Lorenzo speaks

"For the first time since we have been at Washington we have size. We will have size without sacrificing quickness. This team has really good chemistry even though they are young. I think that this team will really play well together." --Lorenzo Romar

I saw the Romar quote and this was the first thing I thought of:
"So, in my recruiting, in all the years when I became a college coach, I'm recruiting for quickness. Now, you want a certain amount of size, but more coaches will give up some quickness to get more size. I would not. I would give up some size to get more quickness." --John Wooden

Husky Media Day, and other UW News

Husky Media day is today, when I see anything about it, I will post it. Also, on the Husky Blog on Seattletimes.com, blogger Bob Condetta reports that one of the most impressive rookies continues to be Phil Nelson. There were worries in the Romar camp when Nelson came in that he lacked the hustle and competitive fire needed to be successful in the Romar system in Seattle. I guess Nelson is proving them wrong.

I am excited about Phil Nelson. Looks like he can shoot the rock, and is a big player who moves well. It will be interesting how Romar will use his rotation on Friday night against Saint Martins.

Anyways, stay tuned for Husky Media Day Coverage!

A Husky Homecoming

I was all set to go to The Dutchess to watch the game, when I called a friend who happened to have two unused tickets, which I gladly took. I told my friend Adam about it, and in no time we were off. The late change of plans meant we missed part of the game, but we were going, which made it all OK. As soon as I got to the gate, my day was made as we ran into none other than Lorenzo Romar himself. He was dressed sharply in grey velour leisure wear. I managed to call out "Lorenzo Romar is the best coach in the nation!", which he responded to with a smirk and a fist raised in solidarity. That man is so classy. If you put him in a bottle, he'd be Courvoisier.

I got to my seat just in time to watch my huskies get scored on and go down 7-0. The whole game the Huskies fought hard, but they just didn't have enough to pull out the overtime victory. That makes 3 last minute losses in four games. I was hoping for a W, but at least I got to see a team battle for their lives. Honestly, I don't think there has been a Husky team with as much fight as this one since the 2000 Rose Bowl team. Even though we are not pulling out victories, their heart brings hope to a downtrodden program. They never quit, even when they are clearly out matched. But for me, the highlights of the evening had nothing to do with the game.

We were sitting in section 33, which is on the first level right on the east end zone, right at the tunnel entry. They were high enough to see the whole field well, but low enough to fell like we were close. Around halftime a mountain of a man passes right by our seats, and it takes me a second to realize it's Todd McCullough, Husky Basketball Legend. He was honored this weekend by being placed in the Husky Hall of Fame, and I hope he was hanging out at the game while recovering from a long night spent reliving past glory. He only stayed in our area for a short time, so I didn't have a chance to say anything.

There was a large group of people sitting next to me that didn't seem like husky fans (one even had an old Steve Young 49ers jersey on), and I couldn't figure out who they were until a stadium staffer came by and asked them if they knew where Calvin was. They said he was still in the press box getting interviewed. Right then, the announcer says that after the third quarter UW would honor Husky legend Calvin Jones. Turns out the group next to me were members of Calvin Jones' congregation in San Francisco. We spent a while talking about that, and how sweet those old niners teams were (I lived in the bay area back then). I thought it was very cool that they came up to support him, and it made for a memorable day at Husky Stadium.

Calvin Jones is a meaningful figure in Husky football history, partly for his excellence on the field, but also, he was a defining figure amidst racial problems that tarnish UW's past. Calvin quit the team after the 1970 season due to obvious, deep seeded racism that swirled around the 1969-70 season. Here is a great essay by Carver Gayton, a former assistant coach at UW, which contemplates the history behind Jim Owens' coaching tenure and the tension surrounding his statue, which sits outside of the entrance to Husky Stadium. There is a large section that addresses Calvin Jones' part in this story, and is a worth while read if you have the time. Another article about this can be found here.

Game preview: Saint Martins vs. THE HUSKIES!

When thinking of this game, it reminds me of a skit on Saturday Night Live called the "Super Fans". A bunch of fat guys (Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Norm from Cheers) who sit around and discuss their love for all things Chicago, especially 'Da Bears (I know, still a touchy subject in Seattle coming off that Sunday night game, too soon?). Anyways, there would always be a part of the show where they would discuss the upcoming game for 'Da Bears. It would go something like this: Who do you got in the Bears-Cardinals game coming this weekend? (In Chicago accent) Well Bob, Bears 130, Cardinals 3! And that would be how about everyone would predict how the game would turn out!

Well, this game is going to be right along those lines. UW 125, Saint Martins 57. This should be an absolute blow out in Hec Ed. And that is why Romar scheduled it so. Romar has been a genius over the past couple years getting his team into powder-puff games to get the team on the same page before facing LSU on December 20th.

The thing to look for in this game is where Romar goes with his starting line-up, and what he does with the shooting guard position. Who starts, Appleby, Oliver, Perry? All I know is that with Brockman, Hawes, Pondexter, and Dentmon on the floor to start the game, having a defensive rogue on the floor might not be a bad thing since there will be plenty scoring on the floor. Appleby off the bench is very lethal. Appleby was consistently able to come off the bench last year and drain a couple threes with the second unit on the floor to keep our leads or hold enough until Brandon Roy got back on the floor.

I also want to see how Brockman inserts himself into the Husky offense. Last year he seemed very timid, and played a very solid team game, hardly looking for his own offense. By being named Team Captain, hopefully he will fill comfortable to fill out his own stat sheet on the offensive end. Hawes will score, he lit it up in Summer Ball, and Brockman may get better looks with Hawes on the court.

Anyways, I haven't really said anything about this game, because well, it is not a game. It is a feast to build confidence for his young players. Go forth and eat young Huskies, go forth and learn how to hunt, learn how to kill, fill your young bellies with Saint Martin flesh.

