Tony, Toni, Tone

July 14, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 32 comments

twroten_twitterPIC

Image Courtesy of Seattle Times

 

By Craig Yamada – Editor-In-Chief

Twitter me this, twitter me that, who believes Tony will be a UK Cat? I know of a town called Denial that thinks he won’t. Population: ME. Would you like to be my neighbor?

 

What’s new?

First off, MM would like to congratulate Tony Wroten on his gold medal with Team USA U17 team in Germany this summer. This is a huge accomplishment and we are happy that Tony represented Seattle so well overseas.

But now that Tony is back on US soil, the focus shifts back to his recruitment. No other name on UW’s recruiting list is a higher priority at the moment, no matter how much anyone can try and deny it. Romar has been hot on Tony’s trail well before Tony’s high school career even began. He is a son of a rich tradition of Seattle ballers and comes from a long family history of UW tradition. We have all monitored his development as a player and a person over the last three years with great interest. And now Tony is entering his senior year of HS where one question remains to be answered. Where is he going to college?

Tony has continued to toss curveballs to all his followers whether it be over radio interviews, Facebook, and oh yes, Twitter. It has definitely kept everyone guessing and making UK fans feeling more secure about their future as the days grow old.

His most recent recruiting tweet came today: “I Have NOT committed anywhere yet. But UK is in the lead right now. Then comes UW, Uconn, Nova.”

This tweet came on the heels on a bunch of rumors that Tony had already verbally committed to UW after returning home from Germany. Apparently those rumors were put to bed with Tony’s last tweet. But were they really?

The Theory

I have a theory and I am going to share it. I will admit that the bitter taste of TJ still lingers. However, I am cautiously optimistic about Tony coming to the Dub. Tony is 17 years old and he is enjoying the attention he is getting from this entire process. Though you may be thinking this is TJ the sequel, let me stop you right there. Wroten and his family knows how hurt UW nation was during the TJ fiasco. The last thing he wants to do is upset his hometown by disrespecting its main school by playing it for a fool. Even if he doesn’t choose UW in the end, he will not be a hat changer. Tony’s parents would not allow such a circus to unfold. He would instantly lose the love by a city that he calls “home” if he pulled the old switcheroo. Tony already shook his head over how TJ did UW dirty and promised that he would not do the same.

As everyone knows, Tony will have nothing short of a Broadway production for a press conference to announce his “decision”. Knowing that this will likely take place in Seattle, Tony will likely to be hard pressed to utter the words “UK” amongst a Seattle community that is still recovering from the last press conference we tuned into. Not that this would prevent him from announcing UK, but I know how much Tony loves Seattle and how much he wants to play in front of his friends and family. A big party and a happy ending for all those involved would be ideal for Tony.

So why lead on UK and every major school out there? Simple answer: Exposure. Tony has been out of the game for a year following his ACL injury. He has slipped down the national rankings in the past year and he now has a chip on his shoulder. He needs and wants to prove that he can return to the dominant player he was during his sophomore year. Though the rankings may not mean much to him, he still needs to prove that he is one of the top players in the country. One boxing term comes to mind for me in this scenario: Rope-A-Dope. Tony loves drama. He loves messing around. It’s better to be the underdog in this scenario. He may be showing UK, but UW will be the one smiling when all is said and done.

Aside from guessing what’s going in Tony’s head, these are the cold hard facts:

 

  • NBA Lockout  Looms – It’s going to happen next year. It’s inevitable. This piece done by SI sheds some more light on the subject.  What does this mean? Answer: No Draft next year. UK likely won’t be able to unload any of its Freshman talent to the NBA this coming year. This leaves Brandon Knight, Doron Lamb, and incoming freshman Marquis Teague already battling for the starting time at the guard spot. Does Wroten really want to be competing for PT? Not likely. He can be the man right away if he chooses UW and the offense will revolve around him.
  • Will Conroy, Nate Rob, Tre Simmons – Yes, Tony trains with these three every summer. Do you not think they are in his ear 24-7 about going to the Dub and taking the program to the next level?
  • Gaddy and IT – IT has already stated over Twitter that he thinks Tony will be a Dawg when all is said done. Whether joking or not, Wroten has outwardly said that the only way he would play with UW was if Gaddy and IT were still there. That probably will be the case.  He would instantly bring back the hometown presence of UW basketball (ala Nate, Will, Tre and BRoy)
  • Tony loves the 206 – It’s no secret that Tony loves Seattle. He loves its residents. He loves everything about it. Every Twitter statement he makes seems to make some mention of Seattle and his love for it. Why go anywhere else? He could be the “hometown hero” if elects to play for Romar and the entire city would be behind him.

