SEATTLE — As a test for his surgically-repaired left foot, Anthony Washington hopes to be able to jump off of it. It’s not happening yet, he said, but Washington isn’t worried.
"I’m a two-footed jumper, so it probably doesn’t have any significance," he said.
That’s good news for the 6-foot-9 center for the Washington Huskies as they start the season tonight against Portland State at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. The sophomore shot-blocking and rebounding specialist missed seven games last season, and Huskies’ opponents took advantage of his absence.
Virtually free to roam the middle, UW’s Pacific-10 Conference foes happily crashed the boards and out-rebounded the Huskies by nearly four a game.
That can’t happen this season, not the way second-year UW coach Lorenzo Romar wants the team to run other teams into the ground. The Huskies are built for speed, with sophomore guard Nate Robinson, junior guard Will Conroy and senior Curtis Allen likely leading a scorching fast break.
But speed is no good without the ball, and that job primarily falls on Washington, 6-8 Mike Jensen and 6-7 transfer Hakeem Rollins.
"We feel that our big players are quick and agile and mobile and strong," Romar said. "We feel like our guys are strong enough to defend or neutralize another strong center from another team and have the quickness and mobility to defend the position as well."
Although they finished 5-13 in conference play, 10-17 overall last season, the Huskies showed an identity of quickness and athleticism. In fact, it’s not a reach to say that this may be the quickest team in the Pac-10.
Whether that translates into victories remains to be seen. Washington opened three games with four freshmen and a sophomore, and the youth showed. Yes, Washington beat Stanford and Oregon, two teams that played in the NCAA Tournament, but also lost 10 games by 10 points or fewer, including three in overtime.
Those are the games Washington needs to win.
"We didn’t necessarily see success last year, but we have an idea," Washington said. "We know what we’ve got to do. We’ve got a year under our belts. Coach Romar has given us all the information we need to get us into a position to win. And we’ve got all the tools. That’s what’s giving us the confidence."
But it starts with the big guys. For himself, Washington wants to average double figures in rebounding.
"If we don’t rebound, we lose," he said. "We’ve taken it upon ourselves to go harder in practice. We’ve been beating each other up every day."
Notes: Washington guard Tre Simmons is unlikely to play tonight because of flu symptoms. Robinson has been slowed with a sore right ankle, but should play tonight. … Portland State’s best player is Seamus Boxley, a 6-foot-7 junior forward from Mountlake Terrace High School. Boxley redshirted last season because of a hand injury. He had surgery on it September 2002 and played five games. Continuing pain, however, led him to red shirt the season. As a sophomore, Boxley earned honorable-mention Big Sky Conference honors at 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds a game. He set a school record with 34 blocked shots. He averaged 21 points a game in two exhibition games this season.
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