UW 125, Saint Martins 57!

Washington #16 in USA TODAY/ESPN Preseason Top 25

USA Today/ESPN Preseason Top 25 was released earlier this morning, and the Huskies were rated as the number 16 team in the nation to start the season. Not bad for a team replacing Brandon Roy, Bobby Jones and Jamaal Williams.

Florida took home the number 1 spot, and UNC and Kansas took home second and third.

To view the entire poll, click here.

The biggest suprise of the poll to me was how high Ohio State is ranked. Oden is a questionable coming off a serious wrist injury, and there are a few other questions to be answered in Colombus. Arizona #10, questionable also. With that lineup, they should have been higher!

USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 Preseason Poll Out Tomorrow!

Early tomorrow morning, 6 am ET (3am PT), the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Preseason Poll will be revealed to the Nation. I am excited to see who among the Pac-10 is listed in top 25 beside UCLA, UofA, and UW. Here is my prediction of the Top-15.

1. Florida - Returns entire starting 5, plus player of the year nominee Joakim Noah
2. UNC - Hansbrough and a great recruiting class, gotta love the Baby-Blue!
3. Kansas - The Diper Dandies of last year are good!
4. Arizona - Williams is strong, add Budinger, they are going to be good!
5. Duke - Paulus' foot could cause a limp in Duke's season
6. UCLA - If Farmar returned, they enter #2
7. Pittsburgh - no Krauser, No Problem!
8. Wisconsin - Yes, ahead of OSU. Returns entire line-up from last year!
9. LSU - Still got Baby Shaq!
10. Alabama - Looked solid at end of last year
11. Ohio State - Oden is still in doubt
12. Georgetown - Another team that finished well
13. Boston College - Looked good in last year's NCAA
14. Washington - Yeah, I know. Only 14, this may seem a bit high even...
15. Texas - Lost Alderidge, and a few others, but they have a couple talented freshman!

While these might not be perfect. You can't argue with the teams in the top here.

Itching for Husky Basketball to start!

So, I am ready for Husky Basketball to finally start and get games underway. I want to see what this years team can do. I have had an amazing time over the past three years watching UW Basketball grow to where it is now, and here are some videos I found on youtube.com, that may help scratch your itch for Husky Basketball for about 5 minutes.

One Shining Moment - A tribute to 2004-2006. Some sweet plays set to one sweet song!
Tribute to Brandon Roy - maybe one of the most popular Husky players of all time!
Best Dunk Ever! - Nate Rob vs. Zona. You could say that dunk was program changing!
Second best dunk ever! - Nate Rob again vs. NCST! Basically these last two dunks put to shame that dunk he did in the Dunk Contest!
Collective Husky Highlight Video - Last one!

That should do you for the day! Have fun, enjoy, Pat and I will get back to our season preview and player profiles shortly!

Husky Hoopla Videos

YOU TUBE, what an amazing website!

Here are some videos from the Husky Hoopla.
- A 7 minute review of the evening - Highlight: Little Kid that Appleby pulled out of stands to shot three pointers.
- Norris Frederick's Dunk in the slam duck contest
- More Highlights

Yeah, that should sum up the Hoopla, the dunk, and then filler....

The Highlight of the Husky Hoopla was...

THE LONG JUMPER from the Husky Track team. This was how bad the Husky Hoopla was. Found this today while surfing the web. I took pictures too, just need to get them printed, and I will post the semi-good ones.

A request for next year, pull someone from the crowd and have them take a charge from Jon Brockman. That would be fun to watch! They could call it, "Take on Brockman, and see if you live" or "The Brockman MAN challenge"! I stated in a recent post that they should not pull band members for any event because they are just weird. I would allow a member from the band to be pulled under these circumstances. Please do this...

Who wants to be a Bobby Jones? Harvey Perry's Contestant Application

I'll admit I know knew very little about this player. He was supposed to be good last year but he hurt his back early and decided to red shirt. I remember him consider giving up his red shirt at the end of last year after he got healthy, but he chose not to. That's about all I had this morning. But I'm resourceful. I have researching skills (AKA time to kill AKA work to avoid AKA go fuck yourself, don't judge me, why are you so special? Um... Awkward).

Harvey was part of the 2005 recruiting class that ranked 16th in the nation and was ranked as the 87th best prospect in the country by rivals.com. Romar said this about him as an incoming player: "Harvey is multi-dimensional. He is talented and he could guard probably four positions, the one through the four." That sounds like a certain senior drafted by the Sixers...

But that can't be, because everyone from USA Today to the Seattle Times have annointed Quincy Pondexter as the "Next Bobby Jones (but less awkward looking)". I'm tired of this. First it's Perry, then it's Pondexter, now, I don't know anymore. Will the real "Next Bobby Jones" please stand up? I've heard that Perry is our best on the ball defender, and is quicker than anyone in the universe. This article in today's PI describes him hoping around on the court on D in a similar way to the way BJones used to just as he picked up his third foul. I will say this, Joel Smith better bring it when he comes back because he has some serious competition for PT on the wing. Perry showed a nice touch from the outside in the open scrimmage at Husky Hoopla, which means less than nothing, but if he can be the M2GwcDaS , well, he'll probably get to play a lot.

Brockman on Preseason Wooden List

Job Brockman was named to the Preseason Wooden Award Top 50 candidates list. Congrats Jon, let this be an omen of how great your season will be! View list here.

Hawes #12

CHN, collegehoops.net, listed their inaugural top 100 players for this upcoming season. Spencer Hawes was number 12 in their power rankings, while Jon Brockman was #64. No other Husky was named. To read the complete list, click here.

Some notable Pac-10'ers: Aaron Afflalo UCLA #11, Marcus Williams Arizona #20, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute UCLA #31, Chase Budinger Arizona #33, Gabe Pruitt USC #35 (academically ineligible), Nick Young USC #42, Malik Hairston Oregon #66, Ayinde Ubaka California #74.

