Kentucky Basketball: Blue-White game leaves us oozing with anticipation
By Eric Thorne
TyTy Washington just exudes being the X Factor for the Wildcats
Kentucky has many parts to make the Big Blue hot rod go, but the driving force will be the play of TyTy Washington.
While just a freshman, the 6-foot-3 197-pound guard from Phoenix came to UK with an impressive resume and likely to add many more accomplishments this year.
With Georgia transfer Sehvir Wheeler running the point or slashing though the lane watching last night’s game of him finding Washington with some smooth and sweet passes only frees Washington to light things up all over the court.
He floats for jumpers, he passes the ball with precision and his can flat out shoot the rock.
First impression ☑️@tytywashington3 with 24 points and 10 assists in his Blue-White Game debut. pic.twitter.com/18YskVwUFU
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 23, 2021
When asked about the connection he and Wheeler have Washington said it was instantanious.
"“I think we’re playing pretty well. When we both first got here in the summer, we kind of connected on the first day and since then we’ve never been on the same team during pickup. We both have been waiting for so long to be able to play on the same team because we know that two point guards with two high-level IQ’s can really feed off of each other.”"
He picked up where he left off at Compess Prep last season where he averaged 24.0 points, 7.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game. Leading his team to a 30-2 record he knocked down 48% of his shots, that included 41% from 3-point land, and was impressive at the foul line sinking 88%.
On how advanced of a player Washington is compared to all the greats he has coached Cal referenced a recent practice.
"“I hate to start naming names for the guys. You know my guys that did it. I’ve had guys that have walked in and been able to do it. But he can score the ball on all levels. You know what else he can do? He can pass. Like they scrimmaged the other day. I put he and Sahvir against each other. Guess what? His team won and he didn’t take one shot, TyTy did not take one shot, and they won big. He just plays the game.”"
Look for the Wheeler and Washington combination to be quiet deadly to opponents to match up with in 2021-22.
Speaking of speed and hot rods it’s only fitting that Washington just signed a new name, image and likeness deal with Blue Grass Motorsport Porsche. So that means he is driving a new Proshe around Lexington as well as on the hardwood.