SEATTLE — Last March, the Huskies were feeling pretty low having not only missed the NCAA Tournament, but also the National Invitation Tournament, otherwise known as college basketball’s consolation prize.
It seems fitting, then, that Washington can use another version of the NIT, the Season Tip-Off taking place in four cities, including Seattle, to start the journey back to national prominence. So when the Huskies kick off their season against New Jersey Institute of Technology (yes, that really is a Division I basketball team) at 8 p.m. tonight, they are hoping to start a season-long march towards redemption.
“I think we all thought we should have at least been in the NIT last year and should have been able to play after Pac-10s were over,” said junior forward Jon Brockman. “But we can’t blame it on other people. It was definitely our fault. We need to come in this year with a chip on our shoulder and not leave anything up to anyone else. We can’t leave it up to the committee where we’re a bubble team that might get in or might not. It can’t be anything like that. We’ve got to just be in no matter what.”
The consensus from the Huskies is that last year’s struggles and NIT snub are a big motivating factor for a team that made the NCAA Tournament in each of its previous three seasons.
“After what happened last year, we really have a big chip on our shoulder,” said junior guard Justin Dentmon.
And if last year’s disappointments aren’t enough to motivate the Huskies, then a perceived lack of respect this year ought to do the trick. In part because of their struggles last year, and in part because of the Pac-10’s strength, the Huskies were picked to finish eighth in the conference at Pac-10 media day earlier this month.
“We’re very under the radar right now,” said sophomore forward Quincy Pondexter, before cracking a big smile in a room full of reporters. “Some of you guys probably believe that we’re not that good, but I’ve seen it. I’ve seen what this team is capable of doing, and from last year to this year, not only individually but as a team collectively, we’ve made great strides. I feel like we’re going to be a team to watch in March.”
The Huskies feel like they can surprise people this season, much like Washington State did last year, but they admit they’re not where they need to be yet. With the departure of center Spencer Hawes to the NBA, the Huskies hope to play a more up-tempo style reminiscent of Lorenzo Romar-coached teams prior to last year’s. That means more pressure defense, and a premium on taking care of the ball. Two things Romar said his team still needs to do better.
“We’re not where we need to be yet,” he said of the team’s defense. “I think we’ll get there though, I really do. We’re not as far along as I thought defensively.”
As for the turnovers, Romar said that he doesn’t expect his team to never turn the ball over but that there have been “too many unforced turnovers, too many careless turnovers that we’ve got to cut down on.”
One of the culprits could be a large number of new faces on the court. In addition to four freshmen, the Huskies are adding three players back into the mix who all redshirted last season. Joel Smith and Joe Wolfinger both missed last year with foot injuries, while Tim Morris was forced to sit out a season after transferring from Stanford.
“We weren’t a team that had jelled yet at all,” Romar said of his team’s exhibition win over Seattle Pacific last week.
One of the biggest bright spots of an otherwise unimpressive win over SPU, however, was the play of one of Washington’s newcomers. Freshman point guard Venoy Overton came off the bench to score 16 points while playing a team-high 33 minutes. His play must have impressed Romar, because the Seattle native is expected to start tonight along with Brockman, Smith, Pondexter and Dentmon.
“When Venoy was in that game, I just felt like we had a better offensive flow,” Romar said. “He made the game easier for the other four guys. I always say, if you have a player that makes the game easier for the other four, and the coaches, you need to have that guy on the floor.”
When the Huskies get started tonight in the NIT Season Tip-Off, they’ll be looking to show that last season’s postseason shutout was a fluke. That new players like Overton and veterans like Brockman can provide the right mix to take the Huskies back to the NCAA tournament. Perhaps most importantly, the Huskies hope this is their only NIT appearance this season.
“Not making the tournament, we have a big chip on our shoulders,” said Smith. “We know we did that to ourselves so we have something to prove to ourselves more than anybody else.”
Contact Herald Writer John Boyle at jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on University of Washington sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com/huskiesblog
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