Not bad representation from the Pac-10.

Hawes back next Wednesday!

Read more here! All I have to say is Thank God!

BRoy - In Seatlle with a Win!

BROYYYYYY! Wow, BRoy was at Key Arena last Friday for the Sonics-Blazers exhibition game. So, Pat and I attended Key Arena last Friday drunk as a homeless man in the U-District. Everytime that BRoy scored, we went nuts, and the people around us were SERIOUSLY pissed at our cheering. ROMAR WAS THERE TOO! They put him on the big screen and I went nuts! I HEART ROMAR!

UW Basketball = Cash Money

Step 1: Hire Romar
Step 2: Profit

The most pertinent line in this recent Seattle PI article was:
"Basketball donations at the UW have increased from $250,000 during Romar's first season, 2002-03, to $2.5 million last year."

That's a ten fold increase in just 4 years. While this bodes well for the future of UW basketball, it is directly linked to increased season ticket prices, which sucks for me. I would expect this number to continue to climb as Romar piles on Sweet 16 appearances and continues to put players into the NBA. Boosters like winners. Additionally, long standing programs like Duke get millions from past players flush with NBA cash, and I would expect UW, who is winning with prominent local players, to see similar (by similar I mean less) give backs from Alumni.

While it's sad to say, cash is king in the world of college athletics, and fully funded teams have advantages over cash strapped programs. While Romar certainly doesn't need any help getting the players he wants, removing potential roadblocks from his path to a title will only make the journey smoother, and strong financial backing will make it harder for another school to pull him away from us.

Team Profile: UC-Berkeley Golden Bears

Berkeley fans - what happened?

Fans of Cal had to think that 2006-2007 would be their year. Leon Powe was coming back for his senior year, he had just gone nuts in the loss to NC State scoring 14 points, and grabbing 12 boards. This was after his 41 point game, and 20 rebound outbursts in the Pac-10 tournament against Southern Cal and Oregon. With returnees DeVon Hardin (power forward/center), and Ayinde Ubaka (point guard), Cal was geared to take on the Pac-10, and be favorites to win the Pac-10 for the first time since 1960. But, as Biggie said, "It was all a dream."

Next thing you know, Leon Powe declares for the NBA Draft, and Cal is left to ponder what might have been. All I have to say is, Suck it Cal. Suck it for destroying the bottom half of my Atlanta Region bracket, for your sleeper status was going to win me some serious money. By the way, Powe’s last game for Boston, DNP coaches decision. Good move there Powe, should be an amazing professional career for you! But honestly, as Pat pointed out, how much more would Powe develop at Berkeley?

But, Cal fans, the followers of perennial runner-ups and incomplete dreams, your team is be no means starting over from scratch. There is still some dough left over in the fridge to make some pretty tasty cookies. Your recruiting class is decent, and will all contend for playing time. Or is that a bad thing? I haven’t made up my mind yet.

Keys for Cal:
DeVon Hardin must mature at a rapid pace, and contribute more than he did last year. He showed glimpses last year but he was wildly inconsistent. If he can replace Powe in the middle of that offense, Cal will be fine. The question you have to ask yourself, were his points the result of the focus from other teams on Leon Powe? That will be answered early this year.

Prediction: 4th in the Pac-10 behind Arizona, UCLA, and UW. If Powe had returned, it would be hard to think this team wouldn’t be the favorite to win the Pac-10 title. But since he left, suck it Cal

Husky Traditions: Damn you Wave!

Click here to read about Husky traditions so you can become a true Husky Fan!

Why would you leave Romar?

News today that CJ Giles, a former UW recruit, has been suspended from the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team.

What I don't understand, is why he left Seattle, and played for Kansas. After apparently saying to Husky nation over a radio broadcast that he was "99%" for sure a Husky, he left town and joined the Kansas Jayhawks. Now, I know his father was a Jayhawk, but how could you leave Romar?

From what I can tell, Romar is on a path that will forever be known as epic. In 5 short years here, he has changed UW Basketball from the Bob Bender & Doug Wrenn show of the late 90's, to the perinnial Sweet-16 powerhouse on the West Coast. I wish I could travel into the future and see the future implications of the Romar recruiting machine. It probably would be like in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure when they traveled into the future and James Earl Jones told them that their Rock Music would one day save the world. I am sure if I went into the future I would see a recruiting trip filled with family meals, a trip to church, a day doing what the recruit wants (like that show on MTV "Next" where the date comes out of the bus and does what ever the contestant wants, and when they lose, they say "I got Nexted" like it was a word...terrible, why don't they say the bitch kicked me to the curb), then ending the night with a rose ceremony between Romar, Coach K, Lute Olson, Roy Williams, and Bobby Knight. I guarantee that the rose goes to Romar 90% of the time. Give it 5, maybe 10 years and this will be the case.

Look, Romar has BRoy (6th pick, last years NBA draft) Nate Rob (22nd pick 2005 draft, slam dunk champ) and Bobby Jones (second round pick, 38th selection 2006) in the NBA after five years of being head coach at UW... Outside of Elton Brand, and a young Grant Hill, Dukies have a problem in the NBA...lastest case in point, Sheldon Williams. Don't get Pat started on Mike Dunleavy Jr., who is destroying his beloved Warriors.

HOOPLA - Angie, why?

Excuse me, while I rant for couple of paragraphs. First off, WHAT HAPPEN TO ANGIE MENTINK (FORMERLY ARLOTTI) ????? When did she become NOT HOT? I remember watching her in college, and wanting to spend a special night alone in a dirty hotel room with her with one of those vibrating beds. All of a sudden she gets married and she is NOT HOT ANYMORE! I guess that is what having a couple kids will do for you...(note to self, cross Angie Arlotti, or Mentink off of laminated list of the 5 people I can hook up with and not get in trouble for). I mean, props for being a Husky Alumni, first softball player ever to be inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame, but this is a sad day for me. The candle has burned out long before the legend ever did...

