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Husky Hoops: Week in Review (10/19 – 10/25)

October 25, 2009 in Uncategorized by Themod | 2 comments

Few sasquatch copyNow that the college basketball preseason is getting into full swing, we’re going to start summing up the past week in Husky basketball each Sunday*. And what better week to start than with such an eventful one? Here were the major stories in Husky Hoops from October 19th through October 25th.

Big Foot not pregnant with coach’s baby: In a little bit of Northwest basketball drama, Washington proposed a series of games to Gonzaga, all taking place at Key Arena, and alerted the media. Gonzaga fired back, saying “not so fast,” first through its athletic director, then with some tough talk from coach Mark Few, who seems to have given more thought to the idea of sasquatch/human copulation than may be healthy.

Dawgfluenza: More than half of the Husky roster came down with the flu, starting with Darnell Gant shortly after the team’s Midnight Madness event on October 16th. While it’s likely the afflicted players put in an impressive amount of virtual court time on NBA 2K10, the illnesses preventing the team from starting their real practice regimen until late in the week. Here’s our post on the outbreak, and here’s the wire story from the AP (national coverage!) picked up by ESPN.

LoRo wants you!: The flu bug seemed to trigger Coach to reconsider his reluctance to add a walk-on or two to this year’s squad, likely to warm the bench during games, but push players in practice (and, ensure enough healthy bodies to run a full-court scrimmage). Eight players showed up to Thursday’s walk-on tryouts, and Coach planned to call any lucky winners on Friday. No word in this recap from The Times as to whether one of the contestants was UW tight end, Kavario Middleton.

Sports Illustrated <Hearts> the Huskies!: CNNSI picked the Husky backcourt as the sixth best in the nation, but left out Scott Suggs when they listed the Dawg’s guards. Montlake Madness is channeling Shaq and suggesting the nickname “The Big Oversight” for Suggs this season. We also sincerely hope Scott makes Luke Winn feel stupid by season’s end. (Cal was picked fifth.)

Sports Illustrated <Hearts> the Huskies!, part II: CNNSI also picked Isaiah Thomas as the ninth most exciting player in the country, ranked ahead of Michigan State’s Kalin Lucas and NCAA Tournament opponent, Jarvis Varnado, but behind Willie Warren, and number-one pick, Greivis Vasquez of Maryland.

In case you missed it: We caught up with Husky legend Jon Brockman to talk about his NBA experience so far. . . We spoke to Abdul Gaddy. . . And, check out Doug Haller’s blog. He covers Arizona State for The Arizona Republic, but often does a good rundown of what’s going on around the Pac-10. . . And, here’s another great college hoops blog as well, called March Madness All Season.

Thanks so much for coming!

*We may move these to Mondays once the season gets going, so they can cover the weekend’s games as well.


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Video Fun From Midnight Madness: Slam Dunk Contest and Pre-Event Warmup

October 17, 2009 in Uncategorized by Themod | 12 comments

Quincy Dunking at MMadness copy If you haven’t read it yet, here’s the post with my impressions of yesterday’s Midnight Madness event — focusing mostly on the 10-minute team scrimmage.

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.

More pre-event warmups.

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!

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PurpleDawgs Crush GoldDawgs at UW Basketball’s Midnight Madness Event

October 17, 2009 in Uncategorized by Themod | 5 comments

MMadness on ESPNIn 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:

MMadness Boxscore copy

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.

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UW Husky Hoops Hip-Hop! B.F.A.M. Releases “Q-Walk”

October 13, 2009 in Uncategorized by Themod | 2 comments

Picture 1Wow. Darnell Gant, Tyreese Breshers, and Justin Holiday recorded a song, and you can hear it on YouTube. I like hip-hop, and I think they’ve done a really nice job on “Q-Walk.”

Thanks to readers GrantUW and UWHoop for making me aware of this four-minute snippet of awesomeness. Beware: the catchy chorus might worm its way into your ear for the entire afternoon.

Always nice to get a look at (or, a listen to) the ballers we root for cutting loose like the kids that they are, and doing something other than playing basketball. Is it too much to ask for a live performance of “Q-Walk” at Friday night’s Midnight Madness?

Thanks for coming!

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Montlake Madness Conjectures on the Starting Lineup and Nine-Man Rotation

September 29, 2009 in Uncategorized by Themod | 12 comments

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:

aa starters copy

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:

aa reserves copy

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:

aa bench copyScott 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!

