A Few More Thoughts on UW’s Thrashing of Wazzu

Ted S. Warren / AP

I’d call it a statement game, but you know how I feel. . . It’s probably just about how you feel. Nothing the Huskies do at Hec Ed really matters until they prove they can do it on the road.

That said, I’d rather win by 28 than by eight. And, I’d rather see the Huskies attack a zone correctly than not. And, I’d rather see Justin Holiday’s Inspector Gadget arms shutting down Klay Thompson in a game that featured two conference Player of the Year candidates.

Here’s some more thoughts on the Huskies’ (dare I say it. . .? okay, fine) impressive win over the Cougs yesterday:

I can’t help but start with a criticism of the Husky bigs. This was the second straight game in which a big man not grabbing a rebound firmly enough led to a dumb turnover. A rebound came into Matthew Bryan-Amaning’s hands, and he just let it fall through, the ball rolling out of bounds. GRAB the ball!

If you have any question about who to root for in today’s Pac-10 Sunday tilt, the answer is Arizona, kind of. The Wildcats are 5-3, alone in 2nd place. Cal is 6-2, in first. If Cal wins, they’re two games ahead in the loss column, of the entire conference. Catching them will be difficult, even if the Huskies finish 8-1. If the Wildcats win, though, we’ll have two 6-3 teams sitting atop the conference, leaving the Huskies and four other teams two games back. So, go Cats!

I try to avoid getting on the refs, because good or bad, both teams play the game with the same refs. But, what’s up with Quincy getting tackled by James Watson and all three officials missing it? That didn’t say much for the caliber of referee in the Pac-10.

By the way, any refs out there reading? I have a bunch of ref-related questions, and think we could do a very fun feature out of an interview with a high school or college ref. Please shoot me an email if you’re reading this…

So, next year, I’m thinking Isaiah will almost certainly be our leading scorer. But, the heart of our team, and the leader? Ladies and gentleman, introducing, senior guard, Venoy Overton. Right?

Wanna hear something interesting about Venoy? In person, when he’s talking to the press, he’s got one of the quietest speaking voices I’ve ever heard. Who knows how he is in familiar, comfortable circumstances, but I’m always amazed by the difference between Venoy’s on-court demeanor the quiet, unassuming kid who comes out to talk to the media.

Speaking of Venoy, really nice examination of his fouling tendencies, and whether he belongs in the starting lineup at Seattle Sportsnet, which does a fantastic job covering the local sports scene.

I know what I said earlier, but if we can beat the Arizona schools next week, we’ve got to be capable of getting a few wins on the road, right? (Dammit, optimistic Josh! I told you to stay asleep until we hit the road for the Bay Area!)

I love how the team works to get Brendan Sherrer the ball when he checks in, and he’s got two points in each of the last two games. What about taking a similar approach with a guy like Justin Holiday, Clarence Trent or Darnell Gant late in a big game? Run the offense with one of those guys essentially “playing” Quincy Pondexter, and get a few possessions to see how these guys look trying to create their own offense. I’m just curious.

Klay Thompson can shoot (generally, but not yesterday), but he’s not an NBA guy yet. He might lead the country in scoring next season, though.

The quality difference between DeAngelo Casto and Matthew Bryan-Amaning is not all that big, but it’s the difference between what the Huskies have and what the Huskies need.

Thanks for coming!