Hec Heads

Grab Bag: Pac-10 Media Day, Appleby, and Romar!

2007-11-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

Lorenzo Romar revealed today that Ryan Appleby has fractured his thumb during a rebounding drill in practice (why was he practicing rebounding? We don't need him to rebound!). Appleby will be out 6-weeks, which places his return date somewhere in mid-December. Read about it here.

UW was picked to finish 8th in the Pac-10 at media day. UCLA 1, WSU 2, Oregon 3, Arizona 4.

Here is a great article on Lorenzo Romar and his "clean mouth".

Washington Returns to Up-tempo Play, Part 1 of 3!

2007-10-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

Last year was a step in the wrong direction.

A program that had prided itself on hustle, heart, sweat and the ability to get up and down the court in a matter of moments, lost their way. They traded fast breaks for half-court offense. Played slow-grind it out basketball rather than fast, aggressive break neck defense that Lorenzo Romar basketball teams are known to do. Gone was UW's tough perimeter defense, allowing the likes of Arizona and WAZZU to shoot endless amounts of uncontested threes. And in the end, gone was UW's post-season streak at three seasons.

Fast-forward to 2007 and gone is the pre-season hype, the stiff-and-cliche midnight madness celebrations, and back is the return to defensive fundamentals and dive-on the floor grittiness that turned UW's basketball program around five years ago. Leaving the cozy confines of Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Washington pulled up stakes and moved preseason camp to Saint Martin's University in Lacey where Romar put his team through an intense series of drills to re-focus his players on the most important side of the basketball, defense.

Welcome Class of 2007, your job, if you wish to accept it, is to return Washington back into an up-tempo, defensive minded basketball team that was ranked in the top-5 in scoring in the nation at over 84 points per game from 2004 to 2006.

Washington will be propelled back into the spot light, the upper echelon of the Pac-10 not because of the returns from last year, but by the new and returning players. Venoy Overton, Matthew Bryant-Amaning, Darnell Gant, and Justin Holiday provide that intensity that Romar has wanted out of a freshman class since he came to Washington. Last year's recruiting class, which now is down to only Quincey Pondexter and Joe Wolfinger, has turned out to be a disappointment after the quick exit of both Spencer Hawes and Phil Nelson. Here is a great article out of the Seattle Times today about the focus and dedication that these freshman are showing in practice so far.

What might matter more though is the return of defensive-minded guard Joel Smith, and leadership of Tim Morris. Morris, who has never played a game for Washington because of sitting out a year after transferring from Stanford, was named as one of three captains for the 2007-08 season, along with junior Jon Brockman and senior Ryan Appleby. Both Smith and Morris figure to be part of an improved Washington back court that will feature Smith, Morris, Overton, Holiday, and returners Justin Dentmon, Adrian Oliver and Appleby. With Overton breathing down the neck of Dentmon for the starting role in Washington's back court, Dentmon has rededicated himself to being quick and the conditioning program that made him successful as a true freshman. This unit should provide more pressure on opposing guards on offense, while being able to defend the perimeter like back in the days of Will Conroy, Nate Robinson and Bobby Jones. The return of Smith is the single best thing for Washington perimeter defensive woes.

Here is how I see Washington's rotation being this season:

Initial Starting 5:
PG - Dentmon
SG - Adrian Oliver/Morris
C - B-Amaning
SF - Pondexter
PF - Jon Brockman

Second Unit
PG - Overton/Appleby
SG - Morris/Smith/Appleby - depends on what UW needs, whether it's scoring or defense
C - Joe Wolfinger/Wallace
SF - Justin Holiday/Morris
PF - Gant/Artem Wallace
(with this second unit, offense is going to be a problem. If Overton can successfully penetrate, and find open people, this unit will be ok).

If Washington is getting up and down the court with the tenacity that it did two seasons ago, who is the odd men out of the rotation? I really think Wallace, after off-season legal troubles and hamstring issues is going to continue to lose playing time while Gant learns how good he is physically under the basket, and on the perimeter. Wolfinger, I guess would also be out of the rotation because his size would slow down Washington's attempt to speed the game up, not slow it down. Then there is the traffic-jam at shooting guard, who is going to start and play as the back-up? Morris, Smith and Appleby all deserve a chance at the shooting guard spot as the back-up with Adrian Oliver's improve O, and tenacious D will land him the starting spot in the NIT opener.

If Washington does not do well in the Pre-Season NIT, look for Morris or Smith to move into the starting line-up at SG, and don't be surprised to see Overton play increased minutes if he can keep his turnovers down.

Part Two: The Big Two, Jon Brockman and Quincy Pondexter!
Part Three: How Washington Will Fare This Season?

Jones intrigues

2007-10-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

Bob Condotta has posted some articles about Bobby Jones in the Rocky Mountain News. Here's an excerpt from last nights column. From the looks of it, Bobby is going to get a chance to play in Denver.

"He's been a very pleasant surprise," coach George Karl said.

Jones scored 13 points Thursday, bringing his average to 11.6 points in seven preseason games while shooting 52.9 percent (9-for-17) from three-point range and 54.6 percent overall. Jones, who shot 1-for-9 on three-pointers last season, credits his improvement to regularly staying after practice and to adjustments assistants have made with his shot.

I talked to my brother, who lives in Denver and is a big Nuggets fan, and he basically said that if Jones can hit open threes and guard shooting guards, he will play, as that is the only real hole in the Nuggets roster. But if Bobby can't guard 2's, he has to play small forward, which means he's going to get buried, as that position is locked up. I've always thought that Bobby could become a Bruce Bowen type player in the NBA, eventually, and Denver needs a player like that badly. The question is whether Jones can be good enough this year for solid minutes, and so far, it's looking possible. I'm glad Jones came to Denver in this summer's trade because he was never going to succeed in Philly. He'll succeed with a coach like Karl because no one will work harder. He doesn't need coaxing, he'll put in the time and leave it on the floor.

Good work Bobby!

U.S.S Olson Out Of Steam? Not yet...

2007-10-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

Winning 20 games every year, and making the NCAA tournament year in and year out is good for some programs, but at Arizona, where Final Four appearances and National Championships are the custom, the past two seasons have been deemed failures in the Valley of the Sun.

In what has looked like a coach hanging on for too long, Coach Lute Olson has begun a resurrection in the desert with the shake up of his coaching staff. Lute created quite a stir in Tucson when he let long time assistant coach Jim Rosborough go and Olson re-hired former assistant Kevin O'Neill, who will take over as defensive guru and drill Sargent for UofA. The re-focus to the defensive side of the basketball is a common theme that has weighed heavily in many camps this off-season after the Pac-10 went offensive crazy last season.

Like USC, Arizona lost three of their starting five, but from this article out of SportingNews.com, people are thrilled that Ivan Radenovic, Mustafa Shakur and Marcus Williams have hit the road. These three were responsible with over 44% of the team's offensive production last season, but 44% of zero is still zero. It was clear to anyone who watched Arizona basketball last season that the team clearly did not have the same aggressiveness or tenacity that it had even two seasons before. The departure of these three has opened the door for younger and hungrier players to assume the roles that were haphazardly played by this underachieving trio.

With the departure of Williams, the ball and scoring responsibility is now in the hands of ex-volleyball player Chase Budinger and exciting sharp shooter and play maker Jawann McClellan. Budinger has big time talent, who averaged 15.8 ppg while pulling in 5.8 rebounds per game in his freshman season. McClellan is a super talent of his own, but injuries have been the Achilles heel of his development as a true superstar. There are times when you watch Arizona Basketball and you just have that feeling that McClellan is about to go off. This is usually right after he nails a three from two or three feet beyond the arc. These two players must carry the load if UofA has any shot at competing for a Pac-10 title (as mentioned yesterday, they will not be able to compete with UCLA this year).

Arizona also added talented point-guard Jerryd Bayless in this last freshman class. He brings pure scoring talent, along with the ability to put the ball on the floor and create his own shot. Does this sound familiar??? Yeah, he is Mustafa Shakur 2.0. Shakur was a big-time high school recruit who always played shot first pass never and that did not help him develop into the point guard that Olson was hoping that Shakur would turn into, ala Mike Bibby or Damon Stoudamire. While those last two players could create their own shots, they were also very talented passers who had success at the next level as NBA point guards. Hopefully Bayless will not be the same type of person that Shakur was, as Shakur was often disciplined and at times suspended from the Arizona Basketball team for conduct detrimental to the team.

WHERE DOES ARIZONA END UP: Chemistry must be the first problem addressed by Lute Olson and coaching staff this season. With the subtraction of locker room cancers Shakur and Williams, Budinger and co. take over a program that has underachieved the past two years. Arizona will be competitive, but is still a year away from being that dominate team that we are used to seeing in Tucson. Look for Budinger to have an All-Pac 10 First Team type of performance (and possibly First Team All-American type Performance, he was named to collegehoops.com All-American First team), and for McClellan to also have an All-Pac 10 Second Team year. This team will compete for the 2-4 spots this year in the Pac-10. Can it beat WSU, UO or even USC, that will remain to be seen. My projection, they finish 4th in the Pac-10 and again win 20 games behind UCLA, WSU and UO. A 4th place finish may keep Chase Budinger in Tucson for one more year, looking to compete for a Pac-10 title before venturing into the NBA. Budginer reminds me of a young Sean Elliot...does anyone else see that resemblance?

#4 in Pac-10...but building for the future.

Too Much Love in Westwood!

2007-10-20T18:03:00.001-07:00

I am saying this right now, Kevin Love will kill UCLA's chance to compete for a national title.

As we know by now, UCLA is the favorite to win the Pac-10 title. Outside of WSU (yes, I say WSU...it kills me to say this, but how good were the Cougar-Bruin games last year...), there is no team that can compete with UCLA in the Pac-10. UCLA, who might have the best player in the Pac-10 in Darren Collison, might lose a game in Pac-10 play because of the strength of the Pac-10 and how hard it is to play on the road in this league. WSU, playing at Oregon, and WASHINGTON, they may not make it out (ok, sorry, I am writing this while watching UW vs. UO in football, how bad is Jason Gesser as a commentator? Just about as bad as he was in the CFL....This might be the last time he gets asked to be an announcer...and how about him having to be the commentator for a UW game...suck it Gesser!) of the Pac-10 without a loss.

Ok, back to my original statement. UCLA was so good last year attacking up the court quickly and having guys like Lorenzo Mato-Real and Luc Richard Mbah Abdul-Hamid filling the lanes and having Collison and co. feeding them. Kevin Love, who will be taking a lot of these two players' playing time, is an outlet passer. Which, in a fast break offense, seems like a good fit. But, Kevin Love will not get down the court as well as Mato or Luc Hamid and this will significantly affect the offensive chemistry that UCLA has last year.

THEY WILL BE SAVED IF: Josh Shipp steps up and becomes the player that was recruited out of Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. Shipp had "successful" left hip surgery two years ago and again this off-season on his opposite hip, but I have to ask, how excited can a 20-21 year old be with having a "successful" surgery on a part of the body we usually see deteriorated in a 60 year old man? Shipp is very talented. He was UCLA's second leading scorer last season at 13.8 ppg. He is going to have to elevate that to 16-17 points per game this year for UCLA to return to the Final Four for the 3rd consecutive year.

THEY WILL BE DOOMED IF: Kevin Love ends up being a slow as Spencer Hawes and makes their coach Ben Howland, have to change game style to try to utilize a star recruit's talent. What fouled Lorenzo Romar, might catch up with Howland. Beware of the tall-good passing white center! This is the worst-case scenario of course. Kevin Love might be as good as adversed. Like Hawes, Love is praised for his passing skills, and everyone is high on Love as they were on Hawes. Bill Simmons LOVED Hawes, and he LOVES Love. That makes me want to compare Love to Hawes even more. Spencer Hawes made Romar change his style of play, which is pressure, defense and up-and-down tempo, Kevin Love will make Howland change his game plan from being that same up-and-down team that they were the last two years...

Oh yeah, Aaron Affolo is gone...whatever that guy sucked when it mattered.

HOW WILL THEY FINISH: They win the Pac-10, they get scared and possibly beat by WSU once in Pullman, but they will not make it back to the Final Four as they get upset as the #1 seed in the West Section in the Elite Eight.

OJ Mayo Breaks into USC's Starting 5

2007-10-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

With a sweet uppercut!

Seems like Timmy Floyd needs to spend less time recruiting 13 year olds, and more time teaching his starters how to take punches from O.J. Mayo. Apparently this happened September 28th, but he still has a jaw that's wired shut and has lost a ton of weight. Hackett started 16 games for USC last year, and averaged 21 minutes per. This qualifies him as the most experienced back court player that USC has. He played most of those minutes at point, which just so happens to be Mayo's desired position.

Sounds like a recipe for success!

USC has some blue chip recruits, but it lost a ton from last year, including 3 starters who logged half of the teams total minutes (over 80% of the PG/SG/SF minutes), and currently has little to no back court depth, and no one that can shoot the three consistently (unless Mayo can).

I predict an underwhelming performance by USC this year, and a big step back from them after last year. This team has too many questions that can only be answered by freshman and sophomore players - they only have one upperclassman who got off the bench at all last year!

Isaiah Thomas Impressess at Nike Global Challenge

2007-08-01T15:39:00.000-07:00

Nike hosted a high school versus young international players tournament at the University of Portland over the last 3 days. According to the website: "the top 40 U.S. high school basketball players take on the world's top teams in the first annual Nike Global Challenge". Isaiah Thomas not only participated, but went off, averaging 33ppg, 7 dimes, 4 rebounds and nearly 5 turnovers in three contests. He led his team in points and assists in each game and shot a very high percentage from the field (35/62, 9/25 from three) in route to being named his team's top performer in each game and making the all tournament team. This is yet another in a series of great outings for Thomas in the summer tournament schedule. Looks like Romar found a gem.

