Dean Rutz - Seattle Times

Solid night for the Huskies as C.J. Wilcox led the way with a game high 22 points on 8-12 shooting, 5-8 outside the arc. Wilcox also added in 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 0 turnovers. It was a stellar performance that helped make up for Terrence Ross‘ somewhat quiet night.

Tony Wroten Jr. and Darnell Gant each dropped 18 on the board. Gant had 10 of UW’s first 13 points and shot 7-8 from the field, 2-3 from range. 18 is a career high and Wroten’s performance has to be one of the best career starts for a freshman in UW history. Wroten again showed how good he can be with some nice assists, but he also showed how risky his gameplay can be with 4 turnovers. Wroten had a very nice block on a GSU break away that ended with the Panther player suffering what looked like a broken arm or wrist. Tough break, no pun intended, if the GSU player does indeed have a broken bone as this was the first game of the season.

Aziz N’Diaye had a dominating defensive effort tonight and showed why he is such an important player to our team. He had a game high 8 rebounds and tied his career high with 5 blocks. N’Diaye had a devastating block as a GSU player tried to drive the baseline. N’Diaye stepped across the key, jumped straight up and smashed the ball and player to the ground. N’Diaye later got T’ed up after throwing a ball into the oppositions face. The other player was T’ed as well for pushing N’Diaye.

Abdul Gaddy had a game high 6 assists and an uncommon 4 turnovers. He shot decently on the night scoring 7 points on 3-9 shooting. Gaddy played a team high 32 minutes and was one of the few seasoned players on the court at the end of the game.

Other notable highlights from the night include Alex Wegner, the new walk-on from Vashon Island, hitting his first points as Husky with a nice 3 pointer. He went 1-3 overall, 1-2 from the 3-point line. Brendan Sherrer nearly scored as well but threw up a rather ugly shot. It looked as if he wanted to dunk, but was too far out and had to try for a bank shot instead.

Rashaad Richardson of GSU hit 7 3-pointers and was one of the few Panther players with any real offensive rhythm throughout the game. Josh Micheaux had 8 rebounds for the Panthers and added 9 points.

What Needed Improvement:

• Free Throws - The Huskies were noticeably rough around the edges when it came to the charity stripe. If there is one area that Wroten can improve in, its free throws. He was 4-8 on the night. Wroten has a really hard shot that could be improved with adding more arc or a softer touch. Ross, on the other hand, was 4-4 from the line. Desmond Simmons went 4-6 and looked solid on the floor tonight.
• Ball Control - UW only managed 15 assists on 32 makes. Slightly lower than the usual output for the Dawgs. This goes hand-in-hand with the 12 turnovers the Dawgs had. While 12 is not terrible, several were due to silly mistakes and overplaying the ball. The Huskies need to reign in their handling a bit to reduce unnecessary errors.

What was Good:

• Rebounding - While it was not a completely dominating effort, 44-36, UW controlled the glass fairly well. GSU did manage some lucky offensive boards in the second half that bumped up their stat line. Gaddy and Wroten picked up an impressive 7 boards apiece. UW did manage to get 11 offensive boards, though 15 or 17 would be much better in my opinion.
• Scoring Options - This is not something I would normally write about, but I think its important to note who were the high scorers for the Huskies. Wilcox led all scorers, no big surprise there, but the fact that Gant and Wroten were right behind is fantastic. This should give Husky fans some hope for nights when Ross or Wilcox can;t get in a groove. UW should be able to get in the lane or find production from other players. Hikeem Stewart also came out and drilled his first shot, a 3 pointer.

The most noticeable thing from the night might have been the absence of Jernard Jarreau. Despite the blow out and both walk-ons playing, Jarreau did not step on the court. This implies two possibilities, either Jarreau is hurt or he is redshirting. The later seems more likely as I suspect we would have heard about an injury.

-EDITOR’S NOTE- Lorenzo Romar said after the game that Jernard Jarreau will be redshirting this season.

