Women's Basketball | Huskies' top scorer Redmon decides to quit team

In perhaps the biggest jolt in a series of deflating events for the Washington women's basketball team, freshman forward Katelan Redmon announced Wednesday she is leaving the Huskies.

Redmon becomes the third freshman from a highly regarded six-player recruiting class inherited by first-year coach Tia Jackson to cut ties with the team. Neither Jackson, reported to be traveling, nor Redmon were available for questions Wednesday.

On Feb. 18, with four games left in the season, 6-foot-5 Jess McCormack, a member of the New Zealand national team, announced she would not return.

McCormack did not offer specific reasons for her departure, saying, "It's just kind of added up and just hasn't worked out to be the right spot for me."

In November, after playing a combined 34 minutes in two exhibition games, 5-10 guard Candice Nichols left the team for reasons Jackson at the time explained were rooted in a desire to play closer to her Carson, Calif., home. One rating service ranked Nichols as a top-50 recruit.

Redmon, a slender 6-1 shooter who won two Class 4A state titles while playing at Spokane's Lewis & Clark High School, finished the season as UW's leading scorer at 11.8 points per game.

Redmon was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman team.

"I never thought in a million years I would be revealing what I am today," Jackson said in a statement released by the school. "However, Katelan Redmon has opted to forgo her time here at Washington.

"There are several reasons for her decision and as you can imagine this program is incredibly disappointed that she has elected to leave. Katelan has been an integral part of the success of our program this past season and an absolute gem to coach."

Jackson took part in a compliance meeting on campus Wednesday, and one meeting participant said she looked "tired."

Redmon and McCormack attempted to get out of their letters of intent when former athletic director Todd Turner fired coach June Daugherty in March and hired Jackson in April. Jackson visited both players twice and persuaded them to play for her.

Wednesday's announcement stated that Redmon intended to transfer to another institution. Early speculation is focused on Washington State, where Daugherty is now coach. Daugherty did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.