I knew this would show up somewhere — the school was videotaping the game last night, even though it wasn’t on television.
Here’s a link to the SICK dunk by Clarence Trent off a lob by C.J. Wilcox.
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Tags: C.J. Wilcox, Clarence Trent
Wanted to share some video I took before and during the event. I had a great time, and wanted to give anyone who wasn’t there a little taste of what went down, and give even those of you who were there a little look behind-the-scenes.
Here are a few videos (mostly dunks) of the team warming up while they waited for the UW/UCLA volleyball game to end:
Watch the background of this video for a nice slam by Abdul Gaddy.
A series of dunks and dunk attempts.
A little shooting contest between Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Scott Suggs.
A couple of nice dunks by MBA.
And, here’s a windmill dunk by Tyreese Breshers, who didn’t participate in the Slam Dunk contest.
Slam Dunk Contest:
Here’s one long clip from the Dunk Contest.
Thanks for coming!
Tags: Abdul Gaddy, C.J. Wilcox, Clarence Trent, Darnell Gant, Elston Turner, Isaiah Thomas, Justin Holiday, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Midnight Madness, Quincy Pondexter, Scott Suggs, Tyreese Breshers, Venoy Overton, video clips
In the fan’s first look at this season’s UW Husky Basketball Team, the PurpleDawgs defeated the GoldDawgs, 35-20, at Bank of America Arena on Friday night.
The Basics:
The PurpleDawgs team consisted of Abdul Gaddy, Quincy Pondexter, Darnell Gant, Tyreese Breshers, Elston Turner, and C.J. Wilcox.
The GoldDawgs Team consisted of Scott Suggs, Venoy Overton, Isaiah Thomas, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, and Clarence Trent.
Hec Ed was crowded, but not full. Our women’s volleyball team is very, very talented. Anytime you have the opportunity to see the 3rd-ranked team in any sport, it’s worth the time.
The scrimmage was only 10 minutes long, played with a running clock that only stopped for free throws.
Here’s an (unofficial) box score I put together based on my notes, and consulting a couple of other stories, all which seem to disagree on the scoring:
Impressions and Extras:
Poised Purple and Go-go-Gold: Not sure how the teams were chosen, but there was a clear contrast in styles between the PurpleDawgs poised, structured attack, and the run-and-gun effort by the GoldDawgs. The more controlled team won, but the lopsided-ness was due mostly to the best guy on the court playing for the PurpleDawgs.
Elston Turner: Sure, it was only a scrimmage, but Elston Turner looks good. Real good. Turner, Gaddy and Pondexter kept the ball moving at midseason form, finding the open man and taking advantage of Elston’s hot shooting (he went either 5-6 or 5-7 from the field, with three three-pointers). Based on the small hints Coach Romar gave during his Media Day press conference, I have to believe Elston Turner may contend for a starting role on this team (likely with two smaller guards, Quincy Pondexter, and one traditional big man).
The Venoy/Gaddy Matchup: This was the marquee one-on-one battle of the evening, and, if only for the final score, the slight edge goes to Abdul Gaddy tonight. Venoy had one nice steal which started a fast break, ending with a redonkulous dunk by Clarence Trent. Otherwise, though, Abdul controlled the tempo and was able to run the offense despite Venoy’s pesky D.
Gaddy had one jaw-dropping, thread-the-needle pass out of traffic from right under the basket to a wide-open Quincy Pondexter.
Clarence Trent: Trent is very active, but doesn’t look as big as I’d expected. Maybe it’s seeing him next to Breshers, Gant and MBA that’s throwing me off. Time will tell, but his frame, and his game, are reading more to me like a small forward’s than a big man’s.
Scott Suggs: I’m hoping we’ll get early evidence that Scott Suggs is going to be more aggressive and take control of whatever minutes he’s given on the court. It didn’t happen tonight, but hopefully tomorrow when real practices begin, a terrific sophomore year will start to take shape for Suggs.
