Josh Liebeskind

Courtesy Federal Way Mirror

Staff Writer Josh Liebeskind takes a look at the Huskies’ newest commit, Kevin Davis.

by Josh Liebeskind – Staff Writer

Not sure that the Sweet 16 loss to West Virginia has gotten any less painful, even with their throttling of Kentucky on Saturday. The Mountaineers size and length posed more than enough problems to thwart the Dawgs, who in many other ways looked up to the task of competing with WVU.

What if the Dawgs had a bigger body on the floor to block out on the defensive boards and navigate the Mountaineers tricky 1-3-1 zone? That question will have to linger in our thoughts, but the Dawgs have already taken a step to eliminate any questions of the sort in the future.

Lost in the aftermath of the painful loss on Thursday was the commitment of 6’8” forward Kevin Davis. Who is this guy? Why haven’t I heard of him? Let’s take a look at Davis.

Just tell me something about this guy: Davis is a 6’8” forward who attended Todd Beamer High School in Federal Way. He had a very unique situation in high school, as he was granted a fifth year of eligibility (more on that in a moment). He averaged 21.3 ppg, 15.3 rpg, and 6.6 bpg this past season.

If he’s such an impressive player, why haven’t I heard anything about him? As mentioned earlier, Davis was granted a fifth season of eligibility, something rarely seen at the high school level. He was granted his fifth year because of a tumultuous junior season in which he had to deal with the pregnancy of his girlfriend. He also struggled with school, failing a class. He was eventually cut from the basketball team because the coach was afraid his off-the-court troubles were becoming a distraction.

Because of a coaching change the following year, he was allowed back on the team for his senior season. He then petitioned before the next season, and was granted a fifth year. Due to all of these problems, Davis fell through the cracks in the recruiting process.

Where is Davis now? Davis has enrolled early at College of Southern Idaho, a junior college, and is working towards earning an early degree so he can become a Husky for the 2011-2012 season. Let’s hope that he can figure his academics out so we don’t see a repeat of the Charles Garcia situation.

How does Davis fit in with the Huskies? This is a difficult question to answer because it relies on a lot of speculation. Assuming that in two years all of this year’s juniors are graduated and no one else leaves early for any reason, the roster will be what it is right now minus Venoy Overton, Justin Holiday, and Matthew Bryan-Amaning. This leaves ample scholarship spots open for Davis. It is impossible to know what other recruits Lorenzo Romar will bring in, but without knowing that, Davis seems to be a perfect fit for the Dawgs.

First off, he fits the Romar mold of an athletic forward. Furthermore, Steve Gosar, the head coach at College of Southern Idaho, has identified Davis as a great rebounder, shooter, and fantastic at running the floor. Hmm, who does that remind you of? Sure, it’s too early to label Davis as a potential star of Q-Pon’s stature. But, if he’s the player he’s made out to be, there is no reason not to be optimistic about Davis turning into an impact guy as well. Another positive is that Davis will be the age of a normal junior in college when he enters his first year at UW (as a sophomore). Here’s to hoping for greater maturity and talent with age.

There are a lot of variables that could change between now and the 2011-2012 season.  But, Davis has also been praised for his maturity, which is a good sign that the kid will be productive in a Husky uniform from day one.

Thanks for coming!

Montlake Madness Staff Writer Josh Liebeskind was at today’s Selection Sunday viewing party with coaches, players and fans. Here’s his first-person account:

Hey there, team Madness. Here’s another piece by a new contributor. Hope you enjoy! Agree? Disagree? Please let Josh L. know what you think.

by Josh Liebeskind

Many question marks are swirling around Montlake, so let’s jump right in and take a look at what the Dawgs are facing in the Pac-10 Tournament.

First Round (vs. Oregon State): After beating the Beavers for the second time this season, the Huskies will immediately face Oregon State for a third time. This is not a game the Huskies should take lightly. It’s challenging to beat a team three times in one year, let alone back-to-back.

The 1-3-1 zone the Beavers deploy is another reason to worry.  It has proven troublesome for the Huskies at times this season.  If the Huskies cannot get out in transition, then they are liable to have an offensive breakdown.  If the Huskies can penetrate and shoot like they did on Saturday, though, I have no reason to doubt their ability to beat the Beavers for a third time.  Look for I.T. to have another big game, especially if Abdul Gaddy can penetrate the zone at will.

Second Round (vs. Arizona State/Stanford winner): Assuming they meet Arizona State, this game is going to test the Huskies mentally and physically.  If OSU’s zone causes fits for opposing players, then ASU’s zone causes chaos.  The Sun Devils are eighth in the nation in team defense, giving up only 58.1 points per game.  Since losing by 17 at ASU in the first matchup of the season, the Huskies offense has shown improvement against zone defenses and Justin Holiday has turned into the defensive catalyst.

With the mixture of offensive improvement and Holiday’s All-Pac-10 defense on Rihards Kuksiks, I am confident the Huskies can come out on top and play themselves into the championship game.

Finals: At this point, barring a major upset, the Huskies would advance to play Arizona or Cal.  Both would be a tough matchup for the Huskies outside of Hec Ed and may prove too much to handle after two straight tough games.  But the way the Huskies are playing, it’s hard not to be confident in the their ability to beat anyone in the conference.

What needs to happen: I firmly believe the Huskies do not need to win the Pac-10 tournament to earn a bid into the NCAA Tournament.  If they win two games and reach the tournament finals, they would finish with a record of 23-10.  Even in a down year, it would be difficult for the committee to turn down 23 wins from a Pac-10 team. And, it’s particularly hard to imagine with UCLA’s athletic director as the head of this year’s committee.

Thanks, Josh L.

And, thanks for coming!