Official Un-Official Top-25, Pac-10 Picks: Week Three (late)

1. Michigan State (-)
2. Kansas (-)
3. Texas (-)
4. Purdue (5)
5. Kentucky (6)
6. Duke (7)
7. Villanova (8)
8. West Virginia (9)
9. Ohio State (10)
10. Washington (11)
11. Syracuse (NR)
12. Connecticut (-)
13. North Carolina (5)
14. Louisville (13)
15. Georgetown (14)
16. Tennessee (15)
17. Butler (-)
18. Illinois (-)
19. Florida State (21)
20. Oklahoma (19)
21. Minnesota (22)
22. Clemson (25)
23. Siena (24)
24. Wake Forest (23)
25. Michigan (NR)

Some significant changes to this weeks ballot. Yes I know it is late, but you will have to trust me this was done up on Monday, but just pushed back as stories kept getting published and the queue time was altered. Anyway, North Carolina and Cal saw the biggest drops. The defending champs went from 5th to 13th while Cal was completely dropped from the rankings. I moved up Florida State as I like that team a lot while dropping Oklahoma some. But outside of the two big drops there was nothing of significance outside of Syracuse’s incredible jump from not ranked to #11. Also for the first time this season, Washington has cracked my top-10.

Pac-10 Picks

Monday: Oregon vs. Montana, UCLA vs. Pepperdine, Arizona vs. Wisconsin

Tuesday: Cal vs. Jacksonville, Arizona vs. Colorado, Stanford vs. Virginia

Wednesday: Stanford vs. Kentucky, Arizona vs. Vanderbilt, Arizona State vs. Duke, Washington State vs. Alaska Anchorage

Thursday: UCLA vs. Portland

Friday: UCLA vs. Butler, USC vs. Coppin State, Washington State vs. Nicholls State, Arizona State vs. LSU

Saturday: Oregon State vs. George Washington, Oregon vs. Montana State

Sunday: Washington vs. Montana, California vs. Princeton, USC vs. Nebraska, Stanford vs. Portland State

Last Week: 12-4

Season: 24-7

Quincy Pondexter: Top Senior Draft Prospect

Chad Ford has been covering the NBA Draft for ESPN for a long time and has gained national respect for his insight on the top college and international basketball prospects. Last season Washington fans tracked the national analysis on Jon Brockman to gain an understanding for where he would fall in the draft, this season fans will be scouring for news on Quincy Pondexter.

It appears that it may be a bit easier to track news on Pondexter’s draft status as he has captured the eyes of scouts as a possible first round draft selection. Yesterday Ford only cemented this belief when he had a new blog post on the top seniors in the country.

Guess who was #1…

1. Quincy Pondexter, F, Washington
Draft range: Lottery to late first round

Pondexter came in as a heralded freshman but went on to disappoint his first two-and-a-half years at Washington. He started to come on midway through his junior season and is off to a red-hot start as a senior. Physically, there isn’t anything Pondexter can’t do. He’s one of the top two or three athletes in the draft. His skill set, especially on the offensive end of the floor, has been much slower to develop. However, he has shown major improvement in the past year and could be one of those late bloomers who finally is starting to get it.

If he has a huge year at Washington, and improves his perimeter game, Pondexter is the one senior who has the ability to crack the lottery. If his improvements are more modest, he’s still a potential late first-round pick.

Before arriving at Washington his freshman year, the idea of Pondexter being a one-and-done player was a legitimate thought according to many. While we quickly learned that was not the case, Pondexter’s national resume fell to the point where many though he would not be drafted at all whenever he entered the draft. But like Brandon Roy, Pondexter has gained through staying four years at Washington to build a legitamite lottery type resume for NBA teams.

Following Pondexter’s season as he works to possibly achieving what Ford has laid out for him will be one of the most intriguing stories of the year.

By June, there should be another player on the Tracking Seattle list.

