Rivals named J.J. Crawford, son of Seattle native Jamal Crawford, as the top player in the Class of 2029.
The Washington Huskies men's basketball team could be prepping for a special crop of recruits for the Class of 2027.
The Huskies were only able to land one commitment from the Class of 2026, three-star Lattimore Ford, and filled out the rest of the nine spots remaining on the roster this offseason with transfer additions and international recruits.
UW's lack of success on the recruiting front represented a stark departure from the norm under current head coach Danny Sprinkle, who's making sure that the same won't be the case for the Class of 2027 and beyond.
Washington, in addition to prepping for the 2026-27 season, has also been attempting to land several of the top players in the '27 graduating class. They've already been named as one of the final eight teams being considered by five-star small forward Malachi Jordan and four-star point guard J'Lon Lyons, and are one of the top teams being considered by five-star power forward Ahmed Nur.
Five-star point guard Jalen Davis, a local kid from Bremerton, Wash., has also long been courted by the Huskies. He took an official visit to the university last September and has been over for several unofficial visits.
In addition to those aforementioned players and other Class of '27 recruits Washington is attempting to land, it's also been laying the groundwork for a player who's now ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2029: J.J. Crawford.
Rivals' Industry rankings has Crawford as the top player in the country for '29 graduates, and he has some familial ties to Seattle that puts him right in the Huskies' backyard.
Crawford is the son of Seattle native and former NBA player Jamal Crawford, who graduated from Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, where his son currently plays.
Washington was unable to land the elder of the two Crawford's, who opted to play his college ball instead before embarking on a 21-year NBA career that included three Sixth Man of the Year awards.
However, the Huskies are looking to change their fortunate with JJ Crawford.
In a recent article from Jamie Shaw of Rivals.com, the younger of the two Crawford's discussed his relationship with Washington and how he grew up several program alumni.
“You know, I grew up watching them," Crawford said in the article. "I watch a lot of college basketball. It's my thing, and you know, Jaden McDaniels, Isaiah Stewart, and IT (Isaiah Thomas) all went there.”
Crawford said in the article that he'll plan on taking official visits sometime next summer, and Washington will be attempting to compete against several of the more notable programs in the country, including North Carolina, Alabama, Southern California (USC) and Michigan, among others.
