Washington, Hopkins lose No. 1 Class of 2017 prospect

Not the best way for Mike Hopkins to get started at his new gig as the head coach at the University of Washington. News broke today that the Washington Huskies’ number one recruit has asked for his release after signing his letter of intent.

Michael Porter Jr., ESPN’s No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2017, announced his desire to leave Washington today, three days after Mike Hopkins, the former assistant coach of the Syracuse Orange, took control of the Huskies’ program, following former Huskies’ coach Lorenzo Romar’s ouster.

Porter has been a highly recruited player for a while now, as his size and athleticism help him dominate opponents. The 6’10” forward listed four teams he is interested in with the University of Washington still being one. The other three schools Porter is interested in are the University of Missouri, Oklahoma University, and the University of Virginia.

Porter’s decision to keep Washington in the mix is fueled by the fact that he hasn't talked with the Huskies’ new coach yet.

Porter’s father, who was hired as an assistant at Washington two months before Romar was fired, was offered an assistant coaching job at Missouri, a strong reason for Porter’s interest in joining the Missouri Tigers. “That’s home for me and they reached out to my dad with a job offer so if he accepts that, not saying I’ll definitely go there, but it’d be big,” Porter told USA Today.

Porter’s intrigue for joining the Oklahoma Sooners is based on the talent they are bringing in. “They’ve got Trae (Young) and before any commitments happened we talked about being college teammates. Now that opportunity is back and I know we’d do our thing and do something special,” Porter told USA Today.

Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

The Virginia Cavaliers, the team that had the most success this year out of Porter’s options, interest Porter based on his ability to come in and score right away. “I know they’re not super offensive-minded but my best friend Kyle Guy goes there and back when they were recruiting me they always talked about needing a scorer. If I go there I can step into that role,” Porter told USA Today.

The list has the potential to expand if Porter is granted the release he wishes for.

Porter’s decision to ask for a release shocked the nation, and now the number one ranked player is on the open market. Porter has the ability to alter a team’s plans, and the team that is privileged enough to obtain his talents will be set up for an exciting season.

Hopkins still has a chance to keep the dominant forward in Washington, and as Orange fans know best, Hopkins made a new for himself based on his recruiting ability. Porter holds a team’s future in his hands; it’s up to him with what direction he wants to take.

UPDATE:

Hopkins officially released Porter from his signed national letter of intent on Thursday, according to The Tacoma News Tribune.