Tracking Seattle: Weeks 3 and 4

Former Huskies:

Jon Brockman, Kings: OKC (0 MIN Played), HOU (1/2 FG, 4 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST), CHI (0/0 FG, 0 PTS, 1 REB), @ DAL (0 MIN Played), @ HOU (0 MIN Played), @ MEM (3/3 FG, 7 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST)

Spencer Hawes, Kings: OKC (5/10 FG, 12 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST, 4 BLK), HOU (2/11 FG, 6 PTS, 9 REB, 1 AST, 1 BLCK, 1 STL), CHI (2/8 FG, 7 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 1 BLK, 1 STL), @ DAL (3/6 FG, 6 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST), @ HOU (10/16 FG, 24 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST, 2 BLK), @ MEM (2/5 FG, 4 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST, 1 BLK)

Nate Robinson, Knicks: GSW (3/9 FG, 9 PTS, 4 AST, 1 REB, 1 STL), @ IND (1/4 FG, 2 PTS, 1 AST, 1 REB), @ NJ (0/1 FG, 0 PTS, 2 AST, 1 STL), BOS (7/11 FG, 19 PTS, 1 AST, 3 REB, 2 BLCK)

Brandon Roy, Trail Blazers: @ NOR (5/16 FG, 15 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST), @ CHA (9/16 FG, 25 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST), @ ATL (7/15 FG, 17 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST), DET (7/14 FG, 20 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST), @ GSW (6/17 FG, 17 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL), MIN (8/15 FG, 18 PTS, 1 REB, 5 AST), CHI (6/13 FG, 18 PTS, 2 REB, 7 AST)

——————–

Seattle Players:

Aaron Brooks, Rockets: @ DAL (7/15 FG, 22 PTS, 1 AST, 2 REB), MEM (3/10 FG, 8 PTS, 3 AST), @ SAC (4/13 FG, 10 PTS, 5 AST, 1 REB, 1 STL), @ LAL (11/23 FG, 33 PTS, 4 AST, 7 REB), PHO (5/18 FG, 16 PTS, 13 AST, 3 REB), @ MIN (5/11 FG, 13 PTS, 3 AST, 1 REB, 2 STL), @ ATL (7/16 FG, 15 PTS, 2 AST, 4 REB), SAC (3/8 FG, 8 PTS, 4 AST, 1 REB, 1 STL)

Jamal Crawford, Hawks: DEN (8/15 FG, 25 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL), @ NYK (4/9 FG, 11 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST), @ BOS (6/15 FG, 18 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST), NOR (7/14 FG, 21 PTS, 2 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL), POR (2/10 FG, 6 PTS, 1 AST, 1 STL), MIA (3/10 FG, 10 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL), HOU (7/13 FG, 21 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL), @ NOR (8/21 FG, 20 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK)

Adam Morrison, Lakers: PHO (2/2 FG, 5 PTS, 1 REB), @ DEN (1/5 FG, 2 PTS, 3 REB, 1 STL), HOU (0/1 FG), DET (DNP), CHI (1/2 FG, 2 PTS, 3 REB), OKC (1/3 FG, 2 PTS, 1 REB)

Luke Ridnour, Bucks: DEN (2/5 FG, 4 PTS, 2 AST, 1 REB), GSW (5/10 FG, 13 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK), DAL (7/14 FG, 17 PTS, 6 AST, 3 REB, 4 STL), NJ (7/11 FG, 17 PTS, 3 AST, 4 REB), CHA (2/4, 8 PTS, 3 AST, 2 REB), @ MEM (6/12 FG, 13 PTS, 12 AST, 4 REB, 1 STL), @ SAS (2/5 FG, 4 PTS, 2 AST)

Rodney Stuckey, Pistons: CHA (6/10 FG, 16 PTS, 5 RB 7 AST), @ WAS (5/13 FG, 17 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK), DAL (12/20 FG, 28 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST), @ LAL (3/12 FG, 11 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 3 STL), @ POR (6/21 FG, 21 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK), @ UTH (7/18 FG, 18 PTS, 2 REB, 6 AST, 5 STL), @ PHO (4/15 FG, 8 PTS, 2 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL)

Jason Terry, Mavericks: HOU (7/8 FG, 24 PTS, 3 AST, 1 STL), @ SAS (6/13 FG, 19 PTS, 2 AST, 2 REB, 1 STL), @ MIN (6/15 FG, 12 PTS, 4 AST, 6 REB, 3 STL), @ DET (1/7 FG, 9 PTS, 1 AST, 4 REB, 3 STL), @ MIL (6/14 FG, 19 PTS, 2 AST, 3 REB), SAS (4/19 FG, 13 PTS, 3 AST, 1 REB, 1 STL), SAC (8/15 FG, 20 PTS, 4 AST, 1 STL)

