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Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Washington's surprising new commit

By Joe Kaiser

Monday's commitment of under-the-radar 2013 point guard Jahmel Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif./Pacific Hills School) to Washington was mildly surprising considering that the Huskies already have ESPN 100 point guard Nigel Williams-Goss (Happy Valley, Oreg./Findley Prep) entering the program next season. A closer look at UW's roster shows why it still makes sense.

The Huskies are set to lose seniors Abdul Gaddy and Scott Suggs after this season, and fourth-year junior C.J. Wilcox is looking more and more like he may have a decision on his hands in regards to entering the NBA draft. If all three leave, that will essentially give Lorenzo Romar two returning guards: emerging sophomore-to-be Andrew Andrews and seldom used reserve Hikeem Stewart.

So the need to quickly add depth to the backcourt was there, and in Taylor, Williams-Goss and promising shooting guard Darin Johnson out of Sacramento, Calif., the Huskies have done just that.

Whether the 5-foot-11, 160-pound Taylor plays or redshirts next season could depend on if Wilcox returns. If the sharpshooter comes back for his senior season, Romar will likely start three guards (Andrews, Williams-Goss and Wilcox) and use Johnson as the primary guard off the bench. If Wilcox leaves for the pros, Romar will need Taylor to play as a true freshman.

Here's Dave Telep of ESPN's Recruiting Nation with more on Taylor.

Dave Telep
Taylor can score, change pace for UW
"He's an uptempo guy. You'd have to consider him a depth kid for the Huskies. The expectation, I'm assuming, is that he comes in and can be a change of pace kid who is a score-first lead guard."