OSU loses 4-star guard a day after official visit
Four-star guard
George Washington III has announced his plans to withdraw his verbal commitment to join the Ohio State men's basketball team and reopen his recruitment.
The first member to join the 2023 recruiting class will now pursue other options, and according to multiple national reports that includes Virginia, Seton Hall, Missouri, Auburn and Dayton – where his father is an assistant coach for the women's basketball team.
The announcement came one day after Washington wrapped up an official visit to Ohio State. Also on campus for official visits were the three remaining members of the 2023 class (Scotty Middleton, Devin Royal and Austin Parks), as well as Taison Chatman, a four-star guard from Minneapolis. Top-50 combo guard Bronny James, son of Lebron James, took an unofficial visit to OSU this weekend.
In a message posted to Twitter, Washington thanked coach Chris Holtmann and the Ohio State staff and said he came to his conclusion “after much thought, prayer and deep discussion with my family … I am excited to see what the future holds!”
It's what the future didn't appear to hold at Ohio State that led to the decision, not the fact that Chatman and James are both considering the Buckeyes. According to a source close to the situation, Washington's decision to decommit from Ohio State was borne out of multiple ongoing conversations about his eventual role at the next level, where he preferred to play point guard with some off ball responsibilities.
A skilled scorer and shooter, Washington committed to the Buckeyes last November, when he was ranked No. 50 nationally in the 247Sports.com composite database. He had been ranked as high as No. 40 but has since slid to No. 76 following the summer AAU session.
Had Washington remained committed, the Buckeyes would have still added at least one more member to their 2023 class with the expectation that roster attrition annually creates at least one unexpected opening due to the transfer portal.
Chatman, a four-star combo guard from Minneapolis Totino-grace, is ranked No. 31 nationally by 247Sports and No. 44 in the composite. He has taken official visits to Kansas and Xavier and could be deciding from a list that also includes Ohio State, Uconn and possibly Virginia within the week.
James will play his senior season at Chatsworth (California) Sierra Canyon, where he is ranked No. 41 nationally by 247Sports and No. 45 in the composite. While at Ohio State, he went through a film session showing how he would fit into the system, participated in a photo shoot and took a tour of campus while accompanied by his parents. It's unclear what other visits James could take or when he could make a decision, but it's possible he won't decide on a school until the spring.