Final Thoughts:

UW struggled a bit on defense in the first half. GSU tied the game at 23 thanks to good shooting and poor defensive switches. In the end they got their act together and used their superior depth to wear down the Panthers.

Shawn Kemp Jr., Hikeem Stewart, and Martin Breunig all saw between 7 and 10 minutes, but didn’t have much of an impact stat wise. The Dawgs got the win they needed and looked fairly solid throughout.

I predict Wilcox will lead the Dawgs in scoring for the first few games of the season as teams try to shut down Terrence Ross. Wilcox showed the ability to drive the lane and score against the post. Wilcox also has the ability to catch and shoot quickly with skill and precision, which opens up a lot more shot opportunities. If there is a dark horse candidate for Pac-12 POY, its C.J.

Aziz showed himself to be effective against smaller players and zone defenses, something he struggled with last season.

I got to Hec-Ed early and watched the University of Portland-Florida Atlantic game. Portland won 70-65, but FAU should have won. The Owls (FAU) made silly mistakes at the end of the game that came back to bite them in the rear.

The Owls were led in scoring by Greg Gantt who had 18 at half time and 23 when the final buzzer sounded. FAU’s diminutive point guard, Raymond Taylor, absolutely refuses to dribble when he has the ball at the top of the key. He continuously would stand at the point and wave players towards him to run the offense.

This is great for UW as backcourt defensive is our specialty and should be able to really harass FAU through their point guard. I predicted a 94-60 win for the game tomorrow against FAU, but after seeing both teams in action tonight I would be surprised if UW didn’t drop 100 on the Owls and win by 40+.

If you missed part one of the interview you can catch it here.

I must thank Darnell Gant for doing the interview with me before I start. He is one of the most eloquent and intelligent people, let alone athlete, that I have ever had the pleasure to talk to. The guy is going places in life. If he was a stock, I would be buying. He’s the kind of guy you want on in your program for five years.

Enough of me. On to part two.

Montlake Madness: Who do you think are going to be your toughest match ups this year in the PAC-12?

Darnell Gant: UCLA will be a tough match up. They have a good squad coming in. Stanford might be a tough little one because they had some freshmen last year that were pretty decent and I feel like they are going to come back and be pretty good. I think Josh Owens is a senior now.

MM: Who do you think will be the leading scorer, rebounder and passer this year?

DG:  I couldn’t tell. It’s very competitive right now.

MM: When you head to New York in December, what are you looking forward to the most?

DG: Just enjoying that time. My first year we went to MSG but I was redshirting at the time and didn’t play. I really wanted to get out there because it was Madison Square Garden and now I have the opportunity and we play it twice. I’m just going to go out there and enjoy my time in New York and when these games come I’m just going to be motivated to go hard. National spotlight, all eyes on us.

MM: Are you looking forward to anything in N.Y.C. other than basketball?

DG: Not really. I’m not too big of a New York fan. I’m an L.A. guy. I don’t really care too much for New York City.

MM: If you had to rate your top three moments as a Husky so far, what would they be?

DG: Oh man, I don’t know. Let me see. I’d say the Pac-10 championship, the first one [2008-09] my freshman year. Going to the Sweet Sixteen and then last year’s Pac-10 tournament. The whole thing.

MM: Birdman. How did you get that nickname?

DG: In high school, when I used to dunk, I would throw the little [hand] sign up and I used to get crazy dunks. My teammates were throwing me lobs and I’d throw down some nasty stuff. It would be like I was flying so my homie started calling me the Birdman. In my high school into, mine was different than everyone else’s and they would play a Birdman song. I just stuck from there.

MM: You graduated last spring. What’s your major?

DG: I was a drama major and graduated last spring.

MM: How and when did you get into music? Has it always been a passion?

