We’re giving it the old college try at Montlake Madness. Trying to do what, you ask? Can you blame us for trying not to focus ONLY on the tiring will-he?/wont-he? Terrence Jones sage. Staff Writer Craig Yamada takes a deeper look at Terrence Ross, who we KNOW is coming to the UW (assuming he qualifies academically).
by Craig Yamada – Staff Writer
With all the drama over the past week, it’s been easy to forget that we received a huge commitment last Friday from Terrence Ross. This was a huge get for Romar and Montlake is buzzing about the potential that T-Ross brings to this team. And it has been said, and I will say it again: “Big Ups to T-Ross for rockin’ the UW gear at the press conference. We are glad to have you.”
Let’s Meet Terrence Ross:
Height = 6’5”
Position = SG, SF
High School = Jefferson HS (Portland, OR) / Montrose Christian (Rockville, MD)
- 2008 Oregon 5A Player of the Year as a sophomore for Jefferson HS
- 2009 First Team All-Metro for Montrose Christian
- Averaged 13.5 ppg in 2009 for Montrose Christian
- #3 Ranked HS shooting guard in the Nation (#26 overall per Scout)
When did he sign his LOI with UW?
As many speculated, he signed on his recruiting visit to the UW on Monday two weeks ago. He tried to keep it under wraps so he could surprise everyone at the press conference. He said on KJR this week that he has “wanted to come to UW for over a month.”
What does T-Ross bring to the Dawgs?
He is what I would term a “complete package” when it comes to a shooting guard. He is renowned for his range from the arc, but according to Coach Romar has evolved his game “[by] developing more of a mid-range game as opposed to just being a stand–still shooter.” Romar also noted that his rebounding skills have greatly improved. From the film I have seen on him, he possesses the athleticism to create his own shot and can be explosive in transition.
How will he fit into rotation?
It has been said that Ross will be battling CJ Wilcox for playing time as they have been termed similar players. Romar claims that Ross “is more athletic”, but Wilcox may have a slight edge in quickness. I can see him playing the back-up roll to Justin Holiday as the season opens at the 3-spot. If Ross is able to develop his game and learn Romar’s offensive and defensive schemes, I can see Ross breaking into the starting lineup as the season progresses. I’d imagine Suggs and Wilcox will be battling it out for time at the 2-spot behind IT.
What is his academic situation?
Romar said he will be attending the bridge program at UW beginning July 13th and feels confident Ross will have no issues getting into school.
Can we finally say we have gotten quality from Oregon recruiting?
Yes. After Oregon lured local talent such as Aaron Brooks and Luke Ridnour in years past, UW is now on the receiving end of the stick. Ross is easily the most talented player we have gotten from Oregon thus far. We hope he is the first of many (Jones and Tebutt, come on down).
Are we overloaded at the guard position?
That very well could be the case, but as Romar said yesterday, “It’s a good problem to have.” Not convinced? Let’s jump into the Hot Tub Time Machine and go back to 2005 when UW gained the #1 seed in the Big Dance. We were loaded up with talent in the backcourt and it turned out quite nicely for us. If the season started today, let’s see how past and present teams stack up against each other in terms of personnel:
PG: Will Conroy (04/05), Abdul Gaddy Venoy Overton (10/11)
SG: Nate Robinson, Tre Simmons, Brandon Burmeister, Alex Johnson (04/05), Isaiah Thomas, C.J. Wilcox, Scott Suggs (10/11)
SG/SF: Brandon Roy (04/05), Terrence Ross (10/11)
SF: Bobby Jones, Zane Potter (04/05), Justin Holiday, Desmond Simmons (10/11)
PF: Mike Jensen, Hans Gasser (04/05), Darnell Gant, Brendan Sherrer (10/11)
PF/C: Jamaal Williams, Hakeem Rollins (04/05), Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Tyreese Breshers (10/11)
C: Anthony Washington, Ben Devoe (04/05), Aziz N’Diaye (10/11)
And yes, we would still “love to add one more,” for this season, but if the season started today, UW should be confident and excited about the team we are fielding next year. We have the most talent and depth than we have had in a long time (if ever).
Welcome to the family T-Ross, we are expecting great things from you.
Thanks for coming! Which team do YOU think looks better on paper? Let us know below.
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Tags: Craig Yamada
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interesting poll! definitely have seen the UW bench attract more athletic/skilled players of late than we had in the “Brandon Roy” era.
Zane Potter, Brandon Burmeister, Alex Johnson, Hans Gasser, Curtis Allen, Anthony Washington, Hakeem Rollins, Mike Jensen, (wasn’t Joel Smith in the mix too?) . . . would any of these guys get much PT on the current team? I loved these guys, came through school with these guys, but I think if i was captaining a pickup game I’d take the 09/10 or 10/11 reserves all days of the week.
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My Favorite thing about Terrance Ross other than his decisiveness? That he CHOSE to enter into a highly competitive situation and not into a situation where he is guaranteed a starting spot or huge minutes. I like it!
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That was the 2004/2005 team, not 2005/2006. And Curtis Allen was on neither of those teams, he graduated in 2004.
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good catch. I got that roster from a bad link. It was the 04 team
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I think this is a closer question than the poll results would suggest.