Martell Webster, Trail Blazers: @ MEM (1/6 FG, 9 PTS, 4 REB, 2 BLK), @ MIN (5/9 FG, 16 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST), @ NOR (1/3 FG, 4 PTS, 1 REB), @ CHA (0/3 FG, 0 PTS, 2 REB, 1 STL), @ ATL (1/3 FG, 2 PTS, 1 REB), DET (0/3 FG, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 1 STL), @ GSW (1/4 FG, 2 PTS, 1 REB, 1 BLK), MIN (7/13 FG, 21 PTS, 13 REB, 2 AST), CHI (3/10 FG, 6 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST)

Marvin Williams, Hawks: @ NYK (2/7 FG, 4 PTS, 4 REB), @ BOS (3/7 FG, 6 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST), NOR (2/10 FG, 7 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL), POR (2/6, 4 PTS, 2 AST, 3 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK), MIA (5/12 FG, 14 PTS, 4 REB, 1 BLK), HOU (13/19 FG, 29 PTS, 9 REB), @ NOR (8/16, 17 PTS, 6 REB, 1 STL, 2 BLK)

Terrence Williams, Nets: PHI (5/15 FG, 10 PTS, 12 REB, 2 AST), @ ORL (3/17 FG, 11 PTS, 12 REB, 1 AST), @ MIA (3/11 FG, 8 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST), IND (3/7 FG, 7 PTS, 2 REB), @ MIL (8/15 FG, 20 PTS, 10 REB, 3 AST, 4 STL), NYK (6/15 FG, 17 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST)

Seattle Players of the Weeks:

Jamal Crawford: Helped lead the charge for a surging Atlanta team with consistent scoring

Brandon Roy: Lacked the true standout game, but was as consistent as they come in every facet of the game

Commit News: Enes Kanter

Wow. This came out of nowhere Husky fans.

It has quickly spread that the Huskies picked up a brand new commitment for the 2010 class in Turkish big man Enes Kanter, one of the top remaining players in the country. When I country, its not Turkey, but rather the United States.

Kanter suddenly committed to the Huskies this morning after forging a very strong relationship with new assistant coach Raphael Chillious. A few months back I made a comment about Chillious possibly having a big impact on international recruits because of his past at Findlay Prep and bringing in foreign players (such as our own Matthew Bryan-Amaning). Never did I expect the Huskies to reap the benefits so quickly as I rather had 2011 recruit Angelo Choi in mind.

But how good is Kanter?

Evidently we may have another Spencer Hawes on our hands in terms of being a one and done according to national scouts. Some even expect him to be a lottery pick after his freshman year.

During the U18 European Championships, Kanter was named tournament MVP by averaging 18.6 points and a mind boggling 16.4 rebounds per game. Some have asked where the rebounding is going to come from this season, looks like we have an answer for next year.

One of the first things that comes to mind with this commitment from Kanter is that the loss of Josh Smith suddenly becomes irrelevant. After Smith chose UCLA I believed it would only put more pressure on the Huskies to land Terrence Jones or go after a player such as Aziz N’Diyae for a transfer. The Huskies had to get a big man in the class, and the filled that spot with one of the top remaining players in the country.

Nobody saw this coming. Just yesterday I cam across Kanter for the first time in what now appears to be dumb luck. I had never heard of the kid and only was relevant because I saw he was transferring from Findlay Prep to a Stoneridge Prep.

Through some of the film I have found online its obvious what Kanter’s strengths are. He appears to have some polished post moves that lead to some easy baskets. His rebounding stats are off the charts and he is able to position his body well to set him up for some hard earned rebounds, ala Jon Brockman. Through some of the film, and I don’t want this to be taken 100% since I have not seen full games, but he seems to lack effort on the defensive end. But if there was anything Lorenzo Romar would be able to do, that would be to teach defensive intensity.

Although I didn’t see it in film, supposedly Kanter has some off the chart shooting ability as well from deep. His prep school coach says that he has NBA range right now.

Just to review some of the concerns about the Huskies this season. Rebounding (maybe Kanter’s strongest asset), three point shooting (a 6′10 big with NBA range), and low post threat (polished post moves and averaged 18 points in Euro championships). Did Lorenzo Romar just pull of a recruiting coup?

One fact about Kanter that should not be overlooked is the fact that he has been raised in a European setting in basketball. The training is much more intense and rigorous than early training in the United States, meaning Kanter is likely more polished than some of his American counterparts right now.

