Player by Player Reviews
Venoy Overton
Great night for the senior guard. He did an excellent job at point for the Huskies. Only two points, but he snared 6 rebounds, 5 defensive, and threw in 7 assists for a game high along with Abdul. He had 1 turnover. He, along with most of the Dawgs, was unable to find his shot tonight on 1-6 shooting and that was his only true blemish on the night. His defense was solid. He got great positioning on his guy. Overton did have one sloppy reach in foul and is something he needs to avoid, but he only racked up 2 fouls on the night so it was not a concern. He played great pressure defense in the 3/4 court trap Romar threw at the Dons. Solid play for a 20 minute outing.
Grade: B
Justin Holiday
A quiet night for the forward. His offensive burst he showed in the last two home games wasn't there tonight as he went 3-9 from the field and 1-5 from range. He only grabbed 3 boards, but he did have a block and 3 steals along with his 8 points. Tonight his presence and impact was his defensive game rather than his offensive game. It was nice to really see that part of his game show up so strongly again. It seems to get overlooked when he is putting up 20 points and 6 or 7 boards. This kid is a machine and will be one of the reasons the Dawgs find success this season. His defensive intensity forced the Dons into terrible passes as well as pushing them back to half court where they sat and festered all game long.
Grade: B+
Matthew Bryan-Amaning
The native Londoner rejoined the starting line up today, taking Gant's former position at the starting 4. What an impact it makes having such a big force at the 4 as well as having a 7 footer in the center. No offense to Gant, I love what he does, but having MBA start at the 4 gives us a lot more options in terms of rebounding and scoring. MBA is very good at getting open dunks down low and has some pretty solid post moves. He doesn't have the range Gant does, but we can sub for a reason. MBA grabbed a team high 9 rebounds, 7 offensive. He really stepped up his rebounding game against the Dons, but it appears to be for less than desirable reasons. He is quoted saying he really wanted to get the boards to get Romar off his back. Not something you want to be your motivation. MBA should be wanting the rebound because it's fun, it wins games, and its what a 4/5 should do. Either way, as long as he gets 8+ boards a game I will be very happy and content with him. 2 steals and a block tonight along with his 10 points. He missed his only free throw attempt, still a negative part of his game. His hands were solid tonight, catching some great passes by the guard trio that led to some thundering dunks and wonderful lay-ins in transition. Expect to see MBA and Aziz in the starting 5 for the foreseeable future should they continue to dominate the glass and stay out of foul trouble. Thinking about him and Aziz makes me want to write about Aziz now, but I'll get to him in time. I like to go by class standing so I don't leave anyone out.
Grade: A
Isaiah Thomas
Isaiah did a much better job of sharing the rock today. Maybe it was due to the criticism he took after A&M, maybe he found his point guard mentality that occasionally goes missing when his shooting guard mentality takes over. Whatever the case he did a fantastic job tonight. He went into half with only 2 points, but came out and scored 10 straight for the Dawgs. He threw in 5 assists, 2 steals, and 0 turnovers. He made an absolutely dirty play in transition. He sprinted after a loose ball, snatched it up, dribbled behind his back and passed to Gaddy who laid it in with ease. He was much less selfish and did not let his shooting slump (2-7 from range) get him down. He took open shots and only took one or two contested shots from range so it wasn't like he was jacking up bad shots, they just weren't falling.
I love his new free throw motion. A few dribbles then...a pause. He concentrates instead of going straight into the shot. I know it threw me and a few of my friends off when he didn't shoot straight off the dribble, but it looked good and played out pretty well going 2-3 from the charity stripe. I'd like to see how it pans out in a game when he is shooting 5+ free throws and if it makes a significant difference in his percentage.
Grade: A
Darnell Gant
Back to the bench for Gant tonight, but he plays a good 6th man. His defensive intensity is a valuable asset to this team and his ability to move out and shoot from range is great. He, like most of the bench, was ineffective offensively tonight scoring 3 points on 1-5 shooting and 1-2 from the free throw line. He also had 2 rebounds and a block. Not a great night, but decent. His defense makes up for his poor offensive showing.
