Again, reports of the demise of UW’s Josh Smith recruitment have proven premature. The Seattle Times’ Sandy Ringer talked to Josh Smith’s mom recently who told her that Josh is only considering UCLA and UW at this point.
The story reports that they’ve let Oklahoma know that Smith won’t be taking a visit there, but will visit UW in the next few weeks, and announce his decision shortly thereafter.
This has been the story of the off-season for Husky fans, with a lot of back and forth on message boards and websites, and an awful lot of will he?/won’t he? rumors. I’ve enjoyed watching this unfold and sharing what we know with you. This, after all, is college basketball’s version of the hot stove, and what better to occupy our minds with during the (too) long off-season? Anyone feeling fatigued by the ups and downs of waiting to see if Smith will come play at UW should consider the alternative: nary a prized recruit even considering the Huskies.
Yes, the buzz I’ve heard definitely tends to lean in the direction of UCLA. Examples pointing to this abound, like this one after his official visit to LA: Josh’s current Facebook status (from Monday) is “had the best weekend of life. shout out to my ucla family.” (sic)
One of the interesting points I’ve read now and then is that Smith, a potential one-and-done player (although this is purely speculation), would be a bad addition for UW. Some point to Spencer Hawes setting back the progra
m (which I disagree with), and think Smith will be a similar example. Others point to the 6’9″, 270 pound Smith being a player who will fit poorly into Coach Romar’s run-and-gun offense.
I’m not going to argue that Terrence Jones (recruiting story #1B of the off-season), a long and athletic forward might be a better fit style-wise, but can anyone really make the case that one of the top big men in the country coming to UW would be a bad thing? Really?
I know a lot of the sources out there covering the team think Josh Smith to UCLA is a done deal. But, we’re here to bring you the fan’s perspective, shamelessly. And what does a fan do? Die hard.
So, we’ll keep covering the recruitments of Josh Smith and Terrence Jones until they declare elsewhere, because getting either of them would put the UW program in a position to enter the national championship discussion. Can you even imagine getting both?
Thanks for coming! What do you think? Is the recruiting roller coaster tiresome for you? Why? Let us know!
Tags: Josh Smith, Terrence Jones
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I think the anxiety of this stuff is just magnified these days, when we dissect every Twitter post or Facebook status update like it’s holy writ. That being said, I really hope that Romar can start keeping more of these NW guys home for college. I mean, even Gaddy was all set for AZ before the whole Olson saga.
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I think the longer that Romar can sustain success at UW, the better off his in-state recruiting will be. If guys grow up remembering UW going to the NCAA tournament every year, it could only help. There will always be players who want to experience something different and go out of state, but I think in the long run, local success will outweigh the glamor of southern California. Here’s some food for thought: all of those 10 year old kids that grew up going to Husky games idolizing Nate or B-Roy are now 16 or 17. In a couple of years there won’t be any kids left who remember life before Romar.
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As for the original question about the recruiting roller coaster; I suppose the drama is what makes it all entertaining. I certainly had a blast watching Arizona, and then USC implode over the last 12 months. I must say I do envy what Roy Williams is able to do at Carolina though; he’s had a solid 2010 recruiting class (ESPN rates it #5 in the country) locked up for almost two years already. Anyone he adds now is just gravy. He also already has two top-20 players committed for next year’s (2011) class. Tar Heel fans have the luxury of knowing that with their tradition and recent winning, virtually any recruit will seriously consider them, and if they offer early enough, a recruit will likely feel pressured to commit because of that threat of scholarship competition.
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I live for this stuff.
Uwhoop, I know kids might not remember Nate, Broy, etc. but they do remember them from the NBA and they do represennt UW. Don’t forget, there is some 10 year old beast that does remember Jon Brockman. I believe there is some UTube 13 year old sensation around here who idolizes IT. I guess I’m saying that Romar will never be lazy in recruiting if he wants a kid. If the kid wants to get away from his parents, etc., there is nothing we can do. I know that Marcus Williams had said that he wished he stayed and TWill was homesick also. I think Romar’s staff is relentless in recruiting unlike “I’d rather be golfing” Willingham. As long as we have Romar, we will always be in on big time recruits. Go Huskies and if we strike out on Smith and Jones, look for early commitment on Wroton. (to us of course) -
Gersen, I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I’m saying in a couple of years of continued success, none of the recruits will remember UW ever being a bad team. I’d certainly hope Romar is recruiting 16 and 17 year olds and not wasting his time on the class of 2016. Besides, I hear that class is really undersized and immature.
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Husky Digest is reporting that Josh Smith is very much in play for Washington, in fact one source told us that UW is very close to closing the deal.
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Husky digest said that? You mean the same Husky Digest that you own? Nice try to get more people to sign up for your horrible site Jim.
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No need to sign up for Jim’s site, since anything worth reading about he posts elsewhere for free. It’s usually never more than unsubstantiated rumors accredited to anonymous sources, almost always with a favorable UW outcome. My personal favorite is the one that Siva might be unhappy at Louisville and wants to go play at home.
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Give me a break guys.
I am posting from the Toutle River Safety Rest Area on Interstate 5 @ Milepost 54.
If you guys want to hang out, talk Husky sports or do something else; just knock on the door of the 2nd stall on the right.
Opps, got to go! I hear someone knocking.
Jim
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I love when you leave comments, but I’d really appreciate it if we could keep it friendly.
Thanks,
Themod -
For anyone who subscribes to our site, you know what I’ve said about “Sock puppets”. Welcome to my world and trust me, this does not bother me at all. We have been way out front on a “Ton” of stories and I’ll let our track record speak for itself. Montlake Madness is a great site and me and a number of our subscribers like to post here. I hope that this kind of drivel doesn’t have to be here, just because I come arouind.
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Some of my favorite Basnite “scoops” were Jrue Holiday to UW, Marvin Williams to UW, etc., etc.
With all the players he’s called to UW, it is a wonder that Romar isn’t going for his 4th or 5th title.
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I did say that Jrue Holiday was a lean to UW at one time, but that has been substantiated by a number of people that I’ve talked to since. I never made any comment on Marvin Williams’ recruiting to UW. That was before I even wrote for anyone. See what I mean about obnoxious stuff like this that follows me around? That is exactly why Husky Digest is subscriber only. I don’t have the time to deal with people like this.
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$100 a year to receive your fake information? I remember when you had a Rivals site and how bad it was. Even as a die hard Husky fan, I wouldn’t waste my time on your site.
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Ain’t it great how people immediately shape up and respect your requests, Themod?
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These people had little respect for me when I was on a public site, why should anyone expect them to change? Frankly I’m flattered that our hard work is opinionated enough to provide such a passionate response.
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