ESPNU to broadcast Husky basketball event

SEATTLE — Fans of the University of Washington men’s basketball team will get their first look at the nationally ranked squad tonight.

So will the rest of the country.

The Huskies, who have appeared in several preseason polls, will hold a public exhibition tonight at the conclusion of the UW-UCLA volleyball match at Hec Edmondson Pavilion.

The event is slated to start somewhere around 7:45 p.m. but is being billed as “Midnight Madness” by ESPNU, which will televise the event.

“It’s going to be fun,” said sophomore guard Isaiah Thomas, one of three returning starters on the defending Pac-10 champions. “I’ve seen Louisville and Carolina and all them on TV, and now it’s us. I can’t wait.”

The event commemorates the unofficial start of basketball practices, although the first real workout will be held on Saturday. Tonight’s session, which is open to the public, is more like a showcase. It will include a skit, a dunk contest, a 3-point shooting contest and a short scrimmage as the program re-introduces stars such as Thomas and forward Quincy Pondexter while introducing star freshman Abdul Gaddy and two other newcomers to fans both far and wide.

“I think it’s great,” head coach Lorenzo Romar said of the nationally televised event. “That’s one of the reason the guys came here to this school, to play on the big stage and to get exposure and to have great experience, a great college experience at the University of Washington, and that’s all part of it.”