Sporting Chance by Candace Zion

A good friend of mine wrote this for a class. I thought it was fantastic and a piece of literature more people should have the chance to enjoy. Sports can be a majestic thing. Forget love poetry, the way to a girls heart should be sports poetry. I hope y'all enjoy this as much as I did. If you enjoy the the following article, give her some love in the comments or share it with your fellow Husky fans. Heck, share it with your unfortunate Wildcat friends or even worse, your Cougar friends.

      

“Cold Blooded”

            “Shot clock turned off…game clock at eight….he’s gonna do it himself,,” Gus Johnson announced hoarsely, straining to keep his voice loud, trumping the rowdy crowd in the background as the game drew to a close. The Washington Huskies, clad in all black faced the Arizona Wildcats, in all white, for the third time this season. Each team owned one victory over the other, earned at their respective home arenas in front of game changing home crowds. At this meeting, the last Pac-10 Tournament title is on the line. Neither team possessed home court advantage as they battled at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The game tied at seventy five points apiece and already in the first overtime period.

            Isaiah Thomas was just about to cross half court, dribbling the basketball about waist high, standing straight up. Taking the perfect amount of time to make it down the court, each of his steps were even and casual. He saw everything in front of him. His stride exuded game time composure developed over years of intense match ups and close scores. Inches before the black, center stripe he began to drift to his left, chest, hips, feet and shoulders all square to a spot on the floor opposite the bench. The play was already drawn up in his head. His overly comfortable progression up the floor made his defender leery. He glanced over his shoulder at his coach who was preparing to call a time out, clip board ready, and gave a nonchalant wave of his hand, a mere flick of the wrist. The motion laden with confidence sent the well versed, veteran coach back to the bench, trusting his junior guard completely. There was no doubt that Thomas knew what he was doing. This was his game, his tournament. Game after game, playing thirty eight of forty minutes each, he showed no sign of fatigue. His actions remained crisp, his decisions smart, his leadership apparent with his mind game still sharp.

            Crossing the center line flipped the switch. Instantly, Thomas dropped into an athletic stance, knees bent, muscles flexed and feet ready to dance. His back stayed flat, chest and head up. He never lost sight of the floor space and set up. His hand, arm, and shoulder working in perfect unison to ricochet the ball back and forth from hand to floor. Up, down. Hand, floor. He crosses the ball in front of his body with methodical bounces from left to right. The guard shoots left handed but dribbles with unrivaled ambidexterity. Two crossovers and he gains his rhythm. The ball stays on his left hand for two more dribbles, pulling his positioning that direction. Never a glance down.

            His defender seems barely there, causing no disruption in any of the Husky’s movements. Thomas acknowledges his man’s presence but is not phased by it. Thomas’s eyes see every teammate and defender simultaneously. His teammates sit flat with the baseline. Thomas sees his lanes, knows the openings. Now approaching the top of the key, a dribble between the legs to return the ball to his right hand, his body rises up matching the bounce of the ball and falls with its return to the hardwood. Back in a text book athletic stance, two quick possession changes between his hands, quick feet movements that can only be appreciated in slow motion. He juts left leaving his defender flat footed at the foul line.

            Two hard dribbles to the left, he lands on his left foot. His body moves as one complete unit, his left foot pulling the rest of him along. He pushes off backwards, feet landing on the three point arch in picturesque shooting form. Feet spaced, chest and shoulders square with the basket. Both hands on the ball, he jumps with both feet. His quads and calves team up to elevate him off the polished wood. His hands lift the ball perfectly above his head and his back begins to fall away from the basket. His left wrist flips the ball towards the basket with perfect backspin and seemingly calculated arch, left hand ending parallel to the floor, arm perpendicular. His left foot kicks forward, his ankles separating the same way scissors do. His five feet nine inch, compact frame was able to muscle the ball nineteen feet to the hoop in a fade away jump shot. The defender’s lanky arms were slow to recover from the earlier juke and the shot got off cleanly.

            Thomas lands back on the surface, right foot first, then left, already backpedaling, arms swinging behind him on their way down. The ball goes through the rim, snaps the net. The buzzer sounds and the backboard border lights up in red. The shoulders of the men in white slump and they sulk off the floor in defeat to the sounds of elated fans adorned in purple and gold celebrating.

All Thomas’s basketball movements vanish. He faces the stands but looks at no one yet sees everyone. His head back, mouth open in a triumphant roar that can’t be heard over the crowd, his arms flexed making a perfect frame around the purple “Washington” against the black fabric on his chest. He stumbles between the teammates storming him as the bench clears, throwing victory fists into the air. Then he collapses in the middle of his team. Safely surrounded by his comrades, he just lies down, his body relaxes, his mind dazed. The exhaustion from game after game with no substitutions caught up and he was finally able to momentarily surrender his will to perform.

            “Thomas…Shake. Cross over. Step baaaaack…. AT THE BUZZER! Young. Zeke and Washington wins it! With a last second j… Cooooold. Blooded,” were the words Gus Johnson rasped out while Thomas led his team to a well deserved triumph over their Pac-10 rivals. Each word improvised on the spot and spoken with unabashed emotion, excitement, and accuracy. Washington now forever reigns as Pac-10 Tournament champions, thanks to that fateful, cold blooded shot by a hot handed, worn out, draft bound Husky. 

-Written by Candace Zion 11/15/2011

University of Washington 2011-2012 Preview

                                                          Back to Front. Left to Right.


 Andrew Andrews. Alex Wegner. Brendan Sherrer. Jernard Jerreau. Martin Breunig. Shawn Kemp Jr. Hikeem Stewart. Desmond Simmons. Tony Wroten Jr. Scott Suggs. Aziz N'Diaye. Darnell Gant. Abdul Gaddy. Terrence Ross. C.J. Wilcox.


It has been a long time in the making (OK, so its only been since March, I'm anxious cut me some slack), but the 2011 season is just about here. 11:30am tomorrow I'll be lined up in front of Hec-Ed waiting for the 7pm Exhibition Opener against Seattle Pacific University. Sure it doesn't count towards our record, but after SPU beat Arizona last week, I'm pumped for a bit higher quality game (more on this in the game preview that will be up later today).

Washington finished the year with a disappointing loss to UNC in the NCAA Round of 32. UW had every chance to win the game, including a game winning opportunity with only seconds to go. Let us not remember these painful memories and think about the good things the team accomplished.

After a third straight NCAA appearance, Darnell Gant and Scott Suggs are poised to become the first Washington players in quite sometime, if not ever, to appear in four straight NCAA tournaments. Back to Back Pac-10 tournament Champions after a Pac-10 regular season title. UW finished the year 24-11, 11-7 in conference, good for third place. It was a disappointing season in the sense that UW was the unanimous pick to win the conference and after an an extremely proficient 6-0 start, it seemed as though UW could go undefeated in conference and dominate the title run. A 3 game losing streak to WSU, UO, and OSU on the road took away those dreams and Arizona took home the banner.

The biggest blow came soon after the tournament when Isaiah Thomas declared for the NBA draft. It was a somewhat surprising decision as Thomas had stated he would be coming back for his senior season. Thomas was drafted with the final pick and went to the Sacramento Kings.

UW is primed for another solid season, but a lot of questions remain with the graduation of three seniors and a star junior. How has the post developed? Who will step up to be the leader? Who will be the face of this team?

Key Losses:

Justin Holiday 6-6 185lb

Holiday was a terrific defender who suffered a bit of a down turn towards the end of the year. This was slightly overshadowed at the beginning of the year when his offense seemed to have hit its peak. He was hitting his jumpers, dropping threes all over the place, and was playing with a fire under his shorts. The second half of the season, Holiday struggled to get his shot together. Regardless, Holiday had enough consistency to help the perimeter open shots and get the ball to the posts. UW will miss him most for his defensive and shot blocking capabilities. He was also a strong rebounder due to his lanky arms that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Matthew Bryan-Amaning 6-9 240lb

Much like WSU will miss DeAngelo Casto, UW will miss MBA and what he brought to this team perhaps more than any other player. I know I cursed his name a thousand times for missed shots, poor free throws, etc, but it is because I saw how good he could play and it is frustrating when a player doesn't always meet his potential. MBA's senior season showed drastic improvement on his rebounding abilities, completing 10 double-doubles on the year. MBA also possessed some vicious dunking and blocking skills that made for exciting and entertaining plays each and every game. He was tough in the post and along side Aziz N'Diaye, the duo made up a brutal frontcourt that several teams struggled to match up against.

Isaiah Thomas  5-9 185lb

The face and star of the Washington Basketball squad last season and years past for that matter. He was poised to return for a record shattering senior season. I.T. could have broke the points, wins, assists, and numerous other records. He would have gone down as perhaps the greatest to play for UW. Better than BRoy, Nate, Brockman, Pondexter, Hawes, the list goes on. He was a fantastic scorer, who's hard work and tenacious attitude carried him above and beyond the call of duty so many times. If you don't believe me, remind yourself of the fact that Isaiah Thomas played 123 minutes out of a possible 125 in the Pac-10 tournament, missing only 2 minutes and 2 offensive possessions against Oregon. He also made the perfect shot in the Pac-10 Championship game to win it all, in overtime. The board lights up as it drains through the net. That is the stuff you dream of as a kid and pretend to have happen every day in practice. Unreal. The NBA lockout is just one more reason I.T. should have stuck around.

As opposed to my previous previews, I'm going to look at UW's players a bit more in depth. I know them better and the fan base that reads these articles are primarily UW fans. I'll go class by class starting with the freshmen and moving up to the seniors.

Freshmen: 

Desmond Simmons 6-7 220lb


Simmons redshirted last season after nagging knee pains kept him from his full potential. Simmons returns as one of the most hyped up defensive players in a while. People liken him to a bigger Quincy Pondexter or Justin Holiday with the aggressiveness and hustle ability of Jon Brockman. Simmons gets up and down the court, dives after balls, muscles bigger players out of his way, and does whatever it takes to get the win. He is a real scrapper that will prove to be a huge asset. Throw him in at the 4 behind Gant and we have ourselves a bit more solid frontcourt.

