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<< Previous   of   Next >> Danny Moloshok / Associated Press  (click to enlarge) Washington’s Darnell Gant (center) and Matthew Bryan-Amaning defend James Harden during a game last season. With solid guard play, Gant and Bryan-Amaning need to pick up their play inside.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 Huskies’ post play still taking shape UW big men have yet to distinguish themselves By Scott M. Johnson Herald Writer SEATTLE — To a man, they’ll all tell anyone who will listen that the numbers didn’t matter. Never mind that the University of Washington’s unofficial debut, last week’s 77-48 win over Division II Central Washington, included eight points on 3-for-12 shooting from the Huskies’ two interior starters. Those numbers give no reason for alarm, coach Lorenzo Romar and starting post players Darnell Gant and Matthew Bryan-Amaning said Tuesday. “That game was really difficult to gauge,” Romar said of a contest that also saw UW outrebound the visiting Wildcats 59-54. “(The Central Washington players) weren’t really big and played zone almost the entire game. They didn’t hurt us inside.” But after the Huskies’ performance in last week’s exhibition at Bank of America Arena, the question about how UW will replace Jon Brockman still has yet to be answered. While Gant and Bryan-Amaning each had 10 rebounds in the game, they’re still trying to shake their label as extras to the feature performances of UW’s high-profile backcourt. While Isaiah Thomas, Venoy Overton and star freshman Abdul Gaddy get all the headlines as being among of the nation’s best guard lineups, it’s the Huskies’ frontline that may be the difference in defending last season’s Pacific-10 Conference title. “We have a lot to prove,” said Gant, a 6-foot-8 sophomore who averaged 3.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game as a full-time starter last season. “The focus is on Isaiah, Abdul and Venoy, but you can’t really count us out. We’re a big part of the team as well. … Nobody’s over anybody. We all play a vital part of this team.” Romar has yet to tab Gant and Bryan-Amaning as this year’s starters. In fact, he said Tuesday that redshirt freshman Tyrese Breshers has been so impressive while recovering from a leg injury that “it would be hard not to start him.” But, after the transfer of 7-foot Joe Wolfinger and the graduation of 6-8 Artem Wallace, the Huskies’ two tallest scholarship players are Gant and the 6-9 Bryan-Amaning. So, it’s safe to assume that the team will look up to them in regards to post play — especially with Brockman gone and playing in the NBA. “Obviously, losing a guy like Jon is a big loss,” Bryan-Amaning said. “But I always feel like we’ve got the pieces to do a lot of damage in this league.” Bryan-Amaning looked like a future star early last season. In nine appearances before conference play began, he averaged 9.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 59.6 percent from the field. In Pac-10 play, those numbers dropped to 3.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 38.2 field-goal shooting. Bryan-Amaning said Tuesday that his dip in numbers were the result of a lack of conditioning caused by a leg injury early in the 2008-09 season. “I’m not worried about that,” he said. “I was hurt early in the season, and once I started to get my legs back, I picked it up.” Much of Bryan-Amaning’s early success last season came against inferior opponents; he averaged 17.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game in wins over Texas Southern, Portland State and Montana. That wasn’t the case in the exhibition win, during which Bryan-Amaning had just two points on 1-for-6 shooting. “It was just a matter of picking your spots and learning to play together,” he said of the win over CWU. Gant, who redshirted in 2007-08, was a role player last season. He’s trying to be more assertive this year. “Jon’s not here anymore, so Matt and I and Tyrese have to hold down the court while he’s gone,” Gant said, referring to Brockman. “I’ve made rebounding a goal for me. ... Who knows whether I’ll get 10 rebounds in every game, but I have to make that a goal. “I’m making rebounding a focus. That’s something I can control.” The most physical rebounder the Huskies have is Breshers. The 6-foot-7, 255-pounder is recovering from an injury that kept him out last season, but the Huskies have high hopes for him. He will ease his way into the rotation, from about 12 to 15 minutes off the bench to a possible starting role. Romar said that Breshers probably won’t be in full game shape until conference play begins in January. The entire team is eager to see what the redshirt freshman can add inside. “He’s kind of like a Brockman out there, a younger Brockman,” said Thomas, a 5-foot-8 guard who was the Huskies’ leading scorer last season. “He’s not afraid of contact. He’s going to hit some people. “I can’t wait until he gets back to 100 percent. It’s going to be fun to see him.” And the Huskies can’t wait to see their frontcourt perform when the real games begin this Friday. “I don’t think a lot’s going to drop off in rebounding just because we’ve got the athletic bodies,” Thomas said. “I just think the biggest thing they need to work on is finishing easy baskets.” READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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