UW Hoops wins opener in Greece

Published 9:40 pm Thursday, August 30, 2007

I just got into Syracuse for Friday’s football game and got an email saying the UW basketball team won its first game in Greece.

The Huskies beat a team called Ment Thessaloniki 93-81 in the first of their five games on the trip.

Jon Brockman led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds, but the bigger news from the game was the strong performances by the three players who missed last season. Joe Wolfinger, who missed all of last season with a foot injury and was the biggest question mark going into the trip, scored 17 points and had six rebounds. Joel Smith, who also sat out with a foot injury last season, had seven points and seven rebounds, and reportedly threw down a big dunk in the final minute of the game.

Tim Morris, who had to sit out last season after transferring from Stanford, added 10 points and nine rebounds.

I for one have no clue as to how good Ment Thessaloniki is, but getting solid play out of those three right off the bat has to be a good sign. Wolfinger’s performance is especially encouraging for the Huskies, as he was limited in practice leading up to the trip, and it was unclear just how much he would be able to play.

Check back Friday for updates from the Carrier Dome