Grade: B-
Scott Suggs
To me, the MVP of the game. He was the only Husky who was shooting well tonight going 6-7 from the field and 3-3 from range. He put the game out of reach immediately when he got in and hit back to back threes. He also grabbed 5 board tonight. I take back what I said about Suggs not having improved his game. Tonight re-enforced his last few outings as not being flukes. He really has rounded out his game nicely. He did some great work under the hoop and had some beautiful lay-ins. I am really surprised Suggs only saw 15 minutes in the game when he was scoring so well. He is no slack on defense either so I am somewhat confused as to why he saw such limited time when our team seemed to be struggling with scoring on Saturday. Great job Suggs.
Grade: A+
Brendan Sherrer
The Victory Cigar is seeing more and more time and I like it. He scored once again off a lovely pick and roll fed to him by Overton. He shot without hesitation and put up a one handed bank shot off the glass from about 8 feet out. It's really nice to see him becoming confident in his shot and taking what is available. I don't know when or if he might see some "real" minutes, but I think it is a distinct possibility with both MBA and Aziz starting. Maybe not against USC or UCLA, but we may see him against Nevada if things are playing out right.
Grade: A
Abdul Gaddy
Had his first career dunk tonight. Evidently he and IT had a bet on who would jam one first and it looks like Gaddy won, though barely as Thomas has had two close dunks that narrowly missed for different reasons. Gaddy played like an NBA point guard tonight dishing out 7 assists with 0 turnovers. He found our post players often and shoveled out passes like it was nothing. He did a beautiful job making room and driving the lanes as his outside shot just wasn't hitting. He did have one long 2 pointer, but otherwise went 0-4 from range. He was a perfect 5-5 inside the arc. Some nights he has his shot and others he doesn't, but his drive is looking just as pretty as it has been this season. Loved every minute he played tonight. Fantastic
Grade: A+
Aziz N'Diaye
Aziz was a monster in the key tonight. Sure he only grabbed 5 boards, lower than normal, but he played 22 minutes, blocked 4 shots, and had 9 points. He actually looked comfortable down low tonight. Caught tough passes he would have and did miss earlier in the season. He threw down with power, he rebounded with strength, and overall played like a man with something to prove. Maybe he feels a little nervous with MBA back in the starting line up, maybe he wanted to shine, maybe he wanted to make MBA's dunks look weak. Whatever the reason it played out well. He scored all 9 of his points in the first half. He almost had 5 blocks, but it was ruled a goal tend. He picked up a silly foul for over the back. That is something that will happen throughout the year and will be hard to avoid. At 7 feet tall you want to reach over people and it doesn't always work out. He was looking mean out there tonight, something I haven't seen in person since the McNeese State game. He played this way against UK as well and it showed in his 10 boards and 5 blocks that game. Aziz could leave UW as the all time leading shot blocker at this rate. I hope his continues to play this way as it will greatly improve our chances of blowing March Madness apart.
Grade: A
Terrence Ross
Like everyone else his shot struggled against the Dons. Not because of their defense, but because the ball just couldn't find the bottom of the net. He had a very nice lay-in he rolled off the back of his hand. I love how he will take contested shots. He is confident in his ability to rise over his man and make baskets. Some games they hit and others they haven't. He is a freshman still perfecting his shot, especially after a year off from competitive ball in high school. I'd rather he take some tough shots than just pass off and not attempt anything. An average night over all with a nice highlight, but nothing else real special.
Grade: B-
C.J. Wilcox
Even our star shooting could move the nets against USF. He went 0-3 from range and 1-5 over all. Besides his two points his only other stat was a single rebound. His defense looked good once again, but his shot just wouldn't drop. He was on target, just slightly off. The Huskies need to bring the rain against Nevada so they will be warmed up for their openers against USC and UCLA. This falls on C.J. first and foremost as our primary outside scorer, though some may argue its Suggs and after last night it's hard to ignore him. Probably the most disappointing game of the season for Wilcox. That being said, I don't expect Romar to "punish" him with less minutes. Wilcox's shot is solid, everyone has off nights.
Grade: C
Antoine Hosley
Hosley scored as well tonight making both his free throws. I still say he has one of the wonkiest shots I have ever seen. He pushes the ball much more than he lifts it. Oh well, I still love seeing him on the court and the smile he gets being on the team and playing in the game. Your training is going well young Cigar.
Grade: A
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