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Pac-10 Season Awards and Snubs

March 7, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 10 comments

by: Griffin Bennett

Today the annual season awards came out which were voted on by the coaches. The coaches are probably the most qualified voters as they watch film on every team all through out the year, but sometimes the votes just don’t add up. They aren’t allowed to vote for their own players which in some cases can cause some sleepers to sneak into the ranks. Who else does Ben Howland vote for the first team All-Pac 10 if he can’t vote for his own players? Here’s a look at the awards and some of my thoughts along with it.

All-Pac 10 Team:

First Team:

  • Matthew Bryan-Amaning – WASH – F – Sr. – 6-9 – 240
  • Jeremy Green – STAN – G – Jr. – 6-4 – 198
  • Jorge Gutierrez – CAL – G – Jr. – 6-3 – 195
  • Tyler Honeycutt – UCLA – F – So. – 6-8 – 183
  • Malcolm Lee – UCLA – G – Jr. – 6-4 – 195
  • Reeves Nelson – UCLA – F – So. – 6-8 – 235
  • Isaiah Thomas – WASH – G – Jr. – 5-9 – 185
  • Klay Thompson – WSU – G – Jr. – 6-6 – 202
  • Nikola Vucevic – USC – F – Jr. – 6-10 – 240
  • Derrick Williams – ARIZ – F – So. – 6-8 – 240

Second Team:

  • DeAngelo Casto – WSU – F – Jr. – 6-8 – 255
  • Joevan Catron – ORE – F – Sr. – 6-6 – 237
  • Jared Cunningham – OSU – G – So. – 6-4 – 182
  • Harper Kamp – CAL – F – Jr. – 6-8 – 245
  • Trent Lockett – ASU – G – So. – 6-4 – 211

Honorable Mention (receiving at least three votes):

  • Ty Abbott (ASU, Sr., G)
  • Allen Crabbe (CAL, Fr., G)
  • Lamont Jones (ARIZ, So., G)
  • Josh Owens (STAN, Jr., F).

What they got wrong:

First off, let me rant about the relatively new 10 person first team squad . The same people who complain about dodge ball and peanut butter being dangerous in schools are the same people who wanted to expand the first team from 5 to 10. Including everyone is boring and now I can’t argue about whether or not Reeves Nelson or MBA is better. I hate all of you, who ever you are. At least release the voting totals so we can know who were the last ones in and in what order.

Anyways, with 10 first team slots it becomes very easy for the coaches to not make any mistakes. With that said, there was one glaring mistake that the coaches made: Malcolm Lee over Joevan Catron. Catron finished 7th in scoring while Lee finished 11th. Catron was the best player on a surprising Oregon squad and scared my much more than Lee did. I’m sure the coaches voted for Lee based on his hype, but Catron got shafted on this one.

Other than that, there is one more that stand out to me. How did Lamont Jones get an honorable mention? He averaged 11.3 points, 2.5 assists, 1.8 rebounds and .8 steals. Were the coaches just looking to award another Wildcat for winning the title? For me, that spot should belong to Justin Holiday. He averaged 10.6 points, 2.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. It’s nit-picky, but Jones was a little bit better than average and Holiday had better defense for most of the year.

Pac-10 All-Freshman Team:

  • Anthony Brown – STAN – G/F – 6-7 – 200
  • Allen Crabbe – CAL – G – 6-4 – 165
  • Maurice Jones – USC – G – 5-7 – 155
  • Dwight Powell – STAN – F – 6-10 – 227
  • Joshua Smith – UCLA – C – 6-10 – 305
  • C.J. Wilcox – WASH – G – 6-5 – 190

Honorable Mention (receiving at least three votes):

  • Jordin Mayes (ARIZ, G)
  • Terrence Ross (WASH, G)

What they got wrong:

Once again, it’s hard to get something wrong when you just randomly add an extra spot to a 5 person team. I’d love to know who were the two players that tied for fifth, assuming that was why there are six spots. I think Wilcox took Ross’ spot based purely on the last 3 games, and that is probably right. This team was pretty much black and white all year.