Softy is just that, Soft. He sucked balls. Tried making lame ass jokes, and nobody, I MEAN NOBODY LIKED THEM! I mean, after these jokes, there was awkward silence.

Next year, get the program hosted by two drunk guys who are super into Husky Hoops, (Yes Pat and I are available next year to anyone who reads this from the Husky Athletic department) or just let Romar MC the night. That man has more charisma coming out of his left ring finger than Softy could ever possibly call upon. I would have loved to hear the story of what made the freshman decided to attend UW. Like, when Romar looked into their eyes and said everything was going to be alright, that would have been a dope evening.

To the event itself, Phil Nelson was robbed in the Dance off (dance off took too long), Why did they not let Ryan Appleby shoot until one of his teammates beat him? I mean, after he had killed like 5 or 6 players, you would have to think that his arms would have gotten tired and would have been a close contest with someone. ROMAR, please start Appleby! Get rid of Frozen T-Shirt Contest. DO NOT ACCEPT SOMEONE OUT OF THE STANDS IF THEY ARE FROM THE BAND! Talk about contrasts of coolness...

MORE WARREN MOON NEXT YEAR, LESS MC, LESS SLAM DUNK CONTEST, MORE QUALITY DUNKS, MORE SCRIMMAGING, LESS FROZEN T-SHIRT, LESS HYPE, MORE SUBSTANCE! Please, can someone bring back Bob Bender next year, along with Doug Wrenn so we can thank them for fouling up Husky B-Ball so bad that we had to go find Romar. Romar is the bext thing to ever happen to UW SPORTS.

I am down off my soap box, trying to remember why I loved Angie Arlotti....

Hoopla Poopla

I was really excited for Husky Hoopla. All twitchy and heart aflutter. But that may have been the two alcoholic rockstars that Gabe and I each pounded before we got to Hec Ed. But the whole event was poorly organized, ran slow, and the MC's were horrible. Honestly, Hoopla was on par with my high school's basketball kickoff event (if say, Warren Moon decided to show up to my high school basketball kickoff, and if anyone on my basketball team could dunk). Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I went, if only for Gabe's heckling of the three 10 year old girl coug fans sitting in front of us during the volleyball game.

A better organized event like this could have be a real plus for the program, instead, it felt like no one's heart was in it, and for the most part fell flat. Regardless, I was fired up to get my first look at the new recruits, watch a little bit of a scrimmage, see some sweet dunks and watch Appleby shoot. All of which happened. Pondexter looks like a stud, Phil Nelson seems to be a player and Harvey Perry had a sweet stroke in the scrimmage.

The main conclusion drawn from this event is that Lorenzo Romar is The Terminator of the recruiting world. We already knew that he's a young former NBA player who had great success as a player for the program he now coaches, wins over parents by giving inspirational talks about God, coaches an exciting style of basketball and gets players drafted, but now we know HE CAN DO THE ROBOT!!!! He's a perfect storm.

UW: Now officially a basketball school (at least this year)

One crack of the foot was all it took, and for one more year, UW remains a Basketball School. At least Duke lost their starting point guard for the season. If Coach K would get pummeled to a pulp with a sock full of bronze medals and mastercards, we'd be getting somewhere.

Hans Gasser: Contributor?

Joe Wolfinger has a broken foot. Specer Hawes is getting scoped. Zach Johnson is no longer a college basketball player. While Hawes' injury looks to be minor, Wolfinger is likely done for the season. For the time being, this leaves only three healthy "Bigs" on the UW roster - Brockman, Artem Wallace and Hans Gasser. As the season starts, Hawes should be back, but he still will have missed 2-4 weeks of conditioning, and will take time to get up to speed. Wallace and Gasser will have to fill the void, and while Artem can be the big body thug that we need, Gasser and his jumper need to replace some of the missing offense.

Last year, Gasser did a decent job filling in minutes for the injured Mike Jensen in the non- conference games, scoring 6.3 points and grabbing 2.9 rebounds per game. Once Jensen got healthy, Gasser's playing time disappeared, and aside from two big threes against Oregon State, he scored only 4 points in all the rest of the Pac 10 games combined. This year, he needs to show he belongs on a Pac 10 team, give us some points off the bench, rebound the ball and not get dominated physically. If he can get 7 points and 4 bounds a game, I would consider that a successful year.

Specer Hawes: Don't scare me like that

UW's Hawes to have knee surgery. I don't think I was the only fan whose heart paused momentarily upon reading this headline in the Seattle PI. I've feared this ever since we signed The Big Man. Fortunately, it looks like a minor scope job, and he is still expected to play in the opener.

As everyone knows, the Hawes family has long contributed to UW basketball. Beginning with his uncle, Steve Hawes, who averaged over 20 and 10 each of his 3 years at UW and went on to have a 10 year NBA career, and Spencer's dad, Jeff Hawes, Spencer now extends their legacy. Even with the dominant numbers Steve Hawes put up, it appears that Spencer has an even higher ceiling, and if it wasn't for a generational talent in Greg Oden, he would have unquestionably been the #1 center prospect in the nation last year (and maybe even the best center in college basketball this year). He is the second consecutive best of the west winner to go to UW (Brockman won it the year before - former winners include Paul Pierce and Jason Kidd), and given that our new small forward, Quicy Pondexter, was the #16 ranked recruit in the nation this year, one could argue that we have the most talented starting front line in the nation.

