| 17 May 2011
Michael Washington Jr. will be one of the top basketball players in the state of Washington next season. We ranked him No. 13 on our high school player rankings back in February. Washington averaged 18.2ppg for Oak Harbor high school and currently stars for Friends of Hoop, one of Seattle's premier AAU programs. We got a chance to talk with Washington about his junior year and his current recruitment along with other basketball topics. Check out our interview after the jump.
SEATOWN SPORTS: Recap your junior basketball season for me. What went good and what went bad?
MICHAEL WASHINGTON: This year went pretty well compared to years past for Oak Harbor basketball. We made it to the playoffs for the first time in thirteen years and won a game in playoffs for the first time in fifteen years. It would have been nice to go farther but making it to the playoffs was nice.
SS Individually, how did you progress as a player?
MW: I spent a lot of time in the gym working on my game. This year I looked to become more of a vocal leader and get my team involved more.
SS: What specific parts of your game do you believe you have to improve the most in?
MW I think I've improved my ballhandling and shooting the most, but there's still room to improve.
SS: I understand you play for Friends of Hoop, talk about your experience and your relationship with the program.
MW: Friends of Hoop is a good program that a lot of big names have come through. All of the college coaches know the name so it is a good team to be with.
SS: Who's your favorite guy to play with on the team?
MW: Everyone on the team this year is pretty fun to play with so it'd be hard to choose one. We all play pretty well together.
SS Is there a particular past or current college or professional basketball player you try to model your game after?
MW: Growing up in the Seattle area, I watched Brandon Roy play a lot. He's probably the player I try to model my game after the most, but I take bits and pieces from other players too.
SS: So do you think Roy will ever return to his top form as a basketball player?
MW: Knee injuries are hard to bounce back from but I think eventually he might be able to get back to where he was before.
SS: How's your recruitment coming along? What schools are showing interest and do you have any scholarship offers?
MW: The recruitment process has been coming along pretty well. Seattle U has offered and I've been receiving interest from others like WSU, Gonzaga, Portland, Portland St. Cal Poly and some others. Harvard has recently showed interest. I have a 3.98 GPA so academics will play a big role in my school decision.
SS: What have the college coaches been telling you need to do in order to improve your chances of getting a scholarship offer?
MW: They've mostly been telling me to keep working hard and working on ballhandling and becoming a more consistent shooter.
SS: Who is the most difficult player you have ever had to defend?
I would probably have to say Aaron Bright. His quickness is tough to defend.
SS: That's about all I got for you. Is there anything else you'd like to say?
MW: Thanks for having me.
--Kevin (
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