I haven’t had a whole lot of time to take in the University of Washington men’s basketball team this season, but now that the Seahawks’ season is over and the Mariners’ pre-spring training luncheon has been dealt with, I can maybe devote a little bit of my time to the Huskies. In that vein, I decided to sit down and watch the broadcast of Washington’s game against Arizona on Saturday afternoon.
It’s remarkable what the Huskies are doing this season, considering the disaster that was last season and the mass exodus that followed. Washington went into Saturday’s game with seven players averaging 20 or more minutes per game. Of those seven, six are newcomers — five freshmen and a junior college transfer. The only holdover is senior point guard Andrew Andrews.
It seems the scorched earth approach to the offseason and the clean start was exactly what coach Lorenzo Romar and the Huskies needed. Since making the NCAA tournament in 2011 Washington has been in a lull, hovering around .500 the past three seasons and triggering whispers that Romar’s job was in jeopardy. But a strong recruiting class bought Romar this season at least, and he and the Dawgs are making the most of it. Going into Saturday’s game against the 23rd-ranked Wildcats the Huskies were 15-7 and tied for second in the Pac-12 at 7-3.
If you haven’t had a chance to catch the Huskies, they’re well worth tuning in for. Freshman wing Dejounte Murray from Seattle’s Rainier Beach High School is athletic, has incredible body control and can seemingly get to the rim at will. Freshman power forward Marquese Chriss from Sacramento, Calif., is a smooth operator who has a tremendous quickness to his elevation. In many ways this team is reminiscent of Romar’s teams from mid 2000s, squads led by Brandon Roy. The Huskies are long, athletic, play fast and have dunks aplenty. They’re fun to watch.
But, of course, they’re also incredibly young, and against the senior-laded Wildcats that youth showed. Washington came out with all kinds of energy and built a quick lead. But then the Huskies, while continuing to play hard, got out of control at times, as young players tend to do, and the Wildcats methodically caught up and went ahead. It was close throughout the second half, but the veteran Wildcats edged the plucky Huskies 77-72.
I doubt this is Washington’s year. The Huskies have the talent, but they’re just a little young to have developed the temperament needed to be a championship contender. However, should they bring everyone back next season — I haven’t heard any sounds about someone like Murray declaring for the NBA draft, but you never know — next season could be special. Especially with McDonalds All-American point guard recruit Markelle Fultz, who was in attendance Saturday, joining in.
In the meantime, enjoy the show.
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