Andrew Andrews 6-2 195lb

Yes, his first name is essentially his last. No idea why his parents would do that to him...anyways...He and Romar agreed he would redshirt this season as he chose to come to UW instead of prep school after the graduation of Isaiah Thomas. He is a very solid point guard with great speed and passing skills. His defense needs improvement as he often gets tagged with sloppy and obvious fouls. Once Romar gets him aligned with the UW defensive ways, Andrew(s) will be one of the better guards to come through UW. We'll likely see him garner some play time tomorrow against SPU, but that will be the last of him this season (a player can participate in exhibition games during their redshirt season).

Alex Wegner 6-7 190lb

Wegner is a local walk-on from Vashon Island. He averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds his senior season and was a McDonald's All-American nominee. He is listed as both a guard and forward due to his ball handling skill. Combined with his size, Wegner make a solid 3 prospect, but one that will likely not see a ton of time outside of garbage minutes. Walk-ons don't get scholarships for a reason, they aren't quite ready to play at the next level. Who knows, in a year or two Wegner could see some play time. I certainly expect Brendan Sherrer to see some play time his senior season.

Hikeem Stewart 6-2 175lb

Younger brother to twins Lodrick and Rodrick Stewart, who both played for USC, Hikeem has a basketball family. As a guard, Stewart will likely see time behind Abdul Gaddy and fellow freshman, Tony Wroten Jr. He has a solid skill set for a 1 guard with some shooting ability to allow him to combo as a 2. Being able to play either guard position should see him more play time. If Stewart can get his defensive game together and make smart decisions on offense, I see no reason he can't expect 10 to 15 minutes a game.

Jernard Jarreau 6-10 195lb

Jarreau is a skinny kid. That much is obvious, but what is not obvious is that he grew 7 inches at the end of his high school era and kept the point guard skills he had developed at 6-3. Now he is 6-10 with the ability to play from the 1 to 4 without too much concern. If Jarreau can add another 20 to 30lb of muscle, he could really get low in the post to bang for boards and points. For now he may have to extend his game a bit further out and use his size and jump shot to create opportunities.

Martin Breunig 6-8 210lb

A strong forward prospect from Germany with Vietnamese heritage (his full name is Martin Phong Ni Watt Breunig, seems Vietnamese to me), Breunig averaged close to a double double with 15 points and 9 rebounds. He played in the NBBL in Germany as well as their FIBA U18 team in the European tournament. Breunig isn't a developed back-to-basket type player yet, but his face-up game is pretty good. He has a great mid-range jumper that can extend to the arc. His height allows him to get up on the glass, throw down some dunks, and block shots.

Shawn Kemp Jr. 6-9 265lb

Son of famous Sonics legend, Shawn Kemp aka the Reign Man, Jr has been through a lot to get to UW. He has spent the previous two seasons committed to two different schools, both of which he was declared ineligible for due to academic reasons. With his schooling in line and tutors in place, Kemp Jr. is ready to roll and provide support for Aziz N'Diaye in the post. Romar expects Kemp Jr. to play at 250lb and has already helped improve his conditioning and endurance 10 fold. Kemp reminds me a lot of Tyreese Breshers who retired from basketball due to an undisclosed medical reason. He is a big boy who can throw his weight around to attack the glass. I haven't seen too much of his game play outside of a small scrimmage, but he looks like a decent enough 5. Good enough to give N'Diaye some rest time without a huge drop off.

Tony Wroten Jr. 6-5 205lb

Wroten is likely the highest rated player to ever come to UW. A local prospect, Wroten chose to stay home and represent his city in a big way. Known for his extreme passing abilities, Wroten is a pass first guard with the ability to attack the lane when he wants to. At 6-5 he will prove to be a tough match-up for teams like OSU where a potential starter is Ahmad Starks, nearly a foot shorter at 5-7. Wroten has been known to throw passes his teammates cannot handle and is a bit turnover prone. Don't be surprised if Wroten leads the team in both assists and turnovers. Romar will need to reign him in a bit to help the team out. A big question is whether Wroten and Gaddy can share the court due to their passing guard nature. Gaddy says yes and I agree. Gaddy showed great shooting improvement before his injury, which would allow the two to play at the same time. Expect some spectacular plays between Wroten and Ross or Wroten and N'Diaye.

Sophomores:

C.J. Wilcox 6-5 185lb

Wilcox is one of the best 3 point shooters the UW has ever seen. He had a somewhat slow year marred by injuries that seemed to have shaken his confidence. All that being said, Wilcox proved himself at the end of the year when he scored 24 points in the second half against UCLA, averaged double digit scoring in the Pac-10 and NCAA tournaments, and drilled an all important 3 pointer in the Pac-10 championship game against Arizona. Wilcox has been overshadowed in the off-season due to the high expectations of Terrence Ross. When it comes down to it, Wilcox may be a less prolific player, but a much smoother shooter and he will find his success without a doubt. Expect Wilcox to be one of our top scorers and one of the best 3 point shooters in the conference and likely the nation. I predict Wilcox to be first off the bench if Wroten starts along with Gaddy, second if Wroten comes off the bench.

Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb

Ross is without a doubt the most hyped player coming into the season. The coaches and players (both past and present) are assured that he is the best to come through the program. Isaiah Thomas says he'll be gone after this year and the NBA draft board certainly has him as a near lottery pick (top 10 picks). Romar thinks he could be one of the top scorers in the nation and if his play in the Pac-10 and NCAA tournaments were any indication of where his game is heading, I'd say Romar has it right. Ross had some utterly fantastic games throughout last season and struggled to find a groove in others. One thing is certain, Ross is not afraid to shoot and attack the hoop. He is extremely athletic, with long arms, a sweet shot, and the ability to throw down with the best. Ross should be a candidate for Pac-12 Player of the Year along with Jorge Gutierrez and Reeves Nelson.

Juniors:

Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb

After a below average freshman year, Gaddy broke out at the start of his sophomore year with brilliant shooting and stellar passing only to be cut down with an ACL tear in practice. Now back in action, Gaddy looks as solid as ever. He is not wearing a brace and is expected to start tomorrows exhibition. Gaddy is player who, if he has an extremely proficient year, could head to the draft in the off season. I'd love to see him finish his four years and break Will Conroy's assists records.

Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb

The 7 footer is even bigger this year, adding on at least 10 pounds of muscle. With an improved offensive game, N'Diaye is the biggest key to a successful season. If he has truly turned a corner with his hands and back-to-the-basket game, N'Diaye will be a terrifying player to go up against. He could easily average a double double. It would not surprise me to see him lead the conference in rebounding and blocks. Heck, he could be one of the top rebounders in the nation if he steps his game up. My biggest wish is for his free throw shooting to see drastic improvement. If Aziz can become a true post threat, UW could make a great run at the conference title as well as a deep run in the NCAA.


Seniors:

Brendan Sherrer 6-8 255lb


In his third season as a walk-on, Sherrer has begun to really draw notice from his peers and coaches. The Human Victory Cigar could soon put that title on the line as I suspect we will see Sherrer on the court for legitimate minutes and not just garbage time. How much remains to be seen, but don't be surprised when Sherrer is sitting at the scorers' table during the first half. From Dawg Pack to Player, Sherrer's journey is one I wish I could travel. He is a tough, dedicated player with a great attitude. He needs to start becoming more offensively minded as his time on the court is usually spent running around screening anything and everything. It's actually kind of comical. Sherrer is one of those players who can provide defensive depth during foul trouble situations or high speed games where rest is needed for our starters.


Scott Suggs 6-6 195lb


Scott Suggs is the third head of UW's three point shooting trio. Suggs showed off his newly acquired talents this past year driving the lanes and working the attack from more than just a spot and shoot position. Out currently with a broken foot, Suggs is hoping to return in time for the game in St. Louis, but likely will not return until the December match-ups against Marquette and Duke. Suggs could hae a breakout senior year as is common in Romar's tenure. He could be the rock the team leads on in close games as his senior leadership and experience is crucial.


Darnell Gant 6-8 230lb


Gant is the first redshirt senior Romar has ever had. Gant showed a big improvement in his rebounding game in the second half of last season and his scoring has also taken a turn for the better. Gant is another player the season success will rely on. UW does not have a ton of size combined with experience in the post and it will be important Gant remains healthy, active, and successful on both ends of the court. Gant needs to pick up where he left off: attacking the glass, and taking the open shots. I'd like to see him drive the lanes more when he receives the ball on the wings.


Predicted Starting Line-Up:

Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb
C.J. Wilcox 6-5 185lb
Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb
Darnell Gant 6-8 230lb
Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb (Will be out against SPU with a concussion, Desmond Simmons will start)

That may be the tallest line-up UW has ever garnered. Heck, our shortest player is 6-2. Without Aziz against SPU we get a glimpse of the struggles we could face down low when he finds himself in foul trouble.

What to Expect:

This could be another topsy turvy season for UW as a lot of questions remain unanswered. If UW can overcome their somewhat youthful roster and use their new found size to great advantage, UW should be dancing in March once again. Several players appear like they could be NBA level talent, its a matter of living up to the expectation. UW will also needs its bench to fill in the holes and step up their games. All told, UW should be one of the top teams in conference without a doubt. How good they can be remains to be seen. Romar always seems to have them ready by post season, but we have to get to the post season first before we can truly prepare for it. With Ross, Wroten, Gaddy, and Aziz leading the way I see no reason UW can't compete with UCLA and UA to take the title. KenPom is predicting a 12-6 conference record, but only predicts two losses (on the road at UA and UCLA, which I agree will be tough). Personally, a 14-4 record sounds about right. I fully predicted 18-0 and I fully believe it should have happened. This year I am a little more cautious and apprehensive. We could do as well as 16-2 or as bad as 12-6. A lot remains to be seen and hopefully the non-conference schedule answers our questions early so the Duke/Marquette games can be exciting and competitive wins for the Dawgs. Let's hope this team can pull through and break that Sweet 16 barrier. It would go a long way in helping our program step into the limelight as well as help our recruiting take the next step forward.