Update:
Those stats were only from bracket play. He played in two exhibition games as well, before the bracket started and did not fare as well, scoring 15.5 points per game to go along with 5 assists. Also, his team lost both games, and played much better basketball when he started to take over on offense.

Nate Rob played well against the sonics

2007-07-10T15:55:00.000-07:00

Highlight reel here. Looks like Nate is trying hard to play point. Good for him.

Rivals.com has Jrue commiting to UCLA

2007-07-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

A video here about it. Bummer

Bob Condotta has strange justifications for his power poll

2007-07-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

Here's his post. Here are his rankings:

1. UCLA - agree, and now that they got Jrue, looks like they can stay there in 2009 too.
2. WSU - agree, they lose no one of consequence, play great team ball, and have their coach coming back. Big problems after this...
3. Arizona
4. Stanford
5. Oregon
6. UW
7. USC
8. Cal
9. Arizona State - agree, they sucked last year but oregon state is falling apart
10. Oregon State

It feels like a lazy post. He's basically saying USC is going to be much worse, and OSU will be worse than ASU this year, but other than that, the landscape is the same. Arizona loses as much as USC and has just about as much new talent coming back into the mix. Bob, are you telling me that Nick Young + Gabe Pruitt + Lodrick Stewart is a much bigger blow than Marcus Williams + Mustafa Shakur + Ivan Radenovic?

Arizona loses:
43.6 ppg
18.3 Reb
11.2 Ast

USC loses:
43.8 ppg
10.9 reb
8.3 Ast

Looks like Arizona is a bigger loser so far. Kirk Walters does not mitigate this. His best production was 6 points, 3.5 rebounds. AWESOME!!! Arizona does have a good recruiting class, but still doesn't have a point guard on the roster, excluding walk ons that won't play. Also, Taj Gibson is better than any player in Arizona's frontcourt, and that OJ Mayo kid is pretty damn good.

I also have doubts about Oregon's ability to maintain the success it had last year. Brooks made that team go, and Oregon does not have a point guard on their roster. Last year, Tejuan Porter had a negative assist to turnover ratio (2 assists to 2.5 turns). He's going to be expected to be the point guard for that team and that spells trouble. I was at the UW-Oregon game last year and they looked bad without Brooks. That said, Oregon will be a senior laden team (8 seniors next year!).

Stanford only loses one player this year - Fred Washington. He's kinda a funny player, and led the Cardinal in assists last year. He's one of those glue guys that does a lot for teams and I think his loss will hurt. Take a look at his game log - his stats were much much better in wins than in losses (which I know is true for the whole team too), and he was much bigger for them in pac 10 play than in the preseason when they played crappy teams. Stanford, unlike the other two teams, has great size AND athleticism, so they can handle the loss of a key player like Washington.

But I can't really post a "your rankings suck" post without posting my own rankings so here goes:

1. UCLA - Will be #1 team in the nation come tourney time
2. Washington State - Loses basically nobody, 1 more year under crooner Tony Bennett
3. Stanford - has two more decent 7 footers than anyone in the conference
4. UW - I'm a homer, but UW returning to a style that Romar is good at teaching will make them much much better
5. Oregon - seniors put them ahead of these next two
6. USC - just a bit better than Zona
7. Arizona - Lute starts to think about retirement
8. Cal - not a bad team, just not better than those above
9. Arizona state - crappy but not as crappy as a sinking ship
10. OSU - when losing Sasa Cuic is a huge blow, you're in trouble...

Running Diary of the NBA draft..

2007-06-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

I am doing a running diary of the NBA draft, should be fun. Oh yeah, I am drinking too...

4:10pm
Is Stephen A. Smith the Samuel L. Jackson of broadcasting? God Damn, the man just yells into the mic. Calm down son! "Of course they deserve to die, and I hope the burn in hell!"

4:12pm
Oden already being compared to Ewing...hahahaha. Good news for Portland. Damn, Dickie V is yelling too. ESPN is turning into the Springer show, just yell to get your point across. Those two are making me like Jay Bilas more and more, that makes me scared.

4:15pm
The camera just caught Durant's mom cleaning something off her son's cheek. Now that was funny. Durant pointed at the camera and his mom gave the camera the "oh, they caught me cleaning my child look". By the way, Durant is looking stylish.

4:20pm
Joakim Noah looks like Snoop Dog with the hair down, and the small skinny mustache. I won't be surprised if he rolls a blunt and smokes it on stage.

4:26pm
Start the draft for the love of god!

4:28pm
Why do they have the ESPN guys over the loud speakers? When they were talking about Yi, he seemed embrassed by what they were saying about his strength. Lets taint the greatest night of these young players lives by guys who were never able to play in this league. Except for Mark Jackson, insult away Mark, insult away.

4:30pm
We already saw this intro, thanks ESPN for not filming two intros.

4:32pm
Here we go, and with the first pick, the Blazer select Father Time, I mean Greg Oden. Spit it out David Stern, he is having a REALLY hard time giving his "Welcome for tuning in" speech.

4:37pm
Durant thought is would be ok to be taken second, from the look on his face, it is not ok. Born is the "chip on the shoulder". Congratulations Sonics!

4:40pm
Bring on Beer two!

4:41pm
SEATTLE HAS SENT RAY ALLEN TO BOSTON FOR THE #5 pick. They are going to select Jeff Green. YEAH YEAH YEAH DURANT BABY!!!!!! WOW! INTERESTING EVENING FOR THE SONICS! Bill Simmons is going nuts right now. I am not happy with the trade of Ray Allen. Jeff Green is an interesting player. I wish they would have taken Corey Brewer.

4:47pm
WHO WILL ATLANTA TAKE? I say they take Mike Conley, but they will take Al Hortford. And they do take Al Hortford. Best player available, I think it is smart for Atlanta. It makes them not have to play Sheldon Williams as much. I think he provides a great one-two punch on the boards and on D with Josh Smith.

4:52pm
Not too much of a surprise here, Mike Conley is taken #4. He is barely taller than the Commish? IS that a good sign?

4:57pm
So the trade goes down. Jeff Green is going to play along side Durant. Baller. I am warming up to this. Ray is 32 years old. He has been oft injured. Nice young nucleus starting to develop in Seattle. Seattle is taking a page out of the Portland Trail Blazers from last season. Wow, interesting draft so far.

5:10pm
Minnesota selects Corey Brewer, and Joakim Noah is looking PISSED! He really thought that he was going to Minnesota.

5:20pm
I WAS RIGHT! Bobcats select Brendan Wright...suck it Sam! Another RAW RAW player, sans Kwame Brown. 3rd UNC player drafted by MJ since he has been with the Bulls.

5:23pm
Why is it that every time I see Spike Lee, I see Reggie Miller? Here is Chicago's pick, does Spencer Hawes go here? Joakim is still on the board, so I don't think so. Yep, Joakim goes instead of Hawes. Chicago has got to be the favorite in the East! DAMN Joakim's MOM IS HOT! Former Miss Sweden. Never would have guessed that with how UGLY Joakim is.

5:31pm
Oh, did you see the Durant Seattle Sonics tickets commercial! I wished they would have ended the commercial with a farewell to Ray Allen! That would have been bonkers!

5:32pm
Spencer Hawes goes #10 to the Sacramento Kings. That is pretty much how I predicted it earlier this afternoon. If Chicago passed, then Sacramento was going to stop his fall at #10. Congratulations Hawes! FUCK BUSH BY THE WAY HAWES!

Sorry...passed out for a while because of the Supersonics draft...

I awoke because of the Stephen A. Smith yelling match with Dickie V.

Anyways, WE OUT!

Allen to Celtics?

2007-06-28T15:21:00.001-07:00

The trade that would send Ray Allen from the Sonics to the Celtics is heating up as the afternoon progresses.

SONICS, NO! PLEASE DON'T DO IT! Allen needs to MOLD Durant!

I mean a line-up of Waston/Ridnour, Allen, Lewis, Durant and Swift/Wilcox would be a monster lineup. If they make this move, it makes Durant have to be the SCORER from day one. Especially if Lewis does not re-sign.

Lets look at who the Sonics may take at the #5...

Yi Jianlian - This has to be WORST case senario...horrible pick by Sonics b/c of the Durant and Lewis
Jeff Green - I wouldn't mind this pick, but he seemed to disappear in the NCAA's.
Corey Brewer - I would LOVE this pick. He could be the defensive stopper that helps Durant rest on D by guarding the top shooting guard/small forward. Not a complete scorer or ball-handler.
Mike Conley Jr. - Most Likely be gone by then. Might be that point guard who the Sonics wanted in Ridnour.

Spencer Hawes, How High Will He Go?

2007-06-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

The draft is only 2 1/2 hours away, and I am getting excited to see how the Blazers and the Sonics negotiate their ways through this year's draft. They are my favorite two teams. I really hope the Sonics get one more pick in the draft, perhaps by trading Luke Ridnour to Atlanta for the #11 pick. A new rumor has emerged over the past 24 hours, the Sonics are offering the Celtics Ray Allen for Theo Ratcliff and the #5 pick. If I was the Sonics, there is NO way I make that trade. Who is going to be drafted in that spot to be worth Ray Allen? The only way I could see that making sense, was that freed up tons of cap room to make a run at a free agent in 2008, or to re-sign Rashard Lewis (again, not worth getting rid of Ray Allen). Are the Sonics really THAT concerned about Ray's injuries last season?

Another question that is going to be answered tonight, how high will Spencer Hawes go in the draft? My guess is that Hawes will be drafted by the Chicago Bulls ONLY if Joakim Noah is off the board by the time Chicago picks at #9. I really don't see him going any higher, it is also a very good possibility that Spencer falls out of the first round. Sacramento may be there to catch Hawes at #10 though.

There are a lot of questions surrounding Hawes and his toughness underneath the boards and around the rim. I think a lot of those problems last year stemmed from his bout with that nasty flu that caused him to lose 20 lbs. during the season. It made it hard for Spencer to bang bodies with fellow Pac-10 big men because of how weak he felt for the entire season. With his weight back up around 250 lbs., I think the Spencer Hawes you will see next season in the NBA will be a bit more dominate then the one we had to painfully watch this season as a Husky.

My Draft Picks
#1 - Greg Oden - THE Ohio State University
#2 - Kevin Durant - Texas
#3 - Al Hortford - Florida
#4 - Mike Conley Jr. - THE Ohio State University
#5 - Boston trades this pick to either Philly or the Sonics, and they draft Jeff Green - Georgetown, if Boston keeps this pick they take Yi Jianlian. Bill Simmons' head explodes.
#6 - Interesting pick because seems like no one wants to play in Milwaukee...they pick - Corey Brewer - Florida, if Boston keeps the pick they take Jeff Green - Georgetown
#7 - Joakim Noah - Florida
#8 - Brenden Wright - UNC - Jordan loves those high potential, EXTREMELY RAW athletes. Expect the Bobcats to trade this pick to the Blazers possibly for Jarret Jack or Zach Randolph.
#9 - Spencer Hawes - Washington
#10 - Al Thornton - FSU
#11 - Atlanta trades the #11 for Luke Ridnour, and the Sonics draft some BIG guy who won't be ready to play until he gets 5 years of NBDL ball in. I WOULD LOVE, that if they trade Ray Allen to the Celtics at #5, then they draft Rodney Stuckey out of Eastern Washington with this pick. Or if Corey Brewer falls this far, draft him.
#12 - Philly is going to try to move up and to try to grab Jeff Green or another high lottery pick. I bet this pick gets dealt. Julian Wright is a good pick at this spot.
#13 - Interesting pick here for the Hornets, wouldn't be surprised to see Stuckey go here, or Nick Young out of USC or Thaddeus Young out of GT.
#14 - Who ever doesn't get drafted at #13, copy and paste here.
#15 - Detriot has all but promised Rodney Stuckey that if he gets this far, they will draft him.

Yes, I see Acie Law falling out of the lottery if Atlanta trades the #11 which I believe they will do.

We Out!

Elston Turner to Join Rick Adelman's Rockets staff

2007-06-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

After turning down a chance to interview for the Kings head coaching job, Elston Turner Sr, the father of 2008 husky commit Elston Turner Jr., has taken a job with his former boss Rick Adelman.

Turner was an assistant for Adelman in Sacramento and Portland. An interesting line from this SacBee article: "Elston, meanwhile, said he is slightly conflicted. The year of unemployment was unwelcome but had its perks, such as allowing him to work closely with Elston Jr. at a critical time in his basketball development." That explains Turner's fast rise as a prospect this year. It will be interesting to see what happens with Turner Jr. down in Texas. Hopefully he'll honor his commitment to UW.

Also, Bob Condotta has some great stuff on his blog right now, including an interview with Jon Brockman and the lowdown on Spencer's NBA workouts so far.

Honk, Honk...

2007-06-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

Gotta love being a Trail Blazers fan right now...

A Night With Bob Weiss

2007-06-10T22:56:00.000-07:00

I went and played poker the last Friday night at the Drift on Inn Casino. After sitting at a 1-2 spread-limit 40 table for a couple of hours, a seat opened up and the person who filled it was ex-Sonics coach Bob Weiss.

I was amazed, and a bit gun shy to talk. After about a half hour of play, I won a $100 pot, and he leaned over to me and asked me what I had after I didn't show my hand. I told him I had a flush, that was when he introduced himself to me.

