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Jimmie Haywood III, a four-star shooting guard in the 2027 class, will unveil his college commitment next Tuesday, selecting from a trio of programs: the University of Washington, Nevada, and Loyola Marymount. The Seattle native, who is completing his high school career in Arizona, shared his plan with Dushawn London of 247Sports.
Haywood, listed at 6-foot-3 and 170 pounds, currently suits up for AZ Compass Preparatory School in Chandler, a Phoenix suburb. Nationally, 247Sports ranks him as the No. 15 shooting guard and the No. 130 overall prospect in his class.
Although no other outlet has corroborated the information, a college coach not directly involved in Haywood's recruitment indicated that the backcourt standout is likely leaning toward Nevada. The smooth and slender guard is also known as "Tripp" Haywood and hails from a Seattle basketball family with a strong college pedigree.
He is the son of Jimmie Haywood, who starred at Franklin High School and later at Oregon State. From 2000 to 2003, the elder Haywood started 74 of 108 games for the Beavers, averaging 10.7 points per game as a senior and 8.3 points for his career in Corvallis.
According to published reports, the younger Haywood transferred from Bellevue to Garfield for the 2024-25 season before moving to Compass Prep last season. As a junior in the desert, he averaged just 6.2 points per game while shooting 44 percent from the floor, though his numbers were considerably higher during AAU play. He spent the offseason competing for the Seattle Rotary team.
Haywood received a scholarship offer from Washington on August 25 and took an official visit to Montlake on September 5, where he posed for publicity photos with Huskies coach Danny Sprinkle in a team uniform. While UW has pursued Haywood, the program's overall recruiting efforts over the past year have shifted away from high school prospects in favor of older transfer portal players and international talents. Sprinkle brought in only one high school recruit last winter: 6-foot-7 forward Lattimore Ford from Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie, Washington.
Key Analysis
Haywood's decision carries significant weight for a Washington program that has recently favored experienced transfers over prep players. Landing a local four-star talent like Haywood would signal a potential shift in strategy for Sprinkle and his staff, though Nevada appears to have gained momentum behind the scenes. The coming days will reveal whether the Huskies can capitalize on their official visit and close the deal with the Seattle native.