Go Dawgs!

Memorable Nights - A Story of My Husky Basketball Experience

Well, it's about 3am and I've been thinking about Husky sports. It started with football and slowly moved its way back to basketball as it usually does. The thoughts usually start out about games both past and future and generally culminates in me thinking about a few games in particular and in turn into a few camp-out nights that have been the greatest times in my college career. Many people may judge me for sitting in line for hours on end, camping over night in sub-freezing temperatures to go watch a ball game, but it doesn't bother me one bit. They ask me "why would you want to sit outside on a Friday night when I could be partying at some frat or a house party?" They tell me it's lonely or anti-social. I believe none of that for one minute for two very simple reasons. One: I do it with my friends. The same people I would be partying with are sitting in line right next to me. Some arrive earlier than others, but we all get there eventually. Two: I love the game. The team. The atmosphere. It can't be beat.

I have been very privileged when it has come to Husky Basketball whereas football has been more down than up during my time at UDub. I first came to UDub for the 2008-2009 season and didn't follow the team much before that. I would watch games on television here and there in the previous years, but I had no emotional investment in the team. This quickly changed thanks to a spare ticket a friend had.

In High School I never attended any of the sporting events for several reasons that do not need to be dictated here as they are neither relevant nor important. All that matters is that attitude transferred over during my first year of college. I watched every football game on T.V., but did not buy season tickets my freshman year. I suffered through every disappointing loss, including the BYU and Apple Cup games. This culminated in me not buying basketball tickets as well. I didn't follow the basketball team as closely as football, mainly due to my school schedule which included labs at 6:30 to 9:30pm on Thursday evenings.

One day I got a call from my friend, Scott Alspach who has contributed a bit to my blog and the inspiration behind it, asking if I wanted to attend the Arizona State game as he had a spare Dawg Pack ticket from a friend who couldn't attend. I figured it could be a good time and I would at least get to hang out with my friends. So four hours before game time I met up with my friends at McMahon and we headed down to the line. We stood in what was to be the usual spot for me that year, somewhere near the steps leading up to Hec Ed from the Graves building. Jim came buy, tore my ticket and slapped a wristband on me about two hours pregame per usual and I waited patiently and anxiously, not knowing what awaited me. As some of you may know the game ended up with a 73-70 victory in overtime. It was ridiculous. My friends and I ended up sitting in the back left of the Dawg Pack, which unfortunately is now a weak section, but that season and that game the crowd was roaring no matter where you sat. I quickly learned the chants after a few times through and found myself jumping and yelling like everyone else. After the game I knew I was addicted and had to get to the rest of the games somehow. I bought regular tickets for the Seattle U game and the Wazzu game and missed out on the Arizona game as the tickets were already sold out. March 7th showed up. I woke up around 4am to get ready to head down to Hec Ed where UDub would be playing against Wazzu to clinch the Pac-10 title outright for the first time in 50 years. It was snowing when I left and the temperature stayed sub-freezing the entire 8 hours I was in line. I naively thought 8 hours would be enough to be near the front of the line. I found myself on the back side of the Graves building as there were around 20 tents pitched from the front of Hec Ed down across the road and stretching along Graves. I sat there in the numbing cold for 8 hours and by god, it was worth every frozen minute. Jim came by, tearing tickets and putting on bands as always. I didn't get one because I had a regular student ticket, but I was not concerned. As with the Seattle U game I would be sneaking into the Dawg Pack using old wrist bands from past seasons the older students had. A few hours later I was standing on the court cheering, screaming, and celebrating with 10,000 other people (minus the cougar fans of course) as UDub cut down the nets. That night we gathered in McMahon with about 8 or 10 people and few cases of brew and set out on a night that has forever been labeled "Pac-10 Night." It resulted in everyone drinking far too much and paying the consequences for it. The next morning I vowed I would never miss another football or basketball game during my student tenure at the University of Washington. I've stayed true to my word and I can't recall missing a single game the past two seasons, minus the first football victory in what was something like 20 games against Idaho in 2009 when I had to attend my cousins wedding up in Port Angeles and the actual game itself when Game Day came to town during the 09-10 season, more on this later.

Before I knew it, it was time to order football tickets and the first day I could purchase said tickets I was up at 8am to be one of the first to order. I figured sales would be slow considering UW's football program had just finished an 0-12 season highlighted by blowing a 10-0 lead against the Cougars, including a missed field goal that would have won the game in regulation. The tickets were ordered and I found myself in Husky Stadium a few weeks later for the home and season opener against LSU. I enjoyed my first experience with tailgating and had a Hurricane too many and found myself high fiving everyone in sight wearing purple, which including one sneaky LSU fan who took advantage of my current state. My hand felt dirty. A 5-7 was the final result and it could have been 8-4 had we performed better in a few instances, but 0-12 to 5-7 is not a bad thing at all. Rushing the field after beating #3 USC in the final seconds with a field goal was amazing. I bought the shirt the day it came out. I wear it for every USC game.

Not long after football started, basketball tickets went on sale and I again awoke early to secure the forbidden treasure that was season Dawg Pack tickets. I succeeded in purchasing the tickets and so began my first year as a full fledged member of the basketball crew.

Two nights stand out that season.

The first night was Game Day coming to UW for senior night against UCLA. It was the be Quincy Pondexter's last home game and man was I bummed about that. As I said above, I actually ended up missing the game and I'll detail how that came to be.

Game Day was on Saturday so naturally I planned to camp out starting Thursday. That's when I realized we played USC on Thursday as well, so it was going to be tricky. We arranged for our good friend to come down about 30 minutes before the end of the USC game to bring a tent and get a good place in line for us. What went down next was ridiculous. UW lost a nail biter to USC by the 3 and the bitterness was surely felt as students left Hec Ed. Now, it is important to note that one particular group of students who were mostly seniors had been the first one to every game this season and first by quite a bit. They camped out just about every home game to my recollection and were the core of the Pack that year. They came out to find a group of 5 or 6 students who had outright skipped the USC game to wait for game day. The result was two hours of arguing over who should be first in line to get into not only the game, but Game Day itself. The police were called to resolve and mediate the matter and threatened to kick everyone out if more trouble was caused. The two groups negotiated for a while and a deal was made, which does not need to be detailed. After the dramatic night, people settled in, had a few drinks, talked sports, stats, and everything in between and slept the drama away. The next day people were in and out as class came and went. As night came, a large spot light was brought out to the front of Hec Ed. The maintenance crew turned it on, checked that everything was in working order, turned it off, and went home after erecting a small "fence" around the light consisting of the waste high dividers used to normally separate the lines going into Hec Ed. Not 10 minutes after they had left, a student hopped the fence, switched the lights on, and the party began. Some one had rented two speakers and connected them to the power supply the Sports department always gave to those camping out. A laptop with Husky Nation and other party tunes was hooked up to said speakers and a dance party broke out. About an hour later, Harry the Husky, the cheer leading team, and part of the Husky Marching Band showed up and played songs and danced for the next hour or so. It was brilliant. After they left the dance party continued. One kid did a fake break dance routine and crushed a can beneath his foot. This lead to my roommate, hailing from Bosnia on exchange for the year, doing a reverse worm and crushing a can with his back. He then climbed on top of the bridge and started chants. A big screen was hauled out and a video of Rece Davis of ESPN was played. Rece called out the Dawg Pack saying he expected a big showing. There was booing, yelling, and inspirational speeches around. Around 2 or 3am a few police showed up to check ID's and make sure things were not getting out of hand. People scattered back to their tents and the lights remained on all night. The next morning we awoke in a haze of too many beverages and a lack of sleep. Game Day started at 9am Eastern time which meant 6am out here on the West Coast. In turn this meant we had to be up at 4am to put our tents away and shuffle into Hec-Ed. I didn't sleep one wink that night ad had probably 3 or 4 hours the night before. The next morning, around 5am when we were filing into Hec Ed, maintenance came out to turn the spot light on. At some point in the night the lights had died. This was likely due to all of the gas having been burnt up, fueling our all night party. We watched in silent snickers as they twiddle nobs, checked power connections, and struggled to determine what was going on. I don't think they ever fixed it and luckily we had remembered to remove the makeshift Batman sign my Bosnian roommate had attempted to paste onto the light. After an intense few hours of Game Day yelling, cheering, and coordination with the program, the student section found ourselves in the small gym connected to Hec Ed where we were to stay until game time several hours later. We tried to sleep on the hardwood floors, but between the noise and people trying to play basketball on the other end, it was pretty pointless. Around noon, Marketing brought us food. Pizza and Fried Chicken. The chicken was the uppercut to my time. About 20 minutes after consuming the food I felt sicker than I had ever felt. I missed over two weeks of high school due to a mono like virus and this was worse. The stuffy air filled with the B.O. of several hundred students several days without showers, too many farts and burps to even think about, plus more carbon dioxide than several large trees could deal with due to a tight space with no ventilation meant I was in a world of hurt. I knew I wouldn't be able to enjoy the game in this state so I left my ticket and wristband number with my Bosnian roommate and I struggled back to Stevens Court where I flopped onto my air mattress, unable and unwilling to climb into my bunk. I turned on ESPN and drank about a gallon of water before the game even started. I'm sad I missed the game, it would have been a great experience, but the two nights before were worth it in my books. Quincy opened the game with a 3 pointer, wiped his brow in mock, and probably real, relief and went on to dominate the game, which included a Top 10 worthy windmill dunk.

