UW’s Dickerson questionable to play against Arizona
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, February 5, 2019
By Percy Allen / The Seattle Times
SEATTLE — Last season they were “Tougher Together.”
This season, the Washington men’s basketball team’s motto is “Ready for Anything.”
That belief could soon be tested and the Huskies may need to discover if they’re ready to continue their 11-game winning streak without their all-Pac-12 forward.
Noah Dickerson, who sprained his right ankle early last Saturday, is questionable for Thursday’s game when Washington (18-4, 9-0 Pac-12) tries to snap a four-game losing streak Arizona (14-8, 5-4).
“He’s been day-to-day,” Washington coach Mike Hopkins said. “It’s been a little tender for him. He was on the court (Monday), but wasn’t able to (practice). He got some water work and some treatment.
“And we’ll see. It’s day-to-day. … We obviously need him and want him, but it’s next man up if he can’t play.”
Hopkins has two options to fill the vacancy in the starting lineup if Dickerson is unavailable: Dominic Green or Sam Timmins.
In terms of weapons, it’s the difference between choosing a rifle or a sledgehammer.
Green, a 6 foot, 6 inch senior sharp-shooter, has started five times during his UW career, including twice this season.
When Dickerson sat out a 91-73 exhibition win at Nevada, Green replaced him and finished with 12 points, connecting on 4 of 5 3-pointers.
Green, who averages 7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 23.1 minutes, is second on the team in 3-point attempts (4.8 per game) and 3-pointers made (1.7 per game).
“When Dom is on, we’re a different team,” Hopkins said weeks ago noting UW is 17-2 over the past two seasons when Green makes at least two 3-pointers in a game. “Because you have to defend him, he stretches the defense and opens things up for everybody else.”
Meanwhile, Timmins works exclusively inside.
The 6-foot-11 junior stepped in for Dickerson in the second half and had his best game of the season last Saturday when he finished with a season-high nine points, six rebounds and three blocks against the Bruins.
Timmins played a season-high 24 minutes, which was a stark departure from the previous game when he logged just two minutes while Dickerson dominated USC last Thursday.
“Noah is killing it, so how can I be upset when Noah is out there doing what he was doing,” Timmins said. “My goal is to be a part of a championship team. So when I see Noah out there killing like that I’m more than happy to let him do his thing and be ready when the team needs me.”
Timmins started all 34 games last season for a 21-win UW team and made five starts early this season.
However, he lost his starting job to sophomore forward Hameir Wright and Timmins has been inconsistent in his new role off the bench.
He’s averaging 2.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 10.8 minutes while shooting 33.3 percent from the field — all career lows.
“Sammy has been a guy who has came in and given us great minutes,” Hopkins said. “If it’s a minute in a game, if it’s 30 minutes in a game if it’s a start, he’s just playing great defense. Great attitude.
“And he’s playing with a lot of confidence right now, which is huge for us as we move forward.”
Hopkins didn’t rule out Dickerson’s return and said he will make the trip to Arizona. The Huskies were hoping Dickerson would be able to get in a practice, but the final decision on his availability may not be determined before the Thursday’s pregame warmups.
Dickerson, a four-year starter, has missed only one game in the past two seasons and has been remarkably durable for an undersized post player.
At 6-8, Dickerson is Washington’s best low-post scorer, averaging 12.7 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 56.8 percent from the field.
A year ago, Dickerson had perhaps the best game of his college career during Washington’s 78-75 win over then-No. 9 Arizona.
It was Green who hit the unforgettable game-winning 3-pointer as time expired, but Dickerson led the way while outplaying Wildcats center DeAndre Ayton, who was taken No. 1 overall in the 2018 NBA draft.
Dickerson finished with 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting while Ayton tallied 19 points and 12 rebounds.
“When you lose a guy the caliber of Noah, you’re losing a guy who is arguably the best low-post scorer in our league,” Hopkins said. “A guy that people fear and try to play around. But you’re going to have to have more (four players on the perimeter), more movement. Both Hameir and Sammy have been really good defensively and that would be an area that we might be a little bit better.”
Arizona is also dealing with the loss of freshman guard Brandon Williams, who is out indefinitely because of a right knee injury and will not play this week.
Williams has been Arizona’s leading scorer in Pac-12 games, averaging 13.8 points and 3.5 assists in conference play. For the season, he’s averaging 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and has a 2.2-1 assist-turnover ratio.
“At this time of the year, injuries become a part of the storyline the more you get into the season and teams start to break down,” Hopkins said last week. “I like our depth. I like the fact that we have nine guys who can start.
“You’ve seen different guys step up for us already this season and we’ll need more of that the rest of the way.”
