© Chavez
Cash Chavez was drawn to the Huskies by assistant coaches Will Conroy and Quincy Pondexter.
The University of Washington basketball team came up a little short of Cash.
This week, guard Casmir “Cash” Chavez from suburban Minneapolis asked for and received his scholarship release from the Huskies, apparently unwilling to play in Montlake for anyone other than the staff for fired coach Mike Hopkins.
The 6-foot-3 Chavez, a 4-star recruit for Park Center High School in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, averaged 23.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists for 26-5 team that made it to the quarterfinal round of the Minnesota 4A state tournament.
In November, he picked the Huskies over Arizona State, Georgia and West Virginia, drawn to them because of Will Conroy and Quincy Pondexter, Hopkins assistant coaches with their pro basketball backgrounds.
“The coaching staff, as a whole,” Chavez told Made Hoops of his decision. “They push their guys really hard but also provide a ton of support off the floor. A bunch of guys on the staff have also spent time in the NBA in one way or another, so that was big.”
Chavez pulled away from the UW on Wednesday, the same day new coach Danny Sprinkle added Rice guard Mehki Mason from the transfer portal and Husky sophomore guard Nate Calmese entered the portal as the roster churn picks up.
Chavez was part of a high-powered, two-player Husky recruiting class that also includes 6-foot-4 guard Zoom Diallo from the Tacoma area and another 4-star recruit. Diallo hasn’t decided whether to play for the UW or not.
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