Call him ‘The General’: George Washington III on his first month at Michigan, what he brings to the Wolverines

 A name like George Washington III invites nicknames, and the Michigan men’s basketball team’s lone scholarship freshman has heard many. He’s partial to “The General.”

“‘The General’ is kind of nice,” Washington III said. “I like it.” 

The lone freshman in the Wolverines’ 2023 class, Washington III has already impressed his teammates. Fellow guard Dug McDaniel said his shot-making ability “is the best I’ve seen so far.” Washington III expects to provide depth at the ‘1’ and the ‘2’ for a Michigan team that replaces its top three scorers from a year ago. 

On Thursday, Washington III spoke to reporters at a meet-and-greet hosted by Stadium and Main, an NIL collective that helps support Michigan Athletics. Players from the men’s and women’s basketball teams distributed cold drinks to patrons of the Ann Arbor Art Fair while raising awareness for organ and bone marrow donation. 

 

“This is the first time I’ve had a chance to really be out here and do something like this,” Washington III said. “Any other time, I’ve normally been locked up in the dorm room doing homework or locked up in the gym working out. It’s good to kind of have this chance to get out and be around people in the Ann Arbor community.” 

Select athletes from the basketball, hockey and football programs will continue participating in the meet-and-greet on Friday and Saturday, weather permitting. 

Here’s what Washington III said: 

How long have you been in Ann Arbor? And how acclimated do you feel? 

I got up here about June 24. I’ve been here for getting close to a month now. It’s been going really well. Right now, still in the stage of balancing work, school load, workouts, and social life — some friends I’ve made here. But it’s going really great. It’s been a really natural blend into college life that I’m really grateful for and it’s been going really smooth.

Is it strange to show up as the only incoming freshman? 

It is a little weird. I think this is the perfect team to be in that situation, though. I don’t feel like a freshman here at all around the guys. We all blend in; we click really well together. I feel like all of us are similar enough and different enough to where we just all play off of each other and have fun. It’s been a really good situation where I don’t really feel like an outlier at all. 

In terms of work, I’m a hard worker. I do everything I can to work my way, to keep up with everyone. I think it’s a really good situation to push myself, to be honest.

Who are the teammates who have taken you under your wing? 

I’d say a little bit of everyone. Will, Tray, Dug — all them over there. Olivier, Cooper, Harrison, Jace. I can honestly go through every single name on the team that I’ve literally spent time with and have hung out with in one way or another since I’ve been up here. 

I think that’s probably one of the best things about this team. We’re not a cliquey group of guys, all of us hang out with each other. We’re all looking out for each other. Anyone wants to go somewhere, someone doesn’t have a ride, someone is swinging to pick the other one up. It’s just a great environment.

What do you think your role could be as a freshman on this Michigan team? 

I feel like there is there is that room and that space for me to be able to step in and get meaningful time and make do on some opportunities I’m gonna have. The biggest thing with that for me is just taking advantage of the opportunities I have: Staying in the gym, being sharp, catching up to all the terminology, all the plays, everything as quickly as possible, and just being locked in on that to take advantage of those things when they do come my way.

How would you describe your own game? 

Anyone who watches me can probably say I know how to score the ball. I can shoot the ball pretty well, handle the ball pretty well. If I get that open lane, I can get my head up there with the rim. My biggest thing is I play a pretty exciting way of basketball, explosive on the scoring side. And really this year, I think defensively I’m trying to turn some heads.

Who is turning heads for you on the team?

All of our transfers. I think our transfers are about to step in and make a big, big shift. Duggie,  this is gonna be a second year. Last year, he was a freshman being thrown into this. Being a freshman right now and seeing how much new stuff that is being thrown at you and how he handled last year, you could see how progressively, each game, he started making those big steps. So I think this year is huge for him. 

Will and Terrance, I think they’re stepping into it this year and really be big. Same with big T-Reed, too. This is a team that has a lot of guys on it that are going to really have increased roles and are really going to take advantage of them. I’m excited. 

Do you get some flak for flipping from Ohio State to Michigan? 

I have for sure. I like to say, when I’m asked about it, I’m just glad I got a little smarter as I got older. 

That’s not going to make things better!

No, it’s not, but in all seriousness, I’m really happy to be here. I feel like this was 100% the right place for me to be, and being here on campus, it only makes me double down on those feelings and the way the I feel about it. 

The Post was first time published on 247sports.com