***

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.

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Matthew Bryan-Amaning Interview, Part II

September 14, 2009 in Uncategorized by Themod | 3 comments

mb int pic part 2 copyIn case you missed part I of the Montlake Madness interview with MBA, check it out here before moving on to Part II below.

My impression after speaking to him was that MBA internalized much of the criticism he received last year, and comes into this season with a true desire to prove doubters wrong and show that he can be a major contributor in the Husky frontcourt.

I’d have been concerned if MBA had seemed oblivious to the fact that most people watching the team the past two seasons feel that there’s a lot of unrealized potential in his 6’9″ frame. My gut is that he feels the same way.

Here’s part II of the interview:

MM: What part of your game have you worked on the most during this off-season?

MBA: In the off-season, I’ve been working on a lot. Coach doesn’t want his players to be one-dimensional, so I was working on my post moves and footwork around the basket, and also getting a lot of shots up from as far as 18 feet, and making moves facing up from the mid-range.

MM: What kind of numbers would you consider to be a statistical success for you next season?

MBA: The numbers will speak for themselves. There will be a lot of banging and hard work going on. If I keep a high motor, and the rest of our bigs do too, then I believe that we shouldn’t have a problem producing and keeping our intensity up the whole time we’re on the floor.

MM: If the season started tomorrow, who do you see as the starting five for the Huskies on opening night?

MBA: You never know whats going on in Coach Romar’s head. That’s what keeps you working hard daily in practice, but if i HAD to give you a starting five, I guess it would be: PG-Gaddy (only slightly over Venoy Overton), SG-Thomas, SF-Pondexter, PF-Gant, and C-MBA.

MM: Describe the intensity that goes on behind the scenes when guys battle for starting jobs?

MBA: Ridiculous from the number one guy to the 12th or 13th guy. Everyone wants to make a good impression, and we are a very deep team, so more often than not, the second team is playing harder, and or even better, than the first team. We are very competitive in everything we do which only makes us better in the long run. That’s why I believe Coach Romar has teams that are 8, 9, or 10 men deep in the rotation.

MM: Tell me a little bit about MBA off the court? What’s your family like? What do you do with your spare time? Who’s your best friend on the team?

MBA: Off the court, I’m very laid back, chilled, always up for having a good time, and just hanging out with friends and teammates. But that’s just how the whole team is off the court. We may be the goofiest team in America, always making one another laugh and just having fun.

My family is like me — sort of just really chilled. We speak a lot with one another. My parents retired and moved to Ghana, in Africa. And, my brother still lives in London. We all get along very well.

During my freshman year, my closest teammate would probably have been Justin Holiday, because we lived together. But, honestly, now it’s wide open. We are all the same, and we all hang out together, so it’s not like I see some teammates more than others. I’ve just grown to love these guys like a family and it shows in how we are on and off the court.

MM: What does your nickname “Numbers” mean?

MBA: (laughs) “Numbers” came from London, because I was always young, playing up, and I’d be trying to do a piece of everything on the court: score, rebound, block shots, get a couple of steals, and throw some dimes, so i was always filling up the stat book, in one way or another. So, they started calling me “Numbers.”

MM: Where do you see yourself five years from now?

MBA: Playing somewhere for money. (laughs) Nah, but just to be playing the sport i love, and hopefully to my highest potential and getting rewarded for it, I guess. Most people don’t understand how time consuming it is, and see the games and the walking around campus. That’s just the icing on the cake. They don’t see the hours of prep on and off the court. Baking takes a lot of time to produce the cake — there’s a lot of ingredients. (laughs)

MM: Tell me about your relationship to Coach Romar? What’s it like to play for him?

MBA: Romar’s a good, stand-up guy. He never breaks a rule, and doesn’t expect anything from someone that he wouldn’t do himself. And, he pushes players to reach the best of their abilities. He also has a good sense of humor, and pretty much has to with guys he’s brought in and has had in the program in the past. (laughs)

Thanks for coming! Class of 2011 recruiting column, (probably) another PAC-10 opponent interview, and much more to come this week.

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Catching up with UW Husky Guard, Scott Suggs

September 8, 2009 in Uncategorized by Themod | 7 comments

suggs interview copyScott Suggs was one of the men at the end of the bench for Lorenzo Romar last season, rarely seeing time with the game still in play. And, truth be told, not many fans would know what to expect from the 6’6″ guard this season, because they simply didn’t see enough of Suggs last year to make a judgment.