The second night was the Pac-10 tournament championship game night. Due to their poor road performance for most of the season, UW needed to win at least two games in the tournament, if not win it all, to secure a berth the NCAA tournament. As any Husky fan knows the game was a back and forth battle of the ages. It is in my top 5 favorite games of all time. Neither team led by much throughout the game and in the end UW sealed the win with what was a strange sequence of events, at least in my mind. Jerome Randle, the "Pac-10 POY" (complete B.S. I could write 5 pages on how much crap it is that Pondexter didn't get the award, but I digress....), was dropping bombs all night long. UW led by 3 points with only 20 seconds to go. Pondexter had the ball when Nikola Knezevic, a no namer I don't even remember, stole the ball. California calls a time out with 10 on the clock. The last shot is going to be taken by Randle, no doubt about it. The only question was who would defend him. Would it be Isaiah Thomas? He had been successful throughout the night with two steals. Venoy Overton, the defensive specialist? No, it was Elston Turner. Elston Can't-Make-A-Damn-Free-Throw Turner. Elston The-Three_Point-Specialist Turner. What in god's name is happening? Then, chaos. Elston tips the ball away somehow with 5 seconds to go, but then is called with a nonsense foul. It was a loose ball, no foul should have been called. Either way, Randle was to head to the line for a pair of shots. He sinks the first and my heart drops a little. I know he will go for the intentional miss on the next one. Everyone in the apartment is freaking out. I am literally on my knees, hands on my head about to tear my hair out. Randle misses, UW gets the rebound. A pair of fouls ensure and Venoy Overton heads to the line where he coolly sinks two free throws to seal the game 79-75. My apartment erupts. The girls living below hate us more with every stomp and yell. We do not care. 10 minutes later we are still reveling in the victory, amazed at how we got there. A quick run to Safeway was made and another fantastic night of celebrating began. We ended up in the Sweet 16, during which time Joe Lunardi probably received thousands of emails from the Husky faithful who trashed him and his east coast bias for doubting our abilities against Marquette. I was in Arizona without a T.V. for the Marquette game and had to endure the 15 point deficit and ensuing comeback via text. As soon as I had internet access I watched the game and it joined the Pac-10 championship game in my top 5. Quincy, I will love you forever for that shot. What a beast.

The season was over far too early, but I managed between intramural games and Husky softball. Football returned again in the fall and I found myself a few rows behind the band as was custom for my group of friends. We saw our first winning season in 10 years as well as the first bowl game in close to 10 years and the first bowl WIN in 10 years. Beating USC with a second last second field goal on their own turf was awesome in its own right.

Husky Basketball returned the same day UW Football was to face #1 Oregon in Eugene. Many fans attended the football game instead of the exhibition match against St. Martin's. It almost ended up being a good decision as UW fought with the Ducks for quite sometime before getting squashed.

2010-2011 had its own series of fantastic nights and memories. I distinctly remember three nights as standing out.

The first night was camping out for the Arizona State game. Coming in with a fresh victory over then ranked Arizona, emotions were high and everyone felt great. We stayed up late, had a few select drinks, made signs, talked sports for hours on end, and started a touch football game on the concrete. This led to my roommate getting smashed into the bushes by one of our small, female friends, as well as a broken (?) foot after slipping on the concrete, a few scraps and bruises and a great time in general. It was a great bonding night and was when I really got to know these people really well and they have been great friends ever since. Before the game MBA talked with a friend of mine whom I had had a conversion with on a tagged picture of him on Facebook. He laughed about it and said don't do that on his pictures because he gets 30 some notifications and it annoys him.

The second night is probably one of my favorite college memories. It is better than the two days partying and camping out for game Day. Better than celebrating any of the Pac-10 titles. One of my friends had bought a date with Justin Holiday from a date auction, held by Greek Row if I remember correctly. He was awesome and brought he a pair of signed shoes from his High School days and was all around a cool person from what I was told. She would text him good luck before games and he was always kind enough to respond. Sure, she was on the practice squad for the women's team and is a cute, little blonde girl, but it is still somewhat amazing that he would always find time to message her back and thank her for her support. So senior night rolled around and we had set up camp about 36 or 40 hours prior to game time, per usual. The same friend had talked with Justin about getting some of the guys, namely the seniors, to come to the camp out on Friday night before the game to talk and hang out with us. It would be a great experience as not only would it be the seniors last game at home and a great opportunity for us, the fans, to thank the seniors for their hard work, but a chance for the senior Dawg Pack members to interact closely, one last time, with the basketball squad. Justin managed to wrangled in Darnell Gant and asked if that would be OK. She of course said yes and so we waited a few hours. Around 11pm Justin and Darnell roll in with about 20 other people who turned out to be their family and friends. Amongst those 20 people was also Abdul Gaddy, who snuck his way in like a ninja somehow on his bum knee. I did a double take because he was so quiet and unassuming. Now, I consider myself a fairly tall guy at 6-2 to 6-3, but Abdul Gaddy, who is listed at 6-4, was several inches taller than myself. Justin and Darnell might as well have been giants. So the players came into our little Romarville and signed our posters, hung out, talked, shook hands, and gave out hugs for 15 or 20 minutes. Then one of them got a hold of my iPod docking station and an impromptu dance party broke out once more, though this one was a bit more sober and involved a lot more dancing talent. Darnell, Justin, and their families danced and sang with us for another 20 or 30 minutes before they started to head out. Abdul was forced to watch as he had just had his ACL repaired a few months before and was in no condition to be doing anything besides the Dougie head rub. Before they left, Justin and Darnell made sure to shake every guy's hand and gave every girl a hug. Justin asked to make sure they had interacted with everyone and they thanked us all one last time before heading home for some rest. It was the most humble and honest I had seen a group of athletes behave since...ever, really. Out of the 11 active players (13 if you count Desmond Simmons and Tyreese Breshers) on the UW roster, only those 3 opted to come out and mingle with the fans. It is an act of kindness I will never forget and it made the night truly memorable, even if they did go on to lose to USC the next day. I had a Darnell sign one of my posters and pinned it up on my wall the rest of the year. I've been meaning to dig it out of the box to put on my wall at home while I'm away for the summer. I am not one to try and get things signed, but I wanted something from this night because I knew it would mean more than an average signature. The player was there. I talked with him. Shook hands with him. Sat down next to him and listened to his stories. That signature tells a story to me and it's one I'll cherish for a long time.

The final night of the season is one I'm sure every Husky fan remembers as if it was yesterday. The Pac-10 tournament championship game against regular season title holder, Arizona. After splitting the series due to a questionable block/goaltend call in Arizona, UW and its fans were looking for not only a guaranteed trip to the big dance, but vengeance as well. About 10 people came over for what was sure to be a thrill ride. Boy, what a game. UW got up early, only to relinquish the lead in the last few minutes. UW was down by 4 points with a minute a some change to go. MBA rebounded the ball with a minute to go. Isaiah brought the ball up. It worked its way around to C.J. Wilcox who bricked one without hitting the rim. I.T. rebounded near half court. Took a few dribbles in and pulled up to drain the first of two in 'Momo' Jones' face to put UW within 1. Sadness was quickly being replaced with hope as my apartment erupted as the shot swished on through. This joy was quickly killed as Derrick Williams dropped an AND1 with 27 on the clock.  Isaiah brought the ball up once more, drove the lane, and kicked it out to an open Terrance Ross who drilled one from range to put UW within 1 point once more. More cheers, more hope, more anxiety, more adrenaline, more Husky Basketball. I.T. fouled Momo with 14 on the clock. At this point, I.T. now has 4 fouls and has played all but a minute in the tournament. Clearly out of breath he heads towards half court while Momo sinks a pair of free throws without a single Arizona player under the basket in case of a miss. Arizona up 3 with 14 seconds to go. Our apartment is quiet, we whisper to one another about how we can pull this off. Do we drive for two and hope for a foul? Do we try another three? 14 seconds is a lot. Time enough for a 2 pointer and foul Arizona one more time before a last second shot, but we have no timeouts. Instead, I.T. drives the lane again, kicks it out to the left wing this time. C.J. Wilcox is waiting and open. He shoots with 7 to go. Momo tries to stretch out for it, but to no avail. Boom! He drains it with 5.7 remaining. The apartment is hysteric, but we know there is time for Arizona to get off one last shot. Arizona uses its final time out. I start to pace back and forth. I stood on the couch. Crouched on the floor. Said a prayer to whoever would answer it. Momo came out of the time out, dribble down court and threw up a runner that rattled out as time expired. Overtime. For the first time in tournament history. Dear God. I have to endure 5 more minutes of insanity. Screw the 2010 championship game, this is the game for the ages. MBA and Aziz both have 4 fouls. Arizona is clear of foul trouble coming into overtime. Terrence Ross hits a fade away Ala Brandon Roy early on. Wilcox double clutches a shot less than a minute later.  MBA fouls on a weak call that causes Romar to nearly takes his jacket off. A great time spending possession happens for UW, two rebounds means three opportunities, but not fall through the nets. Wilcox gets called for an offensive foul with a minute to go and UW up only 1. Parrom misses, Holiday rebounds to I.T., I.T. sees C.J. open down court and throws a chest pass over half the length of the court (try it, its hard as hell). C.J. Throws down a HUGE jam to put UW up 3. Hopes are high until Arizona tries to one-up UW as Parrom drains a monster 3 pointer to tie the game. Then began Gus Johnson's call. Shot clock turned off! Game clock at 8! He's guna do it himself! Thomas! Shake! Cross Over! Step Baaack! ......................................................GGGGGAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! AT THE BUZZER! YUNG ZEKE! AND WASHINGTON! WINS IT! ON A LAST SECOND J! COLLLLLDDDD BLOOOODED!

We didn't even hear the last part of the call until 10 minutes later after we stopped yelling, screaming, cheering, hugging, celebrating, and disbelieving what just happened. That was the single greatest shot ever in the history of the program. The backboard literally lit up as the ball went through the net. Could you plan it any better? No, you couldn't.

And this, my friends, is why I love this team. It is because of my friends, the players, and the sport that I stress out months at a time, wait for hours and even days in line, all for 40 measly minutes of game time.

The Dawg Pack and Husky Basketball have turned a good time in college into a great time. My favorite memories have occurred during the season and the off season has included many hours debated and discussing the team with fellow enthusiasts.

Its 5:30 am. I have to wake up in a few hours to get ready for a full shift at work. I was planning on getting up at 10, but noon is much more likely now. This means I'll miss the sunshine, but it's worth it because Husky Basketball is what I live for.

