Washington Basketball Hosts 3-Star Oregon Guard For Official Visit

Q: Who is Zamir Paschal and what are his basketball achievements?

Zamir Paschal is a 6-foot-1 guard from Central Catholic High School in Portland, Oregon, and the top-ranked player in the 2026 class, known for his speed and versatility.

Q: What offers has Zamir Paschal received for college basketball?

Paschal has received offers from the University of Washington, Portland, and Portland State, with Washington being his first Power Four opportunity.

Q: How might Zamir Paschal fit into the Washington Huskies' roster?

With the recent transfers of scholarship guards JJ Mandaquit and Courtland Muldrew, Paschal has a potential path to playing time in his freshman year at Washington.

The Washington Huskies hosted Zamir Paschal, the top-ranked player from the state of Oregon in the 2026 class, for an official visit this week as third-year coach Danny Sprinkle sets his 2026-27 roster.

Paschal, a 6-foot-1 guard for Central Catholic High School in Portland, came away with his third Division I offer Thursday from UW, his first Power Four opportunity with offers from Portland and Portland State already secured. In the wake of both freshmen scholarship guards, JJ Mandaquit and Courtland Muldrew, entering the transfer portal, it opened the door for the Huskies to add at least one first-year player going into Sprinkle's third season in Seattle.

Although choosing either in-state offer would likely provide more minutes for Paschal as a freshman, there is a path to seeing the court for the Huskies this coming season. While the Beaver State product isn't ranked as high as either Mandaquit or Muldrew was when they signed with the program last year, Sprinkle has shown the willingness to play freshmen once they show the ability to hold their own on both sides of the floor.

Nicknamed "Bam", the under-the-radar Oregon prep standout and 6A State Champion is a quick, twitchy, versatile guard with the skillset to impact the game offensively and defensively, even though Paschal is on the lighter side at 160-pounds, an area he'll need to improve before he can play significant minutes at the Power Four level.

"Offensively, Paschal’s ability to push the pace in transition was one of his key strengths," an evaluation of Paschal stated in December 2024. "His speed allowed him to create fast-break opportunities, often outrunning defenders and finishing with smooth, controlled layups around the rim. While he doesn’t always finish with authority, Paschal’s body control and touch in the paint were impressive."

"On the defensive end, Paschal’s quickness, anticipation, and basketball IQ were key factors in his success. He excelled at reading the game and playing the passing lanes, consistently jumping in front of passes to create steals. His ability to disrupt offensive flow and generate turnovers was evident throughout the tournament, and these steals often led to easy fast-break opportunities for his team."

UW has not signed any high school freshmen yet for the 2026-27 season, but holds a commitment from three-star Lattimore Ford, while Sprinkle has added four transfers to the program: guard Parker Friedrichsen, guard Ryan Beasley, wing Steele Venters, and forward LeJuan Watts, along with the addition of 21-year-old Brazilian forward Wini Braga.

Currently, UW has 12 scholarship players—sophomore forward Nikola Dzepina, redshirt freshman forward Jasir Rencher, junior center Lathan Sommerville, senior forward Mady Traore, and junior guard Wesley Yates III, along with the five incoming additions and returning walk-on sophomore guard BJ Roy—which gives Sprinkle a few more spots to use to reach the NCAA limit of 15 scholarships per season.