March 2010

Associated Press

by Craig Yamada – Staff Writer

When Coach Sark addressed the media on national signing day, he assessed his highly touted recruiting class and noted that his coaches always seek “guys that play basketball” due to their sheer athletic ability.

He stretched his recruiting as far as Hawaii and Southern California and focused as closely as Seattle for top talent. Little did we know, that his Seattle talent pool included someone playing across the parking lot in Hec Ed.

As the Husky basketball season began circling the drain during the second half against West Virginia, many fans logically asked themselves, “When does football season start?” For Husky forward Clarence Trent, it started today.

It was made official today that Trent is trying out for the UW Football team for the 2010-2011 season, and is expected to transfer over in the fall quarter from a basketball to a football scholarship with the intention of playing both sports at Montlake.

Trent had spoken to Romar earlier this season about the possibility of playing football for UW. Today that conversation manifested itself into reality as he slipped on a #97 UW Spring Football jersey during practice. Trent is looking to play DE like he did in high school during his sophomore year.

What does this mean for Clarence Trent’s scholarship situation?

Clarence Trent will be a dual sport athlete from here on out with football paying his way on scholarship. He will continue to play basketball for the Dawgs in the fall, but as a walk-on.

What does this mean for UW Hoops?

Although he won’t officially have the scholarships available until the Fall, Romar can confidently offer two more basketball scholarships before the national signing period ends on May 19th, as opposed to the lone scholarship he had to begin the day with.

What does this do for Romar’s recruiting strategy?

Romar Math becomes much simpler, and Coach can now be a lot more aggressive when approaching prospects Terrence Jones, Terrence Ross and Aziz N’diaye. Though some pay sites have suggested that academics could prove to be an issue for both Terrences, the idea of two open spots has to be more attractive to the Jefferson duo rumored to be seeking a package deal.

Although Romar is not the biggest proponent for these package-type deals, one cannot help but dream of these two helping to ease the loss of Q-Pon this year with their offensive potential. The seven-foot Aziz could also be that X-factor that helps us gain the dominant presence in the key we’ve missed. (More to come on recruiting soon.)

Will this be a common trend?

I hope not.  As much as we all want to see an athletic freak like Clarence Trent wreak havoc on opposing Pac -10 QB’s, one has to remember the lessons learned from 2011 UW prospect, Tony Wroten. After tearing his ACL during his junior football season, Tony had to miss his entire junior basketball season in an effort to heal.  Glad to hear Tony is back on the court again.

Players like Isaiah Thomas have also been rumored (via Twitter) to have wanted to play for the football team. Let’s just all hope I.T. will keep that Michael Jackson glove on his injured hand this offseason, and keep his feet off the football field.

Does Clarence have a legit shot to succeed in Football?

Although Sark said today that Trent has a lot of work to do, one cannot deny his raw athletic ability. Aside from MBA, Trent may possess the most well-rounded athletic ability on the team. As he rode the pine most of the season, we rarely got to see his talents on display. But make no mistake, he does have the strength to become a force on the D-Line if he learns under Nick Holt for a season or two.

How could this benefit our basketball team?

If Trent can gain more weight and strength as a result of this undertaking, he could prove to be a force next year on the hardwood. Remember Tony Gonzalez at Cal? I’m very interested to see how much tougher Trent will be in the post as a result next year.

What did you guys think about the news today?

Thanks for coming!

Staff Writer Craig Yamada takes one more look at the Huskies’ loss on Thursday night.

by Craig Yamada – Staff Writer

Off goes Romar’s Jacket, and down go the Dawgs in the NCAA tourney. A bittersweet ending to a great season for UW Thursday as the Huskies fell to the West Virginia Mountaineers, 69-56.

Any Dawg fan who saw the game could go on at length about the many bad calls and non-calls against UW today, but in the end, the Huskies exited thedance today for one reason: They beat themselves.

22 turnovers + 0 second chance points + crucial missed free throws does not equal Elite 8.

