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Recruiting surge should buy Lorenzo Romar some patience

Recruiting surge should buy Lorenzo Romar some patience

Washington hasn't made the NCAA tournament in four years, dropped 10 of its last 12 games last season and returns only three scholarship players.

Sounds pretty bleak, right? Not so fast.

While the returning trio of standout guard Andrew Andrews and role players Quevyn Winters and Donaven Dorsey won't scare anyone, the Huskies have a much-needed influx of talent set to arrive the next few years. Lorenzo Romar appears to have recaptured the recruiting magic he had during the Huskies' heyday, landing a heralded eight-man class that will debut this coming season and adding three more elite prospects the past few weeks.

On August 5, Class of 2018 power forward Jontay Porter made a surprise early commitment to Washington, a decision that could help the Huskies in two ways. Not only is Porter a potential impact player himself, he's also the younger brother of Class of 2017 five-star recruit Michael Porter

On Friday, five-star Class of 2016 combo guard Markelle Fultz chose Washington over higher-profile teams like Kentucky, Arizona, North Carolina and Louisville. Fultz is the No. 23 recruit in the Rivals 150 and ought to be an ideal fit in Washington's up-tempo system.

On Tuesday, Washington struck again when top 50 Class of 2017 recruit Daejon Davis committed to the Huskies. The point guard is a member of a highly touted group of Seattle-area 2017 prospects that also includes Jaylen Nowell and Corey Kispert.

The sudden recruiting surge comes at an ideal time for Romar, who faces pressure to get Washington back to the level it had reached from 2004-2011 when it qualified for six NCAA tournaments and reached three Sweet 16s. The Huskies' win total has declined from 24, to 18, to 17, to 16 each of the past four years, a dip that culminated this year with the dismissal of elite center Robert Upshaw and the transfer of several key players including leading scorer Nigel Williams-Goss.

Those setbacks might diminish Washington's potential next season, however, the recruiting success should also buy Romar some patience.

Even if a youthful roster can't get Washington back to the NCAA tournament next season, the foundation for a bright future appears to be in place.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!