MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Four-star small forward Emmitt Matthews from Tacoma, Wash., committed to West Virginia on Saturday night, becoming a prized late-cycle addition to the 2018 class.
Rivals ranks the left-handed Mathews as the nation’s No. 123 prospect.
The former UConn signee, granted a release from his national letter of intent in March following the firing of coach Kevin Ollie, is a 6-foot-7 wing who had offers from Washington, N.C. State, Georgia, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Washington State and Virginia Tech.
Despite suffering a broken wrist as a senior, Matthews averaged 22.3 points and 9.4 rebounds while sparking his Wilson High team to the Class 3A state semifinals.
West Virginia made Matthews a target before he chose UConn during the early signing period and he emerged as a heavier priority upon re-opening his recruitment. Lead recruiter Erik Martin was joined by head coach Bob Huggins and assistant Larry Harrison during an in-home visit last month, and Matthews visited Morgantown on May 2.
The commitment mitigates the transfer of Teddy Allen, who averaged 7.0 points per game as a freshman but possessed neither the length or the athleticism of Matthews.
Matthews was a childhood friend of Jordan McCabe, the three-star point guard who signed with West Virginia in November and recently implored Matthews to reunite with him in college.
They’ll join three-star guard Trey Doomes, three-star junior college center Andrew Gordon, former New Mexico State guard Jermaine Haley and 2017 four-star power forward Derek Culver — who spent this year at prep school.