Go Dawgs

Isaiah Thomas Drafted By Sacramento Kings

With the last pick of the draft, Isaiah Thomas was picked up by the Sacramento Kings. First off, congratulations Isaiah. Secondly, you should have stayed another year. If you really think your stock would not have improved with an other year you are a fool. I mean, come on, some D-Leaguer who averaged .7 points a game gets picked over you...Maybe its just me...

Either way, good luck in your endeavors. Whether you ride the pine like Nate Robinson or not, you will be making tons more cash than I will.

Unfortunately, Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Justin Holiday will have to look to take their talents over seas as they went undrafted.

As a side note, Venoy Overton was drafted. The Clallam Bay Inmates-Cell Block B picked Overton with the first pick of the 3rd round.

Isaiah Thomas to Enter NBA Draft

Isaiah Thomas released this statement today and, in my mind, shocked much of Husky Nation.

“Although it was a tough decision, I have decided to forego my senior season and enter my name into this year’s NBA draft. At this time I will not hire an agent. Over the past 3 years I’ve enjoyed every single minute of my Washington Husky career. I am very thankful to have played for a great coach like Coach Romar and our entire coaching staff. I have just over two quarter left to earn my degree, and I fully plan on finishing school. Also, I would like to take the time to thank all of my teammates and Husky fans for their support and the unforgettable memories. Go Dawgs!”

Because Isaiah is not hiring an agent, he could still feasibly return for his senior year if the draft camps do not give him a positive vibe towards a high draft number. Regardless, this is somewhat shocking news as both IT and his father had hinted at Isaiah returning for his senior year.

I'll keep you updated as I learn more. I also planning on writing the player recaps this weekend as I'll have some time to do so.

EDIT: "Thomas has yet to hire an agent, but at the beginning of a conference call with reporters said, 'yes, it is a goodbye.'"

It appears as though no matter the outcome of the draft camps, IT will be entering the draft and will not return to Montlake. Unlike Jake Locker, this is a move I do not understand. It is one thing to consider the draft as a non-senior  and then come back because the talent level just isn't there yet, or like Jake, to be a legitimate pro prospect and decide to return, it is quite another to be an undersized player with a pretty good set of skills. Isaiah would do himself a huge favor by returning to put in another year of hard work to develop his jumper and ball handling skills. He would set all sorts of records, possibly win a fourth straight championship of some sort, three straight Tournament MVP titles, four All Pac-10 team selections, he could make the All-American list, and on and on. He would get a TON of publicity and raise his stock.

Go Dawgs!

University of Arizona Review 3

Final Score: UW-77 UA-75

WHAT A FINISH! Isaiah Thomas embodying the spirit of Quincy Pondexter nailed a fade away jumper as time expired after juking out Lamont Jones. In Overtime. I want a Title match up against Arizona so bad. That would be an exciting game. I.T. put the team on his back tonight. 28 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists. Sure the 5 turnovers marred his stat line a bit, but he was monstrous tonight. Not only did he nail the game winner, but at the end of regulation I.T., Terrence Ross, and C.J. Wilcox nailed HUGE 3 pointers from both corners and top of the key. C.J. Wilcox was also on the receiving end of a great full court pass from I.T. and he jammed it home in overtime to put us up 75-72. Kevin Parrom of UA came down and hit a 3 pointer to tie the game with 20.4 to go. I.T. brought the ball up, Romar had a timeout to use, but he let I.T. be a leader and do his thing. Romar's belief in his players has payed off huge. Pondexter nailed the Marquette shot, now I.T. has this one to hang his hat on. After the shot I.T. yelled and flexed for the crowd and camera. His teammates engulfed him, media swarmed and I.T. laid on the ground, exhausted (123 minutes of 125 in the tournament) and it looked like he was crying. His teammates picked him up and put him on their shoulders. He put the team on his back. They put him on theirs. It was a beautiful thing. The kid is an athlete and winner and he put everything into this tournament. With Venoy Overton serving his suspension, I.T. played all, but 2 minutes in the Oregon game and only missed 2 offensive possessions.

Romar made a very smart coaching decision late in regulation and put C.J. Wilcox at the point and let I.T. roam around the court as a shooting guard. His hand was hot tonight and we needed his points. Speaking of points, Terrence Ross was looking like BRoy tonight and was the only other Husky in double digits with 16 on the night. Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Wilcox both had 9 points.

Wilcox was not the only player with a sweet dunk. Terrence Ross rose up and caught a brilliant pass from I.T. for the wide open alley oop. Howdidhegetupthere? Magic. He is made of magic.

UW started a tad slow again, but got an early lead only to see it washed away by a strong Arizona run. UW went into halftime down 3, 36-33. MBA had 0 points going into half time as did Justin Holiday. Holiday finished scoreless again on 0-3 shooting. In the final minute regulation UW's line up was I.T., Ross, Wilcox, Suggs, and Gant. We needed shooters and MBA had 4 fouls. It payed off. We hit three 3 pointers for our final 9 points in the second half.

This game should not have had to go into overtime. I'm not sad it did now, that finish was absurd, but UW missed EVERY SINGLE FREE THROW in the second half. Unacceptable. After a 7-7 first half, UW went cold at the line including several AND1's and 1-1's. UW didn't hit a free throw until overtime when MBA split his free throws. MBA fouled out with 3 minutes to go in overtime, thankfully UW had Darnell Gant to take over. Gant had 6 points and 8 rebounds on the night.

The game had an ominous feel about it when I.T. had a lay-in blocked form behind that was clearly goaltending, but the refs missed the call once more. Darnell Gant evened the score almost immediately after with his own monster block. Gant had 2 great blocks in the game. He has become a very strong 6th man. Aziz N'Diaye had 7 rebounds off the bench, 4 offensive, and missed a dunk, but grabbed the ball and layed it in thankfully.

Arizona was uncharacteristically bad at the free throw line tonight. 20-30 is well below their average. Derrik Williams was 8-13. UW only attempted 14 free throws and missed 6.

UW dominated the glass after getting destroyed in the last match up. UW had 43 rebounds, 16 offensive, including 2 in a row twice in the game. Once with 5 to go in regulation and the other with 2 minutes or so to go in overtime. Arizona only managed 32 with 11 offensive. Williams led the Wilcats with 11. No other player had more than 6 for Arizona.

Watching the replay over and over is the greatest thing ever. Gus Johnson's call was brilliant. GAME CLOCK AT 8! HE'S GUNA DO IT HIMSELF! THOMAS! SHAKE! CROSS OVER! STEP BACK! GGGGGGAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What Needed Improvement

Free Throw Shooting

My health was far too endangered by their second half free throw shooting. If they had made their damn free throws we wouldn't have needed that ridiculous come back to win the game. Got to hit the free ones and you especially cannot miss the front end of 1 and 1's.

Fouling

UW had 25 fouls on the night. MBA fouled out and both Aziz and I.T. had 4 when all was said and done. 30 free throw attempts gives opponents too many opportunities to win games. When we are running an 8 man rotation we cannot afford to foul this often.

What was Good

ISAIAH THOMAS

He went all out all game, all tournament. 123 minutes of 125 possible. All 45 in the championship game. I.T. scored 59 points, had 30 assists, 10 rebounds, and 8 steals. To average 19.7 points and 10 assists is ridiculous. The fact that the final minute of regulation he led is completely overshadowed by his buzzer beating shot is a testament to how amazing it was. I.T. starting the come back by hitting a 3 to bring it within 1 point with a minute or so to go. He also dished to C.J. Wilcox in the corner who hit the game tying 3 with only seconds to go in the game. That was, by the way, the only 3 pointer Wilcox hit all game. Talk about getting it done when you need to. I think Wilcox was inspired by I.T. and Ross sacking up in the two previous possessions. But I digress....I.T. put the team on his back. Too bad he couldn't pick up a third straight double double. His performance tonight was legendary. Evidently, Isaiah waved off Romar in the final 20 seconds. He knew what he was doing. He wanted that shot and boy he did not disappoint. I will relive this shot over and over and over. Good game I.T.

Rebounding
 
I.T., Holiday, Gant, and Aziz were terrific on the glass. MBA only managed 3 rebounds, all in the second half. The first four combined for 27 of UW's 43 boards. We also did a great job keeping Arizona off the glass. Great offensive rebounding and solid boxing out was what did it for us.

Player by Player Reviews

Coming later. I'm off to celebrate this win tonight. GO DAWGS!

Pac-10 Awards

Isaiah Thomas and Matthew Bryan-Amaning made the Pac-10 1st team.

C.J. Wilcox made the all freshman team with Terrence Ross receiving an honorable mention.

Justin Holiday and Matthew Bryan-Amaning were honorable mentions for the all defensive team.

Derrik Williams won Player of the Year and Sean Miller won Coach of the Year.

Freshman of the Year was Allen Crabbe.

Defensive Player of the Year was Marcus Simmons.

Most Improved went to Matthew Bryan-Amaning.

See the full list here: http://www.pac-10.org/News/tabid/863/Article/221965/2010-11-pac-10-conference-mens-basketball-honors.aspx

Isaiah Thomas Wins Third Pac-10 POW Award

Isaiah Averages 22.5 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds against the Bay Area schools this past win and went on to win his third POW award of his career and this season.

The Huskies remained out of the polls and Arizona moved up to 12/13 in the AP and ESPN/Coaches Polls.

Joe Lunardi's current Bracket has the Huskies as a 7 seed against Marquette in the first round again. Arizona is a 5 seed and UCLA is the last Pac-10 team at a 9 seed. WSU is part of the First Four Out category.

UW Moving Back Up

UW moved up to 17th in the Coaches/ESPN poll and 18th in the AP poll. Arizona dropped to 27th in both polls following their split of the Washington Schools.