Bottom line: Let Tony have his fun during this process. He will throw you up and down this rollercoaster until the bitter end. Many of you will assume he is going to UK until he announces just to prevent disappointment. I for one am getting my hopes up already and will predict that he will be sporting purple and gold next year.

 

What do you think?

We all know Tony will be wearing #13 next year, but which looks the best?

uk vs Uw jerseys Wroten

     

What's going to happen with Tony Wroten?

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Recruiting Profile 2011: Angelo Chol

July 12, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 8 comments

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By Griffin Bennett – Staff Writer

 

 

 

After 2010/11, the only big men left on the team will be Aziz N’Diaye, Darnell Gant, and Tyrese Breshers. With upwards of 5 scholarships available, you can certainly bet that at least 2 of them will go to big bodies that can help our young stable of guards. Here’s a look at one of them who I think Romar really likes:
 

Name: Angelo Chol

Height: 6’8”  

Weight: 205 lbs.

Position: PF/C

Class: 2011

Scout Ranking Overall: #22(#3 C)

Location: San Diego, CA

AAU Team(s): Dream Vision

High School Team: Herbert Hoover High

Interested Schools: Alabama, UCONN, Georgetown, Kansas, Washington
 

If you haven’t seen him, here are a couple decent highlight videos:

What’s his game like?
 

He’s a lefty big man!!!! That’s exciting enough. I don’t know why lefties are so fun to watch, but seeing a sky hook from a left-hander is a thing a beauty. He is still raw and scouts continue to be disappointed that he can’t put his flashes of brilliance into a consistent package. He has improved over his junior year but slower than most were expecting. His national rankings have fallen due to that, but his up-side is sky high. He is a little slower than MBA with a better mid range shot but less athleticism. His game fits the 5 spot better than the 4, but his lack of size does not help. Let me break him down a little bit more:

  •  Speed: Above average up and down the court which lends itself favorably to Romar’s high-octane game. His fast break ability is just what Romar wants to see out of his 4/5’s
  •  Quickness: A little slower with his lateral quickness which quicker players tend to take advantage of offensively. He looks like a natural 5 defender when you watch him play
  •  Shot: Lefty with great touch under the hoop. He’s an excellent finisher  with a nose for follow-up shots. His lefty hook is amazing and cannot be touched. He has also recently developed a mid-range shot that goes in at a decent rate, but his shot is long and needs work if it will be effective at the next level.
  • Defense: This is where he shines. His blocking ability is even better than MBA’s. He gets off the floor quickly and can block with force  from both hands. As I said, he is slow laterally at times which can cause him problems against quicker PF’s.
  •  Passing: His above-average passing skills are really nice as he rarely turns the ball over and can usually see when the play calls for the extra pass. You could easily play through him in the post with his passing ability.
  •  Athleticism: His body is built to play in the post. His vertical is slightly above-average, but he’s not MBA in terms of jumping ability, although, he can slam it down with ease. 
  •  Potential: High major potential with a constantly improving game. He’s a prototypical 4 year prospect who could be a first-team all-conference player later in his career.
     

Background on Angelo Chol:

Angelo moved to San Diego when he was 7 after being born in Sudan and briefly living in Egypt. In a common fashion, he had never heard of basketball when he arrived and quickly learned that his height lent itself favorably to the sport.
 

Here is a great article  year that really does an excellent job in explaining his background but I’ll pull out some key points.  He didn’t start playing until the 7th grade when his biggest struggle on the court was “layups, I guess,” said Chol. “Running down court and laying it up. That was quite a struggle for me when I first started playing.”
               