Justin Holiday: Justin didn’t compete in the scrimmage, the dunk contest, or the three-point shootout, as he’s still recovering from hernia surgery. However, I did see him warming up in the gym before the event, and he’s moving pretty well.
Overheard after Tyreese Breshers missed two free throws: “Maybe he’s taking those Jon Brockman comparisons too far.”
The Dunk Contest: Isaiah took the slam dunk event, despite some tough competition from MBA and Venoy. According to Assistant Coach, Raphael Chillious, this was the first time he’d ever seen Clarence Trent lose a dunk contest.
The Three-Point Shootout: C.J. Wilcox defeated Elston Turner, but each was paired with a UW student as a teammate. I watched C.J. shoot for a bit in the gym beforehand, and his form is just so consistent. It’ll be interesting to see whether he can create his own shot this season though, or whether he’ll need some seasoning before he can show off his stellar form consistently in games.
ESPN2′s coverage: ESPN2 did a couple of minutes on the program as part of their 30-minute Midnight Madness show. They highlighted Coach Romar, (calling him a “rising star”) and the Huskies perimeter players. ESPNU isn’t available in my area, so I have no idea how much of the two-hour show was devoted to the Dawgs.
Coach Chillious on what ESPN choosing UW for its Midnight Madness program means to the team: “I think what it does is validate the successful season we had last year. And, hopefully, it gives us momentum moving forward. We know that’s not what’s going to make us a good team. And, y’know, the rest of the nation doesn’t get to see the teams in the Pacific Northwest that often, so this is just a jumpstart.”
Terrence Jones and Tony Wroten: Both stud recruits were there. Jones was on his official visit and sat on the Husky bench. He didn’t look too enthused, but I’m not going to read much into the facial expressions of a 17-year-old kid.
Real Practice Starts Saturday at 1 PM: With 31 days until the regular season opener at home against Wright State, the Huskies get back to full practices tomorrow afternoon.
Tags: Abdul Gaddy, C.J. Wilcox, Clarence Trent, Darnell Gant, Elston Turner, Isaiah Thomas, Lorenzo Romar, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Midnight Madness, Quincy Pondexter, Scott Suggs, Terrence Jones, Tony Wroten, Tyreese Breshers, Venoy Overton
In recent days, Coach Romar has begun to reveal what his lineup may look like during the upcoming season. Here are some of the clues he’s given through interviews:
- He said that Isaiah Thomas, Quincy Pondexter, and Darnell Gant would all start for the Huskies at the beginning of the upcoming season, as each did on last year’s Pac-10 championship squad.
- Coach LoRo has also said that whichever point guard (between Abdul Gaddy and Venoy Overton) does not start will be “like a starter,” since he’ll often opt to finish games with a three-guard lineup.
- Finally, coach has said before that it’s likely he’ll exercise a nine-man rotation again this year, which will leave three Huskies scrapping for extra minutes during blowouts, and times of foul trouble or injury.
Here’s the lineup I think Coach will use to start the season, along with the role players coming off the bench, and our explanations for each pick. You’ll notice that we’re not listing the guys in order of playing time, since there are too many unknowable factors that will go into that. We’re picking starters, role-players, and reserves.
The Starters:
F/C – Matthew Bryan-Amaning
Why he should start: No one’s been a victim of higher expectations than MBA during the first two seasons of his college career, and it seems like he’s just now prepared to start making those flashes of brilliance a more regular occurrence at Hec Ed.
Why he shouldn’t: We’re being a little unfair here, given his injuries last year, but if MBA couldn’t consistently maintain a high level of intensity in about 17 minutes-per-game last year, what makes us think he can do it now for 25-30 mpg?
F – Darnell Gant
Why he should start: Because he plays solid defense, shares the ball, and hustles whenever he’s on the court. And, word out of Montlake is that Gant put on a bunch of muscle and is ready to be more of a presence near the rim on both sides of the ball this year.
Why he shouldn’t start: Because he had the worst assist-to-turnover ratio (1/2.2) of any regular player last season and shot just under 37% from the field, meaning defenders could sag off of him and clog the lane.
