Washington Lands Top-100 Guard Ze'Ni Patterson to Open 2027 Class

The Washington Huskies’ women’s basketball program landed their first recruit of the 2027 class. Ze'Ni Patterson, a guard prospect out of San Jose, California, is the No. 86-ranked player in her class, according to ESPN’s rankings.

Head coach Tina Langley secured Patterson’s commitment over Michigan State, TCU, Harvard and Cal, which rounded out her top five along with Washington.

This marks the seventh straight year Langley has earned a commitment from a top-100 recruit. With star guard Sayvia Sellers likely heading to the WNBA after this season, Patterson should have an opportunity to come in and play meaningful minutes right away.

Patterson stands 5-9 and has the skill set to play both guard spots effectively. She possesses legitimate downhill burst, allowing her to put pressure on the rim and create scoring opportunities for herself and her teammates. While not a high-level distributor, she has the passing chops to facilitate the offense and keep the ball moving.

Patterson was a MaxPreps Junior All-American who made 61 three-pointers while averaging 2.2 steals per game. Her range and defensive ability should allow her to become a consistent two-way contributor at the college level.

Developing an in-between game and a more consistent jumper will be key during her senior year of high school. She is adept at getting to the rim, but the better rim-protecting centers in the Big Ten will force her to develop a more effective floater or midrange game.

Patterson is capable of making set three pointers, but the college game will require her to speed up her release, which could initially reduce her efficiency.

Overall, it is a strong recruiting win for Washington to build on last year’s NCAA Tournament run. Should the Huskies make another deep March Madness push, they may be able to flip some higher-ranked recruits to pair with Patterson as well.