Pac-10 All-Defensive Team:

  • DeAngelo Casto – WSU – F – Jr. – 6-8 – 255
  • Jared Cunningham – OSU – G – So. – 6-4 – 182
  • Jorge Gutierrez – CAL – G – Jr. – 6-3 – 195
  • Malcolm Lee – UCLA – G – Jr. – 6-4 – 195
  • Marcus Simmons – USC – G – Sr. – 6-6 – 220

Honorable Mention (receiving at least three votes):

  • Matthew Bryan-Amaning (WASH, Sr. F)
  • Kyle Fogg (ARIZ, Jr., G)
  • Justin Holiday (WASH, Sr., F).

What they got wrong:

The defensive team awards are always tough because it’s less stat based than some of the others. I hate to keep picking on him, but Malcolm Lee as an all-defensive first teamer? Did I miss something? MBA should have made the team over Lee, especially because there is only one forward on the list. In the Pac-10, Lee finished 52nd in rebounds per game, 38th in steals per game, and 30th in blocks with 5. I don’t remember him being any type of lock-down defender. A very interesting pick. MBA, on the other hand, finished 4th in rebounds per game, 18th in steals per game, and 2nd in blocks per game. He was a top 3 post defender and should have been on this list. I’m not trying to be a homer, but last I checked rebounds are blocks are defensive statistics.

Pac-10 Player of the Year:

Derrick Williams: Williams becomes the sixth Arizona player to earn Pac-10 Player of the Year, and !rst since 1999, joining Sean Elliott (1988, 1989), Chris Mills (1993), Damon Stoudamire (1995), Mike Bibby (1998), and Jason Terry (1999). Williams led the Wildcats in scoring (18.8 ppg/2nd in Pac-10), !eld goal percentage (.612/1st), and rebounding (8.2 rpg/5th in Pac-10).  He’s posted 20 or more points 13 times this season, and posted 10 double-doubles.  In just two seasons, the 2010 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year has scored 1,070 points, while grabbing 472 rebounds. He’s the fourth sophomore in Pac-10 history to earn Player of the Year honors, joining California’s Jason Kidd (1994), Arizona’s Mike Bibby (1998) and Arizona State’s James Harden (2009).

Notes: Nothing wrong about this one. Williams, and the Wildcats, pulled away from Isaiah Thomas and Klay Thompson down the stretch to walk across the finished line. He was the best player on the best team and I don’t think that there is a single player that you wouldn’t trade for Williams straight up. He did have his ups and downs and his defense was questionable, but he was a force all year. Good call, and an easy pick.

Pac-10 Freshman of the Year:

Allen Crabbe: CRABBE becomes the seventh California player to earn Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, and !rst since 2004, joining Dave Butler (1983), Leonard Taylor (1985), Jason Kidd (1993), Tremaine Fowlkes (1995) Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1996), and Leon Powe (2004).  Crabbe was 14th in the league in scoring (13.0 ppg), fourth in free throw percentage (.824) and sixth in three-point !eld goal percentage (.406), which led all Pac-10 freshmen. His numbers are more impressive in Pac-10 play as he posted 16.4 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game, while leading the league in three-point !eld goal percentage (.481).

Notes: This award was wrapped up halfway through the season. Crabbe was instantly a starter and was needed for output from a Cal team that lost almost it’s entire team. Maurice Jones and Dwight Powell are nice additions to note, but Crabbe was easily the best freshman due to his opportunity that was given to him. Is he the BEST freshman in the Pac-10? That could certainly be argued heavily.

Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year:

Marcus Simmons: Simmons has been key in leading USC’s defense, allowing a league-leading low of 62.9 points per game overall, and 63.3 ppg in Pac-10 play. He’s been frequently called upon this season to guard the opponent’s top scorer, having limited several All-Pac-10 performers below their shooting percentages – Washington State’s Klay Thompson (12-of-35/.343), Stanford’s Jeremy Green (5-of-22/.228), UCLA’s Tyler Honeycutt (6-of-16/.375), and Washington’s Isaiah Thomas (8-of-20/.400), He’s the second Trojan to earn the honor as Taj Gibson collected the award in 2009.

