committed. “I'm sure my family is happy."
An incoming class with both Basham and Elijah Qualls (Petaluma, Calif./Casa Grande) gives Washington a pair of play-making tackles who have the size and athleticism to be productive Pac-12 players.
But as Basham prepares for signing day, there is still work to be done in the classroom before he joins the Huskies. Early in his high school career, Basham didn’t devote the same attention to his schoolwork that he put into football.
He spent last summer attending classes five days a week, working to make up for lost time.
“That’s all I’ve done, so it’s pretty important for me to get to the Huskies,” Basham said before his senior season started. “I don’t think I’ve done anything else besides school and working out.”
If he gets his grades in order, he will be an important piece to an impressive group of prospects along the defensive line. He will get the opportunity to showcase that “insane” combination of size and speed in a renovated Husky Stadium next season.