Over the next couple of hours, we talked Husky Basketball and other things pertaining to basketball. We got on the topic of Brandon Roy, and the season he just had for the Portland Trail Blazers. Bob was quick to make the comparison to Roy's final season as a Husky, with Jason Kidd's last season with the California Bears. He said anytime he could see Kidd play in college, he would go and watch his games. He said he found himself doing the same with Roy.

He told stories about his time coaching, and we talked a little poker. This was truly a special evening where we exchanged stories, and I got to hear some Husky B-ball stuff. Bob didn't agree with Romar's decision to bench Pondexter last season because it ruined his confidence. He said Pondexter will be the Husky's best player this season.

Oh yeah, I donked off $200 after Bob sat down at the table. But after talking ball with someone who had been around the game for so long, it was well worth it. I was up over $350 at the time. Maybe Bob was the Drift on Inn's William H. Macy in the movie The Cooler.

Isaiah Thomas to participate in Reebok Eurocamp

2007-06-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

This is pretty cool. Looks like Isaiah Thomas is going to get to run against some of Europe's finest young talent over in Italy starting next week. Some of the RBK Eurocamp participants will almost certainly be selected in the 2007 NBA Draft. And this after a fairly successful Nike Memorial Day Classic, which included a 27 point game in the quarterfinals.

I am so smart! S-M-R-T!

2007-05-31T15:54:00.000-07:00

Looks like Darnell Gant can burn his high school diploma. I am definitely psyched about him buckling down and getting a passing score. Which is more than Venoy Overton can say. Gant, along with our other Cali recruit, Justin Holiday, was the difference maker on a (surprisingly) very successful High School Basketball team at Crenshaw last year. Why does this matter? Besides the fact that Gant is a freaking baller, it will make it just a little bit harder for a certain former Crenshaw High Basketball star to constantly gush over UCLA when they play UW...

I am back, bitches!

2007-05-18T23:08:00.000-07:00

I am back from sabbatical.

Life is good, and the Husky Nation is alive and flourishing!

Expect some indepth draft coverage, Pac-10 rankings within the draft, and my "You're A Republican, Really Spencer? Say it Ain't So" rant. It will worth waiting for.

Jrue down to two

2007-05-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

Says here that Jrue Holiday has narrowed his school choices to UW and UCLA. This is somewhat important for UW considering he's the best 2 guard in the 2008 draft class, and ranked as the number 2 recruit in the nation. period.

In Russia, beers drink you...

2007-05-08T16:21:00.000-07:00

Way to go Artem Wallace, you are now a member of the Jerramy Stevens Allstars. Hopefully you aren't screwed for next year...

Tuesday Mixed Bag of stuff...

2007-04-17T15:51:00.000-07:00

Some things from around College Basketball as I sit at a Starbucks in Kirkland, and play online poker:

- 6 Pac-10 teams have earned Pre-season Top 25 honors from Andy Katz at ESPN. Again, I really think ESPN is full of people who just look at who was strong the previous year and say, "ok, that looks like it could work again." UW is not listed.

- Joe Lunardi does not put UW into the first bracketology for the 2007-2008 season. Why do they even do this?

- Nick Young of USC has declared for the NBA draft. UCLA's Josh Shipp to stay.

- Former Husky Harvey Perry is transferring AGAIN. Turns out his coaches couldn't even handle I-DA-HO.

- Here is a blurb about UW in the Pac-10 Basketball Season write-up:
"WASHINGTON sophomore F Jon Brockman led the Pac-10 in double-doubles (15) and rebounding (9.6 rpg)... Sophomore G Justin Dentmon became the ninth player in school history with two 100-assist seasons... Junior G Ryan Appleby became the only Husky ever to produce two 70 three-point field goal seasons. His two-year total of 154 three-pointers ranks second on the school's all-time list behind Deon Luton (212, 1997-2000)... The Huskies swept USC and UCLA at home for the third consecutive season... Washington was 17-2 at home this season, and have posted a 60-7 (.896) over the last four seasons in Bank of America Arena. "

- Omar Wilkes, a junior guard from Cal, will not return for his senior year.

- Gonzaga is losing two players. Now all the major basketball schools in the Northwest have had players transfer this off-season. This is starting to become very fashionable.

Article on Brandon Roy

2007-04-15T21:18:00.000-07:00

This is a great article from the Seattle Times today about Brandon Roy. Sounds like Brandon is no doubt the leader of the Blazers, and was responsible for Zach Randolph being reasonably under control this year.

Brockman, where's the love?

2007-04-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

So, in the past few days I have been looking at draft sites across the vast internet reading mock drafts and player profiles that will give me some idea of what team are looking for and which players are being sought after.

In my studies, to my shocking acknowledgement, Jon Brockman is not rated in the top 50 Sophomores by most draft websites. Where is the love for Jon Brockman? Why do most sites not have Brockman rated highly amongst sophomores? I mean, I understand Jon is no Brenden Wright, Spencer Hawes, Greg Oden or Keving Durant. But, come'on, he is ranked behind a guy who averaged 11 points per game and only 6 boards. Shit, that is child's play for Brockman.

Looking away from Jon's lack of a two footed vertical jump, or outside jump shot, wouldn't NBA scouts dream about a player who would bring energy to the arena night in, night out? I swear, after just a 20 game season, Brockman is probably so bruised and broken that he needs a month off after the season just to heal. Diving on the floor, taking the charge, and pumping up his teammates, would be the norm for Brockman.

Potential and expectations out value hard work and great play on a daily basis with NBA scouts. Sam Bowie had a lot of potential and was a great college player, but it is still looked on as the worst draft pick in NBA history by not selecting Michael Jordan. If you are athletic and 7'0'', but have never accomplished a damn thing in your playing days is considered a better beat than the player who is hard-working, accomplished, and is a winner at every level.

If I was putting a team together, I would most certainly want a Jon Brockman on my team.

Venoy Overton Signs LOI

2007-04-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

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.

6th player jumps ship at OSU

2007-04-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

Marcel Jones declares for the NBA draft today from Oregon State. Won't hire an agent. Jones is likely to return, but still...will they have a team next season?

6 players have now fled this troubled and downtrodden program.

Your Pac 10 news digest

2007-04-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

I've been super busy this week, but there were lots of interesting moves in the Pac 10 over the last week.

Wazzou:
Lost two Sophomores who played a little. I don't think this will hurt them much.

Oregon:
Resigned Ernesto, lost Oguchi. Personally, I'm fine with both of these outcomes. Oguchi always seemed to have one really good game against us a year, and along with Jordan Kent was the most annoying player on their team for me. As for Ernesto, whatever. They had a good year last year, but looked like a much different team without Brooks. Kent stole recruit Drew Vinay from Cal, but he may have a bit of an attitude problem, given that he got himself kicked off of his high school basketball team.

Oregon State:
Oregon State implodes. 5 players leaving a team does not indicate the healthiest environment. Man, if we had only won that game at OSU we'd have made the NIT.

UCLA:
Affalo declares for the draft. This is his second time declaring, so he's done in college. Seems like a smart guy. I mean, why would you stick around for your senior year on a loaded team when you could be a second round pick whose stock is dropping? Somebody is giving him some bad advice. Whatevs, it's good for UW. No word yet on Collison or Josh Shipp.

Cal:
Harden declares. He was hurt last year, and wasn't much of a factor, but he's very good. He's not hiring an agent, and I think he'll probably be back next year.

Arizona:
Marcus Williams declares and will hire an agent. See ya!

USC:
Still waiting on two of their key players, Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt.

Phil Nelson transferring to Portland State

2007-04-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

What the fuck Nelson! I did not sit this year and watch you throw up air-ball after air-ball from the three point land so you could transfer after your first year. This was a two or three year project!

Phil Nelson has decided to transfer to Portland State. Why? What good (outside of playing time) does that serve his basketball experience? At UW you have a chance at making the NCAA's every year, you gain national exposure, and you have a chance this summer to travel to Greece and participate in an amazing travel experience.

All I have to say is that Nelson is lame. I really thought he would have stuck this one out. I actually thought the first one to transfer would be Dentmon, but even he is sticking it out.

So, that is two players, TWO PLAYERS that have transferred under Romar this season (7 total), AHH AHH AHH. Perry and Nelson are both leaving because Romar did not play them to the amount they had wished, and they jumped ship early.

Why Brandon Roy is a winner

2007-04-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I pondered the thought of the Blazers drafting rather high in this upcoming draft, and what this team would look like if they traded up to grab a Wright, Oden, or Durant. I mean, I think if you are in the top-2 picks, you wouldn't trade your pick for your life (the only time in the past 15 years this was ever the consensus was the year Orlando was awarded the #1 pick and drafted Shaq!). The idea of tanking at the end of the season is a very tenuous position to be in or to think about, Bill Simmons actually writes a good article on this subject. Here is a quote from Brandon Roy about draft picks after the Blazers won the other night, and B-Roy had 25 second half points, for a career high 29 points.

"As long as I'm on the court, I'm going to keep trying to hurt that lottery selection," Roy said. "I think we got great guys in this locker room -- a great draft pick would be great, but I'm going out to win basketball games. The lottery things, I leave that to Kevin Pritchard."

The loss would have propelled the Blazers into the 5th spot in the draft...Man I love B-Roy! Easily the best rookie this year, maybe the best draft pick for the next two or three years out of last year's draft. Rudy Gay, Tyrus Thomas, LaMarcus Alderidge and the Toronto appendectomy disaster (Andrea Bargnani) have a chance to become great players down the road. But Brandon will be the best of this draft class for two to three years to come.

Name that look....

2007-04-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

Name this face made by Husky coach Lorenzo Romar, is it:

A.) I can't believe I ate the whole thing;

B.) Bitter Beer face;

C.) Spencer forgot to put on deordorant this morning;

D.) I had Spencer for one year, and all I got was a NIT denial;

E.) What the hell am I going to do with Phil Nelson and Joe Wolfinger as my future?

F.) My best shot at winning a national title, gone to the NBA;

The answer:

All of the above

Hawes declares for the draft

2007-04-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

Shoot. While not as dooming as it could be - he won't hire an agent - this is not the "I love UW and I'm staying" press release we were hoping for.

Hawes will get a better idea of where he stands relative to the rest of this draft class. Personally, I think he is not physical enough to be anything more than a project in the pros at this point. There is something to be said for earning millions a year early, but I think Hawes would be smart to consider where he'll stand at the end of his rookie contract. If it takes him 2 years to gain the bulk he needs to compete, I don't think he has much to loose by staying in college, and may actually be in a better position to sign a lucrative long term deal when his rookie contract up for extention. This year's draft class is so loaded that I can see teams passing on Hawes, who was once projected a top 5 pick, in order to pick a more NBA ready player like Al Hortford, Acie Law IV, Roy Hibbert, Corey Brewer, Noah, etc.

If Hawes is projected as a late lottery pick, does he withdraw? I think so. Next year should be a weaker class, with a distinct lack of players named Greg Oden and Kevin Durant.

Links worth checking out

2007-04-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

Hans Gasser knew his role.

Romar in his own words. I haven' watched it yet, because I'm at work right now. Anything with Romar in it has to be good.

Kavario Middleton, two sport Husky star? This could be interesting. There is lots of talk about this guy being the next Tony Gonzales. He's grown a couple inches in the last year and is now a 6'6", 245 pound 17 year old with a 32" vert. From the competative edge football combine preview on scout.com: "Middleton is the kind of athlete that comes around once every 5 or so years in the northwest". Currently, he's the reigning MVP of his basketball conference. From what it sounds like, he's Brockman with a vertical leap.

NATE vs. ROY, WOW WHAT A GAME!

2007-03-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

Nate Robinson got the one up on Brandon Roy in the points column, but Brandon Roy and the Portland Trail Blazers handed the New York Knicks a costly loss tonight. The Knicks, who were a half-a-game out of the 8th and final playoff spot in the Leastern Conference.

Nate Rob had 31 tonight, while B.Roy had 24 points and a crucial mop up play after Nate Robinson and Steve Francis crashed into each other, leading to BROY to an uncontested dunk.

Nice night for the UW boys!

Isiah's Disinterest of Nate Robinson

2007-03-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

The golden boy can't always stay golden. A once worshiped, blogged about, and successful college player Nate "the Great" Robinson has fallen on hard times with the New York Knicks.

It has been a rough season for the Knicks' guard. The Ex-Husky has seen his role with the Knicks drastically cut by Knicks coach Isiah Thomas. Over the past month, Nate has averaged only 12 minutes per game over the past 2 months, and DNP 8 times over that time. Much of his minutes have come in bunches, like Sunday's game against Toronto when Nate played 27 minutes (Nate did have 19 points last night in a loss to Dallas). Nate's previous 5 games look like this, 15 min., 11 min., 4min., and 4 consecutive DNP's. What has happened to Nate in New York? Could we be seeing the end of Nate as a Knick?

Since the 10 game suspension for fighting the entire Denver Nuggets team, Nate has struggled to regain his place amongst Knick guards that seems over-crowded with Maybury, Balkman, Francis, and the injured Jamal Crawford. Unlike the revolution that Brandon Roy is causing in Portland, Nate continues to find his place in the NBA. The energy, charisma, and character that Nate played with everynight in college when UW played only 2 games per week, has been absent at times, and it has shown in Nate's struggle to make an impact. Nate this season is only making 42.6% of his FG's, and only 34% of his 3's.

Man, I loved watching Nate at UW, it is a shame to watch him rot on a bad team. The picture above is my favorite Nate moment when at UW. I was at this game and the roof got blown off HEC ED when Nate threw this one down. The student section where I was standing fell over, and it was deafening in the arena for about 5 minutes. All of a sudden the "UofA" chants stopped, and you just knew UW was going to win.