Game Snapshot:

Much to the dismay of every UW fan, the Dawgs were bullied and outperformed in every facet of today’s game. Reminiscent of their shortcomings against Georgetown and USC, the Dawgs were outsized and outmatched by a talented Mountaineer squad. By combining carelessness with the ball and a terrible showing on the glass, the Dawgs sealed their own fate today.

Both teams stumbled out the gate as the game was sloppy from the opening tip. The teams combined for 26 turnovers in the first half, and while the half-court offense was getting little done, UW’s defense seemed to be in high gear. They stole the ball and forced WVU into bad passes leading to a bunch of transition buckets.

WVU extended their man-to-man defense far outside the perimeter to disrupt our passing lanes and shot opportunities. Our guards were unable to establish any kind of fluidity or ball movement for the entire game, and our bigs rarely got the ball in a good spot to do much. West Virginia definitely read the scouting report on UW as they took the three-point arc away as an offensive weapon for the Dawgs.  This left UW’s players to force shots in the middle of the key, only to be contested each time by WVU’s seemingly endless supply of 6’8″ or 6’9″ long-armed athletes.

Quincy Pondexter found himself in early foul trouble in the first half and wasout of sync the entire game. The Huskies were able to keep their lead through most of the first half on the back of Justin Holiday, the lone bright spot for UW. Justin played great defense all game as he forced four steals, garnered three blocks and held the highly touted Da’Sean Butler to four points in the first half. IT was the only other player for the Dawgs able to convert against WVU’s bigs in the paint as he continued to take the ball strong to the cup throughout the game.

WVU leaned heavily on their bench in the first half which garnered over a third of their offensive production. Deniz Kilicli, the 6-9 Turkish forward, seemed unstoppable in the post as he got any shot he wanted against our frontline. He also dominated the offensive glass when he was in the game during the first half.

After trailing by two at the half, West Virginia took full control in the second half as UW could not stop the relentless onslaught of 2^nd chance points and clutch three pointers. Butler got going early with five straight points to open the second half, eventually finishing the game with 14 points (on 5-15 shooting). Quincy countered in the second half with four quick points. But, the man UW had no real answer for was Kevin Jones. Jones erupted for a game high 18 points in the game. He pumped in two huge three-balls in the second half to help break the backbones of the Dawgs.

Turnovers told the story of the Dawgs in the second half as our guards tried to lob all their passes over their lengthy defenders. More often than not, these resulted in tipped steals or balls knocked out of bounds. UW’s free throw shooting was abysmal as well as they shot 64% from the stripe, preventing them from ever gaining ground on WVU.

Lorenzo Romar was the recipient of a rare technical foul in an attempt to fire up his squad following a bad blocking call on Justin Holiday. The Dawgs found themselves down by 12 afterward and that four-point possession proved to be deadly for UW.

IT hit a clutch three with five minutes left in the game and momentum seemed to be returning in time for one last run. It was all for naught, though, as UW made two turnovers on consecutive possessions off the hands of their spark plug, Venoy Overton.

That spelled the end of the game for UW who let the time wind down and conceded to the Mountaineers in the closing minutes.

The Negatives

VO, the walking TO– Venoy had an elongated lapse of judgment as he forgot that the Dawgs were not wearing white uniforms today. He completely lost his head in the second half (six turnovers). So has been the story most of the year, Venoy forced circus shots and drives when UW had no numbers. These resulted in turnovers and essentially killed any momentum UW could possibly muster in this game.

22 team turnovers – Way too many lob passes today. The fundamental bounce passes completely escaped our players as an option today.

ET never got going – Elston Turner, along with most of the team, was shut down from the arc today and was forced to attack the basket. Not his game.

Not-So-Farewell for Quincy – Definitely not the kind of game that Quincy wanted to end his UW career as he was nonexistent in this game.  WVU kept him on the pine as they got him in early foul trouble.

Free Throw Shooting – For the first time this tourney the ESPN analysts made an accurate assessment as they warned our fans of UW’s free throw woes. Missing the first of several one-and-one opportunities paralyzed our comeback efforts.

