Ohio State commit George Washington III to play senior prep, AAU seasons in Ohio
Change is nothing new for George Washington III.
If you ask the 2023 Ohio State commitment where he’s from, you’ll get a short answer followed by a longer explanation. Home, he’ll tell you, is Texas, where he was born and spent his first 16 years. For the last two years, he's resided in Kentucky as he starred for Christian Academy of Louisville.
Now, for his senior season, the family will move to Ohio after George Washington Jr. was named an assistant coach for the University of Dayton women’s basketball team.
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“A lot of times I start off by saying it’s a little complicated, but I still say I’m from Texas,” Washington III said. “Who I am began in Texas and then Louisville is like a second home and now my third home is really about to be Ohio, and I’m excited for that too.”
Washington Jr. spent eight years as an assistant women’s basketball coach at the University of Texas before the university hired a new coach following the 2020 season. Last year, he was an assistant athletic director at Christian Academy. In the interim, Washington played his way onto the national radar and became the first verbal commitment to Ohio State’s 2023 recruiting class. The Buckeyes were the first school to offer Washington III, and he committed to them the November of his junior season.
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Within the next two weeks, the family is slated to arrive in Dayton, where Washington III and his younger brothers will attend Chaminade Julienne.
“Leaving people and relationships, that’s never easy, and that doesn’t really get easier, but your outlook on moving changes a lot, at least for me,” he said. “I’m going to miss some of the friends I had up here, but I’m excited to go to a new place, a new environment where I can meet and experience a whole bunch more things that I haven’t here.
“Chaminade is a great school. Visiting there, I loved the energy that everyone had when they were going to school. I feel like it’s going to be like a great place.”
During his final season in Louisville, Washington III averaged 23.4 points and 6.8 rebounds for the Centurions. He is the No. 51 national recruit in the 247Sports.com composite database and a four-star prospect.
After playing for JL3 Elite based out of Texas, he is now part of All-Ohio Red after being recruited by Pickerington Central forward – and Ohio State recruiting target – Devin Royal. The two had faced each other before, but they hadn’t spoken much.
“Him reaching out (asking me) to play was one of the first times we ever had a chance to talk,” Washington III said. “Anyone who knows him knows he’s a pretty bold kid, so he kind of took things into his own hands and reached out to me and was like, ‘We want you on the team.’ ”
Last weekend, while playing for All-Ohio Red in Louisville, Washington earned third-team all-weekend honors from TheSeasonTicket.com after averaging 12.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Royal has put together an impressive spring and climbed from No. 123 to 81 in the national rankings, and the future Buckeye said he’s been recruiting his AAU teammate to join him at the next level.
“I try, I try,” Washington III said. “I have to be a Buckeye ambassador everywhere I go. He’s a great player. I wish I knew where his head was at a little bit more than I do, but you’ve got to respect how close he’s keeping his decision. He’s taking it serious. I’m excited for him with that.”
Washington III lost his primary recruiter to Ohio State when Ryan Pedon accepted the head coaching position at Illinois State this spring. When he did, Pedon reached out to Washington III about his college decision but not to try to recruit him to the Redbirds.
“When he left, he called me,” Washington III said. “He gave me a heads-up and he was like, ‘You’re still at the right place. Don’t second-guess it or anything like that. This is a perfect situation for you.’ ”
Since then, Washington III said he's been in constant communication with all of the Ohio State coaches. They’ve seen him play when allowed this spring, they've gone over box scores with him and otherwise have helped keep the relationship strong.
That, along with Pedon’s advice, have further cemented Washington III’s belief that he found the right school.
“It’s been a great experience with the rest of the staff,” he said. “Coach Pedon leaving was expected, because he’s a great coach, but it’s been nice knowing just because the guy who started looking at you is gone, the school still feels the exact same.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Future Buckeye George Washington III readying himself for Ohio move