Joe Lunardi, the "expert" on bracketology, released his newest prediction of tournament teams. Somehow, UW remained at the 4 seed, while Arizona moved up to a 7 seed despite losing this week. UCLA also moved back into the bracket as a 12 seed and WSU is in the First Four Out category. Gonzaga remained in the bracket as a 10 seed despite losing to USF for the second straight year as well as posting a 3-2 conference record, 13-7 overall. He still has 11 Big East teams in the bracket. 11. I understand the east coast teams are pretty good, but that is just absurd especially considering the Big East hasn't sent a team to the National Championship game since 2004 and only one of the Big East teams made it to the Sweet 16 last year.

The East Coast Bias is still alive and strong. The "experts" try to correct this by over loving Gonzaga, UCLA, and Arizona to the point of ridiculousness as they consider those schools the cream of the crop regardless of how well they actually perform. Sure those schools have traditionally done well in the tournament, but their past season performances should have no actual bearing on their seeding for this year. While I am happy to see more Pac-10 schools being represented, it is sad to see UW posting a 7-1 conference record in a Power 6 conference and not receive more love. I am not expecting a 1 seed by any means, but you would think if we beat WSU on the road this Sunday we would move up to a 3 seed. An 8-1 record, 4-1 on the road, is very solid in any conference.

Isaiah Thomas won his second Pac-10 player of the Week award after averaging 20.5 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals against the Arizona schools. Tremendous stats and a well deserved award. You have to imagine Matthew Bryan-Amaning also received considerable thought from Romar towards nomination as he played well against both schools, averaging 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks.

I believe I.T. was nominated by Romar because he is the catalyst that allows MBA to perform so well. I.T. does a fantastic job of drawing defenders and dishing the ball down low for MBA to finish at the hoop. MBA did his part by shooting well and making shots. MBA showed some great post moves and finished 8-8 from the free throw line against ASU, a place he normally struggles.

Both I.T. and MBA have made huge strides towards becoming more complete and dominate players when conference play began. It was fantastic to see, especially in light of Gaddy's injury. Holiday has also stepped up his play, though he is a tad more inconsistent.

Wilcox's slump continues, though Romar did play him 17 minutes off the bench. He looks as though his rhythm and form are coming back after the Staph infection in his hip. He moved much better and shot with more confidence.

This week we play the Cougars in Pullman to round out the first half of conference play. It will be a tough game, no doubt, as this rivalry always brings out the best in both teams. I'll be posting my preview over at montlakemadness.com and will put a link to the article here. The review for the game will also be posted on Montlake.

I will also have a first half review of our players' performances sometime after the WSU game. Right now I.T., MBA, and Holiday have been the best by far and Terrence Ross has surprised a few people with his explosive games against USC and Oregon. I am hoping for another great game from Ross this Sunday against WSU.

Angelo Chol, the best remaining big man in the 2011 class, is visiting Arizona this week and is scheduled to visit Washington on February 12th for the Stanford game. His commitment is crucial for the Dawgs as we lose MBA next year to graduation and we have yet to find a high scoring post player yet. Jernard Jerreau, a 6-10 power forward from New Orleans, is a bit undersized weight wise and has a ways to go in terms of bulking up to become a real scoring threat in the post. UW also has Kevin Davis, a possible 2011 commit that stands at 6-9 and also plays the power forward position. Davis is currently attending Tacoma Community College where he has been putting up decent numbers. Like Jerreau, Davis has some work to do before becoming a polished post player. This leaves Chol, who is by far, more developed and prepared to immediately impact the game. Missing out on Chol will be another huge miss, something Romar has been criticized for after missing out on Terrence Jones, Marvin Williams, and Charles Garcia (to be fair he did not meet grades). We also lost Breshers to an undisclosed medical issue. This has left us with a big hole in our frontcourt and it needs to be filled quickly.

All for now, more later this week.

*Edit*

Thank you to Scott for pointing this out to me. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, a 6-6 250lb football recruit for UW, has stated he would try out for the basketball team. At 250lbs you have to imagine he would play the 4. He is a bit undersized at 6-6, but as Jon Brockman showed, undersized means nothing if you are strong enough and determined enough. He could fill in nicely as Breshers did, a strong body to crash the boards and play tough defense. I have not heard about his skills on the basketball court, but I shall reserve any criticism, positive or negative, until I see him on the court.

Another dual sport athlete UW might acquire is 6-8 305lb Zach Banner out of Lakes High School in Washington. He is in the 2012 class and will not likely make a decision until late next season. He is on the ESPN 150 for football and the ESPN 60 for basketball juniors. To say the least he could bring a lot to both programs. He is said to be able to play any position on the basketball court due to his size, strength, speed, and agility.

Isaiah Thomas's Free Throw Percentage

After going 8-8 from the line in his last game, Isaiah has really shown just how hard work and the willingness to tweak traditions can turn a player's game up a notch. I first noticed his new free throw motion in the home game against San Fransisco, but I believe he also used it during the Texas A&M game. I was too busy stressing about other parts of our game to really appreciate the 16-16 effort our team had from the free throw line.

Here are a few stats.

Isaiah is currently shooting 80.5% since changing his form (not including A&M). 33/41

Isaiah is shooting 83.7% including the A&M game. 41/49

Before changing his motion, Isaiah was shooting 61.7% (not including A&M). 29/47

Including A&M he was shooting 67.3%. 37/55

His percentage jumped up nearly 15% by adding a four second count after his dribbles instead of shooting straight off the dribble. Those extra few seconds allow him to concentrate on the shot and the significance is easily seen.

So to Isaiah, I say, thank you for making me a believer again. I criticized your free throw shooting early in the year and you have turned it around and are shooting great from the line. Keep it up.

UW is on its way up

UW entered the ESPN/Coaches poll at 18 this week and moved up six spots in the AP poll to 17.

Isaiah Thomas won the Pac-10 player of the week after averaging 19.5 ppg and 8.5 apg.

In other news....GO AUBURN!!!

University of Oregon Review

Final Score UW-87 UO-69

This review will be filled out later, tonight is time for some celebration. It was a stressful game for the first half, but the Dawgs finished with a 6 minute run for the record book. I.T. threw an alley oop to Terrence Ross that put Hec Ed in a frenzy. This is followed immediately by an I.T. steal and lay-in. Place goes even crazier. THEN Oregon attempts a break away dunk only to have it blocked by Terrence Ross. At that point I had no voice, the Dawg Pack was a mosh pit of purple and noise. I tasted blood. It was beautiful. To top it off, I.T. gets another steal and JAMS ONE DOWN THE HOLE! Dear god, it was insane.

*Edit*

A bit more about the game before I head out. UW struggled to hold on the Ducks in the first half. UO played a gritty game and were out rebounding the Dawgs 19-16 at half. UW finished the game leading the boards 40-31. UW had gone 5-6 from the field to start the game, but ended 17 -38 from the field at half. Isaiah was quiet in the first half with 4 points, but 6 assists as well. Isaiah finished with 20 points and 9 assists, including several beautiful threes and his first career dunk at UW.

Terrence Ross showed all the Husky faithful who were not able to travel to L.A. just what they missed out on and more. He finished the night with a team and career high 25 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, two blocks, and 1 assist. He drove, he shot, he dunked like a beast. 11-18 on the night, 3-7 from range. He couldn't be stopped. While Venoy Overton may have got the start, Ross made a great case for himself.

MBA did well, getting 13 points and 8 boards. Not his best offensive night in terms of pure scoring, but he made his shots and rebounded well once more. He has really done a great job hitting his rebounding peak when conference time rolled around.

Aziz didn't play much today and the Huskies had a hard time getting him involved in the offense. He went 1-1 from the field and grabbed 3 boards. He also had 2 blocks.

Justin Holiday was also fairly quiet tonight. 7 points, 3 boards, 2 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover. Holiday was hitting early, but didn't take many shots after that. With Ross shooting so well, a lot of the offense ran through him rather than Holiday or I.T.

Venoy had 5 assists, but also had 3 turnovers. All of which occurred at the beginning of the second half. He only scored 3 points.

Isaiah is a close second for MVP. He had 20 points, 9 assists, 6 boards, 3 steals, and 3 turnovers. He lit it up in the last 10 minutes and did a great job leading the team without Gaddy there. His experience and leadership qualities really showed again tonight. If not for Ross putting on beast mode, I.T. would be the easy choice for MVP. I.T. was great tonight and he finally gutted up and dunked the ball on the break. He then barked and woofed at the Oregon bench, specifically Jonathan Loyd who had pushed I.T. earlier in the game. Joevan Catron threw his water bottle down, causing Altman to drop his gum and get furious.

TERRENCE ROSS!!!! Way to show up right when we needed you most. In the 3 conference games thus far he is averaging 16.6 points. He could have had 10+ in the UCLA game had he played more than 9 minutes. On top of his game high 25 points he added in 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks, and 1 assist. No turnovers. He was great on defense. He made tough, tough shots on the lane. He sank some big ones from deep and finished shooting 61% from the field. If he keeps this up, he will be starting every game the rest of the year. I think he could easily see the start Saturday against the Beavers.

Scott Suggs also added 13 tonight, 5-8 from the field, 3-5 from range.

19 assists on 36 made shots, another fantastic stat. 9 steals, 7 blocks, 15 forced turnovers, and only 12 turnovers (5 in the first half) for the Dawgs.

More Later, player reviews, game stuff, etc.

Peace

Food for Thought: Last Play of the Game

First off, let us welcome in our new recruits for the class of 2011. Today UW signed Andrew Andrews (weird name, I know. He also may join the 2012 class depending on our 2011 roster), Jernard Jarreau, Hikeem Stewart, and Tony Wroten Jr. We are told Kevin Davis plans on joining the UW after his year at Tacoma Community College. We are also in pursuit of Norvel Pelle and Angelo Chol. Pelle is visiting UW this weekend for the season opener against McNeese State, so Dawg Pack: get loud, make him feel at home, make him want to be apart of this, and make him forget silly St. John's. Help the team play a fantastic game and show Pelle why he should be here.