Hawes was fortunate to play for the U18 national team, coached by Lorenzo Romar himself, which happened to win their international championship this year. He was one of the best players on the team, filling it up with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks in the final against Argentina. This summer he also played on the Seattle team at the Rucker Park tournament that lost in the finals, with the likes of Nate Rob, BRoy, Jamaal Williams, and Jamal Crawford (scoring 22 points and grabbing 18 boards in their 92-85 overtime semifinal victory). Needless to say, I can't wait to see him in husky purple and gold.

With the addition of Hawes, I wonder how this year's UW team plays. Romar has never had a true post presence before, and this will be the first time that he has a size advantage against opposing teams. Although I doubt we will slow it down, we now have the foundation for a solid half court offense, which will better equip us to deal with slow it down teams like the Cougs. As for numbers for Spencer this year, I really don't know. My guess is this:
13 points
8 rebounds
1 assist
2 turnovers
1.5 blocks

"It's like a dream": Justin Dentmon Player Profile

Justin Dentmon knows how to be clutch. It's just that he forgets sometimes. The Stanford game happened in front of our eyes, and probably reoccured thousands of times in Justin's mind. That moment may have cost us a win, but it doesn't take away from the many moments where his play was crucial to a UW victory. 17 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and two steals against Gonzaga on night that we only got 10 from BRoy and still managed to win. Big time plays in wins against UCLA, Cal and Illinois. In an article about Dentmon's clutch AAU play, His coach had this to say: "He won probably about six games for us in the two years he's played on the Warriors," said his Illinois Warriors AAU coach, Larry Butler. "You can't teach that." In Justin's words, "it's like a dream, everything in the game is like a cloud. It's just you and the defender."

Dentmon led the Huskies in free throw shooting percentage, steals and turnovers and was second in assists and minutes played. Strong work for a freshman asked to fill the hole at point left by Will Conroy and Nate Robinson. His free throw stroke suggests the potential for an outside shot, but last year he was unable to hit from the outside consistently, especially off the dribble, shooting 41% from the field and 29% from three. That has to change this year as he will be a primary focus of opposing defenses. Also, without a player like Brandon Roy to take charge of the offense, Dentmon will have to show he can take care of the basketball - and assist to turnover ratio of 1.4 to 1 from Dentmon will cost us games this year.

My hopes for Dentmon are as high as they are for any player. He will be a year more mature and in control of the fast paced husky attack. If he can show modest gains in shooting percentage (44% and 33% would do), he will be a devastating weapon for UW.

Last seasons stats:
Min: 27.7
Points: 8.3 .409 .286 .814
Rebounds: 3.5
Assists: 3.8
TO: 2.7
Steals: 1.6

Projected stats for this year:
Min: 30.0
Points: 12.0 .438 .331 .804
Rebounds: 4.0
Assists: 6.8
TO: 2.8
Steals: 2.0

Arizona State - Root for the Mascot

Herb Sendek has his hands full after moving over from North Carolina State. What to say about Arizona State....umm, I love their mascot. In all seriousness, Arizona State is going to have an awful time this year trying to find a replacement for leading scorer, and ASU record holder for most minutes played per game (38.98 mpg), Kevin Kruger, who tranferred to UNLV, citing the new NCAA rule to transfer schools after he graduated this past spring. The rule states that if a student-athlete who is enrolled in a specific graduate degree program of an institution other than the institution from which he or she previously received a baccalaureate degree to participate in intercollegiate athletics regardless of any previous transfer. This is a very controversal new rule by the NCAA, I wonder how long it will be until someone gets in trouble for violating or pushing this rule too far. ASU will also have to find a replacement for second leading scorer Bryson Krueger, who was kicked off the team following his arrest for possesion of firearms and various drugs. Congratulations Krueger, you are at the top of the Delta pledge class.

Weaknesses: TOO MANY TO COVER - Missing top two scorers from a team that was only 11-17 last season (5-13 in league). The sad thing is this, if the Krugers comeback this year, this is potential a middle of the pack Pac-10 team. Now, with the loss of their two best players, this will be a young team, with a new coach, trying to find itself on the shoulders of a sophomore who didn't have to be the number one option last year. Kruger, who was over 40% from 3-point line last year gone, ASU now will suffer from long range, something that Sendek overemphasises in his offense.

Strengths: Sendek. I know, he is the coach, but his offenses are alway potent, and he will get a lot out of this ASU team that will need to learn quickly how to score points. ASU FANS GOTTA LOVE THIS THOUGH, Sendek is 1-0 versus Lute Olson and the Arizona Wildcats. Sendek beat Olson when he was with Miami (Ohio) in the 1995 NCAA Tournament. Pendergraph is a all-around assest. But, will a sophomore be able to handle the pressure of being the number one option. His 8.0 rebound per game last season is very impressive.

Players to watch: Jeff Pendergraph. The Pac-10 All Freshman team selection averaged almost 15.0 ppg over the last nine games last season, and must shoulder more of the load this season with the lost of Kruger and Kruger. Good luck to you sir!

Click here to view ASU's roster, outside of Pendergraph, you will not recognize a single name.

A Husky Fan's Take: YES, count those as gimmie games. Why is there only two on the roster.

Prediction: Horrible, with a shade of pathetic. I hope Pendergraph is amazing this year. Should battle the offensively challenged Washington State Cougars for last in the Pac-10.

Das Boot: Brandon Burmeister Player Profile

As the Husky most likely to be confused with a 90210 extra, Brandon Burmeister took on a slightly larger role last year than he had in previous years, when his job was to feed the beast that is Zane Potter in garbage time. He got a career high of 7.1 minutes a game, including long stretches of play against Wazzou and USC (17 minutes in each). His shooting percentages dropped last year, and often times he looked nervous on the court when he was not playing garbage time minutes. In order to boost his confidence I suggest he begins to talk about himself in the third person. There is no Brandon, only The Burmeister. Recent The Burmeister news is that his foot was in a protective boot. Not good. The Burmeister also has the distinction of being one of 4 or 5 guys on the team old enough to drink legally. So there you go.