F – Quincy Pondexter
Why he should start: We finally saw the Quincy Pondexter we’d been waiting for during the last part of 2008/09, when Q-Pon developed into a scorer by forcing himself into the lane and getting high percentage looks at the basket, or getting himself fouled. An underrated rebounder, there’s an outside chance he could challenge for the Pac-10 lead in boards.
Why he shouldn’t start: It’s not worth struggling to come up with a reason just for the sake of writing something here.
G – Isaiah Thomas
Why he should start: I.T. is going to be the most exciting player on the court this year wherever he goes, and if he doesn’t lead the team in scoring, it will mean something’s gone horribly wrong. He’s the Husky capable of throwing a 50-spot up on the scoreboard, or laying the ball in despite a lane filled with a guy like Jarvis Varnado, or Hakeem Olajuwon, or Shaq. . . or all three.
Why he shouldn’t start: Again, he should and he will. Not much more to offer here.
G – Abdul Gaddy
Why he should start: Because the word on Gaddy is that he’s one of the best pure point guards in the world right now, and that he’s a guy who makes the game come more easily to everyone around him. Unless he gets some form of the freshman yips, and isn’t as poised or polished in reality as by reputation, the Huskies will benefit from having a true quarterback on the floor.
Why he shouldn’t start: Because for a team with aspirations of a run through the NCAA Tournament, any growing pains at all for Gaddy could result in loses that would severely hamper our seeding come March.
The Role Players:
Venoy Overton – Sixth Man
Why this role is right for him: Because Venoy was our game-changer last season, and there’s no way to quantify the energy boost he gave the team every time he stepped on the floor. It’s valid to wonder whether fouls and turnovers would go up, and the manic energy would go down, if Venoy saw 7-8 more minutes per game (last year he averaged about 20).
Dissenting opinion: Venoy is the team’s nerve center — at times, our heart and soul. Is there ever a time we don’t want his energy on the court? And, are we selling short the idea that Overton can grow as a playmaker too, using his two years of Pac-10 experience to make the battle for the starting point guard spot an absolute dawgfight?
Justin Holiday – Defensive Stopper
Why this role is right for him: Because we need someone we can bring onto the floor to ice the other team’s hot hand. With his length and speed, smaller point guards (common in the Pac-10) and huge post men (not so common in the Pac-10) are the only players Holiday will have difficulty shutting down.
Dissenting opinion: We’re a defensive-minded team, and that should be a strength regardless of the mix on the floor. Additional minutes for a shooter (like Wilcox) or a post player (Trent) may be more critical for the team than another defensive-minded sub.
Elston Turner – Marksman
Why this role is right for him: With some consistent playing time (after last season’s ankle injury Turner’s minutes-per-game dropped from 19 to 11), and a year under his belt, I’d be very surprised if Turner didn’t raise his three-point accuracy into the 40% range (from about 37% last season). He does everything well enough not to hurt us when he’s on the floor, and until someone proves differently in real game action, Turner is the option here.
Dissenting opinion: It’s hard to ignore the early whispers out of practice: that C.J. Wilcox is the team’s best shooter. If Turner doesn’t make the most out of his minutes early, Wilcox could begin to eat into his court time.
Tyreese Breshers – Reserve Big Man
Why this role is right for him: Because there are going to be games when (gasp) the Huskies are getting out-rebounded and the ghost of Jon Brockman looms large over this club. When the gameplan isn’t going our way, or our bigs are in foul trouble, Big Ty is going to be the man who gets the call.
Dissenting Opinion: Breshers was a medical redshirt last season and is just getting back to full-speed workouts. With Breshers off of a year-long injury, it’s entirely possible that Clarence Trent, who has impressed with his hustle thus far, could sneak into this role as well.
The Reserves:
Scott Suggs, Clarence Trent, C.J. Wilcox – Bench Guys
Why this role is right for them: Trent and Wilcox are freshmen, and provided neither of them cracks the regular rotation, they’ll have the chance next year. Trent can set his sights on earning minutes vacated when Quincy Pondexter graduates, and Wilcox can bulk up and keep working on his sweet shot. Suggs is the odd man out here, still struggling in a crowded backcourt to distinguish himself.