It may be early in the season, but it is never to early to think about who is going to nut up and play clutch at the end of a close game. Last year the clear and definitive answer was Quincy Pondexter. If we were tied up or needed a shot to keep the lead, Pondexter was our go-to guy. He won the Marquette game for us, after what was 40 minutes of stress and an amazing come back. Without Pondexter, Romar and the Huskies need to think about who their go-to guy will be this year. Who is going to take that last second shot? Who is going to get the ball and be entrusted with the outcome of the game? Who has the ability to perform under pressure and excel? Who does Romar want to handle that responsibility?

There are a few stand out players in my mind, who can make a case for this responsibility. Each has their own set abilities and shots they can utilize in those last few ticks of the clock.

Now, remember, its hard to judge this at such an early part of the year. We have played only one game and an exhibition game at that. St. Martin's put up a fight, but in the end, the talent level just can't compare. I'm basing my arguments off of previous years performances, upside, and what I saw at the St. Martin's game.

My third choice would have to be Justin Holiday. He had an amazing performance against St. Martin's by going 4 for 4 on the long ball and 6 for 11 overall. The 6-11 is what slightly concerns me. While his 3 game was perfect, he missed an easy lay in on a fast break that he probably should have just dunked and a few other shorter shots you would hope he could make. 6-11 isn't bad at all, over all its a good game. What it does means is he went 2 for 7 on other shots, not something to expect from the senior. If I'm going to let someone take the last shot and make the last play of the game, I'd like to see a little more consistency. Holiday may very well step up and show his shot is improving, but if he can't get above 50% on the short game shots I'm going to hesitate on calling him the clutch player the Huskies should turn to. However, if he shows his 3 ball is spot on almost every time, I'd be more than happy to let him lob the half court shot, or even spot up near the arc and drop a game winning bomb. It all depends on how his performances continue.

My number two choice has to be Isaiah Thomas. Plain and simple, this kid is a winner. He knows how to score, he knows how he scores, and he drives with a lot of strength and skill. He has no problem banging against the big boys down low when he needs to, even shooting over 7-3 Max Zhang in the 2010 Pac-10 Tournament championship game. He even has a ranged shot that demands respect. In the 2009-2010 home game against WSU, Isaiah dropped three straight 3's including the last one in the face of his defender. Ice cold veins and a smooth shot. A dangerous combination. My only hold back has been his tendency, over his first two years at UW, to force shots that weren't there. I don't know how that'll play out this year. He seemed to play a bigger team game towards the end of last season and against St. Martin's he was all about the team. Dishing out 11 assists and only two shots is a point guard, team orientated game. This looks very promising for the Huskies, especially along side what appears to be the development and unleashing of Abdul Gaddy's potential. I like Isaiah taking the last shot, I wouldn't be stressing out if he did, but there is someone I have seen perform clutch plays in the waning seconds and desperate situations. That would be.....

Venoy Overton. If not for sloppy defense on the UCLA inbound play, Venoy Overton would have made a beautiful, cross court, game winning lay-in. He has shown to possess the speed and skill needed to get an open shot from anywhere on the court. He has also proven time and time again, it is a mistake to foul him, especially when the clock is winding down. Overton went a very impressive and extremely vital, 25 for 29 on free throws when the clock was under 2 minutes. I'm going to recite my mantra, which I believe Venoy is a firm believer in as well. Free throws win ball games. Did you get that? Free throws win ball games. Not the long ball, not the lay-in. Free throws. Here are two examples of Venoy and his awesome free throw shooting. Against Arizona at home, we won by 6 points. You know how many free throws Venoy attempted? 6. How many did he make? 6. How about his performance against WSU? While WSU tried to fight back and foul our players to stop the clock and minimize points, Venoy was given the ball and fouled multiple times. He nailed every single free throw he took during those last few minutes. If Venoy, not Elston Turner, had been fouled on that last possession at Texas Tech, we would have won. Turner missed both free throws and an overtime was forced (after a late 3 ball went in, seemingly winning the game for Texas Tech, only to be ruled after time had expired). We ended up losing in overtime. If Turner had made 1 free throw... Game. Set. Match. Perhaps our road woes would have never been a problem. Perhaps we would have won the Pac-10 title back to back. Perhaps we would have been seeded higher in the NCAA Tournament, Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. I digress...
Venoy has show he is the goto guy, with the skills and mentality of a winner in every sense of the word. If I trust any player on the Husky team to make a critical shot, I am handing the ball to Overton. Like Romar said with Pondexter last year, you have to trust your seniors.

On a last second play, I want to see Overton up top with the ball. I want Isaiah on the strong side, outside the arc, keeping the lane clear. I want Holiday floating on the weak side. I want MBA coming out to screen and open our wings up. I want our 5th man to keep things open. I believe our 5th guy will be Ross, he plays like a winner. If we keep that lane open, Overton will have the freedom to drive the lane and shoot or dish it out to Isaiah/Holiday for what should be an open shot. He also has a decent long ball, that if developed could be deadly as well.


Other potential last shot players: Terrence Ross, Abdul Gaddy, Matthew Bryan-Amaning.


So what do you think? Is this a fair assessment? Who do you think should get the last shot? Drop a comment, let us know what you think. Tell us who and why.


Post by: John

St. Martin Exhibition Game Review

Final Score UW-97 St. Martins-76

When all was said and done, it was no contest as expected. UW led by 19 at half and let SMU get within ten before pulling out once and for all. Some good things were seen today, some things in need of improvement as well. Everyone saw play time and only three players did not score (almost two, Hosley had a lay-in just roll out as time expired). Six players had double digit scoring efforts.

                                                        Just the Facts

Darnell Gant was out with a hamstring injury and Overton rested a tweaked hamstring as well. Overton should be returning to practice this week in preparation for Saturday's official season opener against McNeese State.

Poole led the St. Martin effort with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Jeremy Green grabbed 11 boards and 10 points. The second leading scorer for St. Martin was Roger O'Neil.

Matthew Bryan-Amaning was the lead scorer for UW tonight with 20 points and he also grabbed six rebounds, tying with Terrance Ross for the team high. He fouled out late in the game soon after Aziz N'Diaye fouled out.
Terrence Ross, C.J. Wilcox, and Abdul Gaddy all put up 12 points.
Scott Suggs put up 11.
Justin Holiday had 18.
Isaiah Thomas and Aziz N'Diaye came in at 8 and 4 respectively.

Wilcox had a team high 3 steals followed by MBA, IT, Gaddy, and Holiday with 2 each.

Isaiah dished out an impressive 11 assists while Gaddy threw out a nice 5 assists as well.

Isaiah did not make a shot in the first half, being fouled on both attempts and making three of four free throws.

UW shot 7 for 8 from the arc in the first half and finished 10 for 17 on the night.

UW shot a poor 15 for 24 from the free throw line, mainly due to MBA going 2 for 9. Gaddy, Wilcox, Aziz, and Ross went perfect from the line and IT only missed one.


                                                             The Spin


Why don't we start with what needs improvement so we can end on a positive note.

Rebounding

For the second straight year the Huskies lost their leading rebounder, this time in Quincy Pondexter. The Huskies were out rebounded 42-32 to an undersized opponent. This does not bode well, for we will be facing much tougher opponents in the coming weeks and without solid rebounding, we will find ourselves in a heap of trouble. The good news is, we have the size and strength to become a strong rebounding team again, not only in MBA and Aziz, but in Terrence Ross and Justin Holiday as well. If MBA and Aziz can work on their positioning, their rebounding stats will improve two fold. If Ryan Applebee can create the kind of improvement we saw in Quincy's shot and Gaddy's (more on that later), it would be pretty nice if Brockman would set up a rebounding camp for the UW big men. Give Poole credit though, the kid knew how to use his weight and get positioning in a very similar way to Brockman.

Defense

While there were some standout players, who I will touch on in the Good New sections, there were some sloppy mistakes on defense. Not only foul wise, but in over all effectiveness as well. The defense looked like it was on the edge of finding itself and becoming a stopping force, but silly mistakes and miscommunications allowed SMU to stick around for far too long.
A lot of problems coming off screens and leaving a man open. Either both players would follow the screened player or both would stick to the screener. More communication and practice needs to be done to enforce good habits and reactions to screen plays. A simple problem, fixed after another week or two of practices. I am confident this will be less of an issue come Maui Tournament time.

Rebounding (Again)

Defensive rebounding was another problem that was almost well done. Our players were getting their hands on the ball, but not coming down with it. Whether due to it getting knocked loose, the ball bouncing high (SMU took a lot of long shots that bounced deep), or lack of effort to gain position and using two hands. Again, small things that make a big difference. Aziz has the size and strength to get himself where he needs to be to clean the glass, its just a matter of practice and time. Get him a few more games under his belt and his rebounding stats will be on the up and up. Isaiah Thomas surprisingly led the team in the defensive rebounding category with all 5 of his boards coming off missed, opponent shots.

Foul Trouble

Both MBA and Aziz fouled out of the game tonight, something that cant be happening against Division 1 opponents who will have appreciably larger line ups. With the Dawgs already a tad thin in the front court, only 3 players 6-8 or taller, we can't afford to have both our big men to have 4 fouls with 7 to 10 minutes left in the game. This means either MBA and Aziz should avoid court time together or, preferably, both avoid silly fouls and learn a bit more body control. I have to admit, though, Aziz had 3 pretty silly fouls called against him. They were all technically fouls, but quite weak when you look at them. His first two fouls came off of incidental contact that, due to his large size, sent the opponents sprawling across the court. He would be running at a fairly good chip up the court behind his man who would slow down and before Aziz could react he would plow them into the ground. A simple item that can easily be worked on after a few more weeks of instruction. The third foul came after Aziz slipped onto his back and his feet knocked into the 6-2 SMU point guard causing the small guy to land ass first on the court as well. Like I said, three silly, avoidable fouls that cannot against big teams.
MBA was also tagged for a few ticky tack fouls that were questionable. He shouldn't be placing himself in that kind of position, to have good defensive efforts confused with sloppy defensive fouls.
I believe Holiday also picked up one or two silly, unnecessary fouls.

