The Memphis Tigers are off and running in terms of 2004 recruiting. On Monday night, it began to leak out that they received a commitment and it’s a biggie.

Darius Washington, our pick as the top shooting guard entering the spring, committed to the Tigers. The Orlando Sentinel ran a big story in Tuesday’s edition about the commitment.

Apparently, Washington’s heart was with Memphis since he visited the Tigers during the season. Since the visit, we’ve been under the impression that Memphis was the school to beat for his services.

He averaged 30.1 points a game this past season. He’s a unique offensive talent. Despite his size he has little trouble getting to the basket. He’s more than reliable from the perimeter and he’s wired to score. He’ll be ready from the get go to add a serious scoring punch to the Tigers.

Washington is the first Memphis commitment in the Class of 2004.