BREAKING: 2021 five-star guard TyTy Washington commits to Kentucky

The first domino has fallen regarding Kentucky basketball’s point guard situation for the upcoming 2021-22 season.

After having zero point guards signed on for the upcoming season going into May, 2021 five-star prospect TyTy Washington finally changed that on Wednesday, announcing his commitment to Kentucky this evening via SportsCenter’s Twitter account.

.@tytywashington3, who is ESPN's No. 12 overall recruit in the 2021 class, has committed to @KentuckyMBB, per @PaulBiancardi.

(🎥:: @theballdawgs) pic.twitter.com/Y7TPdoBxJk

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 13, 2021

Washington, the nation’s No. 12 overall prospect in ESPN’s latest player rankings, chose UK over Arizona, Kansas and LSU.

ESPN has the 6-foot-3, 185-pound prospect listed at No. 12 overall and No. 2 among point guards in the class, while 247Sports has him ranked No. 16 overall and No. 3 at his position.

“I followed (UK) throughout this past year. Like hey, it’s Kentucky. Everybody wants to watch Kentucky,” Washington told KSR this past weekend. “And me being a basketball head – I like watching basketball – so when I watched them play, I felt like they were just missing a few things that I’m capable of doing. If I were to go there, I think I’d be able to help them.”

Now, he’s officially committed and ready to do his part in Lexington.

“On the court, they’re going to be getting a point guard who is going to lead and do whatever it takes to win,” Washington told KSR. “Whether that’s me scoring, passing, guarding, taking charges, get a nosebleed, whatever, I’m going to do whatever it takes to win.”

“His parents raised him the right way, he’s built tough. Like Ford tough, he’s built that way,” Washington’s head coach at AZ Compass Prep, Ed Gipson, told KSR. “He’s going to take what he wants, he’s not going to back down from anybody. He’s a dog, a bonafide dog.”

Above all else, he’s a winner.

“The kid, he’s handled (pressure) his whole life. The shooting, being able to get to his spots, that just comes to him naturally. But it’s the intangible stuff (that separates him),” Gipson continued. “He’s the type of kid to take a charge, even though he’s the best player on the team. That’s the stuff that wins championships, and that’s what he brings. He’s always been a winner.

“… He’s a guy you want in your corner. If you’re in a foxhole, you want TyTy Washington there with you. That’s what you need to know right there.”

ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony told KSR that he’s a big fan of Washington’s game, specifically praising the five-star guard’s basketball IQ and competitive nature.

“I like TyTy Washington a lot. He has an extremely high basketball IQ, he just really knows how to play,” he told KSR. “He’s a winner, he’s competitive, he makes other guys better, he can shoot off the dribble. He’s got good size, he’s got length, he really has a lot of things that you look for from a point guard that age.”

Washington joins five-star forward Daimion Collins and four-star forward Bryce Hopkins in Kentucky’s 2021 recruiting class. The program has also added West Virginia center Oscar Tshiebwe, Davidson guard Kellan Grady and Iowa guard CJ Fredrick in the transfer portal in 2021.

With the addition of Washington, Kentucky moves up to No. 7 in the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings.

Welcome to the family.