Five-star recruit TyTy Washington, the top uncommitted point guard in the 2021 class, committed to Kentucky on Wednesday, giving the Wildcats an injection of talent at a key position heading into next season. Washington, a former Creighton commit, picked the Wildcats over offers from Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, Oregon and LSU. He ranks as the No. 21 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Kentucky had been trending recently as the favorite to land Washington, a 6-foot-3 prospect from Compass Prep in Chandler, Arizona. His commitment comes on the heels of Iowa transfer CJ Fredrick picking the Wildcats and as Georgia guard Sahvir Wheeler also eyes them as one of his potential landing spots.
Washington will fit in perfectly to what Kentucky is looking to accomplish after a 9-16 season. For starters, he's a gifted scorer who can get to his spots and create for himself. He's also capable of getting downhill and generating looks at the rim while dishing to teammates with his strong court vision. Most importantly, though, he gives the team more of a true lead guard to complement Davidson transfer Kellan Grady and the aforementioned Fredrick, both of whom profile more as scoring guards than lead guards who can quarterback an offense. Washington is a scorer on the rise in his own right, too, having hit 40.9% of his 3-point attempts last season.
After his worst campaign in Lexington last season, Calipari has shaken up his coaching staff this offseason by adding Orlando Antigua and Ron Coleman from Brad Underwood's Illinois staff and built the roster for next season in a variety of ways that runs counter to his own history. Not only has he accumulated a top-10 recruiting class led by five-star Damion Collins in addition Washington as well as four-star Bryce Hopkins, but he's also reeled in a transfer-heavy class that could push UK to a new level. With West Virginia big man Oscar Tshiebwe, Grady and Fredrick, this Wildcats team has a ton of new pieces both young and old that together combine to make Kentucky a strong bounce-back candidate after a down season.
"There were a lot of happy people out there that we had this kind of year," Calipari said in March. "You know what? Enjoy your time now. Next year's going to come soon enough."