But, this guy was the top player in Missouri as a high school senior, and the 15th-ranked shooting guard in his class. No one with that amount of success at one level wants to ride the pine at the next. So, succeed or fail, it would be foolish to imagine that Suggs isn’t going to do everything in his power to make more of an impact this year.

I caught up with Scott this week and had a chance to get his take on the road to the regular rotation, and other thoughts on last season, and the year ahead.

Montlake Madness: So, last season, I imagine you didn’t get on the court as much as you’d have wished. What can we expect from Scott Suggs this year?

Scott Suggs: You can expect to see me contributing to the team much more this season.

MM: What did you learn last year that’s going to make you a major contributor this year?

SS: I just became more familiar with the system, and also more comfortable with a year of experience under my belt

MM: What was the biggest surprise going from high school to the Pac-10?

SS: Probably the amount of talent that each team has. Even teams that are not seen to be as good as others will still have pretty good players.

MM: So, you were a part of that group of Huskies that was getting up ridiculously early for a few months and practicing?

SS: Yeah. During the spring we were getting up at about 6:00 AM, and working out around 6:30. But in the summer we were working out at like 8:00 or 8:30 so we got a little bit more sleep.

MM: During the season, what’s a normal day like, with practice, classes, etc?

SS: A typical day is workouts at 6:30am, class from about 9:00-3:00, practice from 3:30-6:30 or 7:00, and then tutoring from like 7:30-9:00. So, we have a pretty full day during the season.

MM: When I spoke to Artem Wallace last week, he said you were going to be a guy that surprised a lot of people this year. Let me ask you, did you ever have a conversation with Coach Romar last season expressing that you wanted to play more?

SS: Yeah, I talked to him about that a few times during and after the season, and he just kept telling me to keep working hard in practice. At the end of the season, i just talked to him about what i needed to work on and those types of things.

MM: And what did he tell you to work on?

SS: Defense, and continue shooting, and of course getting stronger.

MM: Which of your teammates has surprised you most this summer as far as improvement? Who’s going to surprise people this season?

SS: Well, Darnell Gant’s shot is really coming along, and i think teams are gonna have to respect his jumper. I also think Abdul Gaddy is gonna be a nice addition to the team this year.

MM: If the season started tomorrow, do you think Abdul starts at the point?

SS: Hmmm… i dont know. (laughs) We’ll find out once practice time comes.

MM: No guesses? Personally, i love Venoy’s energy off the bench.

SS: Yeah, he does bring a lot of energy. But i know that those guys are gonna be battling it out for that starting spot.

MM: Does any of that ever affect the way guys get along off the court?

SS: Nah. Everybody is friends off the court, but on the court we have no friends!. (laughs)

MM: How are you guys gonna beat Cal this year? They look like the biggest obstacle to the Dawgs repeating as champs.

SS: Yeah, they’re returning all of their guys. I’m sure our coaches will have a gameplan for them — probably from day one.

MM: Tell me a little about Scott Suggs off the court. What’s something the fans don’t know about you?

SS: Well, I’m a pretty goofy person and i like to make people laugh.

MM: What do you do for fun in your time off the court?

SS: Just hanging out with my teammates really. Everybody on the team is pretty goofy actually.

MM: Do you guys on the team pay attention to who’s being recruited? Guys like Josh Smith, Terrence Jones, Tony Wroten?

SS: I haven’t really seen any of those guys play, but I’ve heard of them.

MM: What was it about Coach Romar and UW that made you choose the school, above the other prestigious colleges recruiting you (like Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin)?

SS: Probably just the relationship I had with Coach Romar. I had been over to his house when he was the coach at St. Louis University. My dad’s co-worker was his best friend.

MM: What’s the one thing we wouldn’t know as fans about life as a Division I college basketball player? What don’t we see?

SS: The amount of work that we have to put in behind the scenes to be able to compete at this level. It’s basically a full-time job because we are training year-round.

MM: One more thing. I’ve got a post up on my site right now about where I’d play all you guys if I were coaching the Husky basketball team in a football game. I’ve got you at outside linebacker.

SS: I’m more of a receiver, if i do say so myself. (laughs)

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What if Husky Hoops Hit the Gridiron?

September 3, 2009 in Uncategorized by Themod | 2 comments

football basketball pic copyIn 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!

