SEATTLE — Before the start of this basketball season, the talk was that Quincy Pondexter was set for a breakout season.
The 6-foot-6 sophomore forward believed he was ready to become a go-to scorer for the Huskies, and so did his coaches. Washington fans, who last season saw flashes of the potential that made some wonder if Pondexter would leave for the NBA after one season, though he could be the difference maker on a team looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
So far, that hasn’t happened. Pondexter was removed from the starting lineup eight games into the season as Lorenzo Romar made defense his team’s primary focus. After averaging 10.7 points last year, Pondexter’s scoring has dropped slightly, as he comes into tonight’s game against Stanford averaging 9.1 points.
At times, Pondexter shows flashes of being unstoppable on offense, while other times he seems tentative and unsure of himself.
But before Husky fans pile the criticism on Pondexter for not living up to the hype, just know that he is plenty hard on himself already.
“I feel like a real disappointment to myself and my team,” he said. “I’m disappointed I’m not helping us win more.”
Few people expected more of Pondexter this year than Pondexter, and clearly the weight of his and others’ expectations is starting to get to him. He freely admits that this year hasn’t been what he hoped it would be, but he also hopes people will give him time to develop.
“I think sometimes people forget that I’m still 19,” he said. “I’m still working on the little things, rebounding, playing better defense. I still feel like I’m getting better.”
Pondexter said part of the problem is that he hasn’t been assertive enough, deferring too often to teammates.
“I’ve been passive a lot,” he said. “I feel like it’s not my team, not my time.”
The silver lining to a disappointing season is that there is still plenty of time for Pondexter to live up to his potential. As the last remaining member of his heralded recruiting class — Spencer Hawes left for the NBA and Adrian Oliver and Phil Nelson both transferred — Pondexter seems like he’s been at Washington for a long time, but in reality he is only 20 games into his second year of college basketball.
“The culture the way it is now, if you’re not doing it Day One, maybe you can’t do it,” Romar said. “That’s wrong. He is a sophomore. He’s halfway through his sophomore year and his game is being molded to where he can become a heck of a player.”
Romar said he has seen growth in Pondexter, especially since Washington’s Jan. 12 loss to USC. Pondexter made just four of 14 shot attempts that game, missing several shots around the basket, but started to assert himself on offense.
While some players like USC’s O.J. Mayo and UCLA’s Kevin Love thrive right away, others take time to develop in college basketball.
“Brandon Roy was not doing what he was doing when he was a sophomore,” Romar said. “Bobby Jones was nowhere near an NBA player halfway through his sophomore year, but he kept working and kept working. The culture is people feel almost like an old maid. Why are you still in school?”
Romar recalled talking to Illinois coach Bruce Webber about the Huskies’ Roy, then a senior, after Washington beat the Illini in the 2006 NCAA tournament.
“He made a comment after we played them and said, ‘I have no idea why he’s still in school,’ like it was a bad thing,” Romar said. “The message is that if you’re not getting it done your freshman and sophomore year, maybe you’re not that good of a player, but that’s not true. Maybe you just haven’t fully developed yet.”
And while Pondexter continues to develop he knows there are going to be growing pains and tough games. When he gets down, he said his first call is to his father Roscoe, a star at Long Beach State in the 1970s.
“Just to be patient,” Roscoe Pondexter tells his son, though he could just as easily be giving that advice to Husky fans. “Just be patient and enjoy the college life as much as you can. Try not to take things so personally, don’t be in a rush. Keep having faith and keep working hard.”
Pondexter tries to always take his dad’s advice, and hopes that hard work will eventually result in him living up to the hype.
It just may take a little bit longer than he and everyone else expected.
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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