R.O.Y. Watch update

2007-03-21T16:33:00.000-07:00

After being pretty freaking lazy about updating the Roy watch, I finally went and made some improvements to our little chart on the left. There are only 15 games left in the season, so I'm really hoping I can suck it up and keep that maintained.

B-Roy has started to really step up his game, and I wish I could watch him play more. With an exploding abdomen troubling Roy's biggest competition for the Roy, I can't really see how anyone can catch him for this award. After Roy, no one other than Bargnani has really stood out (although Aldridge is starting to look freaking sweet and Rudy Gay looks like a player).

Brandon Roy, the Oregon hero from Washington

2007-03-21T12:19:00.000-07:00

Brandon Roy is making an impact this season for the Portland Trail Blazers, and nobody could be happier than the folks in Portland. Last night, after Gilbert Arenas promised 50, it was Roy who had 6 down-the-stretch points that provided the Blazers with another win over the Washington Wizards.

Roy is quickly becoming a franchise player, and a building block to what could become a nice three-some in P-Town. LaMarcus Alderidge, Sergio Rodriguez and Roy represent the change in direction that Portland has sorely needed over the past decade. As we all know the Blazers recent struggles on and off the court, these three of played the Blazers back into significance. Many were outraged last summer after Portland acquired LaMarcus Alderidge (traded the rights to Tyrus Thomas to the Chicago Bulls) and Brandon Roy (traded the rights to Randy Foye, Roy for Foye, to the Minnesota Timberwolves), instead of selecting the mustache, and Adam Morrison. Well, two thumbs up to the Blazers for not firing that bullet. Morrison has struggled, like many non-athletic white kids have after leaving college.

Roy, Alderidge, and Rodriguez are quickly finding love on basketball blogs all over the country. One of the major blogs, Truehoops.com (which significantly made its soft launch onto ESPN.com today, which means it will start to suck in a matter of months once Disney executives warn Henry Abbott, the Creator of Truehoops.com about language, family audiences, and graphic images, ala Bill Simmons, who I still find interesting, but after reading his earlier stuff, is not as edgy as he once was. Is it Disney, or does blogging about sports just become monotonous after awhile?) have been praising the quality of play that these three are showing in Portland. Roy, who most likely will win Rookie of the Year (if Alderidge doesn't come from behind), has been celebrated for his ability to pass, shoot, his coolness in crunch-time and his ability beat people off the dribble. They have become so big, that many of the Blazer highlights from each game are making their way to Youtube.com.

Roy is becoming Portland's first son, much like Clyde Drexler did in the mid-80's and early 90's (though rumors were that Drexler was a closet-asshole). Roy has the chance to become a superstar on a team that has been searching for a general to guide a floundering team back into the playoffs. Right now, Portland is 4 games back of the L.A. Clippers for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West.

If Portland does not make the playoffs, do you see Portland trading Zach Randolph and Portland's first round pick and moving up in the draft to potentially steal a top-5 pick, or would managers across the league risk not taking a player in this draft for a player of Randolph's suspect character-image problems? Could you imagine this team with an Oden, Durant, Noah, Wright(s) or Hawes? Scary thought...

Bender found!

2007-03-20T07:07:00.000-07:00

Bob Bender has been found!

Bender is in his third year as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks. Is this man cursed, from one losing program to another.

Here is his link at NBA.com. It says that at 116-142 in his career, Bender ranks fourth all-time among Washington coaches for career victories. That seems too high a rank for only 116 wins. I mean Romar already has 103 wins since he has been at UW, averaging over 17 wins per year.

Also, Bender went to Duke...come on Bob, you could have done better.

I hate Duke so much...

More on Justin Holiday...

2007-03-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more articles from California press about Justin Holiday.

This one is prior to his outstanding perfomance in the semifinals of the California Basketball classic. Click here to view article. Nice article, sounds like a good kid. He is a Romar recruit so you know he is going to be a good individual.

Here is one from January talking about both brothers...click here to read

Right now Justin is being compared to former Husky Bobby Jones, which aint that bad of a thing. Seems like the cliche comparison is to compare everyone to Bobby Jones. Seems like if you were a college basketball player from California, 6-6 to 6-8 and is somewhat quick, you are getting compared to Bobby Jones. So, Justin is another player who fits this comparison mold.

Justin will be a good player, but Jrue is the gold mine. Rated as the number 2 prospect in the class of 2008, Jrue would be a dominant force of the Huskies, if only for one year. Think about having a supersized verison of the Stewart twins, without the wussiness of Rodrick.

Right now Scout.com does not have UW listed in the top 25 in recruiting classes in the nation. But, with the addition of Venoy Overton and Justin Holiday to the class of 2007, Romar maybe laying the ground work for Jrue and a highly rated class in 2008.

Pac-10 is too good...

2007-03-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I know something...the Pac-10 is too good to be knocked off by the fleeting hearts of a Cinderella or a freshman POY. Both Kevin Durant and Winthrop learned that the Pac-10, as Wu-Tang would put it, "Ain't nothin' to fuck with."

Oregon looks good, in the one half of basketball that I got to watch of Oregon yesterday (a TiVo mishap), they looked quick, looked strong inside, and Aaron Brooks looks like a guard who can carry this team into the Elite 8, and possibly beyond. Up next for UO is UNLV, fresh off their victory of Wisconsin. If you're Oregon, you gotta love that upset!

Then USC perhaps had the strongest showing in the second round of the NCAA's, dismantling Texas by 20. Durant had a non-impactful 30 points, while USC hit from the inside, outside, and made Texas' offense look like a junior varsity team. Does Durant come back? No...see you in the NBA...Hawes was sitting next to Durant's father during the USC-TEXAS game, what does that mean?

In other News:
UW recruit Justin Holiday went bonkers in the semis of the California basketball championships this weekend, leading his team with 24 points and 20 rebounds. Baller! Good Luck in the Championships!

I am excited to see Justin in action next year, seems like the lock-down defender that UW lacked at times this year. He is supposed to have the quickness to defend guards on the perimeter.

And don't forget, diversify your bonds, bitches.

What ever happened to Bender?

2007-03-17T15:10:00.000-07:00

Watching the Cougar game today, Vanderbilt almost hired Bob Bender about 6 years ago. Bender decided to stay, and well, we all know how that worked out for Bender. Romar, what!

My question for you is, what ever happened to Bob Bender?

Was the pressure of having to pump of Doug Wrenn's ego too much for Bender to handle? Is he hiding in some remote Colorado mountain town muttering to himself "You're good Wrenn", "It's ok to play half-assed D and shoot 20 ft. jumpshots with 32 seconds left on the 35"?

If this was a VH1 Behind the Music special, would the voice-over guy say "Bender's paradise at Washington all changed once Doug Wrenn was kicked off the Conneticut Basketball team and enrolled at Washington" (It actually ended when Todd McCullaugh graduated and when Rip Hamilton had like sixty chances in the last 20 seconds to end UW's season in the elite 8).

So, if you know what happened to Bob Bender, let us know...We would like to know if he is alive.

This NCAA Tournament blows

2007-03-16T18:29:00.000-07:00

This tournament sucks because of these reasons:

A.) Could the Huskies done better then Stanford did??? Yes, Stanford crapped the bed hardcore. I think that was as slow and lack-a-dazical loss I have ever seen. Way to go Stanford, way to represent the Pac-10. It would have been worth the folks at home 40 minutes of Jon Brockman rather then those stupid Lopez twins.

B.) These games suck. Not enough upsets, though I did like the Duke game.

C.) Pac-10 is 3-2 now after WSU, UO, and UCLA have won, and Stanford and Arizona showed they didn't belong. Best region in the country, nope!

D.) If Ivan Radmanovic is a first round pick this June, I will officially stop watching NBA Basketball. Right now I only watch 6 games a year, but if that guy becomes a first round pick, I will lose all confidence in the NBA scouts.

E.) All games can not involve Kevin Durant, which right now is winning, but being pushed. 25 and 8 is nice for his first NCAA game. If they lose, there goes my brackets. My brackets look amazing as of now. I missed the VCU upset, and the MSU upset of Marquette, but I had both of those teams losing in the next round anyways.

F.) UW is not in it. My heart is not in it. It made it RIDICULOUSLY easier to go about picking my bracket. Every year UW is in, I have to keep them into the tourney to AT LEAST the Elite 8, sometimes the Final Four. Kills me every year, but I guess that is what school pride is about.

G.) Boy, didn't get to watch the UO game, saw some replays, and boy Ernesto almost coached that team out of a victory. Several terrible play calls near the end of the game gave who-ever-it-was they were playing a chance to win the game. Is Mark Few coming to Eugene? I think every UO fan should be rooting for it. BTW, Ernie's daughter, who is a cheerleader, is HOT!

H.) I actually found myself rooting for WSU yesterday. I hate myself.

I.) Kansas looked REALLY GOOD today. I have them getting upset by Villanova in the second round. There goes my bracket.

Letters J-Z later....GO USC!

Gabe

At least UW we didn't get the NIT virus...

2007-03-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

Balls. Too bad we aren't in the SEC West. Then we might be in the tournament instead of Arkansas. No sour grapes though. Maybe this will piss off Hawes enough to stay in school.

Washington vs. Washington State Round 3!

2007-03-07T22:46:00.000-08:00

BBBBBYYAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!

Epic, outstanding, Washington vs. Washington State in the second round of the Pac-10 tourney! UW wins tonight against Arizona State 59-51!

This is going to be amazing!

Once against it was Jon Brockman being a man, and Spencer Hawes' passing that willed the Huskies to victory tonight.

I really love the Huskies' path. If UW can get by WSU tomorrow night, you gotta love UW's chances, facing teams we have beaten in the past three weeks in Stanford, USC, or UCLA!

Well, we busted out of prison, now he comes the villian into the fold, WAZZU!

John Carpenter's...

2007-03-07T16:00:00.001-08:00

Duty Sergeant: What would you say to all of us who believed in you, who looked up to you, who thought you stood for right over wrong, good over evil? Be my guest. What do you have to say, Plissken?

Snake Plissken: Call me Snake.

The year is 2007. A titanic shift from a grizzled senior filled team to a core of talent laden youth has left the Huskies with only one shot to save ~~the world~~ their Tournament Chances. Led by ~~Snake Plissken~~ Jon Brockman, a man of few words and many elbows, the huskies must return from LA Prison with ~~the doomsday device~~ 4 wins and the Pac 10 Tournament Title to save the world from a UW-less NCAA Tournament. They only have 96 hours to find the Tournament Trophy before the deadly NIT virus takes hold. Without their best weapon, home court advantage, how can the Huskies survive, let alone ESCAPE FROM LA?!!?!?!

A funny thing happened on my way to Stanford the other day...

2007-03-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

I happened to be in Palo Alto this last weekend and randomly ran into Stanford Basketball player Carlton Weatherby at Safeway. He was with his fiancee, who went to high school with one of the friends I was with. Some of the more interesting fallout from the quick chat:

1. He was very afraid of Appleby. When he found out we were from UW, he made this comment (unprompted): "That Appleby, he's sooo dangerous. You're always afraid of him going nuts on you." So I made some comment about how it must change your D to have to defend someone out to 30 feet and he was like: "Totally. There's no one else like that." Good stuff.

2. I am exactly 6 feet tall. Carlton is listed as 6'1". He was 3 inches shorter than me.

3. Every newly minted legal drinker from Washington is amazed by the concept of liquor in grocery stores. The youngsters I was with were, Carleton's Fiancee's friend was too. She stood infront of the aisle of booze and said "This is AMAZING! I can't believe this!"

Wasn't that nice?

2007-03-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

Got lucky enough to get some tickets for the game last night, and it was great to see the team step up and get a win against a quality opponent.

Everyone stepped up, and really, the only player who you could say had an off night was Hawes, but he still found a way to contribute by putting the game on ice with 5 minutes left.

Special props to Artem Wallace, who made a much larger impact than his stats show. When Brockman got into foul trouble, Wallace came in and made a solid impact on the game, getting a steal, drawing a charge, and pulling down a couple tough rebounds in traffic. Even though he shot 5-10 from the line, many of those points were at a time when our offense was stagnant and needed a lift - I think he made 4 of 6 late in the game after having gone 1-4 in the first half.

Over the course of the game we saw every player step up and make plays. Dentmon on fire early, Appleby and Brockman late in the first half, Nelson Oliver and Wallace making a difference when they stepped on the court. This was a team victory and showed what everyone thought this team could be.

Is this team talented enough to win the Pac 10 tournament? I think so. But the real question is, can they do it on the road in LA? They'd have to play offense like they did tonight to have a chance.

How does Venoy impact 2008?

2007-02-27T08:56:00.000-08:00

I think the main fallout from signing Venoy is that Romar may be conceding the Jrue Holiday sweepstakes. If I had to guess, I would say Jrue is going to go to Arizona or UW. He fits into a fast paced system well, but both teams are in similar roster situations. UCLA already has two PG commitments in 2008, Texas feels like a longshot, and North Carolina has 11 freshman and sophmores right now. 2008 is very likely UW's best shot at a title, and that is probably not the case in Arizona unless Buddinger stays longer than expected. If Jrue wants to win, he'll go to UW or Carolina, if he wants to showcase himself, he'll go to Arizona.

Brockman should be a Pac 10 player of the year and a Wooden award finalist. Pondexter will be fully filled out and experienced. We'll have 3 or 4 seniors and 3 juniors in the rotation. Romar will have an experienced team that can run, rebound and play D.