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Montlake Madness Names its Very Favorite Player: Justin Holiday

August 21, 2009 in Uncategorized by Themod | 7 comments

jhol defense copyI’ve been wanting for a while to write about my very favorite player on the Huskies, Justin Holiday. He’s such an easy guy to overlook — hell, he’s not even the most famous basketball player in his own house — but, he just plays the game the right way.

Now, what does that overused phrase mean? I think, for Justin Holiday, the main thing it means is that no one could look at his numbers from last year, without having watched him play, and fully grasp his importance to the team. His most impressive stats were definitely not the ones attached to his own name (2.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 44.1% FG pct.).

But, take a look at James Harden’s numbers in the games he played against the Dawgs, in which he was checked almost exclusively by Darnell Gant and Justin Holiday. Although Harden ran roughshod over the Huskies during the Pac-10 tournament, he played two very ordinary games against us during the regular season, both Husky wins. Here are Harden’s numbers against the rest of college basketball, and then against the Huskies:

harden numbers copy

I realize the scoring numbers are close, but Harden was a lot less efficient with J-Hol and Darnell Gant hounding him for the entire game. And, if you take away his 24-point performance in the Pac-10 tournament game, we held him way below his averages in the two Washington wins.

If Gant and Holiday don’t combine for such stellar defense to keep the league’s best player in check, the Huskies might not have won those two regular-season games against the Sun Devils, especially the second one — an absolute thriller — and, maybe we never win the Pac-10.

You also have to respect a guy who can buy into a system that hasn’t yet highlighted him as a scorer while watching his younger brother have more free reign in his one season at UCLA, not quite live up to his hype, and then get drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft. Holiday gives every indication of being that rare player who can leave his ego at the door and do what’s best for the team. Think about the discipline it must have taken from Holiday to spend about sixteen minutes per game on the court last season, and to have never taken more than four field goal attempts in a game. Not once.

And, finally, just watch Holiday on the court. He’s always in the right place, always passing to the right guy, rotating on defense, and (as a reader pointed out recently) showing that he’s got the highest basketball IQ on the team.

While Holiday played more than his 15.6 minutes-per-game average in all three games against the Sun Devils, he was nearly forgotten in the NCAA tournament, playing six minutes against Mississippi State and five against Purdue. If I could ask Coach Romar one question about that Purdue game, it’d be why we didn’t see more Justin Holiday in there to guard 6’4″ Keaton Grant, who dropped three three-bombs on us and grabbed 10 rebounds, going a long way to ending our season.

This year, though, I don’t guess we’ll see Holiday languishing on the bench very often. In fact, he’s a great dark-horse pick to break the starting lineup if the Huskies do wind up playing a smaller lineup with Quincy Pondexter at the power forward spot.

And let’s hope Coach lets him loose a little more this season. Holiday shot so infrequently last year that we really don’t know what he’s capable of on the offensive end. I’m betting this year we find out Justin Holiday’s capable of quite a bit.

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How Would the Pac-10 Look if Every Player Stayed Four Years?

July 28, 2009 in Uncategorized by Themod | 3 comments

glasser johnny copyAfter seeing so many terrific players graduate or leave early over the past few years, it’s hard not to think about what might’ve been if all players were required to play four seasons of college ball. So, Montlake Madness is proud to present the first annual Fantasy Four-Year Pac-10 lineups and standings.

Here’s what the Pac-10 might look like in 2009/10 if every player who’d entered the league since 2006 was still with their team. Take a look below at the starting lineups in reverse order of how I think they’d finish in the Fantasy Four-Year Pac-10 standings. Fantasy Four-Year additions are listed in bold, and, not surprisingly, the three teams receiving the least fantasy help wound up at the bottom of the conference.

Let me know how you think these teams might finish. And, hey, thanks for coming!

Oregon, 10th Place:

  • C – Michael Dunigan, So.
  • F – Josh Crittle, So.
  • F – Joevan Catron, Sr.
  • G – Tajuan Porter, Sr.
  • G – Garrett Sim, So. / Malcolm Armstead, So.

This lineup will be the same as this season’s harsh reality for Oregon — their squad includes no fantasy four-year additions. And, just like in the real world, they’re not going to be expected to do anything better than ninth or tenth in the conference.

