Oregon Ducks News: Jett Washington commits, Sabally sisters clean the glass, Beaver climbs the billboard

Bishop Gorman safety Jett Washington committed to the Ducks Thursday, a five-star safety from Las Vegas, Nevada and Oregon's 9th commitment of the 2026 class.

As a physical safety with great versatility and closing speed, Washington is perfect for the STAR position in the Duck defense. He's 6-5, 200, big enough to match up against tight ends and big receivers, strong and athletic enough to defend against the run and play in the box, especially as he trains and matures at the college level.

For the Gaels he primarily plays a deep safety position but he has the skills to do both, projecting as the kind of linebacker/safety hybrid modern defenses need against RPOs and sophisticated spread offenses. As an accomplished open-court basketball player he can defend in space and roam the field.

A lot is made in the scouting and commitment reports of the fact that he is Kobe Bryant's nephew and Washington is rightfully proud of that fact. Equally important is that he is the son of Jerrod and Sharia Washington.

His mother was an all-conference basketball at Temple. His father played running back at Virginia, drafted by the New England Patriots in 1994. He's been raised in an atmosphere of excellence and encouragement.

In January 2024 he played in a tournament at the Staples Center, the arena where his famous uncle (Sharia's brother) became a legend. Washington responded with a career-high 33 points.

He told Brandon Robinson of The Athletic, “Sometimes I feel a little bit of pressure (being Bryant’s nephew), but my parents make sure I don’t feel it too much. They tell me to just go out there and have fun, don’t try to overthink and just play."



"My uncle was a great player. At the same time, I know he wanted me to make my own name. He laid the foundation for me. I’m just grateful.”

Rivals ranks Washington as a four-star, the No. 78 prospect and No. 5 safety. In the 247Composite he's a five-star, No. 29 prospect for 2026, No. 4 safety. The star ratings expire on the first day of practice.

Sabally sisters square off in WNBA tilt, Liberty fall at home

Nyara and Satou Sabally, once stars for Kelly Graves in Eugene, faced off in a WNBA regular season contest at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn Wednesday night.

Satou and the Phoenix Mercury upended defending champion New York 89-81, the first home loss of the season for the Liberty, 10-2.

Satou chipped in 15 points and nine rebounds for the victors, while Nyara played 27 minutes off the bench, contributing seven rebounds and seven points.

Oregon great Sabrina Ionescu had a woeful night. She was 3-16 from the floor with five turnovers, 1-10 from 3-point range, held to 16 points.

Bryson Beaver makes noise at Elite 11 final day

Both Oregon targets at Elite 11, Matt Ponatoski and Bryson Beaver, raised their stock with scrappy performances at the quarterback competition.

With the final Day 3 dedicated to a 7-on-7 tournament, the two displayed timing, vision and accuracy as they competed against a field of better-known, highly-touted QBs.

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