Assuming that Hawes will be in the NBA and both Isaiah Thomas and Darnell Gant get themselves eligible by this time, our current 2008 roster looks like this:

Seniors
PG - Justin Dentmon
PF - Jon Brockman
PF - Artem Wallace
SG - Joel Smith

Juniors
C - Joe Wolfinger
SF - Quincy Pondexter
SF - Phil Nelson
SG - Adrian Oliver

Sophomores
PF - Matthew Bryan-Amaning
SG - Justin Holiday
PG - Venoy Overton
SF/PF - Darnell Gant *

Freshman
SG/PG - Isaiah Thomas
SG - Elston Turner Jr.

* May be a freshman

That's 14 players, one over the scholarship limit. Here are a few things I could see happening:

60%: Joel Smith walks on.
Romar didn't want Smith to Redshirt this year because of the current scholarship situation. Smith may have made a deal to walk on in order to Red Shirt. Smith is from Lompoc, Ca, which is in a tiny town north of Santa Barbara that has an economy that relies heavily on Vandenberg Airforce Base.

45%: Wolfinger walks on or transfers. He hasn't played a game in two years and he's probably the lowest ranked recruit on the team. I can't really see him on the floor in 2008, given the other talent around him.

40%: Artem Wallace walks on
Wallace is going to have to show improvement next year. I don't know if he could walk on or not. I have no idea what his financial situation is.

33%: Pondexter goes pro after next season. He certainly is athletic enough, I think we'd have to see a fairly dramatic improvement over this year for this to be realistic. His dad, Roscoe played professionally overseas and his Uncle Cliff played in the NBA. Quincy will get good advice from his family and he has no immediate need for an NBA jackpot.

25%: Somebody is academically ineligible, transfers, or drops out. Wild and random speculation.

10%: Dentmon or Brockman walk on.
I don't think that Romar would ask Brockman to do this, but I could see Brockman deciding to be a hero to get Jrue on the team. Dentmon seems like an unlikely candidate to walk on, Carbondale is not the nicest town in the world...

0.01%: Brockman goes pro. I don't think that Brockman will be a high draft pick if he goes before his senior year. For a power forward, he's short and can't jump. Brockman has stated many times that he will be at UW for 4 years. I don't doubt him, but if he put up crazy numbers like 18 and 14 next year...

One of these things needs to happen just to get under the scholarship limit. Two would need to happen to get Jrue. I really hope we can bring him in. We'll likely lose at least 5 players after the 2008 season, possibly 6. Reloading on the fly is much better than having to start 3 freshman and 2 sophomores. Trust me...

Oh boy! USC Recruit changes mind, chooses UW!

2007-02-26T22:34:00.000-08:00

Venoy Overton, a true point guard, has changed his mind declaring he will attend UW next year instead of USC. Stating that he would be able to make a immediate impact at the college level was the reason he switched schools. The struggles this year of Justin Dentmon have opened the door for Overton to compete for the starting point guard position.

The 6-foot guard out of Seattle's Franklin High School is a great addition to UW's 2008 recruiting class. Justin Dentmon is going to have to work extra hard this summer to retain his starting job.

Overton was named to the Seattle Times' Star Times team last week after averaging 21.7 points and 5.7 assists this year for Franklin, which is 21-2 and the top-ranked 4A team in the state.

Overton will be on scholarship next year, meaning Spencer Hawes most probably will be leaving, and Tim Morris will now be a walk on next year. UW has a full boat next year....

Bob Condotta from Seattle Times states "First, I think the scholarship situation may be just this simple --- Tim Morris becomes a walk-on, if needed, and Darnell Gant may not make it in due to grades. From what I know, this has nothing to do with anything regarding Spencer Hawes. But obviously if he leaves, that opens up another scholarship. Two of those three is all that is needed to happen to make this work out."

More from Condotta "From what I've been told, the UW coaches really value Overton for his defense, quickness and athleticism. UW's guards have had trouble defending all season and it's thought Overton could make a big difference there immediately, on top of whatever offense and ballhandling he will add."

FURTHER COMMENT ---
The obvious question is how the Huskies will fit him in, given that they already have at least 13 scholarships committed for next year. My answer at the moment is I don't know.

Here's how next year's roster now looks:
07-08 roster

SENIORS
G - Ryan Appleby
G - Tim Morris

JUNIORS
G - Justin Dentmon
F - Jon Brockman
F - Artem Wallace
G - Joel Smith

SOPHOMORES
C - Joe Wolfinger
C - Spencer Hawes
F - Quincy Pondexter
F - Phil Nelson
G - Adrian Oliver

FRESHMEN
F - Matthew Bryan-Amaning
F - Darnell Gant
G - Justin Holiday
G - Venoy Overton
TOTAL 15.

Maybe this is a sign that Spencer Hawes is for sure out the door, since him leaving is the most logical way that a scholarship opens. For today, the big news is simply that the Huskies have taken a definite step toward solving what has been an obvious problem this season.
UPDATED COMMENT --- Remember that Tim Morris can move to walk-on status if necessary. Also, there are apparently some concerns over Darnell Gant's academics, which would also open up a scholarship.
UPDATED --- Here's a profile of Overton from Rivals.com.

Jeez...

2007-02-22T21:51:00.000-08:00

I just can't believe it......

We lost to OSU on the road....

Ahhhhh....

That has to seal UW's NCAA hope...

That has to seal Spencer Hawes' NBA decision...goodbye Spencer...nice game tonight...

Ahhhhh....

Time to start winning away from Hec Ed

2007-02-22T12:33:00.000-08:00

We've had our share of games we should have won, could have one and didn't win on the road. We're coming off of two tough losses, but I finally feel like we're starting to see what this team could be - an awesome rebounding team that routinely gets more scoring opportunites than it's opponent. A team that can beat anyone if it's shooters get hot and don't turn the ball over. We are always stronger inside than the opposition, which is not a bad place to start when you are building a giant slayer.

It's do or die time for this Husky team. Standing at 16-8 with a 6-8 Pac 10 record, we are still in a position to get into the big dance. A strong finish in Pac 10 play (meaning winning 3 of the next 4) plus making the semifinals of the Pac 10 tournament would probably be enough to propel us to a #10 seed. Making the Pac 10 tourney finals would mean a 21-10 record (including 5 losses by less than 4 points or in overtime) a .500+ record in one of the toughest conferences in the country, and a hot streak, which the tournament likes to see at the end of a team's season. I think the committee will give us a pass on the Bay Area swing when our best player was so ill he could barely play.

We have two more games on the road - Oregon State tonight and Oregon on Saturday. If we can win those, the door is wide open. Plus, a victory at Oregon means that some local ducks will owe me TWO (count 'em) TWO dinners. And if you don't think they are nervous, think about this: Since Oregon came into Hec Ed as the 7th ranked team in the nation with an 18-1 record, they have gone 2-6. I ask you, my humble reader to refer back to my original post predicting the ducks demise. Ernesto, Ernesto, Ernesto...

Looking ahead to the Pac-10 tourney

2007-02-17T19:37:00.000-08:00

If the Pac-10 season ended today, UW would enter the Pac-10 tourney as the 7th seed. Which begs us here at Hec Heads to look at the road to the promise land, the NCAA's.

I want to say, if we have to play in the play in game, I want to be the 7th or 10th seed. We won't end up 10th, so it will have to be the 7th seed.

We would begin by playing Arizona State, and in round two...

Washington vs. Washington State...

Round 3!

Man, wouldn't that be fun. I would find it hard to believe that Washington State has ever beaten UW three times in a season, so the history odds will be on our side in round 2.

If we get by round 2, then it will be USC or Arizona. USC has beaten Arizona both times this season by sizeable amounts, so I would expect USC to win this game. But, as the old addage says, it is hard to beat a team three times in a season.

I would love to see another match-up against Washington State. The lack of respect WAZZU anf their fans showed in the Bank of America Arena, UW is probably dying to get another shot. After seeing the team play tonight against PITT, I think UW is going to start to win these games here pretty quickly. A back to back win in Oregon, and a double wins in Seattle against the SoCal schools, UW could be RED HOT entering the Pac-10 tourney.

A loss to be proud of...

2007-02-17T17:41:00.000-08:00

Well, we lost, but I think if your a Husky fan you have to be encouraged by the effort shown by the young Huskies. They played a good game on the defensive end, holding Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh's best player in check for the entire game.

Man, I am starting to pray every night that Spencer Hawes spends one more year in school. I know the chances of that happening are very low, but a boy can dream can't he.

Did you know, UW has lost 32 straight games against top-10 ranked opponents on the road, and hasn't won a game against one since 1974. I thought that was outrageous when I read that stat. It blew my mind.

I think this team has finally turned the corner, and I think you are going to see a good team in the Pac-10 tourney next week. UW probably won't win it, but I bet they will knock off a ranked opponent this year.

Did you hear Brittney Spears shaved her head...what the hell?

The Aftermath...

2007-02-16T19:51:00.000-08:00

"There's only one thing a man can do when he's suffering from a spiritual and existential funk."

"Go to the zoo, flip off the monkeys?"

No, I didn't flip off monkeys, but I did wallow in agony, went sleepless for a few nights, and was made fun of by every Cougar I knew, which included my boss. Every time I glanced at him on Thursday, he just held up one finger indicating he was number 1.

That game was as painful a game I have had since I came to Seattle, and started attending the University of Washington. This was 100x more painful then the first game in Pullman. Losing a game you put yourself in position to win, has to be worse them getting blown out.

Much props to Justin "It-ain't-fallin'-but-I-am-putting-the-team-on-my-back-anyways" Dentmon for totally choking the game away down the stretch. His 2 for 12 performance was good enough to win him the "God Dammit, What the Fuck" award here at Hec Heads. I love Justin Dentmon, but his play near the end of that game was atrocious. Playing out of control, he put the dice in his hands, and it came up snake-eyes more than once.

So, I might have been wrong about Spencer Hawes. The array of moves he showed the past two games have validated his top-5 draft status. It is really a shame he spent the entire middle part of this season battling that illness which caused him to lose 20 pounds. We are now only seeing the true Spencer Hawes. How did he get that illness? Was this a Corey Brewer Mono type illness that caused him to look like shit? I can only guess that he contradicted his illness from some of the many hoes that the basketball team runs through on a weekly basis. I am jealous. I mean, I was in a fraternity, and I can guarantee that I did not see the train of ass these basketball players see in a year that they probably see in a week.

Was it me, or did UW sub at all after the 11 minute mark in the second half? It seemed as though the line-up of Brockman, Hawes, Dentmon, Appleby, and Oliver was on the floor for an eternity. I understood this line-up established the comeback, but the sloppy play down the stretch might have been prevented by the substitution of Quincy Pondexter or Phil Nelson over the last 11 minutes. They didn't have to play much, just enough to give these 5 a blow.

Billy Joel once sang "Say Goodbye to Hollywood". It truly is time to say goodbye to the glamour and glitz of UW Basketball this year unless they can win the Pac-10 tourney (which they are certainly capable of doing with Brockman and Hawes getting hot for a week). NIT, is that what we have to look forward too? Yeah Fozz, I said NIT...

All this of course can be a mute point if UW wins tomorrow at Pitt.

A win here validates the Juggernaut that is the Pac-10. A win at both the Oregon schools (which is looking easier as we speak), UW can get back into the NCAA picture. It HAS to finish .500 in conference play to be considered NCAA eligible.

My prediction for Saturday.....UW 88, Pitt 81. There I said it. Going with my heart on this one. Please lord answer my prayers.

If not, you can find me at the Zoo, in the monkey section.

Big Game Tonight!

2007-02-14T12:47:00.000-08:00

Our lovely neighbors to the east are coming into town to receive a long past due old school style Ass Whoopin'. We have revenge to take on the Cougars, and a whole lot to prove to get into the big dance. Fortunately for the Cougs, they will have the exciting nightlife of Pullman (It's for lovers) to help wash away their tears after a long bus ride back over the mountains.

Hawes is back. The other freshman have finally realized the importance of a little thing called defense. The guards are finally running the O through the vicious 1-2 post combo of Hawes and Brockman instead of dribbling into turnovers.

Since the arrival of Lorenzo Romar, there has been a clear dichotomy between the two Washington Schools basketball styles. Huskies play fast. Cougars play saaaaah-low. We may be seeing a slight change in that as the pac 10 season comes to a close. Sure, the Cougars still love the mind numbing pace that puts everyone to sleep, and Romar still wants his boys to take open looks when they are there, but now you are seeing a UW team who is more willing to be patient and take advantage of their consistent dominance of the painted area. While you can tell that Romar loves the artistry of the fast paced game, UW seems better suited to slow it down a bit, move the ball and wait until they get a good inside look or open jumper.

We are finally seeing the ball handler work hard to get the ball into Hawes and Brockman while his teammates clear out that side of the court. We are seeing Hawes and Brockman run High/Low post setups, which has led to easy shots and fouls on the opponent. The Huskies are finally running their offense though their strength, which will allow this recent run to be sustained as the prepare for the toughest part of their season schedule.

I can't wait.

Game Recap: UW wins going away!

2007-02-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a great energy tonight in Bank of America Arena. The crowd was electric, and ready for this game. What I love about our Dawg Pack is that they do not take a single minute off during the game. They torture other teams with their chanting during timeouts, dead balls, and other stoppages of play. They brought their "A" game this evening, they rattled Stanford's young players, you got to believe that some of Stanford's out of control play was caused by the Dawg Pack. This group of Washington Students have special cheers for certain situations which really make sitting around them pleasurable.