The 2005/06 team definitely has the current squad beat by a pretty good margin when it comes to outside shooting (proven ability to do it consistently that is), but it’s easy to forget how thin they were in the front court. Neither of the guys listed at center really even played. (Was Anthony Washington still on the team at that point?) Hakeem Rollins was really the only guy who saw the floor remotely resembling a center. Then you had Jamaal Williams doing a pretty good Charles Barkley impression and Mike Jensen played well at times but seems to get remembered more for the times he didn’t (UConn). They also have an experienced true point guard in Conroy, who is still athletic enough to guard IT/Venoy.
The current squad is more athletic, Nate Rob/Roy notwithstanding, and has a lot more depth. Current squad also has more in the front court, speculating that N’Diaye is as advertised and MBA will take that last big step, as I think he will.
I voted for the 05/06 team. I think they get a boost in voters’ eyes b/c they really are responsible for endearing us to Husky Bball to begin with, kind of like the ’95 Mariners. (How do vote against Conroy/Roy/Robinson/Simmons?!) Still, my vote would probably have to change if Terrence Jones inked. (Knock on wood.)
Interesting post/debate. Wish I could actually watch that game.
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I think it’s an interesting question to ask, but I think the current roster has the 04/05 team beat or tied at every position except for SG (Nate Robinson). Think about it for a second:
PG: Conroy was great, but the Venoy/Gaddy combo presents a level of speed/defense/athleticism that Conroy did not have. Conroy did, however score at a far greater level, but he had to because of the lack of front court scoring. Advantage – ’10/’11 (slightly)
SG: I just rewatched the 2004 game, on UWTV, against OSU and it’s easy to forget how dominate Nate Rob was. Isaiah may be the best player on this current team, but Nate Rob’s skills were (and still are) unmatched. Craig, I love you and all, but how can you forget Tre Simmons? He made 80 3′s while shooting 41%. Ouch. Advantage – ’04/’05
SF: Remember, Brandon Roy didn’t even start for the ’04/’05 team and only averaged around 12 points. Justin Holiday is the most destructive defensive presence of the last decade and Bobby Jones averaged 11 and 5. Holiday could easily average that this year, not to mention his defensive upgrade. Include the Ross/Wilcox combo here and you could see this position equal the 23 pts plus greater defense. Advantage – ’10/’11
PF/C: On a Romar team (that doesn’t consist of Hawes) you have to consider these positions together. So it’s basically Jensen/Williams/Rollins vs. MBA/Breshers/Gant/N’diaye. This isn’t even CLOSE! The 04/05 team averaged 19 pts COMBINED! MBA will be around 15 next year alone. The funniest part is the defensive difference may be even LARGER! There’s going to be block party down low this year, and we’re all invited. HUGE Advantage – ’10/’11 (that’s PF and C)
Add it up: ’04/’05: 1, ’10/’11: 4.
If this current team “adds one more” then it’s going to be landslide victory for them. My vote was obviously for this current team.
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Sorry Craig, I guess I didn’t see Tre in your original post. I knew you were better than that.
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Griffin, I like your ‘block party down low’ turn of phrase. Especially if we land you know who. Just think- MBA, Aziz, Brashears, Holiday and You Know Who. The Fly Swat Squad….bit of a tongue twister.
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Griffin – no worries… I would never forget about Tre. His real name “Chester” is too cool to forget.
I think a lot of people are voting for the 04 team based on how well most of these players performed after the 04-05 season and into the NBA, as opposed to how that team played that specific year. Who can blame them though, that team was my favorite team of all time.
All things considered, the 04-05 team has a more talented starting five. However, the 10-11 team has twice as much depth. Long gone are the days where we have 4-5 guys on the bench that never play. We could go 11 deep next year.
My dream is that we get so talented that Lo Ro runs a hockey style offense and just yells “LINE CHANGE” and a fresh five players go in there to change up the pace of the game. Possible no?
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props for getting brendan sherrer into the conversation
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Craig,
Great article about Terrence Ross and bringing some attention to this talented young man. There’s been so much panic and attention on Terrence Jones that we almost forget that we signed a top 30 recruit who would have probably been a McDonald’s all-american if he didn’t have to skip his senior year of highschool basketball. Also good job to Romar for getting him.
I especially enjoyed the section of your article focusing on taking back some talent from Oregon after they took some away from us years ago (Aaron Brooks and Luke R). As for Terrence Ross welcome to the family, go Huskies! Keep up the good work Craig.
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Can’t wait to yell out “Terrence LIKE A ROSS” at Hec Ed this year. This team is going to be a lot of fun to watch.
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Maybe we will soon welcome Terrence Jones to the UW family. The Cavs and Celtics game 6 had a rippling effect to the University of Washington. There’s already speculation and predictions that Lebron James will go to Chicago to play with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. It makes sense playing with a big man and dominant point guard. They have a coaching vacancy so why not hire Coach Cal with his ties to Lebron and Derrick Rose? Goodbye Kentucky and hello Chicago for coach Cal, how could coach Cal pass that up? Goodbye Kentucky hello University of Washington for Terrence Jones. Even though I think Jones would still pick UW anyways even if Coach Cal were to be at Kentucky it will just make his decision easier if and when Coach Cal leaves. My two cents if it’s worth even that.
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Hope you are right Greg.
Calipari just tweeted: “I want to address this with the Big Blue Nation one last time, I will be coaching at Kentucky next year. Now let’s finish what we started!”
Take it for what it’s worth. Memphis fans know this kind of talk all to well. UK fans sound confident he will be back next year however. But until the NBA teams fill their head coaching vacancies, no one will sleep easy in Lexington.
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