Player Profile: 2023 Bay G Deondrian Washington

PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA – Deondrian Washington is not flying under the radar any longer.

The 2023 6-6 guard from Bay High broke out during his junior campaign and AAU summer with Hawks Elite.

Washington earned a plethora of offers from these programs this summer which included:

• JUCO – Columbia State, Bishop State, 3 Rivers College, Atlantic Cape College, Johnston College, Coastal Alabama – South, Central Lakes College
• Division II – Lincoln University
• Division III – Dean College
• NAIA – Coastal Georgia
• NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) – Dallas Christian College

He also informed me that Division I schools UT Chattanooga, Northwestern State, West Florida, USC Upstate and Rice have expressed interest.

Playing for Hawks Elite under 17U coach and program director John Carlisle, Washington said this summer was filled with new learning experiences and worthwhile ones.

“Honestly, just going out there, playing hard and not underestimating anybody. Playing hard the whole game and not taking anybody lightly,” Washington said. “Coach Carlisle has a known team, so it’s like, everybody wants to play us and everybody wants beat us.”

He said there was a lot of talent on the 17U Hawks squad which in turn made him dig deeper from the start of the summer.

“Everybody could score, like everybody was the main guy at their high schools,” Washington said. “So I said to myself, “what can I do differently to like impact the game?” Like playing defense, growing the other team’s best player. I just focused on rebounding hard, hustling the whole game and making my presence be known from the opening tip-off.”

Coach Carlisle had nothing but positive things to say about Washington. He called him a prospect who “came into the summer as a raw college prospect oozing with potential.” Carlisle also mentioned that Washington led the team in double doubles and was one of the leading scorers and rebounders which included multiple 20-point outings.

“At 6’6″, he’s able to play and guard 1-4 comfortably while causing mismatches on the other end. Throughout the course of the summer, he proved to be one of the best prospects in Florida,” Carlisle said. “He shot the ball extremely well from 3 and the mid-range, but also was really affective around the rim especially when he was guarded by a smaller defender.

…One of his best qualities is his versatility. He can do so much on both ends of the court that he’s just a matching nightmare. His upside is through the roof and he improved in all areas of the game throughout the summer.”

Junior season success

Washington helped Bay finish 24-7 and reach the Class 4A region semifinal before losing to state runner-up Andrew Jackson.

He said that Bay head coach Rusty Cook expected a lot from him as a leader on and off the court. Washington proved his coach right by averaging 17.5 PPG and 8.5 RPG as a junior, with only three games under double digits. His top two games were 30-point performances in mid-January.

In terms of his top strengths in his game, Washington alluded to his mid-range pull up.

“I like getting to my spots, taking that mid-range pull up, jumpers, getting to the rim, being physical, and and playing off two feet,” he said.

On the flip side, he said he is working on strengthening his 3-point shot and his on-ball defense.

Love for the game

Washington’s first sport was in fact football, which he played from age four up until he turned 11. However, he started playing basketball in the 5th grade. Two years years later that is when he truly fell in love with hoops and wanted to work on improving his skills and overall game.

During his 9th grade year is when he truly realized that he could make something truly special out of the game of basketball.

“It was during COVID quarantine and I didn’t want to sit in the house. I wanted to do something, so I started working out a lot, Washington said. “That’s when I noticed that I thought I could really be good at this.”

Bright future

The progression that Washington has been able to make over the last few years is super impressive. He is a lengthy and bursty athlete who can really hurt defenses with his jumper and his overall smart shot taking ability.

With more strength added to his body, Washington will only get better as he heads into a major senior campaign as a large group of college programs keep a close eye on him.

Fun fact about Deondrian Washington: He really enjoys bowling. His high game is 152 and he said he wants to organize a team bowling night before the season as it would be “lit.”

Jake Perper has covered sports as a writer since 2010 and a basketball scout since 2015. He was the Southeast Scouting Director for the Prep Hoops Circuit and the lead scout for Prep Hoops’ Florida site for seven years. You can follow him on Twitter @thehoopvibe.