Offensive Problems

Organized Play

This is more of a coaching problem than a player problem. The Huskies didn't seem to be running that many organized plays and instead seemed to be relying on player intuition to create opportunities. While this works fine against weaker teams, it simply will not due in Maui and certainly not in Pac-10 play against competitive opponents such as Arizona and WSU. It's something that needs to be addressed immediately and corrected as soon as possible. While it is easy to understand that the new members of the team are still learning the play books, you would think that the upper class men with their experience would be able to play a tad more organized ball. That being said, Isaiah Thomas and Abdul Gaddy did a great job of finding open players, forging points of their own for a better shot (more on this later).

Rebounding (a third time, its important, so I'm going to reiterate it often)

As on the defensive edge, the Huskies simply were not able to hold onto the ball off the glass. The big men had trouble getting into the right spot and were out scored 20 to 11 on second chance points, an unacceptable number against such a poor opponent. MBA grabbed 3 offensive rebounds followed by Holiday, Aziz, and Ross with 2 each.  Aziz should be able to grab 4 or 5 a game as should MBA. Holiday and Ross are pretty close to an acceptable number in my opinion. If our forwards are grabbing 2 or 3 offensive rebounds a piece along side 5 offensive rebound efforts from our big men, we should be in fairly good shape.

To summarize our "need to improve" categories: Body control (aka ticky tack fouls), detailed organization on both ends, rebounding, rebounding, and rebounding. We were spoiled by Brockman and it has now become a standard for Husky basketball to be a good rebounding team, both offensively and defensively.

On to the Good News

Scoring Threats

We have multiple players on the court who can step up on any given day and score upwards of 15 or 20 points a piece. 6 players scored at least 11 points with the game high 20 going to MBA. Justin Holiday started strong scoring most of his 18 points in the first half. Holiday also went 4 for 4 on three pointers, 3 of which came in the first half, and Suggs came in at 3 for 4 on the long ball. Even though Isaiah only scored 8 points, he was extremely effective every time he drove. He went 2 for 2 on field goals and converted 4 of his 5 free throws. Abdul Gaddy looked great on the court from inside to out, going 5 for 8 on the day and missing his one three ball attempt by mere inches. He had a nice jumper from the old three point line that sunk in very nicely. Zones are going to have a rough time stopping our offense, especially when our line up includes IT, Holiday, Ross, Suggs/Wilcox, and MBA. Even MBA was taking some beautiful long shots during warm ups that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, including a half court shot right before heading into the locker room and a 20 footer after a foul.

Talent

We have some really talented players on our team. The rust was evident at the start of the game and 6 minutes into the second half when SMU was allowed to get back within 10. When it comes to depth, there isn't a team in the Pac-10 that can compete. Even without Overton and Gant available, we still find ourselves with a plethora of talents and a variety of lines ups with varying size and skills. On that note I would like to think our defense would have been much, much better had Gant and Overton been available as they are both defensive geniuses. I'm under the impression that everyone excluding Sherrer, Hosley, and Simmons could start at any point for out team and I'm a firm believer we will see Ross in the starting line up before years end.

                                               Player by Player Reports

Seniors

Venoy Overton


Did not play. Hamstring injury, should be back next week against McNeese State.

Justin Holiday


Came out very strong, shot extremely well. Defensively was still a force to be reckoned with. While not his most impressive defensive game, he still managed to get 2 steals and a block before games end. Shooting 4 for 4 beind the arc and 6 for 11 over all it was a solid effort that should make Dawgs fans excited for what kind of season he may have this year. While I was looking for Holiday to pick up 12 points a game, with his impressive shooting I don't see why he can't put up 17 to 20 a game. His mobility combined with the passing efforts Isaiah and Gaddy showed today gave him a lot of open shots and opportunities that he was more than willing to capitalize on. He also showed great control and passing skills as he and the guards worked the ball around the perimeter fast and efficiently.
Grade: A

Matthew Bryan-Amaning


Offensively, he had his way with the undersized SMU team. The same way he worked the court in the non-conference games at the beginning of last season. While I'm not predicting him to slump off as he did last year, it concerns me he had such a trouble handling SMU on the defensive end. Guys like DeAngelo Casto and Derrick Williams are much bigger and better post players and MBA needs to get his act together to ensure the Pac-10 post players do not cause use terrible woes again. It was nice to see he has really developed his mid range game going an impressive 9 for 12 from the field. I think his long shot was a 15 foot jumper he dropped like a dime. If he can get his act together on defense and find his groove like he did during the latter half of 2009-2010, he will be on the track to success. He will also need to grab 7 to 8 rebounds a game for him to be considered successful.
Grade: B

Juniors

Darnell Gant


Did not play. Hamstring injury, no news on when he will be back. Most likely will return after our opener against McNeese State. Should return within the next two weeks and almost certainly before the Maui Tournament.

Isaiah Thomas


A fantastic game from Isaiah today, he showed great poise and leadership on the court, despite a few silly turnovers on sloppy passes. He scored 8 points and was nearly perfect shooting, missing one free throw in the first half. He  posted a career high 11 assists and did a great job finding the open players. He was extremely selective when it came to driving the lane and did not force it as he was prone to early last year. He was also deadly successful on his drives , going 2 for 2 and drawing fouls on 3 of his 4 drives (one shot went in for an And 1 situation). I loved his team mentality and willingness to score less points in order to get more open shots for his teammates. My only hope is that if his scoring remains lower than expected, his assists remain high, at least 8 a game to make a 10 point average acceptable from such a stud player.
Grade: A

Scott Suggs


First start of his career and a fairly successful start at that. He scored 11 points on 3 for 4 three pointers and a nice jump shot inside the arc to round out a 4 for 7 night. He committed three turnovers and only grabbed one rebound and is quoted as saying "I've got to get more boards". That's a good mentality. He was focused mainly on this issue versus his impressive shooting night. Defensively he struggled at times and his man ended up open on several shots after being screened. Not every screen will be broken, but he seemed to find himself stuck behind the screen more often than not.
Grade: B

Brendan Sherrer


Logged only two minutes, nearly had a few rebounds, but they bounced long. No fouls, no boards, no points. Another night as the human victory cigar. I'll give him an A for effort and for being a lovable personality on the team.
Grade: A

Sophomores

Aziz N'Diaye


This big man is going to be a force to be reckoned with once he gets his act together and the rust out of his system. Silly off the ball fouls took him out of the game. His size and strength was amazing to say the least, his long body and arms let him take up a lot of room. His defense improved significantly throughout the game and he looked pretty good at the end of his playing minutes, which included two made free throws and a put back rebound good for two points. He wasn't as impressive on the defensive end as I hoped, but he showed signs of stardom to come. By the end of the game he was securing his position offensively and getting in the way defensively. Overall a decent effort for his first Division 1 game and first game in a brand new system
Grade: C+

Abdul Gaddy


Despite the 5 turnovers, this was a turn around effort for the sophomore guard. He showed off the talents that escaped him last year during his freshman campaign. Highlight of the night for Gaddy had to be the spin move around the SMU guard followed by a no look, flick pass to an open Terrence Ross (can't remember exactly who it was, I was too busy being amazed by those moves). He shot with confidence, drove the lane with authority, passed with finesse and skill much like last year, and overall turned his "swag" back on. Romar told us he was much improved and I believe it. Let's hope he can maintain that kind of attitude and aptitude come Maui and Pac-10 play. Putting up 12 points and 5 assists along side two steals and a rebound is a solid effort. Would be an A game had the turnovers been a tad lower
Grade: B+

Freshman

Antoine Hosley


Played one minute. Had a nice lay-in that just rolled out of the hoop as time ran out, rather unfortunate. The Dawg Pack showed him their love, but sadly neither Sherrer nor Hosley were able to convert.
Grade: A for effort

Desmond Simmons


No points for the new guy tonight but he took some nice shots from good looks, but couldn't get them to drop. Defensively he was impressive, stopping several open shots from being taken by using his long, lanky frame to get in the way. He had one steal and two rebounds on the night. Overall he did just about as expected. A good defensive effort with minimal offensive impact. Give him some time to work on his shot under pressure and he'll put up 4 or 5 a game. I'm still in favor of him redshirting (exhibition games do not forfeit redshirt status) as his efforts are replaceable should Overton and Gant be on the fast track to healthiness. If injury seems like it will be a problem for the Husky big men, we may find Simmons on the court without the redshirt on his back. Not a bad game from the freshman, I would have liked to have seen more out of him.
Grade: B-

C.J. Wilcox


A slow start to the game with an uninspiring first half, going 0 for 3 from long range. For supposedly being one of the best shooters on the team he didn't look it until the second half of the game. Finished the night with 12 points, 2 three pointers, two for two from the line and a pair of inside shots. He also had a team high three steals. A pretty good game overall. I think he had the first game jitters and once those were gone, he felt more comfortable in his shot. His defense was decent overall, no Justin Holiday, but certainly not a slouch. Some work to be done there, but it will come in time. There is a big difference between defense in practice and defense in a game. Like I've said before, its game one, there's going to be things that will need improving and we shouldn't stress now. Come Pac-10 play, well, that's another story.
Grade: B

Terrence Ross


Romar wasn't kidding when he said this kid was the real deal and could be our most talented player. He had some impressive moves on the court tonight. Defensively he was just as tenacious, playing tough, in your face defense with great foot movement and an eye for the ball. Very successful in keeping himself in front of his opponent and forcing them to pick up the dribble. Only 1 steal on the night, but he also had a respectable 6 rebounds, 2 offensive and 4 defensive. His first few shots went a tad long and his year long absence from competitive play was seen, but the dust blew off pretty quickly going 5 for 11 from the field including 1 for 2 from range. Highlight of the night for Ross had to be his back door cut resulting in a beautiful hook shot along the base line. This kid may very well break into the starting 5 and take Suggs spot in the starting line up. Romar said he enjoyed the lineup that included IT, Holiday, and Ross and I have to admit, I'm a big fan as well. I'm looking forward to seeing more of his play capabilities and hoping he chooses to stick around for a few years.
Grade: A