Best Moment: Coming up big against USC, hitting a couple threes and making quite a few hustle plays.

Outlook
On many college teams, a senior like The Burmeister would be able to leverage his large amount of practice experience into a solid 10 to 12 minutes off the bench. He can provide the typical skinny, short, white guy skills of three point shooting, hustle and an overall lack of atheleticism that make guys like him a fan favorite. Unfortunately for The Burmeister, he is playing behind a 6'2", 150lb albino with a dead eye shot and freaky hair. He simply cannot compete. Even though he is a senior, I think he will have a hard time seeing the court, as the end of the husky bench now contains top 100 talent. BOLD PREDICTION: The Burmeister will SAVE us in one game this year, on the road, by hitting a couple of huge threes and getting a key steal. You heard it here first.

Huskies getting their share of injuries

Another Husky sidelined

The body count keeps getting lower for the Huskies as walk-on guard Brandon Burmeister is now in a boot.

Read about it here.

-

Actually on ESPN.com today, an article actually highlights the injury problem that Huskies are experiencing.

Fans Invited to Attend Husky Hoopla on Oct. 13

From GoHuskies.com

Basketball tip-off event follows 7 p.m. volleyball match

SEATTLE - One night, two great events!

That is the slogan for a unique doubleheader of University of Washington athletic activities that takes place, Friday, Oct. 13 at Bank of America Arena.

For the first time in eight years, Husky fans have the opportunity to tip off the new season by joining the Washington basketball teams for their opening practice of the 2006-07 campaign.

The UW men's and women's basketball squads conduct their first official on-court gathering on Oct. 13. They will hit the hardwood following the 7 p.m. volleyball match between the Huskies and Washington State.

Dave "Softy" Mahler of SportsRadio 950 KJR AM serves as Master of Ceremonies for the Husky Hoopla festivities, helping Dawg fans get pumped up for another great year of basketball.

The event will include scrimmages by the men's and women's basketball teams, a slam dunk contest, fun contests and lots of prizes.

Husky Hoopla is free for all fans and will start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the volleyball match.

Fans can guarantee a seat for Husky Hoopla by purchasing a ticket to the volleyball match and helping the fifth-ranked Husky spikers attempt to break their attendance record of 5,712 fans.

Fans wishing to attend only the Husky Hoopla will be admitted free of charge at the beginning of the third game of the volleyball match.

This exciting Husky Hoopla marks the first time UW had conducted a public event in conjunction with the first basketball practice since Oct. 16, 1998.

The Husky men return two starters from the 2006 team that registered a 26-7 record, made its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season. Those returning starters, sophomores Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon, are joined by a recruiting class that was ranked among the best in the nation.

Lorenzo Romar begins his fifth season as head coach of the UW men's basketball team.

Basketball Tip Off Luncheon

Register online at www.HuskyFever.com or send in your reservation

Oct. 5, 2006

SEATTLE -- The Husky Men's And Women's basketball teams will tip-off the season on October 30th with the annual Tip-Off Luncheon in the East ballroom at the HUB on the UW campus.

Doors will open at 12:30 p.m. and the Luncheon begins at 1:00 p.m. Tickets are $40 for an individual or $320 for a table of eight or a table of seven plus a Husky player or coach chosen at random.

The program will feature Coach June Daugherty, Coach Lorenzo Romar and their respective student-athletes.

Arizona - Can Williams handle being number one?

Arizona

Perennial Final Four threat Arizona returns with their most talented team in the past three of four years. The Wildcats, rated on ESPN.com as the number 6^th ranked team heading out of the summer, welcome prized freshman Chase Budinger. Folks around the Arizona program claim this could be the best freshman ever at Arizona, and that says something. With Marcus Williams as the leading contender for Pacific 10 player of the year, and Mustafa Shakur leading the point again this year, this going to be an extremely dangerous team. Arizona returns four starters - Williams (13.0 ppg/4.7 rpg), Shakur (11.2 ppg/4.7 apg), junior F Ivan Radenovic (12.1 ppg/6.3 rpg) and junior C Kirk Walters (6.1 ppg/3.5 rpg).

Strengths: Williams was a work horse in 2005. Williams, who is originally from Seattle, led all freshmen in the Pac-10 in scoring (13.0 ppg). He scored in double digits in each of the final six games of the season, averaging 17.8 points during that span. Williams must carry the scoring load for this young Wildcats team to be able to hang with UCLA and Washington in the Pac-10.

Weakness: If Williams struggles in his sophomore year, where will the scoring come from? With little post presence, where will the easy points come from? Radenovic and Walters must provide an established post presence for an Arizona team that struggled to score inside last season with much consistency. Eight of the 15 players on the roster are freshman or sophomores, which could be rocky for the Wildcats out of the gate this year. It might be a good thing Lute Olson is known for his tight player rotation.

Games to watch: Arizona has an impressive non-conference schedule. This will give a couple of NCAA type games to the young squad before the calendar reads 2007. They play Virginia, Illinois, Louisville, and Memphis before starting Pac-10 play. Lute Olson is going to forge this team by fire, which all the Pac-10 is hoping backfires, and this young team wilts.

Players to watch: Williams, who was mention above. Extremely talented player, but must accept the fact that he is number one option this year after Hassan Adams graduated. The other focal point will be Shakur. He must improve his point guard play his senior year for the Wildcats to have a chance at winning the conference. He will be key in distributing the ball to his horses Williams and Budinger. His inconsistency has driven Coach Olson wild.

Departed players: Adams, Chris Rodgers, and Isaiah Fox. Adams was a great player, but with his numerous off-court violations of the Arizona player code, including a DUI, Olson has to be glad this player is out of the locker room.