What can we salvage?

Justin Holiday, the new hope? – Justin Holiday was easily our player of the game as he did everything humanly possible to keep us competitive today. He scored, rebounded and blocked shots today better than anyone else on the team. He fought to the bitter end and we all applaud his efforts today. With a little off-season help from Ryan Appleby this summer, he could really blossom for UW next year as not only the  defensive stopper, but perhaps as a third scoring option too?

The core returns – During the 10 minutes that Quincy was out in the first half, we got a brief glimpse into next year’s squad. They definitely held their own in Quincy’s absence on the shoulders of IT and Justin Holiday. Although there have been rumors about MBA testing NBA waters, today should have put those discussions to rest.  MBA should be back for a strong senior campaign next year.

Defense – The Dawgs still looked effective on defense today, despite their rebounding deficiencies. They did what they sought out to do by cutting off passing lanes and forcing turnovers. We should see more of the same from our upperclassmen next year as our best defenders (IT, Holiday and MBA) all return.

Final Thoughts

Today was hard to swallow for all of Dawg Nation, but you have to tip your hat to the Mountaineers. They played a great game and proved why they were Big East Tourney Champs. Our team had a great year and extended an almost disappointing season into an unthinkable Pac 10 Tournament championship and Sweet 16 appearance.

If some of our highly touted recruits fall our way in April, we definitely can make a return trip here next year, and perhaps get this “Salty 16″ monkey off of our backs.

Thank you Huskies, and thank you Dawg fans.

Thanks for coming!

Mark J. Terrill / AP

Here’s one more look at the Huskies’ huge win over New Mexico. Plenty to come this week on the Huskies’ big contest ahead on Thursday.

by Craig Yamada – Staff Writer

Before we get started, do three things for me:

1. Rip up your brackets — you already lost.

2. Get on your computer.

3. Block off your Outlook calendars for next Thursday.

… because the Dawgs are marching straight to Syracuse. And how SWEET it is.

The Dawgs left nothing to doubt after completely dismantling the New Mexico Lobos 82-64 today in San Jose. As the Dawg Pack’s chant of “OVER-SEEDED” rang loud, our human victory cigar, Brenden Sherrer, made his way to the scorer’s table to close out our the Huskies’ ninth straight victory.

The Dawgs played a near flawless game today to earn a berth in the Sweet 16, and a date against either Missouri or West Virginia. If you looked hard enough, I swear you could see a faint purple “W” at midcourt. Maybe not, but the Huskies truly played like this one like it was a home game. With stifling defense, few turnovers, and unstoppable three-point shooting, UW closed out the Lobos with ease, sending a clear message to their critics that they undoubtedly deserve to be here.

Recap:

The pace favored UW from the outset of the game, as it was a quick up and down game played in transition. The Dawgs started out by matching New Mexico shot for shot from the opening tip. Early on, the Lobos were able to exploit UW’s man-to-man defense by getting some early buckets off pick and rolls from the top of the key. Roman Martinez started where he left off against Montana with a quick three in the early going. After four minutes, the Lobos held an 11-8 lead.

Following a timeout, New Mexico made its first mistake of the game. They went zone. IT graciously welcomed it with a big three to tie things up. The Dawgs put their foot on the gas pedal after that and never let up. UW unleashed a barrage of three pointers led by their star, Isaiah Thomas (15 points, seven assists, 4-7 from downtown).

Quincy Pondexter and Matthew Bryan-Amaning had their way down low all night as they sealed their men in the post for easy buckets. Even Abdul Gaddy joined in on the fun with a Jimmy Dolan ‘Shake n’ bake’ drive to the hole that resulted in an ‘AND  1’.

The Lobos tried to keep pace by riding their all-conference point guard, Dairese Gary, who seemed to have his way in the lane no matter who was guarding him. Part of the reason Gary had a clear path to the hoop all night was that UW completely shut down New Mexico’s 3 point threats, extending their defense and leaving nothing open. As a result, New Mexico’s best chance for buckets was on the inside.

