What to know about Kentucky basketball freshman star TyTy Washington

LEXINGTON - Kentucky basketball's 2021-22 roster may be heavy on veteran transfers, but the Wildcats still boast a star freshman who could be a one-and-done NBA draft lottery pick.

Here is what you need to know about freshman guard TyTy Washington.

TyTy Washington broke John Wall's single-game assists record

Washington has spent the majority of the season playing off the ball with junior Sahvir Wheeler handling point guard duties. But when Wheeler missed two games with a neck injury, Washington proved more than capable of running the offense.

In Kentucky's Jan. 8 win over Georgia, Washington tallied a program-record 17 assists.

With 1 minute left in the game, Washington needed one assist to tie Wall's previous record of 16 in one game, but Oscar Tshiebwe missed a dunk attempt off a lob pass from Washington. Washington was able to recover the rebound and handoff to Brooks, who converted a dunk to tie the record.

Washington then broke the record on Kentucky's final possession when he found Tshiebwe alone under the basket for a dunk.

"One of the staff was like, ‘You need one more, but I was already walking out of the huddle, so I really didn’t know what he was saying," Washington said. "Once I got close to it. I think I got 15, all my teammates on the court were telling me you just need two more and you could break the record. I was like, Oh shoot. That’s what I kind of went out there and did just to get the last two really."

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John Calipari calls TyTy Washington 'the silent assassin'

Kentucky coach John Calipari is no stranger to coaching star freshmen, but Washington's game is unlike many of the Wildcats' previous high-scoring guards.

Washington has scored 20 points four times this season without attempting more than 15 shots in a game. He needed just 13 shots to score a career-high 28 points in the Jan 15 win over Tennessee.

"He's like the silent assassin," Calipari said after Washington totaled 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting with nine assists and one turnover in a win over High Point. "Quietly, he tiptoes in and gets 15 points and nine assists, and if you ask me how he played ... you would probably say, he played OK. ... He does it quietly."

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TyTy Washington's real name is Tyrone

Washington's alliterative nickname has garnered attention. It's origins stem from Washington shunning the normal shortening for a junior with a first name that starts with T.

Washington's full name is Tyrone Washington Jr. He has two siblings named Tatyana and Tyrique.

"I got it from one of my aunties and my mom," Washington said. "I didn’t want to be called T.J. Ty is the first syllable of my name, and I’m a junior. My dad is Tyrone, so they just doubled it up and came up with TyTy."

Washington took an unusual path to Kentucky compared to many of the highly touted freshmen to previously suit up for the Wildcats.

The Phoenix, Arizona native began his senior season ranked as the No. 73 prospect in the 2021 class by the 247Sports Composite. He committed to Creighton on Nov. 15, 2020.

Over the course of his senior year, Washington soared up the rankings, eventually peaking at No. 11 overall and finishing at No. 15 in the 2021 class.

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Washington decommitted from Creighton in March, shortly after Creighton coach Greg McDermott was reinstated from a suspension for telling his players he needed them all to "stay on the plantation" following a loss. Washington later confirmed to The Athletic the comment was a primary cause of his decision to decommit.

With his recruitment open, Washington quickly piled up offers from many of the top programs around the country. UK offered on April 13. Washington committed to the Wildcats one month later.

Email Jon Hale at jahale@courier-journal.com; Follow him on Twitter at @JonHale_CJ.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: TyTy Washington: Kentucky basketball freshman a top NBA draft prospect