Notes: Whatever. I’m sure the voting was real close on this one, but I would have probably voted for Cunningham. The stats that the Pac-10 lists for holding those players below their average shooting percentages is kind of laughable as he wasn’t guarding those players the whole game. I could try to make my case for Cunningham based on stats, but it would be like shouting at a wall.

Pac-10 Most Improved Player of the Year:

Matthew Bryan-Amaning: Bryan-Amaning is among the Pac-10 leaders in scoring (16.0 ppg/6th) and rebounding (8.3 rpg/4th) and has posted 10 double-doubles this season. He has appeared in all 30 games, with 26 starts this season.  Bryan-Amaning has steadily improved his numbers each season from 4.2 points/3.2 rebounds as a freshman, to 6.0 points/4.0 rebounds as a sophomore, to 8.8 points/5.9 rebounds in 22.8 minutes of action last season.

Notes: I’m still not sure what the qualifications are for this award. Do Harper Kamp and Josh Owens qualify because they missed all of last season with injuries? Would you compare their ’08/’09 numbers to this years? Are they even eligible for the award. I’ve tried asking around and no one seems to know the answer. If they DID qualify then my vote would be for Kamp. He overcame a terrible injury and made second-team All-Pac 10. If they didn’t qualify then I think the MBA choice is a nice one. Another good candidate would be Jared Cunningham. Can we please get some clarity on this issue?

Pac-10 Coach of the Year:

Sean Miller – Arizona - Miller, 42, has guided ARIZONA to its 12th Pac-10 title, and !rst since 2005, with a 14-4 league mark, 25-6 record overall. Under Miller, the Wildcats put together an eight-game winning streak at one point this season and found themselves back in the Top 25 of both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll for the !rst time since Dec. 31, 2007. Collecting his !rst Pac-10 Coach of the Year honor, he now has earned Coach of the Year honors in on both coasts, having been honored by the Atlantic-10 Conference in 2008. He’s the second Arizona coach to receive Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors, joining Hall of Famer Lute Olson, a seven-time recipient (1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1998, and 2003). Miller has a career record of 161-68 (.703), while his Arizona record stands at 41-21 (.661).

Notes: Here’s another award in which it’s qualifications are unclear. Is the coach who over-performed their expectations or is it the coach who won the most games? If it’s the latter then Sean Miller is your guy. The Wildcats were picked to finish second in the pre-season and ended up winning the league. He had the best player in the league and some average-to-good role players. In my opinion, the coach of the year was Cal’s Mike Montgomery. After winning the Pac-10 last year, Cal lost 4 of their starters and almost the entirety of their offense. Somehow the Bears finished tied for 4th place with a 10-8 record in the league. That is an impressive accomplishment and I think Montgomery got hosed.

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Cardinal down Dawgs 56-58

January 13, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 13 comments

by: Griffin Bennett

Courtesy of Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

It was an infuriating night for the Huskies as they lost a tough one on the road against Stanford. Husky Nation was left blind as the terrible Pac-10 TV deal left everyone following online or listen to it on the radio. It’s hard to believe that a ranked team in 2011 is not being broadcast anywhere. While the fans were left confused, the team seemed equally off. I was unable to watch the game, like everyone outside of the arena, but it didn’t sound good. The team seemed to miss easy shots and struggled to get their offense going. You have to figure that the team’s concentration wasn’t there after a tough few days with a sexual assault case hanging over them.