Anyways, UW and Stanford struggled to score throughout the ball game. Two or three minutes would ellipse at times without either team scoring, and it made for a sloppy yet, energetic game. Spencer Hawes started and provided a spark to a stagnant Husky O. Jon Brockman struggled scoring inside against Stanford's Twin Towers, struggling to get the ball over their out stretched arms. I had never seen so many of Jon's rejected. Jon did pick up a plenty of fouls on the Lopez twins though. Sometimes I forget that Jon is only 6'7''. Spencer Hawes was straight dirty last night with the array of moves in the post that left both Lopez brothers a little lost at times. Watching Hawes, and the Lopez twins in the same game really showed how much more developed Hawes is with his foot work, and knowledge of the game. The Lopez Twins will be very good someday, but they do not have the footwork, or imagination that Hawes has with the ball in his hands.

Man, the Pac-10 refs are terrible. I would say there were 5-10 bad calls on both sides of the ball tonight. Usually I bitch about how the refs screwed us, but at times tonight both teams were getting streaks of bad calls called on them. The worst was a blocking foul called on Phil Nelson as a Stanford guard drove baseline around Justin Dentmon. Nelson was established and did not move as the Stanford guard bulled him over. The crowd went nuts. There was a consistent rain of "boo's" from the packed audience for nearly 5 minutes as a timeout was called directly after this play, spilling over into the free-throws granted for the blocking foul. This probably would not have happen if not for the spectacular new video screen installed recently. During the entire timeout, the video replay crew showed the foul from 3-4 different angles, which really angered the crowd. The new screen is dope!

Play of the night, approaching halftime, leading by two with 35 seconds left, Ryan Appleby had the ball poked away from behind by a Stanford guard. The ball is knocked directly to a Stanford player who took off on a fast break all alone because Ryan Appleby fell down after the ball was poked away. The Stanford player went up for a rim-rattling two hand jam that looked like it was going to suck all the air out of Hec Ed, BUT he clanked it off the back iron and it shot out to the free throw line! Hawes was there to rebound the ball, and we settled for a two point lead at half. You could tell then that it was going to be UW's night!

The WAZZU game on Wednesday means that much more now! UW's schedule over the next two weeks is SO brutal that we really need this game to hold onto any hope of making it into the NCAA tournament!

Game Preview: Stanford vs. UW

2007-02-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

In another back against the wall game for the young pups, UW must avenge another tough loss in the Bay area that UW let go of down the stretch. The key will be scoring inside with Brockman and Hawes against the Lopez Twins. In the previous meeting, Hawes was sick, and Brockman carried all the inside scoring. UW's huge advantage this game is playing at Bank of America Arena, where they are 14-1 this year. After watching a little of the Stanford/WSU game last Thursday, Stanford, like UW, is a much better home team for the same reason UW is, they are young. Hopefully the Dawg Pack will rally this afternoon, and totally destroy the young Cardinal's confidence.

Can UW climb itself above 7th in the conference? It is a question asked today by Bob Condotta on his blog. It offers a realistic view of the Husky's final Pac-10 games, and what Husky fans should hope for, which includes Oregon fading down the stretch. The same Oregon fade that was commented by fellow blogger Bobby Jones 2.0 in a column before UW's game against UO last month, in which UW won against an Aaron Brooks-less Oregon team.

Today's game remains very important to UW's hope to get into the NCAA tournament. Can UW get into the NCAA's even if it wins out? That remains to be seen. A strong finish, and two or three wins in the Pac-10 tourney would most certainly help their cause. Things to look for today will be Quincy Pondexter's effectiveness after flapping his jaw in the press this week about the possibility of leaving UW for the NBA after this season. I hope it does not lead to Q-Pond from forcing shots, and trying to make huge plays to show that he is ready for the NBA.

I will be at the game this afternoon, and I will have a full report of action this evening after I return from Montlake.

What Huskies do to Trees....

2007-02-09T21:21:00.000-08:00

"War's over, man. Arizona dropped the big one."

2007-02-08T21:28:00.000-08:00

Brockman: "Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

Dentmon: "Germans?"

Hawes: "Forget it, he's rolling."

Brockman: "And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough...the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go!"

Brockman: "What the fuck happened to the UW I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? "Ooh, we're afraid to go with you Brockman, we might get in trouble." Well just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this. California, their dead men! Stanford, dead! WAZZU... "

Appleby: "Dead! Brockman's right. Psychotic, but absolutely right. We gotta take these bastards. Now we could do it with conventional weapons that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out. "

Sorry, I needed to go a little buck-wild on ya'all. Didn't this game tonight feel like one of those escape from prison movies. One where there is a dreadful shower scene and the main character is some one's bitch. You could picture the Huskies sitting in their cell, shaking, holding a carved shank, rocking back in forth, mumbling to themselves about getting out, and not letting the "bad man" touch them anymore. You could sense how desperate both these teams were. The loser pretty much gets eliminated from NCAA talks, especially since Cal has a rough stretch on the road coming up. This game was a Rocky IV vs. Clubber Lang-esque type of game. Each taking huge hits at each other, neither wilting until the end, when the hero won!

Now that UW is 5-7 in Pac-10 play, and have dug their way out of Alcatraz, the light is brighter, the food tastes better, and the soft touch of a woman is much better then the rough hands of a prison mistress. Brockman went ape shit on Cal this evening, with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Is Brockman more NBA ready then Hawes? From his appearance tonight, and his appearance in the desert, I would say Brockman would be a top-15 pick if he came out this year. Good thing Brockman said he is staying all 4 years...

I have sat the past three of four days a little wide-eyed, and nauseous. My beloved Huskies were (are) tanking, life as I knew sucked. We started this blog this year to record all the brilliance that is Washington Basketball. Truthfully, it has been slightly painful chugging on in this voyage. Feeling like the Titanic after it hit the iceberg, I searched for answers. Then I watched Animal House this past weekend, and found my inspiration to carry on. Bluto's speech was the kick in the ass I needed to get hyped again, to put back on my Husky basketball shorts, and sit this evening and watch the game totally enthused about making the NCAA tourney.

It can happen. UW has to get hot, and Brockman is going to have to be a man. Tonight it looked as though Brockman said enough was enough. Brockman entered the "My team is winning tonight and there is not a damn thing you can do about it" stage this evening, and by God, UW won this game going away. Hawes looked good, but he is overrated as someone who can enter the NBA and contribute right away. I think his pick would be to secure a future big man in the NBA. Potential matters so much to these scouts that it almost makes me sick. If UW is going to win, it will because of Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon. The funny this is that all Dentmon has to do is not turn the basketball over. If he can maintain possession, and feed the ball to Hawes and Brockman cleanly, UW could be set.

Today I learned that my girl secured me tickets to the Husky game on Sunday against Stanford. Stanford, they're dead men! Might even bring a sign that says so!

Beat the Bay

2007-02-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

UW has a chance in the next week to atone for 3 of our tougher losses this season. Against Stanford and Cal, we just didn't have quite enough to prevail, and that unfortunate swing probably cost us a trip to the dance. Wazzou was a whole different story. We haven't looked good against them since 2005.

We face these teams in what is probably the best order possible, with each game a slight step up in difficultly. Cal is up first tonight, and I think that the Huskies confidence at home will carry them.

I still worry about this team. With Conroy and Nate Rob on the team, you always had the feeling that UW played with a chip on their shoulder. Conroy had to walk on, Nate was only 5'7" and not really recruited for basketball. You could tell that they always felt that there was something to prove, and they knew the only way to prove anything was to win. It feels like this years team feels a bit more entitled to praise and expects more to be handed to them. They still haven't learned to be killers. I think they are capable, but you never know what lies in someone's heart until you see it poured out. Or not.

YES! OH YES! FUCKING YES!

2007-02-01T21:54:00.000-08:00

OH MY GOD YES! WE WON! WE WON! WE WON! WE WON!

UW 66 - ASU 61!!!!!!

FIRST ROAD WIN! FIRST ROAD WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NEXT UP IS ARIZONA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GAME TIME - TWO HOURS AWAY

2007-02-01T16:04:00.000-08:00

UW MUST WIN TONIGHT! LOSE THIS EVENING, and IT IS OVER FOR OUR CHANCES OF GETTING INTO THE NCAA.

GAME IS NOT ON TV, THAT SUCKS BALLS!

Conroy called up!

2007-01-29T23:10:00.000-08:00

"Give Me Vaughn."

"You Mean Rick Vaughn?"

Will Conroy was called up to the Memphis Grizzlies today. He was playing for the Tulsa 66ers of the NBADL. He was averaging 15.3 points and 10.3 points per game. He is the DL's all-time triple-double leader, with 4.

Here is more information on the Seattle Times webpage.

Conroy joins the worst team in the league, seemingly the reason he is getting his shot this year. I really don't think he cares where he is going. Good Luck Will!

You will receive no easy road games.....

2007-01-29T20:14:00.000-08:00

"...but on your death bed, you will receive total consciousness."

Maybe by dying a litte, UW gained a litte. By hitting rock bottom, only then could UW stop laying to themselves and everyone that things were going to be alright. Maybe by dying, you can lose the identity of your former self, and return as your own team, your own legacy. UW died in Pullman, they were reborn in Seattle.

UW is now lead by the person who has been through the largest trails and tribulations this season, Justin Dentmon. Life without Brandon Roy was harder then it ever seemed it was going to be. Turnovers, bad shooting nights, and a brusing of the "EGO" has been life for Dentmon over the past month. Over the previous two games, Dentmon has slashed, scrapped, and dug his was out of his hole, and back into the starting line. Roy is gone, Dentmon had to learn on his own, how to run this Husky tea.

UW's last two games have revived what some where calling a lost season, a total failure, a waste of Spencer Hawes' only NCAA season. After two wins, and 180 points in two games, this new-look Husky squad must travel to valley of the shadow of death to face what might be the worst of all villians written in the chapters of this year's story of turnarounds, comebacks, and NCAA births; the road.

"The road is fuckin' hard,

It's also really fuckin' tough,

There's no question that,

It don't take no guff.

The road is a be-a-itch my friend"

Tenacious D put it right, the road is fuckin' tough, but it is the only fuckin road I know. UW knows what is has to do now...it must win. Win or your season is done after the Pac-10 tourney. Let us not talk about NIT's, or wasting Hawes, but let us talk about turnarounds, NCAA tournament games, and beating Arizona State and Arizona on the road.

Baby steps to a NCAA birth. The first step is Thursday, Arizona State on the road. Win there, and UW will have won its first road game of the season, and in return, shoot the monkey dead that once was on their backs. Up after that is a STRUGGLING Arizona team that has begun suspending players about this time every year.

Seems to me, this is the best time to travel to the desert.

A modest suggestion for how to get Hawes more involved on offense

2007-01-26T11:36:00.000-08:00

Last night's game was a good win, but it felt like our style of play would not be able to produce win after win after win, particularly on the offensive end. We are one of the best streak scoring teams in the country, but we need to develop a way to score when our high pick and role dribble game is not working. We did a good job of taking advantage of mistakes made by Oregon on D (like forgetting that Appleby will shoot three pointers), but as the season wears on, good teams make fewer mistakes. I don't think we could play a similar game on MacArthur court, when OU has Aaron Brooks, and expect to win.

In my mind the way to establish more consistency in the offense is to run the offense through Hawes more, which means we have to improve our ability to get him the ball. Last night we struggled mightily with this, as our offense was baffled by Oregon simply fronting Hawes (which they did ALL NIGHT).

For the front to work, a weakside defender has to be enough of a deterrent to the lob pass, without giving up an open shot to the man he is guarding. A typical way you see teams attack a post front is to clear out the lane, pull every other player to the perimeter, and then put your post feeder on the elbow of the same side of the court. This forces the weakside help to make a choice of what to guard. Help in the post and risk a quick ball rotation/skip pass from the center to your now open man who has been spotting up for some time. Or stay home, and watch as your opponents coordinated 7 footer gets a ton of easy finishes around the rim.

Right now, there are three things preventing UW from successfully dealing with the front:
1. UW primarily attacks from the weak side or the top of the key, and in general the ball handlers run the offense from too far out. This makes any entry pass into Hawes take too long, thus allowing the help defender to guard both the shooter and the lob pass.

2. UW does not vacate the post consistently. Too many times last night you saw Pondexter hanging out close to the rim with his defender near by. Quincy kept looking to receive an alley-oop pass that was never really available, and all he successfully did was screw over Hawes. If Q-Pon wants to get buckets for discount prices, he needs to wait at the three point line until Hawes gets the ball before he crashes the lane.

3. UW doesn't rotate the ball quickly. Too much dribbling allows the defenders to maintain decent position on the off the ball players. Pass the rock fast and get better angles, please. I don't think I saw one crisp two pass perimeter ball rotation from UW all game.

I found my special purpose!

2007-01-26T10:07:00.000-08:00

Lorenzo Romar tried a new defensive strategy against Oregon last night, putting Phil Nelson on mighty mite Tejuan Porter when UW played man to man defense. The strategy paid off, as Porter was essentially useless whenever Nelson marked him (both his three balls were when Dentmon or Appleby guarded him). While foot speed is at time an issue for Nelson, it never was a problem in this matchup. Nelson, with a 14 inch height advantage over Porter, was able to be a deterrant to the outside shot while playing well off Porter. For most of the game Porter seemed rattled in the half court set, and struggled to initiate the offense.

Is this a sign of things to come? Nelson, who has looked horrible on D in general this year when guarding athletic wings, may have found a way to contribute defensively by taking on the ball handler at the top of the key. It was reminiscent of moves that opposing teams did to Nate Robinson from time to time, which typically resulted in UW struggling. It strikes me that most college players are pretty used to matching up against similar sized defenders, and are not quite sure what to do when the matchup is skewed so dramatically. It's good to see Romar take advantage of an asset we have in surplus (size) and use it to counteract an overall weakness of our team (quick feet).

A Night at Nike Town...

