SEATTLE – University of Washington men’s basketball coach Lorenzo Romar said it’s the No. 1 question he was asked during the offseason: Given the Huskies’ newfound size, will the style of play change?
After all, you’ve got one of the nation’s top recruits in 7-footer Spencer Hawes, and a Wooden Award candidate in 6-7 power forward Jon Brockman. Those guys have to touch the ball, right?
Romar says yes, absolutely, but that doesn’t mean the high-flying Huskies will suddenly become a slow-it-down, half-court team. Romar expects to get out and run just as much as his teams have done in the past.
“Our style will be no different,” Romar said. “The only difference will be we will demand that the ball goes inside more. In terms of style – attacking, pressure defense, pushing the ball up the floor – slashing, attacking offense, that’s not going to change.”
There will be more balance, though. When you have talents like Hawes and Brockman, the ball has to go inside. In the past, Washington was content to shoot from the outside or slash to the basket. The Huskies’ tallest regular over the past couple years, Mike Jensen, was more comfortable putting up 3-pointers, and the best post player was Jamaal Williams, generously listed at 6-5.
Now Washington has the kind of size with Hawes, Brockman, 6-8 Artem Wallace and 6-9 Hans Gasser that it can expect to get points inside.
“I don’t think things will change much,” Brockman said. “We’ll still run a lot and pressure a lot. But we know we’ve got to get the ball to Spencer. It wouldn’t make sense to have him and not use him. We’re going to try to get the ball inside more, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop running. We can do both.”
The reason the Huskies believe they can continue to run with a bigger team is simple: The big players Romar recruited are all guys who fit his system. These are not plodders. Wallace has had the fastest mile time on the team in his two seasons as a Husky, and both Hawes and Brockman can get up and down the floor. And with athletes like Justin Dentmon, Quincy Pondexter, Adrian Oliver, Phil Nelson, Harvey Perry and Joel Smith, slowing things down wouldn’t appear to be a good idea.
“I knew what they liked to do when I came here,” Hawes said. “I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t think I could handle the system, and I don’t think coach Romar would have recruited me if he didn’t think I could do it. I love to get out and run.”
As Romar said, the only change will come in the balance in the halfcourt. Washington now has slashers (Pondexter, Smith, Perry, Dentmon and Oliver), shooters (Ryan Appleby and Nelson), and strength in the post (Hawes, Brockman and Wallace), and that can only make the Huskies better.
“I think we’re going to be a lot better,” said Dentmon, the point guard whose job it will be to get the ball inside. “Last year we were good on offense but there was only so many things we could do. This year there’s a lot more we can do. We’re going to be a hard team to defend.”
The size also should pay off on defense. Washington will be able to take more chances on the press or in the halfcourt knowing that there are shot blockers like Hawes and Wallace protecting the basket.
“I think we’re going to get a lot more steals and get out on the fastbreak even more,” Dentmon said. “We know if someone gets by us, we’ve got some big guys behind us to help.”
“People assume when you’re bigger you must be slower, that you can’t continue to run,” Romar said. “Why not? We recruit guys that get up and down the floor. Our style is not going to change. There will be more emphasis on getting the ball inside. There will be more balance. But we’re going to run as much as we ever have.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
