SEATTLE — Seven days had elapsed since the University of Washington men’s basketball season bottomed out and coach Lorenzo Romar admitted this had become the “toughest year since I’ve been here.”
And yet when the Huskies boarded a bus on the UW campus Tuesday afternoon and began their journey to Charlotte for the East Region of the 2011 NCAA tournament, that all seemed like a lifetime ago.
So much has changed in the last week that a spiraling season now appears back on track. And the Huskies’ goal of breaking through the Sweet 16 barrier is still there for the taking.
“We’re excited and happy to do this,” senior Justin Holiday said Tuesday as the players filed toward the bus with a couple dozen athletic department employees cheering them on. “I’ve been talking all day and all (Monday): ‘I can’t wait to play.’ It’s fun playing in the tournament atmosphere, so I’m ready to do this.”
The Huskies (23-10) will make their third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance on Friday night, when they face Georgia in a second-round game in Charlotte. Because of the travel and time change, the team left a day early.
Even those who have never been there before were chomping at the bit Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s not overwhelming, but it’s hard to believe that it’s happening so fast,” freshman Terrence Ross said Tuesday. “It’s a blessing to be in this situation. “… It’s crazy. It’s a lot of pressure, but you’ve still got to be focused and ready to go.”
The excitement is a world away from the emotions of last week, when UW’s season appeared to be in the balance.
This time last week, the Huskies were still reeling from the suspension of sixth man Venoy Overton, were wondering whether a concussion would also keep Holiday out of the Pac-10 tournament and were trying to figure out how to get back on track after losing six of their final 11 regular-season games. There were questions whether an opening-game loss in the Pac-10 tournament would knock UW out of a sure bid to the NCAA tournament.
But in about the time it took CBS commentator Gus Johnson to say “cold-blooded,” UW has turned its season around. And now the Huskies are streaking into an NCAA tournament for the second year in a row.
“We didn’t really know if we were in the NCAA tournament, and now we’re just happy and have a little confidence heading into the tournament,” said junior Isaiah Thomas, whose game-winning 3-pointer in the championship game of the Pac-10 tournament was called by Johnson. “We’re just ready for things to start up.”
With Overton back in uniform, Holiday getting closer to 100 percent and a three-game winning streak, the Huskies are flying high again.
What’s even more encouraging is the way they’ve done it. After going 0-6 in games decided by five points or fewer during the regular season, the Huskies got a pair of two-point victories — and plenty of heroes — during their three-day run to a Pac-10 tournament title.
“That shows the maturity of this team,” Thomas said of the recent last-second victories.
Despite the excitement, the Pac-10 tournament also took some of the air out of the Huskies. Thomas, who played two full games and all but 90 seconds of a third during the three-day tourney, was particularly worn out after last weekend.
On Tuesday, he said he’s still showing signs of fatigue.
“Every time I see a couch, I go to sleep,” he said before boarding the bus for the airport. “I can’t stay up. I don’t know what it is. Hopefully, it changes within the next couple of days. But every time I sit down, I fall asleep.”
With just two more rest days before Friday night’s game against Georgia, the Huskies are hoping Thomas finds his legs again soon.
“I’ll be ready by Friday,” he said with a grin, “hopefully.”
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