So the Huskies just picked up a five star recruit out of nowhere, evidently beating out Ben Howland and Kevin O’Neill for Kanter’s services. It should be interesting to see how this changes the recruitment of Terrence Jones, but at least we know if Jones does not choose to be a Husky everything will be okay in Montlake.

Post Game: San Jose State

Coming off of a 56 point victory against Portland State, expectations were high for the Huskies to deliver a similar beat down to Adrian Oliver and the San Jose State Spartans.

While the Huskies got the victory, it wasn’t in the same dominating fashion like last game. The Huskies delivered a solid performance by beating San Jose State 80-70, largely because of a career night from senior Quincy Pondexter.

Pondexter scored a career high 30 points and a pulled down a career high 15 rebounds in what may be his best performance ever as a Husky (thats the second time I have said that this year). So far this season Pondexter has been ridiculously good and has taken control of the leadership of the team. At the beginning of the season very few would name Pondexter as the best player in the Pac-10, now he might be making it fairly obvious.

While Pondexter had his big night, the rest of the Huskies fell behind which caused for the ten point victory.

Venoy Overton struggled shooting again and with his turnovers, although that could be an outcome of the touchy fouls the refs were calling all night. Overton never found a rhythm while freshman Abdul Gaddy put in his best night as a Husky. Gaddy struggled shooting at 1/6 from the floor, but was responsible for seven assists to no turnovers.

The biggest problem came in the two starting big men in Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Darnell Gant. MBA started the game of quickly but then fell off the map, scoring four points and pulling down two rebounds. That is not acceptable. MBA keeps talking about consistency is his main focus this season, hopefully he is able to get it right.

Gant on the other hand is a mystery. While he started the game and the second half, he only played nine minutes, which was the second least on the team. Clarence Trent even got more minutes, and he was expected to be the last man off the bench this season. Gant may be receiving his pink slip as a starter soon because of Trent’s performance (2/2 shooting, 4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, in 13 minutes) as well as Tyreese Breshers’ emergence.

Breshers was probably the big surprise last night when he put in 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds. The effort reminded many of Jon Brockman, and once he fully recovers from his injury, he is the logical guy to step in for Gant.

Isaiah Thomas struggled shooting tonight, which should be expected to happen occasionally given his playing style. But Thomas only scored 4/13 shots and had three turnovers. Its strange to talk about Thomas’ game this late in the write up, but this is likely only a game where he struggled. Its nothing to worry about.

The Spartans were led by Oliver, the former Husky, and he put up a game high 23 shots in his return to Montlake. He went for 32 and was easily the leader on his team, but it was not really efficient seeing as he only hit nine of those attempts.

Overall the Huskies  never really seemed to hit their stride. This can again be attributed to the over-the-top officiating, but they still need to hit more than 41% of their shots against a below average team like San Jose State.

Top Performer: Quincy Pondexter

Stat of the Game: 12 turnovers, the Huskies continue to protect the ball well

Pre-Game: San Jose State

Washington (3-0) vs. San Jose State (1-0)

Players to Watch

Adrian Oliver: Oliver will be facing his former team tonight as a member of the Spartans. One of the praised recruits in the highly talked about 2006 class, Oliver was one of the three to leave Seattle after a year. Spencer Hawes left for the NBA, Phil Nelson wanted to be closer to home, and Oliver had family issues back home. We never learned what those issues were, which is fine, but it appears that Washington missed on having a great player. Oliver tore it up at times for San Jose State before injuring his knee, foot, and ankle. He should face a hostile Dawg Pack, but it should be entertaining to see Oliver play again. Supposedly he still has a close relationship with Lorenzo Romar and Quincy Pondexter, so there is no bad blood between the parties.

Isaiah Thomas: For most of the previews Thomas could be the guy to watch for the Huskies (I’d bet him and Matthew Bryan-Amaning lead at the end of the year), but Thomas is the guy because he will be going against San Jose State’s best player in Oliver. A lot of points should be scored between the two.