Dissenting Opinion: It may be impossible to keep Wilcox off the court if he turns out to be a more athletic version of Ryan Appleby and truly is the team’s best shooter. The tools are there, and Trent could easily step into the backup big man role, or even a starting spot, if he can rebound well, play defense, and add an offensive element to the team that Darnell Gant doesn’t. It’s starting to sound like a familiar refrain, but Scott Suggs was Missouri’s best high school baller before he came to UW. I wouldn’t be shocked if Suggs shocks us and improves by leaps and bounds, forcing himself into the discussion.
So, that’s the lineup I think we will go with, and should go with. What do you think? Please do offer up your opinions in our comments section. We love to hear from you!
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Finally, an announcement came yesterday from UW that a “Midnight Madness” style preseason event will be taking place on October 16th, at about 7:30 PM. A dunk contest and scrimmage are on tap, and you can bet we’ll be there soaking in every second of it.
Tags: Abdul Gaddy, C.J. Wilcox, Clarence Trent, Darnell Gant, Elston Turner, Isaiah Thomas, Justin Holiday, Lorenzo Romar, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Quincy Pondexter, Scott Suggs, Tyreese Breshers, Venoy Overton
In honor of college football kicking off this weekend, I thought it would be fun to do a football-themed Husky basketball post, and to get your thoughts also. Here’s the scenario:
It’s Saturday afternoon, a few hours before kickoff of the LSU game, and the Husky football team is nowhere to be found. Nothing particularly bad has happened, but the entire team is missing. Game time comes, but there’s nothing UW can do except forfeit, starting this season where they finished off last year: with a loss.
But wait. Coach Lorenzo Romar has invited every one of his players from this year’s Husky basketball team, and the last four UW hoops teams as well, to be his guests at the game. Just as Coach Sark heads toward the referee to tell him that the Dawgs will need to forfeit, Coach Romar runs onto the field and whispers an idea into his ear.
“Let my boys play,” says Coach Romar.
“You’re boys?” says Sark.
“Yes, let the basketball players suit up and play some football. They can do it. They can do anything,” Romar answers.
“You crazy, LoRo,” Sark says. “But, we’ve got no choice. Get your team of too-talls out here and let’s see what they can do.”
The only thing left then would be to take the Husky basketballers from the last five seasons and play them in the best positions on the field to produce. Sure, we’re probably looking at a losing battle against LSU. But, at least we’re not forfeiting.
If I’m Coach Sark, the following is my starting lineup. What’s yours? Send me an email to MontlakeMadness@gmail.com, and we’ll publish some of the best lineups in a future column, and name a Montlake Madness “Honorary Sark” award for the best reader-submitted lineup.
The rules are simple: only Huskies from the 2005-06 season on are eligible, players can’t start on both offense and defense. And, feel free to suggest a lineup with a 4-3 defense instead, or an additional tight end, etc.
Offense:
Abdul Gaddy – Quarterback: I know. He’s a freshman. But, if he’s going to be the QB of our hoops team, let’s give him a shot on the gridiron as well.
Isaiah Thomas – Halfback: You can barely see him moving up and down the court. Can you imagine trying to tackle him?
Clarence Trent – Fullback: Big body opens up holes and picks up blockers as necessary. Can also give us a different look ball carrier a few times during the game.
Brandon Roy – Wide Receiver: Big-time scorer does what it takes to get open and put points on the board.
Joel Smith – Wide Receiver: Under-achieving baller never lacked for athleticism. A good third option in the passing game behind Roy and J-Brock.
Jon Brockman – Tight End: I was tempted to play Jon at Center to anchor up the O-Line, which would need to quickly learn to function as a unit. But, it’s too appealing to think of him going all Tony Gonzalez on the Tiger linebackers and picking up key third-down conversions at will.
