NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. -- When the University of Washington hired Michael Porter two months ago as an assistant coach, the jig was seemingly up.
Porter is the father of Michael Porter Jr. a resourceful five-star prospect (currently the No .3 player for the Class of 2017) who might wind up being the best player in the class. And as these deals go, whenever a school can afford to put the parent of a prospect in a position on a coaching staff or elsewhere within a program, then the child will almost certainly follow. We saw this most recently with Memphis, which hired Keelon Lawson, the father of many D-I prospects, most notably former five-star Dedric Lawson.
Dedric Lawson became one of the best freshmen in America last season, even on a bad Memphis team. Although Josh Pastner left Memphis to coach at Georgia Tech this past spring, the hire worked as planned.
So you're probably thinking like I'm thinking, like we're all thinking ... it's basically a done deal then for Porter Jr., right? He's going to Washington?
He refuses to say that now. Not only that, but Porter Jr. said the other four schools on his final list -- Indiana, Missouri, Virginia and Oklahoma -- have continued to recruit him as enthusiastically as they did prior to his dad going to UW. He also told me on Friday that his father approached him about the job offer prior to accepting it.
"When my dad took the job to Washington, he told me him taking the job (at Washington) doesn't mean he expects me to go there," Porter Jr. said. "Although that's helps a lot for their program with me going there, I feel all the other schools, I still feel like I could go there and develop in the league and it would be a good fit. Right now I'm just taking it slow and waiting everything out. I'm not rushing anything."
It's a bit surprising, but also perhaps a little encouraging. In early May, Porter Jr. reached out to IU, Mizzou, OU and UVa and was proactive in letting those coaching staffs know he was still interested, that they should still consider themselves rightfully in the hunt.
"I've let them know my recruitment isn't closed," he said.
Porter Jr. said his father taking the UW job was a family vote and family decision. Porter asked his son if him taking that job would put pressure on him to follow, and the son said no. Hearing Porter Jr. speak about this on Friday, I'm inclined to believe him. The kid is very smart and very good with the media already.
"That's the best move for us," Porter Jr. said of his dad's new job.
Porter and UW coach Lorenzo Romar have known each other for more than three decades, and Romar is Porter Jr.'s godfather. Porter's younger brother, Jontay, a four-star prospect in the class of 2018, has already committed to UW. And Porter, Jr., who grew up in Missouri, will finish his high school career in Seattle.
All this leads pretty much everyone to believe that Washington is inevitably going to get Porter, Jr. It would make for a small shock in recruiting circles if Porter Jr. doesn't wind up there -- and that would be plenty interesting -- but let's remember that Romar has produced eight NBA picks (six of them first rounders and two of them lottery picks) in the past seven years. He'll have another first-rounder, almost definitely, next June with Markelle Fultz.
But despite that talent, Romar and Washington have missed out on the past five NCAA Tournaments. It is easy ammo for opposing staffs, particularly Oklahoma, Virginia and Indiana, all of whom have either reached the Final Four, earned a No. 1 seed or won their conference -- just last season. I asked Porter Jr. if that lack of postseason success for Washington will impact his choice.
"I try to be a winner and I don't want to go to a school that's going to develop me but not win," he said. "But I feel like Washington, they're right there, and I feel like with a few piece and some veterans that will stay there, that team, if I was to go there, could have success in the postseason. They haven't lately, but anywhere I go. Mizzou hasn't had success lately, but I feel like me, along with a few other players, could change that."
In terms of a final decision, Porter Jr. said he has no timeline or deadline on a decision. That could wind up being good news for Missouri, or Indiana, or Oklahoma, or Virginia. But until further notice, he's surely Washington's to lose.
Whichever school he winds up picking, Porter Jr. will be the face of that program the minute he starts his freshman season. His team has yet to lose a game here at the Peach Jam, and he's looked as good (27.8 ppg, 13.0 rpg) as any prospect at the event. He and fellow five-star prospect, point guard Trae Young, have a very good shot of making to Sunday's championship game.
"They really all tell me the same thing, that I'm going to be a scorer at the next level and I'm going to have the ball in my hands a lot," Porter Jr. said of his many courtships. "Really, just that they feel like they could develop me and get me ready for the [NBA] in one year. That's really an important piece of my decision. I plan to be a one-and-done, hopefully, if I'm good enough."
There's no question about that. His skill set and body look ready for the NBA now.
