Huskies land elite recruit with forward Michael Porter Jr.

The Washington men’s basketball team landed perhaps the biggest recruit in the history of the program when Michael Porter Jr., a 2017 prospect, pledged to play for the Huskies.

Porter, a 6-foot-10, 210-pound forward, is considered a top-five recruit. Rivals.comhas him ranked No. 2 nationally. He is fourth on ESPN’s list and fifth on Scout.com’s ranking. ESPN and Scout also consider him the top small forward in the country.

Recently, Porter included Indiana, Virginia, Oklahoma and Missouri among his final five choices after eliminating Duke and Kansas.

Porter is the latest addition to Washington’s 2017 recruiting class that includes Jaylen Nowell, a four-star guard at Garfield High in Seattle, and Blake Harris, a three-star guard from North Carolina.

Porter also joins his father, Michael Porter Sr., a recently hired UW assistant. Porter’s brother Jontay, a 2018 recruit, has orally committed to the Huskies.

The Porter brothers moved to Seattle with their father and will play at Nathan Hale High during the 2016-17 season for new coach Brandon Roy, the former Huskies great and NBA star.

Last season, the Porters led Tolton Catholic High of Columbia, Missouri, to the Class 3 state championship.

It is the second straight year Washington has landed a five-star recruit. The Huskies secured incoming freshman Markelle Fultz, who is the centerpiece of UW’s 2016 class.