Little did they know, though, that Mr. London Town, Darnell Gant and J-Holiday were waiting for them.  The trio of Bryan-Amaning, Gant and Holiday garnered a total eight blocked shots today. The Huskies also forced 11 turnovers that led to plenty of easy transition buckets.

And, enter ET. Elston helped us pull away in the first half with two clutch threes, one that swished through following a step back move which drew a foul.

As the second half began, UW kept the defensive pressure up and forced Dairese Gary to beat them in the lane. While Gary complied, finished with 25 points, the Husky double teams also forced him into a couple of turnovers. The most heralded Lobo, Darington Hobson, never really got going as he contended with a busted left wrist and Justin Holiday’s stifling D.

Isaiah Thomas continued his hot shooting in the second half unleashing a couple of threes. Quincy followed suit in the post with a couple of slams and offensive put backs that kept the Lobos reeling. And last but not least, MBA finished off his amazing game with an emphatic one-hand slam which effectively closed the door on the Lobos with three minutes left.

UW slowed the ball down to cruise to victory as they let their entire bench in on the big win, allowing Clarence Trent and Brendan Sherrer to log a couple of NCAA Tournament minutes.

What we did well (don’t hold your breath, this could take a while):

Isaiah played a complete game. He did everything he needed to in order to win this game. He was unselfish, dishing out 7 assists, played pressure defense (two steals) and took good shots in rhythm leading to 15 points.

Quincy is playing his game. Congrats, Quincy! You became UW’s third all-time leading scorer today. Q-Pon played a sensational game, finishing with a team-high 18 points and collecting eight rebounds. He did especially well on the offensive glass  with three rebounds which resulted in some terrifc putbacks.

ET³. Sorry Mr. Suggs, but you may be wearing your shooting shirt a little more often for as long as the Huskies stay alive. Elston Turner is the new Captain Llutch, helping to swing the tide of the game late in the first half with his clutch threes.  Evan Turner, be mindful, you’ve got some competition for your acronym.

MBA. Rebounding, blocked shots and finishing in the paint. MBA knew his role today and executed to perfection. 

Welcome to the party, Abdul Gaddy. The Huskies’ much-maligned freshman scored five huge points early in the first half and helped set the tone with three assists in the game. We saw flashes of that McDonald’s All-American play tonight.

Defensive adjustments. Following an early struggle to defend the pick and roll, Darnell Gant subbed in for MBA and was able to successfully disrupt the New Mexico’s offensive flow. Our guys were everywhere, especially in the second half when it seemed like New Mexico could not get a clean shot.

Many Dawg fans got their wish today as Lorenzo Romar changed things up with Darnell Gant supplanting Tyrese Breshers as the first big man off the bench. Tyrese still has a long way to go to develop his game and Gant is playing his supporting role like a pro.

Justin Holiday – Jump Shooter? J-Hol has really started to develop his offensive game and range in the Tournamnet. He doesn’t have the most picturesque form, but he’s become an offensive option in this Tournament. Not to be taken too much for granted: his stat line, which shows an impact in nearly every facet of the game: five points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals, three blocks.

What we need to work on:

MBA jumping screens too much. Make no mistake, this was the only blemish on his game today, but MBA found himself out of position on the screen and roll early and often as his man quickly rolled off screens for a few easy buckets. Darnell Gant provided a good example on how to execute against the play, and MBA looked better as the game went on.

Venoy recognizing the numbers. Venoy is second-to-none when it comes to speed. The only knock on him today was that he forced some erratic shots when the defense had numbers in transition. Although he did help us keep pace early in the game, we will need him to control his shot selection as we advance further toward the Final Four.

We couldn’t wear our black jerseys. This is a knock on the NCAA committee, not on UW.

UW is playing their best basketball of the year right now and looks to be able to contend with the best in the country. Their next game, quite possibly against West Virginia, will test that theory.

Final Four or bust! What do you think?

Thanks for coming.