Published: Saturday, February 4, 2012
UW's Terrence Ross saves his best for last
SEATTLE -- Don't cry for Terrence Ross.
Twenty minutes into tonight's game against USC, he'll probably have around four points after another quiet first half. The University of Washington's uber-talented sophomore likely will be just a bit player, as he so often is in first halves.
Don't cry for him. You have to know what's coming.
In what can only be described as a maddeningly satisfying pattern of taking over games in the second half, Ross has become as predictable as any player in the Pac-12.
"The second half is when you have to put it all on the line," said Ross, who hasn't had more than four first-half points in any of UW's past four home games but has averaged better than 18 points in the second halves of those games. "You've got to give it everything you have, like you're not going to play tomorrow or the next day. It's just effort and determination."
In UW's past four home games, including another rags-to-riches story on the way to 22 points in Thursday night's 71-69 win over UCLA, Ross has averaged 3.0 points per first half while scoring at a clip of 18.3 points per game after intermission.
To hear Ross tell it, the predictable turnaround is simply about getting comfortable -- both to the game and to opposing defenders.
"Me being quiet in the first half and not really doing much kind of makes the defender relax," he said after Thursday night's second-half outburst. "When I do decide to go at them, it's easier for me because they're not applying the same pressure."
Teammates say it goes deeper than that.
"The thing about Terrence that people sleep on is he just has a will to win," senior Darnell Gant said of UW's 6-foot-6 sophomore. "He might be quiet to everybody else, but the things I catch him saying in the locker room, and the things we talk about personally, he really has a will to win. He hates losing. So in the second half, I'm not surprised he does that. He always picks it up in the second half because he hates to lose."
Thursday night's game, for all its heroics, was actually a pretty standard performance for Ross. After laying in the weeds for 20 minutes -- he made two of four shots in the first half -- he exploded to make 7-of-8 after halftime. He scored 10 points in the final 6:21, making two 3-point fields and scoring on an incredible scoop shot while getting fouled. Along the way, the Huskies rallied from 10 points down to win.
"We went to our guy, Terrence Ross, and he carried us," teammate Abdul Gaddy said afterward. "... All he needs is one (basket) to get going. Once he got one shot down, I felt like it was a wrap."
Said coach Lorenzo Romar: "Terrence got that gleam in his eye, that look that forces you to get him the ball without saying a word. He came through on the offensive end, big-time."
It was a fairly typical performance for Ross, who tends to save his best for last.
"I just stayed patient. I didn't try rushing anything," Ross said. "I know that when I try to rush things or try to do too much, that's when I can really hurt the team and put it in the hole."
So if Ross is blending into the scenery at Hec Edmundson Pavilion again tonight, don't fret for his well-being. He'll almost certainly come around.
Ross might have just four points at the half against the struggling Trojans (6-17, 1-9), but teammates won't be worried.
"We know something's coming," Gant said. "He might go for 30 in the second half, we don't know. But he's more than capable."
Twenty minutes into tonight's game against USC, he'll probably have around four points after another quiet first half. The University of Washington's uber-talented sophomore likely will be just a bit player, as he so often is in first halves.
Don't cry for him. You have to know what's coming.
In what can only be described as a maddeningly satisfying pattern of taking over games in the second half, Ross has become as predictable as any player in the Pac-12.
"The second half is when you have to put it all on the line," said Ross, who hasn't had more than four first-half points in any of UW's past four home games but has averaged better than 18 points in the second halves of those games. "You've got to give it everything you have, like you're not going to play tomorrow or the next day. It's just effort and determination."
In UW's past four home games, including another rags-to-riches story on the way to 22 points in Thursday night's 71-69 win over UCLA, Ross has averaged 3.0 points per first half while scoring at a clip of 18.3 points per game after intermission.
To hear Ross tell it, the predictable turnaround is simply about getting comfortable -- both to the game and to opposing defenders.
"Me being quiet in the first half and not really doing much kind of makes the defender relax," he said after Thursday night's second-half outburst. "When I do decide to go at them, it's easier for me because they're not applying the same pressure."
Teammates say it goes deeper than that.
"The thing about Terrence that people sleep on is he just has a will to win," senior Darnell Gant said of UW's 6-foot-6 sophomore. "He might be quiet to everybody else, but the things I catch him saying in the locker room, and the things we talk about personally, he really has a will to win. He hates losing. So in the second half, I'm not surprised he does that. He always picks it up in the second half because he hates to lose."
Thursday night's game, for all its heroics, was actually a pretty standard performance for Ross. After laying in the weeds for 20 minutes -- he made two of four shots in the first half -- he exploded to make 7-of-8 after halftime. He scored 10 points in the final 6:21, making two 3-point fields and scoring on an incredible scoop shot while getting fouled. Along the way, the Huskies rallied from 10 points down to win.
"We went to our guy, Terrence Ross, and he carried us," teammate Abdul Gaddy said afterward. "... All he needs is one (basket) to get going. Once he got one shot down, I felt like it was a wrap."
Said coach Lorenzo Romar: "Terrence got that gleam in his eye, that look that forces you to get him the ball without saying a word. He came through on the offensive end, big-time."
It was a fairly typical performance for Ross, who tends to save his best for last.
"I just stayed patient. I didn't try rushing anything," Ross said. "I know that when I try to rush things or try to do too much, that's when I can really hurt the team and put it in the hole."
So if Ross is blending into the scenery at Hec Edmundson Pavilion again tonight, don't fret for his well-being. He'll almost certainly come around.
Ross might have just four points at the half against the struggling Trojans (6-17, 1-9), but teammates won't be worried.
"We know something's coming," Gant said. "He might go for 30 in the second half, we don't know. But he's more than capable."
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