Washington didn’t need to score in double figures in a win over PA state champion Central Dauphin but nonetheless dominated the game for extended stretches with his complete control of the point of attack at both ends. The jet-quick floor general got wherever he wanted off the dribble and threw several of what were easily the best dimes we saw all day, showing an added level of maturity with his pace and decisionamking in the lane. His presence was also felt, as always, on the other end of the floor, where Washington may truly have the quickest hands and feet of any on-ball defender in the country. There’s still room for Washington to elevate even further with added efficiency as a jump shooter but his consistent ability to impose his strengths onto the flow of a game should make him one of the more highly soughht after guards in the region.

The keys were passed down to Washington once Acaden Lewis, who is now at Miami, left for Villanova after an impressive high school career. Now entering his junior season, Washington has a legitimate argument as being the area’s top defender. It’s not often that you see a point guard control the game from the defensive point of attack quite like he can. He prides himself on the number of steals he accounts for rather than being obsessed with how many points he scores. As a result of the tenacious defense he applies, he generates transition opportunities for himself or others, which can be back-breaking buckets considering Sidwell looks to slow the overall tempo of games in the half court. Ian Condon Ian Condon 6'7" | PF Sidwell Friends School | 2027 State #68 Nation MD is the bell cow for Sidwell and there’s no denying that, but Washington is quickly the next most important piece that will keep the winning standard that head coach Eric Singletary and his staff has established in their MAC dominance.

Washington comes in at No. 4 as he’s come back from being sidelined for a bit to man the controls for Takeover 16s. There’s no questioning Washington’s ability to orchestrate games as a floor general, bring an elite defensive presence that not many can match at his position nationally and his overall will to win. He lives in the paint and makes the lives of others he shares the floor with exponentially easier. The swing skill with Washington will be the shooting. As effective as he is now knifing into the heart of defenses, developing a jumper from deep is the next skill that he’ll need to develop in order to steer clear of the “small guard” discussions. This is nit-picking of course, as Washington has proven himself in several high-level environments, but at this junction of his HS career, college programs will begin dissecting.

19p 6a 4r 4s (8/15 FG) vs the Family

-Sometimes it’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish. And Washington had all the answers to close out a tough win over The Family. In the last three minutes alone he hit his matchup with a double crossover to get downhill and hit the lefty off the window then ripped his matchup at halfcourt and scored it at the other end on the next possession, hit shooters with crosscourt skip passes, and blew up ball screens at the end of the game to force his matchup to pick up his dribble and find a teammate. Love the way that he takes command of the game down the stretch but want to see that–especially vocally– from him throughout the whole game as the maestro for a team that really needs the play-making and paint touches that he generates on a nightly basis.  

You can’t start a conversation or evaluation on Washington without stating he’s one of the most vicious defenders you’ll find at the guard position regardless of class. I stand by that statement and did before this weekend and will remain ten toes down after another showing of harassing opposing ball handlers into turnovers with relative ease. In my years of evaluating, I have yet to come across a player who prides himself in the steal column of the box score rather than the scoring one. He keeps track of them and looks to collect at least five steals per outing. He’s also an excellent positional rebounder who doesn’t hesitate to lunge his body against bigs to fight for 50/50s.

Offensively, touching the paint and putting pressure on the rim will be his calling card. The burst out of crossovers, ability to change speeds and quickly process rotations when the defense scurries to halt penetration can make everyone else’s job around him easier. He’s a table-setter, but showing his soft touch on floaters or finishing high off the glass amongst the trees will bode well for his long-term value.

A packed stat line for Washington as he averaged 7.7PPG, 8.3RPG, 5APG and 4.3SPG.

It didn’t matter who he was guarding, Washington’s defense was on a different level vs Team Final . He picked up each of their point guards full court and gave them more than they bargained for including turnovers, fouls, and transition buckets. Even when he was switched on to other players, Washington proved he was quick enough and strong enough to give anyone problems out on the perimeter. Conversely, with the keys to the TTO, he sprayed the ball around to shooters with precision. His ability to consistently locate and hit moving targets, while himself being pressured, kept his team alive no matter who had the momentum. 11p 6r 5a 5s

-The lightning quick point guard was sidelined with a lower body injury towards the end of the season but still proved to be an elite POA defender for a Quakers group that made it to their 5th straight DCSAA Championship game. The ball pressure, deflections, and steals that Washington generates as a POA defender that is REALLY difficult to screen unlocks a ton for Sidwell defensively. Had multiple 5+ steal performances this season that lead to increased scoring numbers as he consistently turned those TOs into points at the other end of the floor. His midrange jumper and finishing bag around the rim continue to improve but I really liked the passing reads that he made in tight spaces in the paint for his team.

Washington used his freshman season to introduce himself to the area as a top defender regardless of class. Despite taking on the starting role and much more usage offensively as a sophomore, Washington hasn’t let it deflect his impact on the other end whatsoever. While certain aspects of his offensive game are still rounding out, the instincts and anticipation he brings in controlling a game from the point of attack defensively is like no other point guard in the area. He faced a familiar foe in Jamaal McKnight as Sidwell lost a tough game against LuHi, but Washington made sure to make his matchup feel uncomfortable, sped up and out of sync while contributing with 12 points in the effort.

Although Jadah’s night ended up wrapping up early due to injury, the sophomore guard wreaked havoc on the opponent each minute he was on the floor. His presence was immediately missed upon exit, due to his level of IQ and instinct on the court at the PG spot. Finished with just two points but his impact on the game may be have the largest on the team. Had 8 rebounds and 7 assists to show for, slicing through the defense time after time to find his big man on the block or shooters on the outside. Sidwell’s largest threat against this opponent was the fastbreak and the times that Jadah got deep into the paint. Never knew where Jadah would fire the pass next, but you knew it was the play leading to the open shot. Forced a large amount of turnovers, totaling at least 5 steals and forced 3 charges on the night. Had his hand in any stat or intangible possible in Sidwell’s big win against a top-ranked Maryland opponent.

-It’s really hard to ignore the production that you see on the floor on a nightly basis from Washington. Even if he isn’t scoring it well on a particular night– you know that you will get consistent play-making off the bounce and 32 minutes of hell as a tenacious on-ball defender. Washington’s ability to navigate screens and swipe away steals has been key for a Sidwell defense that is integrating several new pieces while calling on younger prospects to step up as the team deals with short term injuries. He is a consistent perimeter jumper away from netting offers from some of the high level college suitors that like the impact that they see from Washington. But both national and local scouts are high on what looks to be the next in a growing line of Sidwell point guards.