2007-01-25T19:27:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I made a pilgrimage to Nike Town to purchase some Husky Basketball shorts. I received a couple of gift certificates for my birthday, and wanted some Husky shorts to workout in at the gym (read between the lines:sit on coach and watch Husky basketball). Anyways, in Nike Town the Husky Basketball shorts are in the College Basketball section with North Carolina, Gonzaga and now, the most heralded product to hit Nike shelves in years, Washington State beanies. Well, right next to the College Basketball items was the new clothing line, the Air Force One line, you know the commercial with all the NBA pros in White walking down the runway, with a fan blowing on them to make them look sweet....

Well, as I was backing up after selecting the shorts I wanted to look cool in as I sit on my couch watching the Oregon game tonight, guess who I bumped into, mutha-fuckin Seahawks Linebacker Lofa Tatupu. I recognized him in a half a second. When you see a pro-athlete, you just know who they are. Especially someone like Lofa. At that point, I had two decisions. I could lose my shit, go all mushy Seattle Sports fan on him, and just make him feel all uncomfortable, or take the high route and give him a quick "sorry" or a head nod to say I was sorry. To my later satisfaction, I choose the latter. I politely exchanged a quick sorry, and went on my way. I knew who he was, he knew I knew who he was, but I just moved on. I had always promised myself that if I ever met a famous person, I would keep myself under control, and not make an ass out of myself. If I was famous, I think I would hate it if dorky white dudes always came up to me when I was out on the town.

I think I didn't react that way to seeing Lofa Tatupu because I had trained not to react that way. While in college at UW, I was lab partners with Brandon Roy, and it was cool coming in everyday to class and talking about things that didn't pretain to basketball. I always thought he appreciated that I kept our conversations away from basketball. Nate Robinson was in that class, and so was Bobby Jones, so I guess if I was ever to go giddy over another man, that would have been my opportunity. All three of those ballers are in the NBA now...

So, when I saw Lofa tonight, it was an easy decision to just nod my head, and move to the counter. But guess what? When I got to the counter, mutha-fucking Minnesota Timberwolves guard Trenton Hassell was at the register. The check out girl was absolutely dying with an NBA star in front of her, and Lofa roaming the products in front of her station. She dropped my shorts twice, and couldn't swipe my gift cards with any frequency. She said to me "I can't concentrate, Lofa is right there, I want to talk to him so bad".

All in all, it was an eventful trip to Nike Town this evening.

Oregon: It's about that time of year

2007-01-25T13:20:00.000-08:00

I was hanging out with my good friend and Oregon Alum Brook last night, and although he seemed pretty pleased with his ducks, you could see the fear in his eyes. The Ducks have yet again had a successful start to a season. And every Duck knows what this means. NOTHING. In years past, as a season rolls on, whether it be football or basketball, the ducks migratory instincts kick in, and their seasons prospects head South.

Is this the game that the doubts start creeping in? When the Ducks green turns to yellow? UW's record is horrible in the Pac 10, but had they been a bit luckier, they could just as easily been sitting at 14-4, with a 4-3 Pac 10 record. And while UW is not as bad as their record indicates, one wonders just how strong Oregon is on the road, where they have had only two nice, but close, wins (at Arizona and at Georgetown). They can clearly hang with top competition in Eugene, but how will they respond without their emotional leader and floor general, Aaron Brooks, who is suspended for being retarded?

I'm fired up because I'm going to the game tonight, and have the pleasure of watching 4 major Duck fans sweat over their beers before the game. This one is gonna be sweet.

Photo Diary of Isaiah Thomas and Matthew Bryan-Amaning

2007-01-25T11:47:00.000-08:00

There is a good photo diary on the Seattle Times web page looking at the lives of Isaiah Thomas and Matthew Bryan-Amaning out in CT Prep School. Both are UW recruits.

It is sweet that both of them are playing together before transferring to WASHINGTON. Thomas is the true point guard that UW needs to right the ship. He may be more of shoot first type of guard like Mustfa Shakur is in Arizona, but he is also brilliant passing the basketball.

Click here to take you to the photo section of the Seattle Times. Click on Sports, scroll up to:
Finishing School: Popular Route to College Basketball

Joel Smith's return delayed

2007-01-25T11:40:00.000-08:00

Here is a post on Bob Condotta's Husky Basketball Blog about Joel Smith's delay back from that stress fracture that has kept him out the entire season.

Sounded like Joel will not be ready of the Arizona road trip next week, and the new date of return will be the Bay area school at home in the second week of February.

Romar stated again this week that Smith WILL NOT redshirt this year because of the pending scholarships being full next year.

Another Curse?

2007-01-23T21:51:00.000-08:00

So, do we have another curse on our hands?

Seattle this year has been through the curse of Super Bowl loser, Madden, and of the Chunky Campbell Soup. Each one of these curses systematically tore its way through the Seahawks offense and defensive secondary. But, is UW dealing with maybe the worst curse of them all....

...The CURSE OF MIKE JENSEN....

After looking at the the ESPN page about which curse is the strongest or has the strongest hold on their target, I pondered about a potential curse, and if there was one, what kind of curse it would be...and then it came to me....UW is suffering from the curse of Mike Jensen! Since Mike Jensen fouled Marcus Williams on his drive late in the fourth quarter of the Sweet 16 game in the NCAA tourney last year, UW has been facing an uphill battle since then. Let's ignore the fact that they graduated almost every important person from last year beside Dentmon and Brockman, but let's look at the injuries, and the things that have transpired since then.

They lose Joel Smith and Joe Wolfinger for almost the entire year in training camp. Two players which UW was counting on to contribute this season. Spencer Hawes is healthy all USA Juniors Games and then when he puts on a UW jersey, all of a sudden he has knee surgery to remove bone chips. A dozen other injuries, and a hockey arena full of ice, and the Huskies are in a world of hurt.

The biggest issue since the Jensen foul, is that UW's D has evaporated. Stopping penetration, and guarding on the perimeter have become obstacles not strengths. Gone also is the full court pressure that was essential to UW's winning past.

So I ponder, is this the Curse of Jensen? It could haunt the UW for the rest of this year, and for years to come. Solution to this problem, burn a bleach-blonde Mike Jensen effigy at half-time of the Oregon game. Exercise the demons, and get UW back on its winning ways.

Or, we could just play better defense.

My hat is off to you, Bruce!

2007-01-23T21:43:00.000-08:00

I change my mind on Bruce Pearl. I wrote a post about him earlier this year making fun of his skippy dances as he coaches and his god awful orange suit, and I thought I would give him props for his dedication towards his program and school by showing up to the UT women's game shirtless and painted orange.

HERE IS TO YOU BRUCE!

BRoy to the Rescue

2007-01-22T17:03:00.000-08:00

Calm down, he ain't comin' back and playin' for UW...

Last night Roy had 28 points, and 9 boards as he hit the game winning shot to beat the Bucks.

Congrats to B-Roy. With last night's performance, it puts him squarely back into the R.O.Y. watch with Minnesota's Randy Foye.

UW is Young, plain and simple.

2007-01-21T10:06:00.000-08:00

I have come to realization that we will not have a selection Sunday this year unless we can win the Pac-10 tourney. The Young Pups are just out manned right now.

Starting out the Pac-10 season with 6 out of 7 on the road was a tough way for these young pups to get their careers started at Washington. I kinda blame Romar and the scheduler for not getting this team on the road during their non-conference schedule.

Does UW have enough athleticism to compete in the Pac-10? It looks like whenever UW gets into a tough situation dribbling or on defense, the results usually go against the UW. Turnovers and getting beat on D are the two major problems facing UW.

Phil Nelson, Jon Brockman, Ryan Appleby, and even Quincy Pondexter look over matched having to play D on the perimeter. They consistently get beat off the dribble towards the basket, which consistently puts UW in compromising situations on D.

UW was great over the past three years by having a stifling D, being able to cause 20-2 runs with full court D. Their frantic pace helped set forth a tone that established UW early in games, and consistently made other teams play catch-up. This most often lead to more desperation threes, and teams getting away from their game plan to try to beat the UW D.

Gone from this year is UW's ability to regularly establish 10-15 points leads within the first 10 minutes of games based on the frantic pressure on the ball, and never allowing teams to time to catch their breath. Gone are hawking ball defenders like Bobby Jones, Brandon Roy, and Nate Robinson. Could Bobby Jones have been the catalyst for UW's run the past couple of season. Maybe.

The tendency I do not like seeing from UW is their lack luster effort on the defensive end. The regularly get beat getting back on D, and do not show the intensity that a competitive program needs to show to win games on the road.

Up next for UW is the Oregon schools at home. No Aaron Brooks means a possibility for a steal at home, and the righting of the ship on the shores of Lake Washington. If UW does not plug the holes in the walls of the boat, the ship will sink faster then Roller Girl going down on Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights.

Joe Lunardi says UW is in TROUBLE

2007-01-16T21:57:00.000-08:00

Here is the opening paragraph to Joe Lunardi's column on ESPN.com's INSIDER. I don't have a subscription to the INSIDER, because most of ESPN is garbage on poop, but I was checkin out what they had to say about UO and their "inspiring" tale.

"Someone, somewhere, found it in his heart to give Washington two votes in this week's ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll. And why not? In the category "most likely to give away tight games by not guarding the other team," the Huskies definitely are Top 25 material."

OUCH!

Here are some other stats from his column that I got access too...doesn't look good for UW...

Consider:
• Washington is 1-5 in the Pac-10 and leads only woeful Arizona State (0-6) in the conference standings.
• The Huskies have lost six of their last 10 games and are an even more distressing 0-5 on the road.
• UW is 0-4 against InsideRPI Top 50 teams and must carry the additional burden of a No. 225 NonConf SOS.

No. 225 is not a good place to be....

Pondexter Update!!!!!!

2007-01-15T19:39:00.000-08:00

Diagnosed as a ankle sprain. Did not practice Monday, will return in the middle of the week and be back by the time UW plays at Washington State this Saturday!

Good News!

UW and the NCAA, can we dance?

2007-01-15T13:00:00.000-08:00

Two years removed from being the number 1 seed in the West section of the NCAA tournament, UW now faces the possibility of not getting invited to this springs NCAA tournament with their 1-5 start in Pac-10 play. Right now, most experts are projecting that 6 or 7 teams out of the Pac-10 will be dancing in March, but can the Huskies get there?

Falling out of the coaches poll this week, and getting swept in the Bay Area, the Huskies return home this week for a showdown against the Oregon schools, and the Pac-10's hottest team, UofO, who won at Arizona last night. UW MUST WIN this ball game to have a shot at making the Big Dance. UW has little wiggle room as it tries to fill out it's resume for NCAA officials come March. First off though, we have to travel to Pullman and face a STRONG Washington State Cougars team that has defeated Gonzaga and Arizona this year and are ranked #21 in this week's coaches poll. UW must win this game against a quality opponent on the road...

UW's non-conference schedule will come back to hurt the Huskies in the RPI, and in final determination of who gets a bid into the tournament. This week, Coach Romar admitted he wished he had played one or two more road games before the Pac-10 season started to acclimate his young team to the hostile road crowds.

UW can pull itself into the tourney. But they must start NOW!

Between suicide and homicide...

2007-01-14T19:22:00.000-08:00

As a sports fan, outside of say Philadelphia, Seattle has to be the worst city to be a sports fan of any professional or college sport. Outside of Philly, can you name one city more jinx then Seattle. LA has recently won NBA titles and successful college basketball and football teams, Chicago had the White Sox two years ago, NY has the Yankees, and Dallas has the Mavericks, and the state of Texas had the Longhorns win the BCS title two years ago. THE LAST MEN'S NATIONAL TITLE in Seattle has to be the Huskies '90 National Championship Football team. Sure the UW Volleyball team won the NCAA title last season, and the Storm won the WNBA title a couple of years ago, but I am talking about sports that truly haunt the base of the population which lives in the city.

In the past 5 years, the Mariners have gone from the best team in baseball to maybe the worst organized team in the history of professional sports. The Seahawks seem to tease us with up and down performances. The UW football program, which may be on the rise, has fallen on hard times, and now, after all that, the UW Men's Basketball team has hit rock bottom. Sonics, don't go there...

I think EVERY UW student, Alumni, and follower was able to gut through this last 5-7 football season because they knew that Basketball season was around the corner. Where do we go from here? What do we do if the Huskies can pull up from this nose dive?

The loss today by the Seahawks culminated another terrible year for Seattle sports that started with the loss in the Super Bowl last season. Cry about the refs ruining that game, we still played like ass....

Pat, congrats on your Bears...I hope Grossman fucks you in N.O.!

Pac-10, Big 12 sign series contract

2007-01-13T17:43:00.000-08:00

The Pac-10 and Big 12 have signed a series contract that will pit all Pac-10 teams against the Big 12. UW will play at Oklahoma State on Dec. 1st. This is the same format as the Big 10 & ACC match-up. From the way the Pac-10 looks this year, the Big 12 looks like it is in TROUBLE.

I think ALL of our teams our worthy of beating the teams that they are matched against. Oregon State at home against Iowa State may be the only exception. Who knows how good UCLA will be next year when they get Texas with the departure of Aaron Afflalo. Of course, no one expects Texas freshman sensation Kevin Durant to return next season.

Here is the game schedule:

Thurs., Nov. 29, 2007
Oregon at Kansas State
Oklahoma at USC

Fri., Nov. 30, 2007
Washington State at Baylor
Iowa State at Oregon State

Sat., Dec. 1, 2007
Washington at Oklahoma State
Missouri at California

Sun., Dec. 2, 2007
Arizona State at Nebraska
Stanford at Colorado
Texas at UCLA
Texas A&M at Arizona

Outside the 10-game series window:
Arizona at Kansas (Sun., Nov. 25)
Stanford vs. Texas Tech (Sat., Dec. 22)

UW gets SWEPT in the BAY AREA!