He has come a long way with the help of his high school coach Ollie Goulston. Goulston says that before his sophomore year he could already “see the difference. But it’s not all about his size. Angelo is willing to get up at six o’clock in the morning just to work on stuff like his ball handling. It’s all about developing his game – he’s willing to do whatever it takes. He’s a special kid and a high character person.”
               

After his sophomore year he led the nation in blocked shots with 210! Let me repeat that if you didn’t read that correctly: HE LED THE NATION IN BLOCKED SHOTS AS A SOPHOMORE! He averaged 14 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 blocks that season. A triple-double with blocks is not easy to do on any level.
              

“It’s a reaction, really,” Chol said when describing his ability to block shots. “They want you to leave your feet, but the key is to not jump before they leave their feet.” Goulston noted, “He has unbelievable timing. You don’t find many kids like Angelo Chol around,” his coach continues, “and it’s not just because of his size and his basketball potential – we’re talking about his personality and dedication. There are two basic things that Angelo brings to our team; one, he dominates the game without scoring, and two, he makes everyone around him a little bit better. Where are you going to find a guy that leads the nation in blocks who is willing to take a charge? We have him right here in Angelo Chol.
 
Will UW get him?
Earlier in the year, we were the clear cut favorite for Angelo’s talents as Romar focused a lot of his earlier energy on garnering his trust which Chol’s coach says is very important to the former “refugee from a war-torn country”. With that said, a lot of other schools have come on strong with a below-average big-man class. In May during a Scout.com interview Chol said “I just don’t know yet,” when asked if he had a timeframe for a college decision. “I’m going to have to wait until spring of next year. They are all coming at me with good stuff.”  This means he won’t be an early signee or even an early commit. It will be interesting to see if Romar will be willing to wait for Chol and reserve a scholarship for him. In my opinion, it would be well worth it as his high defensive ability, upside, and character are just what Romar and all of Husky Nation love to see out of their Dawgs.

 

Thanks for coming!

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UW Lineup Scenarios

July 8, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 19 comments

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By Craig Yamada, Editor-In-Chief

There have been several requests to explore the line up shake ups for the upcoming 2010-11 season for UW. And in the spirit of that ESPN touch screen scenario TV, we have created our own to show our UW starting line-up possibilities. Granted these are based on opinion and a lot of assumptions for certain players, but we would love to hear what everyone else has in mind to start the season.

The beauty of the squad we are fielding this year is that we are not subject to the same starting five each game. We have the personnel to match up to any team that we may play against. Whether they are big (USC/WVU), or play small ball (Oregon/Marquette), or they play an annoying match up zone that dares us to knock down threes (OSU/ASU), we are ready.

 

 

Starting the Season

 If you stuck a gun to my head and I had to decide on a lineup today, I would go with the following given the experience these five have over the rest of the team:

Teams to use against: Arizona and WSU

  

RegularLineUp

We all know that MBA, Holiday and IT are likely going to be staples for the starting lineup any given night. The PG spot is still up for debate but I’m 90% sure Romar will roll the dice with Gaddy out of the gates. Venoy will be ready off the bench should Gaddy slip. And as Griffin mentioned earlier, Gant should get an early look to slide into the four spot to open the season. Gant had a rough go about last year and seemed distracted. I am willing to bet that he regains his form and plays like he did circa freshman year.

Small Ball

Several teams in the Pac 10 are going to be quick and will run the ball up down the floor in transition. To counter, we must be prepared with our own quick lineup:

 Teams to use against: Oregon, Cal, and Stanford

 

DreamLineUp

 

Some of you may think I am crazy for moving Holiday down to the 4 spot, but we all know that Holiday has the potential to be a poor man’s version of Q-Pon if he can get his shot together. Q-Pon played predominantly on the elbows of the key this year and as well around the perimeter. He did make the occasional post-up which then resulted in a face up jumper.  With this lineup, Romar could do a spread offense with MBA cemented in the post. Our wings would have free reign to score from beyond the arc as Gaddy penetrates and kicks. Mr. Ross, this is your time to shine.

 

Playing Big

Having the size to compete with lengthy teams was not a luxury we were afforded last year. With losses to teams like Georgetown, USC, and West Virginia made it frustrating to watch as a player or fan. We now have the size to combat the bigger teams.