Artem Wallace and Tyreese Breshers – Offensive Tackle: Breshers was my original choice at TE, but I love the wingspans on these two keeping out rushing defensive ends.
Jamaal Williams and Phil Nelson – Offensive Guard: I like our athleticism here, although I wish we had some more size. Saving some big bodies for the defensive end, though, to give us a chance for scoring opportunities on the other side of the ball.
Joe Wolfinger – Center: Big body. Never quite looked engaged enough on the court, so a bit of a risk to have him at such a key spot on the line. That said, I think Wolfinger was under-utilized on the basketball team, and I want to rectify that on the football field.
Defense:
Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Darnell Gant – Defensive End: I like the power coming from MBA and the slick speed from Darnell coming off the line. Husky forwards teaming at DE forms maybe my favorite unit on the team.
Spencer Hawes – Nose Tackle: Big Body who looks to be tougher now than he ever looked during one season with the Huskies. And Spence is healthy now, which was never the case when he played at Hec Ed.
Scott Suggs and Elston Turner – Outside Linebacker: I like these two in here using their speed and athleticism for containment, coverage and on blitzes. A bit of a concern with their smallish frames considering the 3-4 defense we’re running.
Quincy Pondexter and Bobby Jones – Middle Linebacker: I love this unit too with Quincy’s getter-done grit and Bobby Jones’ shut-down defensive pedigree. Anything that gets past our line is getting thrashed by our MLB’s.
Justin Dentmon and C.J. Wilcox – Cornerbacks: Headiness of these two makes up for the athleticism edge they’ll give up to top flight receiving groups. But, we could count of these two not to make too many mistakes.
Justin Holiday – Strong Safety: Although stopping a tight end with a full head of steam behind him would be a challenge given Justin’s slight build, I like his combination of speed, brains and hands at the strong safety spot.
Venoy Overton – Free Safety: The biggest no-brainer on the field. He’d be on the ball before it even left the QB’s hand. I see Venoy breaking up as many passes on the gridiron as he does on the court.
Ryan Appleby – Kicker: Would (hopefully) convert his understanding of the angles into long-range marksmanship on the football field as well.
Tim Morris – Punter: Non-descript journeyman fits perfect mold for the position, and you’ve got to like his better-than-average (for a punter) speed for the occasional fake punt as well.
Your turn. Don’t use the comments section for your entry — keep your brilliant lineups to yourselves and try to win the “Honorary Sark” award without giving any ideas to your competition. (But, feel free to comment otherwise, of course, as usual…)
Thanks for coming!
Tags: Abdul Gaddy, Artem Wallace, Bobby Jones, Brandon Roy, C.J. Wilcox, Clarence Trent, Darnell Gant, Elston Turner, football, Isaiah Thomas, Jamaal Williams, Joe Wolfinger, Joel Smith, Jon Brockman, Justin Dentmon, Justin Holiday, Lorenzo Romar, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Phil Nelson, Quincy Pondexter, Reader Contest, Ryan Appleby, Scott Suggs, Spencer Hawes, Steve Sarkisian, Tim Morris, Tyreese Breshers, Venoy Overton
Huskies’ coach, Lorenzo Romar, did a 12-minute interview with KJR Saturday morning and spoke about the incredible experience of winning the Pac-10 last season, including the fact that people seem to remember the last thing a team has done, so he feels like recruits are paying the program a little more respect after last season. He also spoke a bit about the new faces on the team this year. Listen here if you’d like, but here are some of the highlights from his appearance:
- Coach said he thought Tyreese Breshers would be the best football player of all the Husky hoops guys, but said Venoy would be pretty good as well.
- Also regarding Tyreese, he said he was healthy now, but had to get into shape.
- Without mentioning them by name, Coach commented on Tony Wroten and Josh Smith playing football. He said you always have to be concerned about injury, but said he thought it was great to play multiple sports. And, he said football players usually make good defenders in basketball.
- He called Clarence Trent “a physical specimen,” and a “high-level athlete” who hustles and will provide a lot of highlight reel stuff while at UW.