DG: I’ve been into it ever since I was younger. My family is heavily into music. Some of the sing, and play instruments. They all would do it in church. I started to play the drums early and around 10 I started to pick up the piano and then around 15-16 I started to play the organ. I just kept progressing and by the time I got to college I had some time on my hands and I started writing songs. After that I started composing songs and getting into the studio and writing raps and songs for other people. It’s just been something I’ve done but it’s my second love. Basketball is my first love.

MM: Do you have anywhere that fans can listen to your music?

DG: I need to work on getting a website. I don’t have anywhere with everything on it. If fans want, they can send me their email [@B1rdman44] and I will send them a couple tracks.

MM: When you look back at your Husky career at the end of the season, what will you be the most proud of?

DG: The effort that I’ve put into being a senior and a leader. I’ve been through a lot of ups and down over the last four years and I feel like with help from my teammates and coaches that I’ve come a long way. I hope this is my best season.

MM: How have you seen the UW program change during your 4+ years here?

DG: When I came in there were a few guys who liked to work hard but not everybody and it showed. My first year ['07-'08] they didn’t buy into the concept and they were losing. Then the next year we had more of a niche of guys that wanted to get after it, go hard, and couldn’t stand the sight of losing along with the good guys from the year before and bad ones were out of the picture. After that, we started to create a certain way of doing everything and it’s continued for the last three year.

MM: If you couldn’t play basketball for the rest of your life, what do you think you would be doing?

DG: I think I would take my music writing more serious. I would write and compose more songs.

MM: Six years ago coach Romar was in your living room telling you to come to Washington. What was that like and what did he say?

DG: I don’t want to talk too much about what he said, but that whole process is crazy. It was all new to me. I came on the AAU scene after 10^th grade when I was on my way up. When [coaches] were able to come to the house and school, things got real crazy. I wasn’t used to it and I had no idea what was going on. I didn’t know the maginitude of the situation. I look back on it and I say ‘wow’, to think about where I am now is just crazy.

MM: Any fun stories about being recruited?

DG: When we had tryouts at Crenshaw, Tubby Smith came in from the back area of the gym and I knew who he was but I didn’t know what Tubby Smith really meant. One of my friends at the time was like “Dog, you know who that is?” I was like “Yeah, that’s Tubby Smith” and he said “Naw, that’s Tubby ‘Effing’ Smith, dude!”. Tears were coming to his eyes. Like I said, I didn’t know his history and what he was about until later on a recruiting visit. But that’s one of the funniest times; when my friend was crying over a guy. Weird.

MM: If you could change one thing about the process, what would it be?

DG: I don’t know, it’s been so long ago. Stop calling my phone! It was mainly reporters. Tell those reporters to stop calling so much.

MM: What are your thoughts on being a student athlete? Do you think that you guys get enough in return for the amount of revenue that you generate for the school?

DG: Give us something! This is just my opinion, but I feel like student athletes deserve at least a little more. I’m not saying give us goo-gobs of money but at least something. People look in and see that we get free gear and shoes and stuff but there are a lot of nights when you’re going hungry. There are a lot of times when you’re trying to find something to eat. For all of the work we put in in school and on the court we deserve at least a little bit more on the scholarship check. That’s just how I feel.

MM: Thanks for your time, Darnell.

DG: For sure, any time.

Bow Down.

With fall practice just around the corner, I got to sit down with red shirt senior Darnell Gant who will be a integral part the team’s success this season. This is his fifth fall camp with coach Romar so who better to talk to about everything Husky basketball? We cover topics like this season’s prospects, his three favorite moments as a Husky, and he even gives his opinion on being paid as a student athlete.

I’ll break it up into two parts but here’s the first:

Montlake Madness: What kind of a player are we to expect from Darnell Gant this year? More of a post presence?

Darnell Gant: A whole new look. A different mentality coming from me. In other years I came in with the mentality to score or get more shots, but I’m not looking for that this year. One of the main things that I’m looking to do is to get my team as many offensive possessions as I can.

MM: Who has stepped up as the vocal leader of this team, other than yourself?

