Venoy Overton Signs LOI

Venoy Overton from Seattle's Franklin High School signed his letter of intent to play at UW next year. It arrived on the campus last evening, after much speculation that the reason UW hadn't received it yet was because Venoy didn't have access to a fax machine. Dawg, it's called Kinkos, they are open 24 hours.

Anyways, his attitude is being compared to Will Conroy and Nate Robinson, both mega-ballers. Romar likes his skills, but he says the thing he likes most about Overton is his understanding on how to win. That is such a hard thing to teach, and it seems UW could use someone who desires to win.

RED-FLAG - Overton has yet to post an eligible test score to get into UW. Along with Darnell Gant, this class could be decimated by faulty test scores. Right now, this is a very solid class, with Justin Holiday and Matthew Bryan-Amaning joining Overton and Gant. Isaiah Thomas and Jru Holiday could be coming next season, and that means UW is recruiting proven winners to it's program.

One more thing on the Nelson transferring story; I am basically for this move now that I thought about it. UW will be loaded around the perimeter when Tim Morris and Joel Smith return next season, along with swingman Justin Holiday coming into the mix. With Q-Pond and Ryan Appleby already playing, where was Phil going to make an impact? His D was shaky at times, though he found success guarding smaller guards, and his offense was not refined. It has been rumored that Tim Morris has spent this entire season (transfer sit-out) working on his three point shot, and offensive moves to the basket with Husky coaches and trainers. Plus, Tim was known for his ability to play D, and we all know Joel Smith can guard along the perimeter. So, this move perhaps benefits both sides of the deal.

Sub-question: Was Nelson ran out of Seattle? Romar insists no, but remember Anthony Washington. The only big man Romar had on his roster after his first season, who was practically ran out of town to make room for future scholarship athletes. This is a developing trend we should definetly watch over the next few years. Both Washington and Nelson have picked up with Portland State, and former UW assistant Ken Boone.

We need players who can make an impact going to the basket. This was a major problem for the Huskies last year. The role, left void by B-Roy graduating, was never adopted by any of the Husky perimeter players, and it left Justin Dentmon having to do all the penetrating, leaving the D to collapse down on him when he made a move to the basket. If Joel, and Tim, along with Holiday and Q-Pond can develop aggressive moves to the basket that can free up shooters like Appleby, Joel and others, then UW might have a fighting chance next season on the offensive end.