Boise State has finished filling a glaring hole in its backcourt, landing former Georgia Tech guard Lamar Washington as the Broncos lock in their roster for the upcoming season.
Washington, who told The Field of 68 on Wednesday that he has committed to Leon Rice and Boise State, gives the Broncos an experienced playmaker with one year of eligibility left. At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, he brings a stat line that jumps off the page: 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game last season for the Yellow Jackets.
That addition matters because Washington is expected to step right into the role left open by Illinois transfer Ty Rodgers. Boise State said Rodgers suffered a lower-body injury over the summer, underwent surgery and will be out of all basketball-related activities for an indefinite period of time.
Rodgers, a 6-foot-6, 205-pound wing, was Boise State’s top transfer portal pickup last cycle. He started for Illinois on its 2023-24 team that reached the Elite Eight and was valued for his defense, while averaging 6.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and two assists. Injuries then kept him out of the next two seasons.
Washington’s path to Boise State has taken him through several stops. He was a four-star football and basketball prospect at Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon, where he earned Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a junior before transferring to Arizona Compass Prep for his senior year. There, he put up 13.3 points, 4.5 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game.
A No. 98 overall recruit in the 247Sports class of 2022 composite rankings, Washington originally signed with Texas Tech over a group of suitors that included Boise State, Colorado State, Oregon State and Washington State. He played in 62 career games across two seasons with the Red Raiders before moving on to Pacific.
His one season at Pacific was productive. Washington started 33 games in 2024-25 and averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.7 steals.
After that, he headed to Georgia Tech, where he again put together a solid individual year even as the program struggled to an 11-20 record and 2-16 mark in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets fired head coach Damon Stoudamire after the season.
247Sports lists Washington as a three-star transfer recruit and the No. 419 overall player in the portal. His value is clear on the defensive end and as a distributor, though he arrives with one obvious blemish: he is a career 28 percent shooter from three-point range.
Boise State needed the help. The Broncos lost all five starters from last season’s 20-12 team that finished 12-8 in the Mountain West and missed the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.
A very early look at the new Pac-12 starting five has Washington penciled in at shooting guard, alongside Damari Wheeler-Thomas at point guard, Pearson Carmichael on the wing, Spencer Ahrens at forward and Dovydas Butka at center.
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