Isaiah Stewart, a 6-foot-9 center and five-star recruit, announced his verbal commitment to Washington Sunday night. He chose the Huskies over Syracuse, Duke, Michigan State, and Kentucky.

A Rochester native and current player at La Lumiere (Indiana) High School, Stewart is ranked No. 5 on ESPN’s top-100 for 2019, and No. 6 by Rivals and 247Sports.

He is a member of Albany City Rocks AAU, and played alongside current SU forward Buddy Boeheim and 2019 commit Joe Girard III. However, Stewart also has a close relationship with Washington head coach and former SU assistant Mike Hopkins.

Hopkins first recruited Stewart when Stewart played in Rochester, at McQuaid High School. He developed a close personal relationship with Stewart’s family, even though NCAA recruiting regulations restricted Hopkins from speaking directly with Stewart until his junior year.

Some even joked that Hopkins had his own parking spot outside of the McQuaid gymnasium, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

Syracuse assistant coach Gerry McNamara became the main recruiter after Hopkins’ departure.

“Stewart is special because he owns a post-up game, along with a sweet, short, face-up game,” Paul Biancardi, ESPN’s National Recruiting Director, said. “A strong center who embraces playing big inside the paint and thrives at out-running his opponents.”

SU may have missed on Stewart, but the Orange are actively recruiting another center. Qudus Wahab, a 6-10 big from Oakton, Virginia, plans to announce his college decision on Jan. 30.

The Orange’s 2019 class has four signed players thus far, including Brycen Goodine, Girard III, Quincy Guerrier and John Bol Ajak.

Published on January 20, 2019 at 8:05 pm

Contact Anthony: amdabbun@syr.edu | @AnthonyDabbundo