SEATTLE – Washington basketball fans remember how when the Huskies began making their run to the postseason last year, Hakeem Rollins was at the center of it. Rollins was making big plays on defense, rebounding, giving the UW an inside presence.
That memory has helped make this year a disappointment. The 6-foot-7 senior has averaged just 2.5 points and 2.1 rebounds, though he does lead the team in blocks (14). On a team desperately in need of inside play, Rollins’ season has been one of frustration.
Which made Saturday all the more remarkable.
Rollins produced the two biggest plays of the game in Washington’s 93-85 victory over Arizona, one of the most important wins in the history of the program. For a guy playing his final home game, it couldn’t have been a more special ending.
“It’s just huge,” Rollins said. “The fans already make me feel a part of things, but to make two key plays to help your team win, in a game like this, it doesn’t get much better.”
Rollins had surgery in the offseason to relieve pain in his knee and didn’t come into the season in top shape. For a guy coming off of an NCAA Tournament game in which he had eight rebounds and four blocks, that wasn’t the start he wanted. While Rollins was a regular part of the Washington rotation, he averaged 14 minutes a game and started just once before Saturday.
Romar started Rollins on “Senior Day” and while it took a while, he came through for his coach. Rollins chased down a missed shot headed out of bounds, flipped it back onto the court to Nate Robinson and Robinson made a 3-pointer for an 80-74 lead. Then with 1:53 to go, Rollins jumped high for a rebound and banked in the putback for an 84-78 lead. Players and coaches agreed they were the plays of the game.
“We have pretty good shooters, but even they miss every now and again,” Rollins said. “I just got position.”
“Hakeem was huge for us today,” Will Conroy said. “He did some big things. His presence changed shots. I was glad to see that from him.”
“I just told Hakeem to play hard,” Robinson added. “Hakeem doesn’t say much, but when he does, it’s a mouth full.”
Indeed, Rollins, a biochemistry major, isn’t your typical Division I basketball player. He was offered a full academic scholarship by Arizona as a high school senior, and considered walking on to the basketball team. Instead, he enrolled at Mesa (Ariz.) Community College in his home town and led his league in scoring (24.8) in 2003 before transferring to Washington.
“He has not had the kind of senior year that he would have hoped for because of the injury,” Lorenzo Romar said. “But now, to come back and finish at home with a game like this can do nothing but boost his confidence.”
For Rollins, the only disappointment about Saturday was that his family could not be there. They were stuck with work commitments back in Arizona. But he said the fact that his big game came against a school he nearly attended made things all the more special.
“I’d say so,” Rollins said. “If I did it against Stanford, or Oregon or Oregon State, it would still be sweet. But given the circumstances, this was really big. I just feel really thankful that I could help the team win in such a big game, and in my last home game. That’s the most important thing.”
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