Notes

• The Spartans return four starters from last years team. That could either be a really good thing or really bad because of last season’s 13-17 record.
• The Spartans defeated an NAIA school for their first victory, so nothing to really judge them from.
• Center Chris Oakes should provide an interesting matchup for MBA, Oakes stands at 6′10 and pulled down 7.6 boards a game last season

Projected Lineups

Washington: G: Venoy Overton G: Isaiah Thomas SF: Quincy Pondexter PF: Darnell Gant C: Matthew Bryan-Amaning

San Jose State: G: Justin Graham G: Adrian Oliver SF: Chris Jones PF: C.J. Webster C: Chris Oakes

Interview With Former Husky Bobby Jones

Husky fans always loved the dependable Bobby Jones.

A key member of the Husky teams that started the winning tradition Lorenzo Romar has established, Jones finds himself playing in Italy these days for the professional team in Teramo. Bobby was kind enough to answer some questions for Husky fans on life as a former Husky, professional player in Europe, and living life in Italy.

Montlake Fastbreak: How have you adapted to life in Italy so far?

Bobby Jones: Its been a slow process but I’m gettin there. I live by myself and all the other American teammates that live in my building have their wives, or girlfriends living here with them.  Plus they been playing over here for years so they are used to it and know how to deal with the situation better now. With all the free tim I have been able to write more, which was my major in college, so its working out.  I blog ever so often at:  http://bobbysworld.yardbarker.com/

It has been helping me let out a lot with nobody around me everyday to talk to physically.

MFB: How would you compare the style of play, atmosphere, and overall experience of playing overseas as opposed to your experiences in the NBA and D-League in the States?

BJ: I think they play dirtier here if you ask me, and the officiating is definitely different for many reasons.  Its frustrating because I cant feel how they are going to make calls. One moment they let you play aggressive then next minute they call touchy fouls on certain players that shift the whole momentum of the game. We will see how it will pan out with that.

MFB: What do you plan on doing at the end of the season in Italy?

BJ: Well I’m going to split time between Seattle and LA. I have a 3 year old daughter in Seattle and my immediate family in LA, and being over I see neither so I try to see both equally.  As well as continue to train and get ready for the NBA off season, my main goal is to get back to the NBA.

MFB: Do you keep in contact with Justin Dentmon (who is now playing in Israel) at all and talk about the experiences of playing overseas?

BJ: I still talk to JD over the internet.  I keep tabs on him and vice versa.

MFB: What type of role will you have with your team in Teramo?

BJ: I’m still finding that out actually, were off to a slow start here at 2-4.  We havent really found our identity so hopefully we can soon.  I do get to work more on my offensive game here more though which is always good.

MFB: While at Washington you were always a guy that seemed to be doing the right thing all the time. How would you describe your game now as it has evolved since you have left?

BJ: Its pretty much the same just learning the game more and when to do certain things more and less.  You always can get better and be a student of the game as long as you can.

MFB: How much do you keep in touch with former Huskies or work out with them during the offseason?

BJ: I still talk with everybody, some more than others obviously. Usually in the off-season is where the most catching up takes place at.

Official Un-Official Top-25, Pac-10 Picks: Week Two

1. Michigan State (-)
2. Kansas (-)
3. Texas (-)
4. Purdue (-)
5. North Carolina (-)
6. Kentucky (-)
7. Duke (-)
8. Villanova (-)
9. West Virginia (-)
10. Ohio State (12)
11. Washington (-)
12. Connecticut (10)
13. Louisville (-)
14. Georgetown (15)
15. Tennessee (14)
16. California (-)
17. Butler (-)
18. Illinois (19)
19. Oklahoma (20)
20. Georgia Tech (21)
21. Florida State (22)
22. Minnesota (23)
23. Wake Forest (24)
24. Siena (25)
25. Clemson (NR)

So very little change from last weeks ballot, which should be expected since it was only the first week of the season. I bumped Ohio State up a bit just because I really liked what I saw over the weekend, Thad Matta looks like he could have that program making a deep run in the tournament for years to come. Meanwhile I wanted to keep Washington where I had them, and I’m a little less enamored with UConn then I was when I originally had them at #10. But with a difference of two spots it really doesn’t matter, just a superficial change. Same goes with the swap of Georgetown and Tennessee; I just like Georgetown more than I do Tennessee now.

The biggest change comes because of Mississippi State falling on their faces in the opener. Without Renardo Sidney and only giving Jarvis Varnado eight shots (when he made all eight) is a sign of bad things to come. Because of that every team moved up one spot.