Teams to use against: UCLA and USC

BigLineUp

With this line up, we will have what will be coined as “the block party” as Griffin stated in an earlier article. Nothing but brute force in the post and rebounding for opposing teams to play against. Ross and Holiday will be able to lock down the scorers and IT can get into the passing lanes.

Zone Busters

Given the emergence of the matchup zone deployed by Herb Sendek and ASU this year, a zone busting lineup could force teams to converge back into a man to man. How do you do that? Simple. Drive and kick to the open man on the arc.

 Teams to use against: Oregon State and ASU

 

3ptLineup 

This lineup is not very likely, but having a three pronged attack from the arc would definitely cause defenses to collapse. If IT can find a seem through the defense, Ross and Wilcox will be waiting in the wings for the open J.

 

All for now. What are your starting line ups? Thanks for coming!

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2011 Prospect Watch: Jabari Brown

July 7, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 6 comments

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  • By: Craig Yamada – Editor-In-Chief

 

  • Jabari Brown. Get to know the name Dawg fans if you haven’t already. Jabari is quickly becoming a household name on the west coast and across the nation. The highly touted shooting guard from Oakland, CA is now one of Romar’s top targets in the 2011 class. Let’s take a look at this 2011 prospect.

 - “Sweetest stroke on the West Coast.”

- “Rising the recruiting charts”

- “Putting Cali back on the map”

  • Name: Jabari Brown
  • Height: 6’4” 
  • Position: SG 
  • Class: 2011 
  • Scout Ranking Overall: #15 
  • Location: Oakland, CA 
  • AAU Team(s): Drew Gooden Soldiers 
  • High School Team: Findlay Prep 
  • Interested Schools: Kansas, Maryland, Wake Forest, Arizona State, California, Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, UNLV and Washington 

  

 

 If you haven’t gotten a chance to watch Jabari in action, feast your eyes on these:

Highlight 1 and Highlight 2

What kind of game does Jabari have?

After watching film of this guy, I couldn’t help but compare his game as a hybrid of both Aaron Afflalo and Brandon Roy.  When assessing his frame and stature, he already has the body and strength to be successful at the NCAA level and beyond.  He’s a legit 2-guard who is highly acclaimed for his shooting ability and range. Simply put, this kid can flat out score. Jabari has the offensive skill set that  makes him a threat from all ranges of the court. He can take you off the dribble or he can jab step you and pull up in your eye from beyond the arc. The part of Jabari’s game that is definitely starting to garner attention is his ability to create his own shot.

 The best way to watch one on one skills is to watch some of these summer highlights . He is a master of the dribble and step back jumper. Very B-Roy-esque when you watch him create space for his own jump shot. He is also a very explosive finisher at the rim as well.  The one part of his game that I have yet to see footage of is his work in the post, but it is an aspect of his game that he is working to improve to showcase his offensive versatility.

Jabari’s two favorite NBA players are Brandon Roy and Carmelo Anthony. You can definitely see that portions of his game are molded from his two idols. It couldn’t hurt that one of his favorite players played for Romar right?

 His game fits well with a high octane offense such as UW’s.   He may not have the natural agility of a Terrence Ross, but definitely has shown that he can be counted on as a #1 scoring option and could possibly carry a team as he matures.

 

What kind of person is Jabari?

From the interviews I have listened to, I can tell you that he is a smart and well spoken individual. He is a born winner and loves the game of basketball.  Definitely a humble personality that wants to improve and prove to the nation that he is one of the best out there. Sounds like a perfect fit for Romar’s  coaching style.

 

Where would he fit in the rotation in 2011-2012?

This would definitely depend on the personnel we have available next year, but if IT does feel he is ready for the draft next year, Jabari would have a great opportunity to slide in the starting SG spot and play alongside T-Ross in 2011. If that did happen, we would have two guys that really could open up the floor and create their own shots.  

 

How is Jabari’s recruiting going?

From a web radio show called “Off The Boards” I stumbled upon, I am feeling good that UW is high on his list, if not the leader at this point. I was lucky enough to catch the tail end of that show where they featured an interview with Jabari Brown. Here were some snippets that are worth noting

  • Jabari on the huge number of schools recruiting him: “Some schools I am familiar with. There are a few schools I know everything about. You have to talk to the coach and then watch how they play. You have to hear from former players and how they feel about the coach.” 