- He said C.J. Wilcox can really create his own shot in addition to being a terrific shooter. He said he projects to be a good defensive player, while comparing him to Tre Simmons, another unheralded recruit.
- Coach Romar called Abdul Gaddy “beyond his years,” both on the floor and off.
Thanks for coming!
Tags: Abdul Gaddy, C.J. Wilcox, Clarence Trent, Josh Smith, KJR, Lorenzo Romar, Tony Wroten, Tyreese Breshers, Venoy Overton
Before we get to the results from part II of the Fan Poll, news is out today that Isaiah Thomas is one of the 50 players named as a preseason candidate for the John Wooden Player of the Year award, and the All-America Team. Brockman made the list last season, which is whittled down to 30 at midseason.
It’s great to see Isaiah getting some national attention. It really is. Last year, I think a lot of Husky fans had that “am I going crazy?” feeling about Isaiah not getting much national attention, until his ESPN appearance made the rest of the country aware of his awesomeness.
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Strange to hear that Josh Smith and Tony Wroten will play football this year in addition to hoops. They are, after all, just kids. But, jeez, I’ll be holding my breath every time either of those guys gets tackled and puts his future NBA millions at risk.
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Here’s a quick dunk video of Clarence Trent that I hadn’t seen before.
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I was astonished at how many of you showed up and voted in Part II of the Husky Hoops fan poll. Turnout for Part I was good, but the number of you that showed up for Part II was f*&$ing heartwarming.
Here’s how you answered the questions, and then, my thoughts on the same questions:
Which guard will start more games this year?
83% of you said “Abdul Gaddy″
17% of you said “Venoy Overton”
My thoughts: I think this is going to be closer than many of us think. I want to believe Gaddy is going to come in and be a poised, error-free point guard, but freshman are nearly always more error-prone, and need to develop poise by gaining experience. I’m going to go with Gaddy here too, but more because I love Venoy as a sixth man energy jolt. But, come crunchtime, I think you’re going to see a lot of Venoy too.
Other than Abdul Gaddy, which freshman will make the biggest impact this year?
66% of you said “Tyreese Breshers”
20% of you said “Clarence Trent”
14% of you said “C.J. Wilcox”
My thoughts: I agree that it’s not going to be Wilcox, because his best case is probably to squeak ahead of Scott Suggs as the team’s fifth guard. Breshers is the pick here, but as I wrote a few weeks ago, I’m very excited about Clarence Trent coming to town.
Statistically speaking, which of these players will show the biggest improvement this season?
40% of you said “Matthew Bryan-Amaning”
35% of you said “Elston Turner”
14% of you said “Darnell Gant”
7% of you said “Justin Holiday”
4% of you said “Venoy Overton”
My thoughts: My next big opinion piece is going to be about Justin Holiday, who I think has such a redonkulous amount of untapped potential he could bring this team to another level. As far as this question, though, statistically-speaking, I think we’ll be in a lot of trouble if the answer isn’t MBA, although I have my serious doubts. I do think Venoy could make a scoring jump, though, balancing the havoc he wreaks on the defensive end with what he does on the offensive side of the ball.
Pound for pound, who is the best player on the Huskies right now?
50% of you said “Isaiah Thomas”
46% of you said “Quincy Pondexter”
4% of you said “Other”
My thoughts: I’m going to go with the small minority here and say that I think Quincy’s game is just more developed at this point. I want to see Isaiah make less mistakes this year, which I think he will. But, when I look at this question, I think of all of the big possessions last year when Coach put the ball in Quincy’s hands and said gett’er did. And, nearly every time, Q-Pon got her done.
Will Quincy Pondexter be used more often as a small forward or power forward this season?
59% of you said “Small forward”
41% of you said “Power forward”
My thoughts: It doesn’t seem to be Lorenzo Romar’s inclination to tinker too much with his starting lineup to suit a certain matchup. (We started our usual five even in last year’s game against Oklahoma State’s four-guard lineup.) So, I think we’re going to see Quincy start at the three-spot. That said, when the match-up does call for it, I think we’re going to see a lot of lineups with two of the smaller guards, Elston Turner/Justin Holiday/Clarence Trent at the three, and Quincy at the four with only one of our three real big men on the floor. These lineups will be fast, defensively inclined, and still adequate on the boards.