It wouldn’t feel right to pretend to break down a game that I didn’t watch, so the stats and the sounds are what I have to go off. After being up 51-41 with 8:55 left, the the Cardinal went on a 12-0 run that they couldn’t seem to stop. A late three pointed from Scott Suggs was the only thing that kept UW in the game during the waning minutes. Justin Holiday went to the line, down two, with a few seconds left and couldn’t hit the first free-throw which then forced him to intentionally miss the next. Stanford got the rebound but traveled immediately to turn it over and the Huskies were five 1.2 seconds to tie it down 56-58. The desperation shot missed as it had all night. Let’s take a look at how the team performed during the loss.

Positive:

  • Aziz N’diaye – He had 11 rebounds in 20 minutes against a smaller team. His offense continues to need work as he missed an easy shot late (or so I heard). Still, you can’t judge a new player off of one miss and I still feel like he needs to be on the floor to close games.
  • Rebounding – It was a great night on the board. The Huskies won the board-battle 33-26 on the road. You can’t argue with that.
  • Isaiah Thomas – While for him it was only an okay game, he won’t be to blame for this loss. His 14 points, and 7 assists helped create whatever offense was audible. He did have 4 turnovers to match, though.
  • Justin Holiday – Take it to the bank. Holiday will always put up a respectable line. He continues to stuff the stats with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, but it obviously wasn’t his best. His missed free throw will haunt me.

Negative:

  • MBA – How does he only take 5 shots? Did Josh Owens shut him down that hard? Who was guarding him? MBA is a player that you have to watch in order to grade. He had 8 points and 7 rebounds but I wouldn’t hear his name for multiple possessions in a row. It’s just a head-scratcher.
  • Venoy Overton – Now, more than ever, we need Venoy to be playing his best. It seems shocking that he only played 20 minutes, but with only 2 points shooting 1-5, maybe it was the right choice. He needs to step up like a senior and help this team win when the game is close.
  • Turnovers- 11 assists to 14 turnovers. That is uncharacteristic of this Husky team. While the absence of Gaddy was unnoticeable against the Oregon schools, it sounded like they desperately needed his patience and offense-running capabilities. Who would have guessed, before the season, that the Huskies strongest position(point guard) would become it’s Achilles heel.
  • Ross and Wilcox – They went, a combined, 2-11 from the field. Ross did chase down 4 rebounds, but they both continue to be hit-or-miss each game (no pun intended). What will be the answer here? Suggs continues to be the most consistent of the three, but Ross and Wilcox have the most upside. They have to find their stroke and keep it.
  • Three-pointers – The team went 8-26. Another early strength, the Huskies have gone cold from deep. They are taking smart shots but they just aren’t falling. Infuriating both to watch and listen to.

Aftermath:

They have to have a short memory. They can’t let this effect their next few games and brush it off as an off night. The Cal game becomes a “must win” with Arizona waiting for them next Thursday. The point guard spot seriously worries me going forward, but the other problems seem fixable. IT continues to play well, but the lack of ball handlers on the bench is worrisome.

You have to assume that their was a lack of concentration as the police investigation is looming large over their heads. Romar has to get the team to rally around each other and use this as an opportunity to grow as a team. They can’t let it become their downfall. Let’s hope that the Huskies find their groove against a Cal team that is rebuilding. Let’s hope.

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The Final 20 Days & Wednesday Morning Links

October 28, 2009 in Uncategorized by Themod | No comments

Husky Hallway copyEvery great journey begins with a single step. The long offseason is nearing its end. There are huge shoes to fill at Hec Ed, and now it’s almost time for this group of Huskies to step up.

Can you tell that I’m excited?

A couple of links this morning:

Here’s Rivals.com’s Pac-10 preview, picking Cal to win the league, and Quincy Pondexter as its most underrated player.

Percy Allen blogged about Lorenzo Romar’s press conference yesterday, and reported that Tyreese Breshers will be ready to start the season, but not at 100%. He also reported that Justin Holiday should be ready for the November 13th opener against Wright State.

Here’s the Times story on Breshers’ journey back to health.

UW’s website did a preview of the team’s guards.

And, it isn’t Husky-related, but this article should be required reading for anyone who’s ever thought of saying “I can’t” when faced with a steep challenge (read: all of us).