 

  • Jabari on his visits at Wake Forest and Maryland:  “WF was a good visit.  I like the state of NC…very laid back. Smaller school. Maryland went well. Got to walk around with Keyshawn Howard and he showed me around. “

 

  • Jabari on Kansas: “Coach Self is a great coach. You got to look at the NBA and how many players are going from KU. ”

 

  • Jabari on Washington:  “I love Washington. I love Coach Romar. I talk to him a lot. He’s a real down to earth guy and real good person. I definitely think that’s a place I could see myself playing.  Especially with the backcourt guys that they’ve had: Brandon Roy, Bobby Jones and Nate Rob.”

 

  • Jabari on his parents influencing his decision:  “My parents want me to go over wherever is best for me. They will fly out to watch me.” 

 

Does UW have a shot at both Jabari and Tony Wroten?

Absolutely there is a possibility. Lucky for us, both of these guys play different positions with Brown at the SG and Wroten at the PG. Getting both of these guys would leap frog UW into a top 10-15 class. We will be stocked with talented guards if that is the case. You can never have enough talent at the guard position in a Romar system.

 

When will Jabari make a decision?

According to the last twitter comments from Jabari, it sounds like he is aiming to decide and sign in the early signing period this Fall. Let’s just hope Romar and Desmond Simmons can lure him away from the Bay.

 

All for now. Thanks for coming.

 

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Quick Poll

July 6, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | No comments

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Top 5 UW Summer Storylines

July 1, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 33 comments

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By Griffin Bennett – Staff Writer

It’s time to jump back in. I think we all needed a little break after we lost He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named to Avatar Nation.  I’m feeling refreshed and ready for 2010/11. We can all agree that there are big expectations for Romar’s crew this year and anything less than a return to the Sweet Sixteen would be a failure. While losing our emotional and statistical leader in Quincy last year (can’t wait to buy those sick New Orleans jerseys with Pondexter on the back), Elston Turner has also left in the form of transferring to Texas A&M in search of a larger role. However, the core returns led by newly-elected captains Isaiah Thomas and Justin Holiday with hopes of a Final Four. Not to be overlooked are the additions of freshman Terrence Ross, Desmond Simmons and Aziz N’Diaye. That leaves us where we are now; late June and full of hope.

As we learned last year, pre-season hype and expectations don’t matter in March. What matters is the work that each player has put in during the summer. While their peers are partying and soaking in the sun, the best players know that their summer workouts are what make them great. It’s also the time when the players aren’t in front of the cameras. Our goal is to help bridge that gap and get as much information out as we can this summer. The road to the Final Four begins this summer and each player (and even the coaches) will have their own storylines that will determine how far we get. Some are more important than others, so here is my list of the five most important ones to follow this summer.

 5. Recruiting

 Arguably the most important storyline for every program, but I’m looking at it from a 2010/11 season angle only. The reason that I’m including it in here at all is because I think this will be one of the strongest and deepest recruiting classes that the Huskies will have ever assembled. With 3 seniors, 1 rollover, and the possibility that IT leaves early, that leaves a possible 5 players to sign coming off of one of the Huskies best seasons. I’m not forgetting Kevin Davis; I just don’t want to count my chickens with him quite yet. Craig and I are already drooling over the prospects that Coach Romar and his staff have been looking at.

 Real quickly (as we’ll save it for other posts) in order, the guys that I’m most excited about are:

 

4. Who will be the third forward?

This will be very interesting to follow as we know Holiday and MBA will be two of the three “forwards” that will play. We all know Romar doesn’t think too highly of the center position and loves to play it as more of a hybrid second power-forward spot. That leaves us with these candidates to fill the vacant third spot: Darnell Gant (PF), Tyrese Breshers(PF/C), Aziz N’Diaye (C), Terrence Ross (SF), and Desmond Simmons (SF/PF).