Will Matthew Bryan-Amaning average more than 11 points and 7 rebounds per game?
35% of you said “More than 11 ppg, more than 7 rpg”
27% of you said “More than 11 ppg, less than 7 rpg”
20% of you said “Less than 11 ppg, more than 7 rpg″
18% of you said “Less than 11 ppg, less than 7 rpg″
My thoughts: I would be thrilled with an 11 and 7 season from MBA. Last season, recovering from an injury, MBA averaged 6 points and 4 boards. I believe with an additional 10 minutes per game, he can get to the 7 rebounds, but I’m less inclined to believe he can score in double figures. This is a guy who looked at times last season like he had no offensive game at all. He shot 45% for the season despite taking almost nothing longer than a jump hook. And, he looked unfazed at times, not as bothered by his lackluster play as his coaches or teammates.
There’s no one on the team whose ascendance to “star” level would do more for the Huskies than MBA, but I sadly have to say that I’ll believe it when I see it. I’m going with “under 11 points, over seven rebounds.”
Will Isaiah Thomas be among the top three scorers in the Pac-10?
82% of you said “Yes”
18% of you said “No”
My thoughts: I think it’s going to be four guards competing for the scoring crown: Jerome Randle of Cal, Tajuan Porter of Oregon, Nic Wise of Arizona, and Isaiah. That’s my top four in scoring, and I think I.T. will be in the top three.
Will Justin Holiday average more than four field goal attempts per game? (last year he averaged just under two)
57% of you said “Yes″
43% of you said “No″
My thoughts: This was my wishful thinking question. I just believe it’s not possible for someone to play the game so well in every other area while not having some kind of offensive game. I’m going to write plenty more about this soon. Can you tell I’m excited about Holiday?
Which of these players is least likely to be a regular starter for the Dawgs?
51% of you said “Darnell Gant”
28% of you said “Matthew Bryan-Amaning”
21% of you said “Abdul Gaddy”
My thoughts: I do think all three of these guys are going to start, but I’m curious as to why so many people think Darnell Gant is in such danger of losing his starting spot this year. We’ve only got three big men, so I’m going to say the one who started last year is the most safe. I’m going to say MBA is the one who will be pushed by Tyreese Breshers if he doesn’t step it up early on.
Which of these players is most likely to find his way into the regular starting lineup this season?
36% of you said “Tyreese Breshers″
26% of you said “Elston Turner″
23% of you said “Venoy Overton″
11% of you said “Justin Holiday”
3% of you said “Clarence Trent”
1% of you said “Chris Wilcox”
0% of you said “Scott Suggs”
My thoughts: I agree with those of you that picked Breshers. But, I can’t see a scenario in which Elston Turner starts very often unless there’s an injury in the backcourt. He’s going to be our instant offense off the bench this year, but my guess is that he won’t start unless Coach goes with that small lineup where Quincy is our power forward.
Thanks for coming!
Tags: Clarence Trent, Isaiah Thomas, poll, Wooden Award
I’ve made the executive decision to cancel the second round of the Montlake Madness UW Husky Hoops Freshman Slam Dunk Contest. This first-ever contest at MM was a huge success, so thanks to everyone who voted!
Receiving about three-quarters of the votes, Clarence Trent obliterated his teammates in the competition with his “Jumpman CT” throwdown (about 47 seconds into this video). There’s also not much more impressive dunk work of second-place finisher Abdul Gaddy to be found online, which makes sense considering he’s a 6’3″, pass-first point guard. Should you be concerned, though, check out this five-minute testament to Gaddy’s undeniable skills.
And here’s more Trent dunk footage to drool over. It’ll be interesting to see if he can impose his high-flying style on opponents as a freshman — something more likely at UW, with our fast-paced style, than on other teams.
