To the casual observer, Washington looks like an unlikely landing spot for five-star shooting guard Wesley Yates. Still, the Huskies beat out a number of other high-profile programs to earn a commitment from the big guard from Beaumont, Texas on Wednesday. Yates picked the Huskies over offers from schools including Gonzaga, LSU, Texas, Auburn and many others.

Yates visited the Huskies earlier in the process and has enjoyed his time on campus. Mike Hopkins and his staff liked the physical wing regardless of any connections he had to the program, but then came the revelation that he had family ties to the Huskies.

Assistant coach Quincy Pondexter is cousins with Wesley and the five-star guard also has family roots, through his dad's side, back the Seattle area. It all added up to a feeling of comfort for the new UW commit as he went through the process.

“I didn’t find out he was my cousin until he offered me a scholarship,” Yates said of the UW assistant. “It was crazy, because he called to show interest, and then my mom found out his last name. ... He called me like 15 minutes later and offered me right on the spot. I feel like it’s a great fit just knowing that he’s my cousin and he played in the league.