 I’m sure that Romar will give Gant the spot to lose as he is a junior and should be afforded that luxury. However, I expect his leash to be shorter than Brian Scalabrine’s was in the NBA finals. Breshers never lost the weight that he promised us all that he would lose (we’ve all been there) and he I don’t believe he ever truly was 100% last year. Remaining are the three newcomers in Aziz, Simmons, and Ross. We have yet to see any of these guys play against college talent yet so paying close attention to the summer camps and practices will be a huge indicator.

 If I had to bet my gold #3 Brandon Roy jersey on one of these players to win the battle, I would choose N’Diaye. It’s no more than a hunch, but I think he will provide the most to a starting line-up that was vertically challenged last year before losing Pondexter. Aziz will provide rebounds and blocks at decent rate while also being able to run the floor the way that Romar loves. With him in the starting line-up, it allows MBA to play at his natural position of PF which will give him a shorter/weaker match-up that could allow him to thrive. On the other hand, N’Diaye could be slower than I-5 at 4:30 on a Friday before a three day weekend while also having chronic knee problems. Either way, it makes for an interesting storyline.

 

3. Gaddy on the U18 team

Yes, Gaddy qualified for the U18 team heading into his sophomore year. I have friends who went to UW with me who would have been too old before they graduated high school. We all expected so much from our McDonald’s All-American last year, but for most of it he couldn’t smoke a victory cigar if he wanted.

 After making the U18 final roster, he averaged 5 points, 2.8 assists, 2.4 turnovers, and 0.8 steals over 13.4 minutes a game. He was  the teams’s 6th player off the bench. Saying “this isn’t going well” would be an understatement. I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect situation for a young gun-shy uber-prospect than this team presented. It should have done wonders for his game but more importantly for his confidence. As Gaddy has said, he’s looking to get his “swagger back”. With Ryan Appleby working on his shot when he gets back, I expect him to be better than what his USA stats have shown. Honestly, it’s not looking good.

 With Venoy out performing him last year, I expect Romar will hold the same competition for the PG spot in the fall that he held last year, but I believe Gaddy will be ready. This experience does not help his already crushed confidence, but a late change isn’t out of the question.

           

 2. MBA in the UK

The biggest question this year will be “Who will score Quincy’s share of the points?” I fully believe it’s going to come from the guys we already have, not anyone new. MBA is already showing dominance in England as Craig wrote about earlier . I won’t repeat the details, but MBA’s development will be a huge part as I fully expect him to become the Pac-10’s best big man this year. There are will be no more excuses for him as he is now a senior (wow that went by fast) and there is no room for error if he is trying to make the next level. He slowly improved last year and if he regresses next year then the Huskies’ wins might as well.

 He also has the chance to make the England’s Olympic team which would allow him to play alongside NBA players like Ben Gordon and Luol Deng later this summer. The experience he would gain from that opportunity is what’s going to be paramount. He can play in these scrub games against Luxembourg (their country is so small that they can only play half-court games) but there’s no real competition there. He has to make the national team in order to get some well-needed minutes against quality opponents.

 

1. Holiday and Venoy

These two seniors will be the key for the 2010/2011 Dawgs. We pretty much know what we’re going to get from Isaiah and any dramatic improvement from him will only be a pleasant surprise. It’s the two vocal elder statesmen that we all need to keep an eye on this summer.

 Venoy has two options this summer: 1. Feel comfortable with his roll as the backup PG that brings the defensive energy along with being the one of the best defensive guards in the country. Or, 2. Wanting to show the world that he’s more than just some defender and he works on his shot, controlling the pace of the game, and wins the starting PG spot.

 Venoy maybe the most polarizing Pac-10 player this year as far as the other teams are concerned, but that’s because he’s good. I hope he’s not happy with that moniker and wants to become great.

 J-Holiday has a similar choice to make because of his scoring ability that he flashed during the NCAA tournament. As I said about MBA, the scoring will come from within the starters from last year’s team. I think Holiday is going to make that “Dentmon-esque” leap forward his senior year and will average around 13 and 6ish. Once again, I’m basing that off only hopes and dreams, but Romar will hand him the keys and ask him to help lead this team to greatness.

 The success of the Huskies’ season lies in the hands of these two players. They are 2 of the top 5 players on this team. If they fall short, so will the Dawg’s Final Four hopes.

 

Thanks for coming!