Washington State, 9th Place:

  • F – DeAngelo Casto, So.
  • F – Charlie Enquist, So.
  • G – Nikola Koprivica, Sr.
  • G – Klay Thompson, So.
  • G – Reggie Moore, Fr.

Other than Thompson, this would be a team that struggled mightily to score against a lot of these fantasy squads. Thankfully, Ken Bone will be coaching in the real universe and should be able to fare (a little bit) better in the real Pac-10 than this.

Oregon State, 8th Place:

  • C – Roeland Schaftenaar, Sr.
  • F – Daniel Deane, Jr.
  • G – Seth Tarver, Sr.
  • G – Calvin Haynes, Jr.
  • G – Jared Cunningham, Fr.

I don’t know if Haynes will actually start — he was too good off the bench last year. But, for the purposes of this post, I’d rather go with the best five. Whatever lineup they trot out, though, will be much improved in the real world, but would have trouble hanging here in the fantasy four-year Pac-10.

Stanford, 7th Place:

  • C – Brook Lopez, Sr.
  • C – Robin Lopez, Sr.
  • F – Josh Owens, Jr.
  • G – Landry Fields, Sr.
  • G – Gabriel Harris, Fr.

The Lopez twins must be feeling like they got a raw deal as their fantasy squad isn’t as good as the team they played on in 2007/2008. That said, just like it did during their two seasons at the school, this Cardinal team would provide matchup problems for nearly every team in the conference.

Arizona State, 6th Place:

  • F – Victor Rudd, Fr.
  • F – Rihards Kuksiks, Jr.
  • G – Ty Abbott, Jr.
  • G – James Harden, Jr.
  • G – Derek Glasser, Sr.

This is a small lineup, so maybe Eric Boateng or one of their freshman replaces Kuksiks or Abbott. By the way, is there an easier player to hate than Derek Glasser? He’s the cartoonish douche dude out of an 80′s movie — but in real life. Get this guy a black gi and some blond hair. . . and a crane kick to his chin.

Cal, 5th Place:

  • F – Jamal Boykin, Sr.
  • F – Ryan Anderson, Sr.
  • F – Theo Robertson, Sr.
  • G – Patrick Christopher, Sr.
  • G – Jerome Randle, Sr.

An all senior starting group would make this the most experienced squad in our Fantasy Four-year Pac-10. Add the possibility of one of their two new frontcourt additions Markhuri Sanders-Frison or Bak Bak taking Boykin’s spot and this would be a solid, workmanlike team that could compete with anyone.

Washington, 4th Place:

  • C – Spencer Hawes, Sr.
  • F – Darnell Gant, So.
  • F – Quincy Pondexter, Sr.
  • G – Isaiah Thomas, So.
  • G – Abdul Gaddy, Fr.

Dawgs would have been more scary last season with a starting lineup of Hawes, Brockman, Pondexter, Thomas and Dentmon. Still, a senior Spencer would be a force to be reckoned with.

Arizona, 3rd Place:

  • C – Jordan Hill, Sr.
  • F – Jamelle Horne, Jr.
  • F – Chase Budinger, Sr.
  • G – Jerryd Bayless, Jr.
  • G – Nic Wise, Sr.

To think this was a Sweet 16 team last year without Bayless. This year’s team would be one of the top in the land without even considering their underrated incoming class.

UCLA, 2nd Place:

  • C – Kevin Love, Jr.
  • F – Nikola Dragovic, Sr.
  • F – Tyler Honeycutt, Fr.
  • G – Jrue Holiday, So.
  • G – Russell Westbrook, Sr.

Hard to know which freshmen will carve out the most time in UCLA’s strong class this year, but Honeycutt or swingman Mike Moser would be the best bet to find court time with the other four in UCLA’s four-year fantasy lineup.

USC, Fantasy Four-Year Pac-10 Champs:

  • F – Taj Gibson, Sr.
  • F – DeMar DeRozan, So.
  • G – O.J. Mayo, Jr.
  • G – Dwight Lewis, Sr.
  • G – Daniel Hackett, Sr.

It goes to show how affected the Trojans have been by early departures that this year’s top returning player, Dwight Lewis, only cracks the starting lineup if the Trojans play an undersized squad. Otherwise, incoming transfer Alex Stephenson starts at PF, pushing Lewis to the bench.

So, there it is. The Trojans earn the slight edge over the Bruins, and Fantasy Four-Year Pac-10 hoops supremacy rests solidly in southern California.

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