DG: Scott (Suggs). He has always been a leader in terms of on court but now he is becoming one vocally. Scott is a quiet guy on the court, usually, but now he’s speaking up and holding his own.

MM: What has your summer schedule been like? Can you walk me through it?

DG: After graduation I stuck around and worked out on my own until some of my teammates got back. I incorporated my workouts with them and did a lot of shooting workouts. By shooting workouts, that consists of post moves, jumpers, free throws, three pointers, and just a barrage of things.

MM: What part of your game have you improved the most this off season?

DG: I wouldn’t say I’ve improved one thing, I’ve just taken a different mentality of being in the post, being aggressive, and being able to create for my teammates as well as trying to find a good look for me.

MM: What will your role be on the team this year?

DG: Senior leader and doing more of the little things. I want to piggy back off of the things I did towards the end of last year and just take another step forward creating more offensive opportunities.

MM: Are we going to see you play more of an inside game this year or continue growth on your outside shot?

DG: If the open shot is there, I’ll take it. You saw me last year, I took some shots but I didn’t take that many. I’m always confident so if it’s there I’m going to take It but I’m going to try to mix it up a lot more this year and hopefully I can hold myself to that.

MM: You are the first fifth year senior in Romar’s tenure here at UW. What does that mean to you?

DG: I can just say that that’s just something that I wanted to do and leave a name and do something that no one else has done. I’m the first fifth year senior ever so that’s a start. (laugh). I want to try to leave my mark. I’m not just focused on myself, though, I’m just trying to go out there and play hard to make things happen. I want to try to leave some type of legacy. Like Scott (Suggs) and I will be the first two players to go to the NCAA tournament four times. That’s leaving my name in the record books in some kind of way. That or doing something out of the ordinary in the past 3-4 years and show them what I can really do.

MM: What are the advantages of being a fifth year senior?

DG: I got a lot of experience. I’ve played with the best Huskies. Going up against them in practice. I’ve played against some of the best players in the Pac-10. Ever. James Harden is one of the best ever, Derrick Williams held his own last year. I know what’s expected of the team. I know what Coach Romar’s style is like. I know what he preaches to the team every day and I know all of that like the back of my hand. What I can do, and what a captain should do, is piggy back off of what he said and motivate the team to do it his way, the right way, the Husky way.

MM: What personal goals have you set for yourself this season?

DG: I want to have a better overall rebounding year. I’ll just say that.

MM: Can you tell us a little bit about each of the freshmen coming in?

DG: Real talented. A lot of talented players and I feel lilke when they get introduced to our system and acclimated to everything that they are going to be just fine. We’ve got a lot a senior leadership with me and Scott and Gaddy is junior, but he’s a vocal leader on the court. You might not have seen it because he kind of got overshadowed my Isaiah (Thomas) but now Isaiah’s gone and Gaddy is really trying to come into his own and the freshmen are trying to fall in line with that. I won’t name ‘em one by one, but they’re a talented freshmen class.

MM: What about Dez Simmons?

DG: Me and Desmond have developed a good friendship and for him, what I want to see from him, is that by the time he’s a fifth year senior, if he stays,  is that him and I will be the first two fifth year seniors and we will set the standard for others who want to red shirt. Desmond plays hard. He’s tenacious on the rebounding end. It’s crazy, I’ve never seen anything like it other than Jon (Brockman). Desmond is different because he’s a little quicker than Jon but his motor is just like Jon’s. He’s a sight to see. People are going to be shocked when they see him play.

MM: What would have to happen this season for you to consider it a success?

DG: Just buying into the concept of Husky basketball as a group. We know that we can’t win games just because we show up but if we come ready to play every game and play hard and just play Husky basketball then we will win a few games and turn some heads. We’re not as talented as teams in the past, individually, but as a unit I feel like we have the hardest working group that has ever been at Washington. Maybe. I might be biased.

…Part 2 coming later… Bow Down.

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.

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!

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.

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!

• 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!

***

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.

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.

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)