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July 1, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | No comments

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Recruiting Profile: Kiwi Gardner

June 29, 2010 in Uncategorized by TheEditor | 9 comments

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This will be one of several deep dive look ins at 2011 recruiting for UW. Let’s take a look at one of Romar’s best point guard prospects.

by Craig Yamada – Editor-In-Chief

Profile:

Height: 5’7”

Position: PG

Class: 2011

Location: Manteca, CA

AAU Team(s): Drew Gooden Soldiers

Interested Schools: Alabama, Arizona, Cal, New Mexico, Old Dominion, Oregon State, San Francisco and Washington

If you haven’t seen Kiwi play, take a look at this highlight and also this one.

If you can recall watching some of AAU highlight reel clips of the Drew Gooden Soldiers, you always left yourself asking, who is that little dude that keeps feeding dimes to Jabari Brown? Meet Kiwi Gardner from Manteca, CA. Yes, your eyes are deceiving you. That is not IT with dreads in the picture above. Kiwi is actually his own person and a damn fine ball player at that.

Kiwi has flown under the national radar thus far as the bigger recruiting sites have not given him as much love as he is due. At 5’7”, Kiwi is a well balanced mixture of both scoring and dropping dimes. He is quick, aggressive and explosive. Kiwi can split defenses in two as he penetrates and has an act for find the open man down low. Hands down, he is one of the best ball handlers I have seen in a while. His game reminds me of a hybrid of both Isaiah Thomas and Jerome Randle. You can see many flashes of Isaiah Thomas in the way he attacks the paint and the way he handles the ball. He has an act for poking the ball loose from his defenders and seems to be a good fit for UW’s fast tempo style of game.

In a recent radio interview,  Mark Oliver, the Director of the Oakland Soldiers, did nothing but confirm Kiwi’s interest in UW as he mentioned that “Washington has great favor for Kiwi.” He went on to praise his AAU point guard for his leadership and toughness. “[He] is the backbone of our team, a real leader. He’s a team guy that makes others around him better.” He added that “people to tend to sleep on Kiwi, but is [the player] that gives the Soldiers the spark that contributes to winning.”

Kiwi leads the team in steals thus far this summer. Jabari Brown added that “Kiwi is a smothering type of defender that does not back down.”

In the last interview done with Rivals.com, Kiwi spoke of Washington as “[his] favorite school. I like the program, I like the coaches. I’ve been up there for camp and I like the atmosphere. It reminds me of a smaller San Francisco, so it’s cool.” If he does land at UW, he looks to be IT’s future successor as a hybrid PG/SG combo. With Venoy Overton graduating this year, UW will be in dire needs of a floor general and a spark coming off the bench on defense.

Kiwi has yet to receive an offer from UW, but is continuing to garner attention from several other schools as well. Old Dominion and USF have already offered, but he wants to play for a bigger name school. UW is believed to be in the hunt for other top PG prospects such as Jahii Carson (Oregon State de-commit) and five star rated Quinn Cook (Hyattsville, Maryland). And let’s not forget about the home town kid, Tony Wroten either. Although many believe he is Kentucky bound already, I wouldn’t bet against him staying home in Seattle to play for his home city. (More on all these guys soon). Cook sounds like a challenge to land as some have reported that his mother didn’t want him playing across the country where she couldn’t watch. Wroten, Carson and Gardner look to be UW’s top PG prospects at the time being. UW seems to be holding out for Wroten’s decision first and foremost before offering others. Welcome to a new recruiting roller coaster.

The Drew Gooden Soldiers AAU team is definitely becoming a hot bed of talent again as several 2011 prospects are beginning to generate recruiting buzz from this team: Jabari Brown, Kiwi Gardner, Nick Johnson and Kyle Wiltjer. The Soldiers also feature top prospects in the 2012 class with Brandon Ashley and Dominic Artis. Both of these guys look to be high on the Dawgs’ radar for next year as well. Let’s just hope Desmond Simmons can work his magic and build a pipeline from the Bay to the Dub.

Thanks for coming.


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Watch Abdul Gaddy Rep the Red, White and Blue This Weekend

June 25, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 16 comments

Gaddy USAby Craig Yamada – Staff Writer

Saturday, June 26th will hopefully mark the turning of the corner for Abdul Gaddy. As previously noted by Percy Allen, Abdul Gaddy has been selected to the U18 roster for the USA Basketball team that’ll be playing this summer.