2007-01-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

UW just didn't look like they wanted to win this game as bad as Cal did. Cal was more aggressive, and we just didn't look good.

Again, UW looked young, and inexperienced on the road. Dentmon choked this game away down the stretch, and could have redeemed himself by making both free throws...Dentmon did end up with 12 points, and 9 rebounds. But he did have a lot of turnovers down the stretch, and shot 5-16 from the field. UW shot 25-60 from the field, 41% and only 14-25 from the line, missing 11 shots! Can't do that on the road, and win...

UW loses 77-69...

Well, that makes UW 1-5 in the Pac-10, while it is not early enough to count out the Huskies in the Pac-10, this is an uphill battle from here on out. We are sitting last in the Pac-10, and we return home where we need to WIN ALL OF OUR GAMES!

UW is now 11-6, we were once 10-1, so you can do the math on how things have gone.

Again, Quincy Pondexter hurt his ankle in the second half, and did not return to action. If this is serious, this is a MAJOR loss for UW, and could result more in more loses for UW.

Coming into the season, UW had many injuries, and did not get to practice with a full squad for all of Winter warm-up. We lost Joel Smith, a veteran, who had been to three consecutive NCAA tourneys, and lost there other post threat in Wolfinger. It looks as though this team has not come together, and has not found a way to exploit other teams. They rely on Hawes WAY too much, and we can not shot inside the three point line with enough accuracy.

Bank of America Arena stands quite today, hopefully when it's team returns, it will hug them, and tell them that everything will be alright.

UW has yet to score in OT, 57.7 seconds left

2007-01-13T16:16:00.000-08:00

UW down 73-67...haven't scored in OT, Cal at the line.

Doesn't look good.

Down 7....

OH Boy...

2007-01-13T16:11:00.000-08:00

Oliver fouls out, Hawes travels, and an Offensive Foul on Brockman. UW has yet to take a shot in OT.

Cal up, with the ball, 71-67.

Oliver has fouled out in the first minute of OT...

2007-01-13T16:10:00.001-08:00

Oliver done, and Pondexter has not returned...Nelson in.

HOLY SHIT BALLS!

2007-01-13T16:07:00.000-08:00

Well, we are going to Overtime...

Hang on to your hats folks!

UW is 0-1 in overtime this year while Cal is 1-0.

DENTMON TO THE LINE down 1 with .02 left

2007-01-13T16:02:00.000-08:00

UW down 67-66, Dentmon at the line shooting two. In the last three minutes, Dentmon has two turns and missed three shots...

Timeout Cal, tries to freeze Dentmon...

UW allowed a wide-open three pointer by Cal to take the one point lead.

Dentmon....is 1-2 today...

Dentmon....misses the first....

Dentmon....timeout Cal, if he misses UW is 1-5 in the Pac-10, if he makes it we are going to Overtime...

Dentmon....the announcer just predicted Dentmon makes it....Dentmon MAKES IT!

OVERTIME!

Appleby HUGE THREE out of TIMEOUT

2007-01-13T16:00:00.000-08:00

UW up 66-64. 37.8 seconds left, UW Ball with 10 sec. left on 35 second shot clock.

Dentmon single-handly losing this game for UW..

2007-01-13T15:56:00.000-08:00

He has two turns in the last two minutes...

UW down 64-63

UW is attrocious from the line today

2007-01-13T15:52:00.000-08:00

UW has missed 10 foul shots, while Brockman is 1-6, and his form looks terrible.

If you losed this game...blame it on foul shots.

UW down by 1, 62-61...

So if WSU smoked Cal...

2007-01-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

And we are barely grinding by Cal at the moment, what does this mean????

I think you know...

Pondexter hobbles off the court hurt...

2007-01-13T15:34:00.000-08:00

From the reply, looks like Q-Pond rolled his ankle. He looks like he is in tremendous pain. Dont know the severity, but he probably will not return.

8:27 left, UW up 52-51, Dentmon playing somewhat well...

Hawes and Brockman have been on the bench together for a while, while Wallace and Gasser have been in for 5 minutes now.

UW down 53-52 with 8:14 left...

UW down at half, 35-33

2007-01-13T14:55:00.001-08:00

UW is heading toward being 1-5 in the Pac-10. UW is down at half by two, and they are not playing very sound D.

UW is shooting 48% in the first half, but have turned the ball over way too much (dont know the total), alot on lob passes into the interior.

UW needs to shut down the Cal shooters in the second half to have a chance.

UW decline proportionate to Dentmon's slide

2007-01-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

UW's slide, and grind to the basement of the Pac-10 has been proportionate to the downfall of Justin Dentmon. Earlier this year, after UW's game against Eastern Washington, I proposed that Dentmon might be UW's best player. Since then, Dentmon has been in a free fall, turning the ball over, and being benched. UW NEEDS DENTMON ON THE FLOOR. I love Appleby's O, but his D stinks. Dentmon needs to overcome his lack of confidence, and lead this team back into Pac-10 contention.

Early on in the Bay Area against Cal, Dentmon looks good. 6 points, and an assist. Still looks like Dentmon dribbles himself into uncompromising situations along the baseline, and in the middle of the paint which causes him to make quick passes when he is not ready. Dentmon is also jumping to pass too frequently which is leading to his high turnover rate.

Cal is out rebounding UW early, 11-6, and they seem to be a bit more active. Both these teams are desperate for a win, and I think Cal can sense a weak UW team has arrived in the Arena today. Hawes is still affected by the flu virus that is limited him to 6 points on Thursday night. We are seeing Artem Wallace early today.

UW enters tonight as the 9th highest scoring team in the country at 84.3, and 6th in field goal percentage in the country. We have started the game 9-16. But they are giving up 76.3 points per game. Way up from last year. Romar has already been yelling and getting on several players today. I think soft puppy love time from Romar is over. WE NEED A WIN!

It has been snowing in downtown today for like 3 hours.

UW LOOKS LIKE SHIT EARLY

2007-01-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

ROUGH START! THE ROAD HAS NOT BEEN FRIENDLY...Brockman and Hawes getting dominated inside so far.

ALMOST GAME TIME!

2007-01-13T14:05:00.000-08:00

UW NEEDS A WIN! ENOUGH SAID. Cal is without both their inside big men. The focus should be on Brockman and Hawes today, get them going, get a win, get home where we play our next 5 out of 7.

I can not believe FSN is showing the UW Women's game inside of the UW Men's game. GAME IS ON COMCAST 17!

Excuse our absence over the past couple of days. Pat and I are coaching UW Ultimate, and we are busy, and I just started a new job. Been busy.

We will keep on top of this shit, trust me!

I WILL BE LIVE BLOGGING TODAY! This is the first time I have done this, so it may suck!

UW needs to sweep the bay

2007-01-09T16:16:00.000-08:00

And it won't be all that easy. After Oregon and Wazzou toppled UCLA and Arizona (respectively), it looks like the Pac 10 is the toughest conference in the nation. All this is good news for the Dawgs, as the stronger the conference looks, the more likely the possibility of getting 6 teams from the Pac 10 into the show. Stanford is coming off an impressive road win against Virginia after losing at home to Cal last Thursday. Before that win, neither team had really shown much (I'm not counting Cal's win against a Bill Walker-less Kansas state team as a significant win).

This trip is an opportunity for the Dawgs to leapfrog both bay area schools and take over 6th place in the conference. While this is no extraordinary feat, it would set up UW for a nice second half run at a top 3 finish in the Pac 10. Additionally, we've got a brutal pair of games after these two, travelling to Wazzou and then facing Oregon at home. If we can get a couple road wins under our belt, it may give the confidence chance to take it to Wazzou, and/or get a nice home win against Oregon (who will be without Aaron Brooks - suspended for the sucker punch he laid on Appleby in the pac 10 tourney). Escaping this stretch with only one loss, plus what should be easy wins against OSU and ASU would put us at 6-4 in the conference and would be a huge step forward for our young team. By that time, Joel Smith should be healthy and back in the rotation, just in time to face the top of the conference the second time around.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Our dogs have some real flaws right now, particularly with our ball handling and perimeter defense. For UW to be successful, Justin Dentmon needs to play well. It appears like his confidence was genuinely shaken by the long, atheletic matchups he's had to face against USC, UCLA, and Arizona. In his first 4 pac 10 games, he looked like he was aiming the ball and overthinking his passes. Something has to happen to get him confident again, and I think he will find it in the Bay Area. Or he will completely crumble (I hope not, but after all, the game at Stanford was where he made one of the dumbest mistakes you could ever make, and cost us the game). Quincy Pondexter also looked shocked by the athleticism of the Pac 10. His supreme offensive performance against Arizona aside, he has been caught in double teams numerous times and his rebounding numbers have dropped. He seems surprised every time a player his size can move as fast or faster than he can. He will get through this, he is at least as atheletic as Bobby Jones, and has proven to be a hard worker. It's just a matter of when. Oliver has almost the opposite problem. While he takes everything in stride and does't look too overwhelmed (for the most part), it's almost like he is afraid to be noticed on the court. Adrian is only taking 4 shots a game in about 26 minutes (in pac 10 play).

Other than that, this team is sweet! Here's to hoping for good guard play against Stanford
tonight.

Being a Seattle Sports fan

2007-01-07T02:24:00.000-08:00

Is about this close from sucking!

Fuck you Madden Curse! Fuck you Super Bowl Losers Curse! Fuck you Chunky Campbell's Soup Curse! Fuck you!!!

FUCK YOU ROMO! Fuck you for fucking Jessica Simpson, and Claire Underwood! This is your balancing act! The world made itself balanced today!

Now we take on Chicago! DA BEARS! SUCK!!!!! GROSSMAN, lazy, not prepared!

What? Eh? No Way....

2007-01-07T02:09:00.000-08:00

Got No food...Got No Job...Our Pet's Head Keep falling off!!!!!!

What is with the Pac-10? On a day when UCLA and Arizona are upset on the road, who can you depend on in the Pac-10 to pull out a win? Is the Pac-10 the strongest conference in the country? Yes! I think the evidence of this was UCLA, UW and Arizona's run in the NCAA Tourney last season. It was a sign of things to come.

Oregon today wins a close game against UCLA, WSU (who I hate more then Judge Smails in Caddyshack) beats Arizona, and Arizona State almost beats UW on the road. Thank G.O.D for Appleby!

Who is going to overcome this ridiculousness? UW, with three loses in conference, is not dead to win this thing! Think about it? USC, UCLA, UO, UW, and UofA all look as though they could win this title. UW just went through the roughest stretch of their schedule. Anything can happen! Who do I give the upper hand? No, not UW...Arizona. Yeah, so, they lost tonight. They were just coming off a high against UW. They have the most talent, but, can you trust their depth? I also give UO a huge advantage. Those UO guys have played together for several years now and they are playing stronger....

Wow, this shit is going to get intense!!!!!!!

There's no place like home

2007-01-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

Ugh. Eek. Ack. Balls. Wow. We just got demolished. It feels like the 03/04 season all over again. My faith in Romar keeps me warm at night, and visions of an impeding run help me to keep the faith. But this team feels flawed in a way I did not anticipate this year. We miss Joel Smith BAAAAD. We miss Dentmon's mojo from earlier this year. We miss the athleticism and confidence of BJones, Jamaal Williams and BRoy.

Most of all what we seem to be lacking is the ability to strike first and strength of will to play well through lulls when we are not shooting well. When our shot stopped falling in LA, we began to press and made more mental errors. This, more than anything, reminds me of 03/04. The tools and fight needed to be a unique and exciting team are there, but we just don't know how to put it together from start to finish. 3 years ago, it took an inspired performance by NateRob to give his team the confidence and grit to be a great team.

Hawes will surely be a great player, but he will develop at his own pace, and needs to make mistakes as he learns. Brockman has also played strong much of the year. More that anything, we lack consistency and confidence in at least one ball handler. Right now, Dentmon is the best suited to do this. And you know what? He know's it.

The next game is against another powerhouse. It's a team that is built very similarly to USC and UCLA. Arizona's strength is in its size and athleticism at guard/wing positions. Right now, I don't think UW knows how to solve this sort of puzzle. Hopefully, the home croud will help us to be strong. Hopefully, Dentmon can look inside and find what he needs to demolish bigger foes. UW needs courage and brains from him. So far we have only shown heart and luckily, for the next two games are safe at home.

Not a great first half...

2006-12-31T14:55:00.000-08:00

Well, that was not a great first half. UW is down 47-33.

Dentmon looks like he is going to have another horrible game. I love Dentmon, I thought he had great potential coming into this season, but he is struggling. Pat and I think he is hurt and not telling anyone. He can't blow by anyone this year, and he is not pushing the ball like he did last year. He needs to pick it up.

These types of games were expected in Pac-10 play with how young the Huskies are, but we just look bad. I figured it was because other teams out gunned us, not because the other team out-gunned us, and we suck.

Lets see how we do in the second half. We need the shooters to start hitting from the outside.

Getting nervous...

2006-12-30T18:05:00.000-08:00

I have started marinating tomorrow's BBQ special, and have bought the beer I will need to get through the game tomorrow. I am nervous. Very nervous.

I wonder if UW has enough to get by UCLA.

Wanna hear something sad, Taj Gibson had food poisoning when he lit up UW for 22 points and 10 rebounds. I guess he ate at a fast food restaurant the day before the game.

WSU beat USC tonight on a last second shot by Kyle Weaver. I am now more depressed.