Tomorrow: An interview you’re not going to want to miss.

Coming up soon: The Montlake Madness Pac-10 Preview. We’ll preview the players and teams likely to make the most noise in the conference this season.

Thanks for coming!

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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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Justin Holiday Speaks to Montlake Madness

October 16, 2009 in Uncategorized by Themod | 4 comments

Justin Holiday on offense copyAs those of you who have been reading Montlake Madness for a while know, Justin Holiday is our favorite Husky. We love his attention to defense. We think he’s got a ridiculous amount of offense just waiting to show itself. We feel very strongly about this.

So, we were thrilled to get a chance to speak with him recently. Here’s what we discussed:

Montlake Madness: I know you’re still a few weeks away, but first of all, how you feeling?

Justin Holiday: Good.

MM: Are you gonna release a Q-Walk video? The fans really want to see one. What do you think?

JH: I mean we might. We always make videos and stuff like that. We might.

MM: Obviously, Jrue’s (Justin’s brother, Jrue Holiday) year at UCLA turned out well for him, getting drafted in the first round. But, did he ever express that he maybe wished he came to UW and played for a year with you instead?

JH: I don’t know about being here for a year, but he would always love to play with me. Same with me. But, as far as going there and any regrets, there wasn’t nothing like that.

MM: Let’s talk about the Purdue game (in last year’s NCAA Tournament). All season you were playing double-digit minutes, and then you were close to your season low (five minutes) against Purdue. Did you ever talk to Coach about why that happened?

JH: I mean, at the time, me and Coach did talk about it. And what he said was the way Purdue was playing us — you know me, obviously, the way I was playing wasn’t too aggressive on offense — when they were on defense they weren’t really guarding me, so that’s what he said. I mean, maybe I should played different all year, but I mean, I did what I did to help the team.

MM: What about this year? Are you coming in more aggressive on the offensive end?

JH: I have to. I mean, if you’re going to play at the next level you have to show that you can play offense.

MM: And that’s the goal, to play at the next level?

JH: Oh, yeah.

MM: What’s a successful year stat-wise?

JH: That’s the thing, I never really looked at how much I averaged or anything like that, but maybe ten points, ten to twelve, things like that. That’s a good year. I mean, even just being looked at from a league perspective. But, I still have to keep my defensive game. I can’t lose that.

Thanks for coming!

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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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Morning Links: Justin Holiday’s Hernia!

October 7, 2009 in Uncategorized by Themod | No comments

Justin surgery copyScroll down for our interview with Byron Wesley, a class of 2011 guy Scout.com and Rivals.com list as a UW target, but he tells us differently.

Jon Brockman had his first (preseason) game as a King last night: 4 pts, 6 reb, 4 fouls in about 18 minutes. Here’s the box score.

Percy Allen has a great interview with Justin Holiday today in which Justin reveals that he had hernia surgery two weeks ago, leaving him doubtful for the open practice on October 16th. Themod has some personal experience with this particularly injury, which came at the time I was about Justin’s age. It took several months before I stopped feeling tentative running or even thought about jumping. Granted, I wasn’t a Pac-10 baller, but here’s hoping Justin’s body recovers faster than mine, because, of course, we’ve got nothing but love for Justin.

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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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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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Monday Mini-post #2: Justin Holiday Video

August 31, 2009 in Uncategorized by Themod | 8 comments

justin vs UCLA copyHere’s a video interview with Justin Holiday that I found. On a trip to LA to work with kids from his hometown, Justin stopped to talk to a reporter who seemed much more interested in discussing his brother Jrue, who will be a rookie in the NBA this year with the Philadelphia 76ers.

You don’t get the feeling that the interviewer is really familiar with Justin (he refers to him as a point guard). But still cool to hear from Justin, and hear him admit his interest in one day playing in the NBA. It’s not like this is really a surprise for anyone playing at this level, but obviously Justin isn’t on most NBA radars yet, and I like to see confidence from a player I think should show some more primacy on the court next year.

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