One question we might not be able to answer until Coach Romar’s rotation takes shape next season is how Trent will be used position-wise. The Huskies list him at 6’5″, while other sites have him at 6’6″, 6’7″, and even 6’8″ (you’ll need to find Trent here on the roster of their 2007-08 team). He’s clearly a forward, and played the four-spot in high school, but if he’s closer to 6’5″, you have to assume that in a majority of circumstances, we’ll want two guys playing alongside him who are taller.
My best guess, based on everything I’ve seen and read, is that Trent will be used similarly to Quincy Pondexter, as far as position, playing the three or four, depending on whether we go with a big lineup or a small one. That is, of course, if Trent is lucky enough to break into the rotation much at all as a freshman. Just ask Scott Suggs about that.
I’ve got a hunch, though, that given his ability to grab rebounds on the offensive end, and score inside, Trent will earn at least some minutes with the Dawgs this year. I don’t think he’ll see enough time to be the team’s X-factor, but Trent is my pick to be its ZZZ-factor, the sleeper who plays his way into the regular rotation.
What do you think, Husky fans? Vote down below, and please drop a comment — especially if you’ve ever watched him play live. I’d love to hear your opinion of Trent’s game.
And, hey, thanks for coming!
Loading ...Tags: Abdul Gaddy, Clarence Trent, Lorenzo Romar, poll, Quincy Pondexter, Scott Suggs, X-factor, ZZZ-factor
Just three quick notes on another ridiculously hot day in Seattle:
Obviously, it’s a little early to be thinking about the heir apparent to Abdul Gaddy, but it looks like Justin Dentmon’s brother, Illinois high school junior-to-be Bruce Barron, is starting to make a name for himself. He’s a more traditional point guard than his brother, and taller at 6’3″. Too early, of course, to know whether Barron is someone the Huskies should be looking at, but it’s always nice to think about bringing in players that have a connection to the program.
Brandon Roy gives the Huskies a shout-out in his new Nike commercial. (Actually, he gives “purple” the shout, but the implication is clear.) The sneakers look a little clownish to me, but there’s a reason I’m not writing about footwear. Nice to see B-Roy continue to remember where he comes from.
The readers have spoken, and they’ve spoken loudly: Clarence Trent is dominating the first-ever Montlake Madness Slam Dunk Contest, but voting is open for another day. Scroll down, or click here to participate in the festivities. Also, if anyone out there happens to have video of any of the contestants that isn’t available online, and you wouldn’t mind it being posted, please send it to me at MontlakeMadness@gmail.com.
Hey, thanks for coming, and best of luck beating the heat again tonight!
Tags: Abdul Gaddy, Brandon Roy, Bruce Barron, Clarence Trent, Justin Dentmon, Nike
Welcome to the first ever Montlake Madness slam dunk contest!
It’s the hottest day in Seattle history, so let’s check out some redonkulous dunks from the Huskies four newest players, and vote for the best.
Here’s the rules: Watch all four videos — two of them have multiple dunks, but only vote for the one I’m pointing you to. In a couple of days, I’ll post new dunks from the two top votegetters, and we’ll vote once more for the Montlake Madness UW Freshman Slam Dunk Champion.
If this goes well, we’ll do a full-team dunk contest later in the summer. So, take a good look, and cast your votes. And, hey, thanks for coming!
The Redonkulous Dunks:
Clarence Trent: At about 42 seconds into the video, “The Jumpman CT”
Tyreese Breshers: “The Sir Dunkamatic”
C.J. Wilcox: At about 27 seconds into the video, “The Backdoor Smackdown”
Abdul Gaddy: “The Over and Easy”
UPDATE/TECH ISSUES: There seem to be some tech issues with the poll. If you can’t vote below, please leave your vote in the comments section, and we’ll add it to the totals. Thanks!
Loading ...Tags: Abdul Gaddy, C.J. Wilcox, Clarence Trent, poll, Redonkulous dunks, Tyreese Breshers
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