Pac-10 Picks

Monday: UCLA vs. CS Fullerton, Washington State vs. Eastern Washington, Arizona State vs. Texas State

Tuesday: USC vs. UC Riverside, Arizona State vs. TCU

Wednesday: Stanford vs. Oral Roberts

Thursday: California vs. Syracuse, Washington State vs. IPFW, Arizona vs. Rice

Friday: Washington vs. San Jose State, Arizona State vs. San Francisco, UCLA vs. CS Bakersfield

Saturday: Oregon State vs. Sacramento State, Stanford vs. Florida A&M, USC vs. Loyola Marymount, Oregon vs. Portland

Last Week: 12-3

Season: 12-3

SInce its the the beginning of the year there will not be too many upsets. I almost picked San Diego last week but had a lot of faith in Landry Fields. Turns out I was right on fields, but wrong on the rest of the team.

Then Oregon State has come out of the gates just dreadful with losses to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas Tech. But I decided to give them another pick against Sacramento State.

The only games I picked the Pac-10 to lose this week are Cal against Syracuse and Oregon against Portland. I almost went with Oral Roberts over Stanford, but am again giving the Cardinals the power conference benefit of the doubt.

I think Syracuse can match up with Cal’s shooting and are in New York for the game, although I believe Cal will have a better shot at getting deeper in the tournament later in the year. Then the Oregon against Portland game should be interesting because I think Portland could win the WCC this year. We all know that they Pilots beat us last year, they are entering a situation where they are at home and out to have a statement game to show everyone they are a force to be reckoned with.

Pondexter POTW, UCLA Loses To Cal State Fullerton, Polls

Lots to get to which has lead to the pileup of news. Tracking Seattle will be up tonight or tomorrow morning with this weeks picks and my top-25.

The first big piece of news this week is that Washington’s own Quincy Pondexter was the first recipient of the Pac-10 player of the week award. If you remember last season it took awhile for the Huskies to bring in their first award, so its nice to see Quincy earn it so early.

The award could have gone to either Pondexter or Isaiah Thomas, but Pondexter did his job on the boards as well by averaging 11 rebounds.

The next piece of news comes from Westwood where UCLA continues their remarkable early season struggles by losing to Cas State Fullerton. The Bruins had struggled in both of their exhibition games, but they were expected to shake it off in time for the season. This is UCLA we are talking about, they don’t have these types of struggles.

But it looks like it could be more of a rebuilding season in Westwood than originally thought.

Finally the Huskies were ranked 14th in both polls, for some reason dropping one spot in the USA Today poll. But at this stage in the season it means nothing.

So just quick updates on those three stories before we get into our weekly schedule.

Weekend In Review: Athletes in Action

Three games in three days for the Huskies to open up the season, and things went pretty much as planned for Lorenzo Romar’s team.

Some basic thoughts that I wrote down after all of the games combined into one post…

Wright State

• Isaiah Thomas may have gave us a sneak peek on his upcoming season by putting up a carer-high 30 points. While it is nice to see Thomas have such a strong game, there needs to be more offense coming from more guys on the team. Quincy Pondexter was the only other Husky to be in double digits with 12 points, the big men like Matthew Bryan-Amaning need to step up if the season will be as special as last year. MBA will likely improve and help keep pressure off of the guards and Pondexter, but only putting up three points is unacceptable.
• Romar may have given us a preview on the rotation this year, and if so that means that Husky fans should get used to seeing Scott Suggs on the floor a lot more than last year. Suggs had nine points in eighteen minutes, easily his career high. What is most interesting is how he played more than Elston Turner who only played ten. Suggs may have passed Turner in the rotation, something that is unexpected given that so many people had high hopes for Turner entering the season. Its still to early to judge, we should see as the weekend unfolds.
• The play of Abdul Gaddy was somewhat disappointing, but the freshman should improve as the season goes along. We may have set to high of expectations for a seventeen-year-old, but I would rather judge his play after the entire weekend. But Gaddy only earning 16 minutes is somewhat surprising.
• Only having 12 turnovers is encouraging, that has been a problem for the Huskies over the past few years. In a fast paced offense like the Huskies, turnovers are bound to happen, but the less they have in their offense the more likely a victory.
• Obviously you would like to see a better result than a five point victory over Wright State, but the Huskies had built a large lead only to see it whittled down to the ending five. Of course it is disappointing to see the lead cut, but for now I would attribute it to being the first game of the season and a time when the Huskies are still coming together as a team. A fair judgement should occur during the Portland State game.