Incoming players: CHASE BUDINGER. The most decorated high school player on this roster. A Parade magazine first team All-American, and co-MVP of the McDonalds High School All-America Game, this big red-headed freshman has all the tools to be the “Tango” to Williams’ “Cash”. Budinger was ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect in the country and the No. 2 small forward by Bob Gibbons’ All-Star Sports Top 100. Budinger can ball. He was also named the Most Valuable Player of the Nike Junior World Championships in Douai, France, in June 2006, where he averaged 28 points and eight rebounds per game as Team USA went 6-0. A little known fact, Budinger was a three-time San Diego County volleyball player of the year. I bet that gets brought up in the locker room all year long.

A Husky Fan’s Prospective: FUCK MARCUS WILLIAMS. He had the opportunity to play for UW, stay home and be the next Brandon Roy. Imagine the front court this year of Williams, Brockman, and Hawes. I hope Brockman hits him HARD this year. They are going to be good this year. They could poise the biggest threat to the Husky’s chances of winning the Pac-10. With UCLA losing Jordan Farmar and several other key seniors, Arizona has to be considered the front runner in the Pac-10 at this moment. With Arizona, UCLA, and UW all ranked in the top 20 in ESPN’s hot summer 50 teams to start the year (6,11,19 respectively), the Pac-10 is up in the air.

Roster:

11 Bagga, David G 6-5 186 So. Foothill Ranch, Calif. (Mater Dei H.S.)
44 Brielmaier, Bret F 6-6 237 Jr. Mankato, Minn. (Loyola H.S.)
34 Budinger, Chase F 6-7 205 Fr. Encinitas, Calif. (LaCosta Canyon H.S.)
12 Dillon, Daniel G 6-3 203 Jr. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (North Laurel (Ky.) H.S.)
43 Hill, Jordan F 6-9 211 Fr. Atlanta, Ga. (The Patterson School (N.C.))
5 McClellan, Jawann G 6-4 211 Jr. Houston, Texas (Charles H. Milby H.S.)
24 Onobun, Fendi F 6-6 239 So. Houston, Texas (Alief Taylor H.S.)
30 Prince, J.P. G 6-6 186 So. Memphis, Tenn. (White Station H.S.)
55 Radenovic, Ivan F 6-10 240 Sr. Belgrade, Serbia (Secondary School of Sports)
15 Shakur, Mustafa G 6-3 190 Sr. Philadelphia, Pa. (Friends Central H.S.)
14 Tangara, Mohamed F 6-9 241 So. Bamako, Mali (Mt. Zion Christian Academy (N.C.))
54 Walters, Kirk C 6-11 254 Sr. Grand Rapids, Mich. (South Christian H.S.)
3 Williams, Marcus F 6-7 205 So. Seattle, Wash. (Roosevelt H.S.)
13 Wise, Nic G 5-9 190 Fr. Kingwood, Texas (Kingwood H.S.)

Prediction: If Marcus Williams is a stud, and Budinger is as good as advertised, Arizona will win the Pac-10. The other two teams (UCLA and UW) have too many questions to answer to be the overall favorite for the Pac-10 title.

Player Profile: Jon Brockman

Background:
A former best of the west winner as a high school senior, Brockman brings a level of physicality previously unseen in a Husky uniform. Last year, Brockman basically played center and was forced to guard the largest player on the court. Although he held his own, his production was reduced by being shorter than his matchup, especially later in the season against higher ranked teams. Despite this, he still managed to lead the team in shooting percentage and rebounding and was UW's 4th leading scorer. As Romar's first top tier recruit, Brockman symbolizes the birth of a new era for UW basketball, now able to steal talent from the likes of Duke and North Carolina. His mere presence reflects the credibility of Romar as a coach, and the bright future of the program.

Best Moment of last year: dropping 21 and 10 on Airforce in his third game.
Worst Moment: 1 point and 5 rebounds in our loss to Wazzou at home.

Outlook:
Brockman stands to gain more from the presence of Spencer Hawes than anyone. A 6'11" post presence will allow Brockman to play his more normal position of power forward, where his raw physical talent will allow him to dominate. He should get more blocks (he got almost none last year), but I would not be surprised if Romar used him as the on ball defender in the post and let Hawes roam and block shots (Much like Rasheed would do for the Pistons while Ben Wallace roamed). Expect a significant increase in easy shot attemps, given that Brockman is excellent at finding open spaces and Hawes will demand so much attention. I predict this MAN will unleash an unholy ass whooping upon the Pac 10 this season. He has two bows and knows how to use them, and will threaten to be the UW's first double double man since Todd Macculloch.

Last years stats:
Minutes: 24.1
PPG: 8.6
FG shooting: 116-224 .518
FT shooting: 46-69 .667
Rebounds: 6.5
Fouls: 2.5 per
Assists: 0.7
TO: 1.35
Steals: 1.1
Blocks: 0.1

Prediction:
Minutes: 29
PPG: 14 on 54% shooting
Rebounds: 9.1
Assists: 1.1
TO: 1.5
Steals: 1.6
Blocks: 0.5

Player Profile: Ryan Appleby

This is my first installment of UW player profiles, I haven't fully fleshed out my playing time/stat predictions, but I will go back and edit them when I am done if they seem lacking. Appleby is first because, well, his name starts with A.

Ryan was a transfer from Florida and a former all state performer from Stanwood, WA. 05/06 was his first year with the Huskies, and he has 2 more years of eligibility. His primary role was to fill it up from outside, acting as an ultra poor man's Tre Simmons. Ryan had some scoring outbursts in big games (both Arizona games and @Cal), but struggled with consistency and had problems with turnovers. He isn't really a defender, and for the most part that is not his role. However, he must show that he can hold his own against the athletic Pac 10 in order to stay on the court, and keep me from losing my mind.