He will be representing his country as he competes in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship tournament in San Antonio, TX. For those wanting to witness Abdul aka “Young Gaddy” get his swagger back, all games will be streamed online at: http://www.fibaamericas.com/.

For those of you that followed recruiting with a microscope this year, this will be a great opportunity to watch some of the top 2010 commits and future 2011 commits show their stuff. Gaddy headlines this roster as the only player with NCAA experience. Joining him in San Antonio are some of the more prominent names in the 2010 class:

  • Kyrie Irving (PG, Duke Commit)
  • Vander Blue (SG, Marquette Commit)
  • Josh Hairston (PF, Duke Commit)
  • Patric Young (PF, Florida Commit)
  • Tony Mitchell (PF. Missouri Commit)

The battle between Irving and Gaddy for the starting PG position will be a fun battle to watch this weekend. Irving is arguably the best PG in the 2010 class (Sorry Josh Selby) and is destined to be Coach K’s best weapon this year. I expect this battle to be key in Gaddy’s maturation process as he competes with one of the nation’s best.

Early reports coming out of San Antonio is that Gaddy is the most vocal player on the team. Given that he has been to the Sweet 16 with UW already, he has much leadership and experience to bring to the table. Playing under Oklahoma Coach Jeff Capel, Gaddy will have an opportunity to reclaim his McDonald’s All American swag this weekend.

And, having worked with Ryan Appleby this summer, his shot has vastly improved already. UW players have twittered that Gaddy was “shooting as well as Wilcox” in summer scrimmages this year. If that holds true, Gaddy will have a bright sophomore campaign and will look to fulfill his five-star advertisement.

The remaining roster showcases some of 2011’s top prospects:

  • Austin Rivers (SG, Uncommitted)
  • Quincy Miller (PF, Uncommitted)
  • Trevor Cooney (SG, Syracuse Verbal Commit)
  • LeBryan Nash (SF, Uncommitted)
  • Amir Williams (C, Uncommitted)

The most notable name on this list that UW should be paying attention to is Austin Rivers. Rivers is the #2 rated player in the ESPN 2011 recruiting class. There have been rumblings that he may take a visit to UW this year. He is already being heavily recruited by Duke, Florida, North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA. Although the son of Coach Doc Rivers may be a long shot for UW at this point, this is a player we should continue to keep our eyes on this year.  If Romar can pull a rabbit out of his hat with this kid, he would headline a potential top-10 recruiting class for UW in 2011. Here is Austin’s highlight reel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upU9gZCzygM

On a side note, Desmond Simmons was also invited to the tryouts for this roster, but unfortunately did not make the cut. Gaddy said that Desmond “did well” and said Simmons could make an immediate contribution to UW’s defense this year. From the looks of things, we could have Justin Holiday’s successor in D-Simmons. Having been invited to try out for the USA team is an honor in itself. His offensive skills have been said to be a bit more on the raw side, but as we all know, Romar will turn him into a more complete player once his UW career is complete.

All for now. Enjoy the games.

Thanks for coming!

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With the 26th pick, the Zombie Sonics Select…

June 25, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 7 comments

qpon romarby Craig Yamada – Staff Writer

Quincy Pondexter from the University of Washington.

But wait… just kidding. The destination of the great Q-PON was short lived as the OKC Thunder traded Quincy to play alongside CP3  and the New Orleans Hornets. Many Sonic fans are definitely happy Q-Pon did not remain in OKC for obvious reasons. We look forward to seeing what he can do at the next level in New Orleans. Coach Romar, we salute you for Q-Pon’s development and getting him to this level.

Quincy was the only Pac-10 Player selected in the first round of the 2010 Draft.

On behalf of Dawg Nation and Montlake Madness, we wanted to wish Q-Pon congratulations and wish you a long and prosperous career in the NBA! And we also wanted to thank you for your hard work and dedication everyday on Montlake for all four years of your great UW career. You will be missed.

Which Dawg will be next to reach NBA glory? Send us your thoughts.

Thanks for coming!

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