Top Performer: Isaiah Thomas

Stat of the Game: 12 turnovers compared to 19 forced on Wright State

Belmont

• Matthew Bryan-Amaning needed to step up to help keep Husky fans worries in check, and he definitely did that with tonight’s performance. 23 points, 7 rebounds, 5 blocks, 11/14 shooting only shows what MBA’s potential is this season. I’m sure he came out with a chip on his shoulder to perform, and he did everything and more. Obviously it would be unfair to expect this every night, but cut the points in half with the same rebounds and that is something Washington fans should expect from their British big man.
• Isaiah Thomas put in another great game with 23 points, and he has given evidence for the second straight night to expect a monster season from the sophomore. If Thomas continues at this rate than it might be hard to expect him to come back for a junior season.
• Quincy Pondexter delivered a great game to show that he is prepared for a big season as well. Yesterday he was the only other Husky besides Thomas to be in double digits, but tonight he lead the game in scoring with 25. Kind of funny that I would list him third when he had such a great game, but I guess it has gotten to the point where when Pondexter breaks out with a big game it is not as surprising as it used to be. We almost expect now.
• Venoy Overton and Darnell Gant both disappointed, Gant for the second consecutive night. If Gant continues at this rate he could see his starting spot disappear, he needs to step up in the next few games as Tyreese Breshers continues to works towards being 100% (although it appeared he tweaked a finger tonight, he still pulled down four rebounds in only nine minutes).
• Scott Suggs for the second consecutive night played a fair amount of minutes and pulled down a respectable five rebounds while Elston Turner again disappointed.
• Overall it was a much better game for the Huskies than yesterday. It would have been nice to hold Belmont to fewer points, but whenever the Huskies put up 96 its likely that they will win most games.

Top Performer: Matthew Bryan-Amaning

Stat of the Game: 86.2% Free Throw Shooting (25/29)

Portland State

• Washington may just be incredibly good or Portland State is really bad. Most likely it is a combination of both because tonight proved that Huskies will be a force to be reckoned with nationally. Tonight was what should be expected from the Huskies in terms of production of individual players, everything went according to plan for Lorenzo Romar.
• Quincy Pondexter put in his best game as a Husky with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and a memorable dive in the second half that will likely be a talked about at all the water coolers. What is even more incredible about his performance is how efficient he was, going 11/12 from the field and 7/8 from the line. It is unfair to expect that every night, but tonight Pondexter showed why he will be expected to lead statistically and through example.
• Isaiah Thomas had 21, another night another high scoring game. Not much else to report. Overall all the guards played well. Venoy Overton rebounded from last night with 11 points, 6 assists and 3 steals. Then Abdul Gaddy put in the type of game that would make him a starter soon by managing the game well with 9 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and only 1 turnover.
• It should almost be made official, Scott Suggs will earn playing time this year while Elston Turner will be watching more from the bench. For the third consecutive game Suggs played more minutes than Turner and outplayed him. Personally I am happy for Suggs just because of how disappointed in his performance last season and worked hard to make his mark on this season, which he is doing. But you hate to see a guy like Turner struggle when so many had high hopes for him this season to the point where some thought he should start. Its still way to early to officially write him off, but at some point Romar will settle into a rotation and Turner might see himself out of it.
• Justin Holiday delivered tonight in every facet of the game. He provided the same great defense we are used to, made some nice passes and got five assists, and put in the usual great scoring game. Wait. Thats not right. Holiday showed off a much improved offensive game tonight, especially his three point shooting by going 2/2 from deep. That is absolutely huge for the Huskies if he can keep it up since the three ball is expected to be a weakness for the team. If he keeps this up, the season will be better than last year’s second round exit. It is guys like Holiday stepping up that is the difference between a great season from a legendary one.
• Phil Nelson came back to a hostile crowd, and while starting off hot in the first half, cooled considerably.
• Overall this is the best possible outcome for the Huskies, everything went right tonight. The only difference would possibly be more rebounding from Darnell Gant, but outside of that it was a perfect game for the Huskies. Gant should start performing at a higher level soon though, especially with Clarence Trent coming in and impressing with hustle and 4/4 of shooting in only eight minutes. Its highly unlikely he will unseat him as a starter, but more minutes could come Trent’s way with Breshers still working towards 100%.

Top Performer: Quincy Pondexter

Stat of the Game: 44-13 rebounding advantage compared to Portland State