UW lost a large chunk of it's three point shooting from last year, when Roy, Jones and Jensen accounted for nearly 44% (96 total) of the teams made 3's (Jamaal Williams made one too). With Dentmon and Joel Smith not having a great history of stroking the three (both under 30% last year), Appleby will be relied upon to stretch defenses and keep teams from packing the lane to deal with our bruising frontcourt combo of Brockman and Hawes. If he can avoid costly turnovers and shoot solidly, Ryan should be able to get starters minutes on this squad.

Memorable highlight from last year: Draining a late three from the "W" at home against Arizona.

Memorable lowlight:Getting knocked the fuck out in the conference playoffs against Oregon.

Stats from last year:
Min: 23.0
FG:43.8% (85-194), 42.4% (70-165) from 3
FT:80% (20-25)
Reb:1.4
A:62 (1.9 per)
TO:51 (1.6 per)
Stl:17 (.5 per)
PPG:7.9

Expected stats this year:
Min: 28.0
A: 2.5 per
TO: 1.4 per
Stl: 0.8
PPG: 12.5

Suck it Ernie Kent!

Andy Katz from Espn.com analyized the potential of every teams schedule for the upcoming year.

After giving the University of Oregon Ducks a look, Katz determines that there is not enough there to get a bid into the NCAA Tournament. Only really pivotal games for UO this year on their non-conference schedule is Georgetown, Rice and Nebraska. They also mention Portland State as a must win game. HOW FAR HAS OREGON FALLEN THAT ANDY KATZ HAS TO MENTION THEIR GAME AGAINST PORTLAND STATE AS "MUST WIN". UO probably has the worst non-conference schedule of any Division 1-A school this year. I am glad UO athletics are taking the same slacker approach that their education system has been for many years. (There was no mention of UW's schedule.)

I give it two months into the season until we see UO fans holding up "Fire Ernie" signs.

UW Basketball | 6-foot-6 swingman commits to Huskies

By: Bob Condotta

Seattle Times staff reporter

The Washington men's basketball team has received a commitment from Justin Holiday, a 6-foot-6, 170-pound swingman from North Campbell Hall High School in North Hollywood, Calif.

Holiday committed after taking a recruiting visit to UW this weekend. He has been described as a player in the mold of former UW forward Bobby Jones and also reportedly had offers from the likes of Arizona State, Nevada, Texas Tech and USC.

Holiday is the older brother of Jrue Holiday, a high-school junior who is rated as the No. 2 shooting guard in the nation for the recruiting class of 2008 by Scout.com. Jrue Holiday is also being recruited by Washington.

UW now has three commitments for the Class of 2007. The others are from guard Isaiah Thomas of Curtis and forward Matthew Bryan-Amaning of South Kent (Conn.) School.

Vote for Nate!

Help Nate Rob win picture of the year!

Vote now for picture of the year at NBA.com. Nate Rob is up against Ben Wallace for picture of the year, and needs your help! Vote for Nate!

UW Athletics Receives IA Sportsmanship Recognition Award

http://gohuskies.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/092906aaa.html

Wow, didn't see this coming. Hec Ed is notoriously known for having the loudest crowd in the Pac-10. If by good sportsmanship, they mean, "Wow, we didn't think you could get Dick Bennett's wife to flip you off, didn't see that coming" award, then yeah, we deserve it.

On a serious note, I have to believe that UW has an amazing advantage when they play in Hec-Ed. With the students sitting SO close to the court and opponents bench, crazy stuff has to happen. I remember standing in the Dawg Pack the first time we beat Arizona. There was a ton of fans who said some outlandish stuff to Coach Lute Olsen. After Nate Rob connected on the alloy-op, we pretty much lost our minds and didn't sensor a thing out of our mouths.

Joe Wolfinger lost to broken foot

Looks like the Huskies still can't get a break this offseason. Wait, they are having too many breaks. Another player has suffered a broken foot and will be lost for an extended period of time.

Joe Wolfinger, a 7 foot center, experienced pain in his foot two weeks ago. After being told to rest, the condition did not improve, and Wolfinger was told that he would be lost from the line-up for part, to almost all of the upcoming year. This is very upsetting news to any Husky B-ball fan who was excited about having a tall presence inside that could back up Spencer Hawes.

From the PI -
"Wolfinger came to the UW from a prep school, Mount Herman in Northfield, Mass., after playing his high school ball in Beaverton, Ore. He was regarded as a fairly significant recruiting catch, choosing the Huskies over Cincinnati and Georgia Tech, among others."

Read about it in the PI http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cbasketball/287085_umen30.html.

Sounds like Wolfinger needs to go get prayer techniques from Shaun Alexander. Perhaps then he will be ready to play when practice starts in 12 days.

I heart Huskies

In the fashion of Field of Dreams (If you blog about them, they will be your friends) and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (that's why this blog needs a post from Lorenzo Romar), my buddy Bobby Jones 2.0 and I (who happen to be crazy UW hoops fans) want to start a blog about our thoughts regarding Husky Basketball!

Moving away from Husky Basketball for a second, lets draw our attention to Husky Football, and the suddenly "big game" this Saturday against the red and gold from the south, the University of Soiled Condoms. The Trojans have yet to grow to their potential this year, and are looking a little limp as they are having trouble replacing all the NCAA violations that led them to three national championship games.

The Huskies on the other hand are off to a fast start. They are one Stanback fumble away from being 5-0, and ranked in the top 25 since Neuhisal was outted as coach. I really like UW in this game, as it will be a bench mark game for the Huskies, and I don't think Stanback lets them lose this game. He already cost them one game this year, and he knows it. It won't happen again.

UW 28, USC 24

Tada!

Yo,

Here it is, my brand spankin new UW basketball blog, Hec Heads. In it you will soon find: drunken (read:insightful) live game blogging with my buddy Brockman's Faceguard, hopefully a season preview, and, of course, much love for the the Huskies and their supercoach, Lorenzo Romar.