SEATTLE — When five University of Washington seniors are honored before today’s women’s basketball game, it might be tempting to call it the end of an error.
Three of those seniors — Sami Whitcomb, Sara Mosiman and Laura McLellan — have spent the past four years at UW and hold the distinction of being a part of more losses (69) than any player in school history. And that doesn’t even include the 11 losses of players and coaches who moved on while they were in school.
But when the Huskies’ three fourth-year seniors are honored tonight, along with junior-college transfers Christina Rozier and Lydia Young, they won’t be doing any second-guessing about their choice to stick it out at UW.
“The fact that we’ve done it together, that’s something that we hold pretty close to our hearts,” said Mosiman, a Seattle native who was two-time 2A state player of the year while at King’s High School. “We’ll never forget it. I know we’ll stay friends for a long time.”
While past senior classes at UW may remember the wins and trips to postseason tournaments, this year’s group has bonded through the simple act of survival.
Since Whitcomb, Mosiman and McLellan signed with the Huskies as members of the 2006 recruiting class, they watched head coach June Daugherty get fired, saw five assistant coaches leave and endured the defections of five teammates — including four from the 2007 recruiting class alone.
“It’s crazy,” said Whitcomb, who will play her final home game today when the Huskies host Oregon at 2 p.m. “… It’s tough when you envision where the team’s going to go with players like that, and then they leave. You sort of have to re-plan and re-focus what you’re going to do.”
Most of the transfers came as a direct result of the coaching style of current head coach Tia Jackson, who was hired in April 2007 to replace Daugherty. Jackson’s demanding practices rubbed a few players the wrong way, and after just one season, the six-member freshman class of 2007 was down to two.
For this year’s seniors, Jackson’s style was more rewarding than it was threatening.
“I don’t know why people left, honestly,” Mosiman said. “I think maybe it’s because we were running a lot and it was really intense. But that’s the way I pictured it when I came in. I like that. I like being held accountable for your performance.”
Jackson, who has gradually altered her demanding style, has not lost sight of the loyalty this year’s seniors have shown.
When asked what she appreciated most about this group, the third-year coach said: “I appreciate all of them that make it through a day with me. I know I’m pretty demanding as a coach.”
Since deciding to stick it out with Jackson, the last group of recruits to have played for her predecessor has grown in different ways.
Whitcomb has emerged as the Huskies’ quiet floor leader and go-to scorer, averaging 13.5 points per game this season while recording five double-doubles.
Mosiman has fought through two surgeries — one to each leg — that involved having a rod placed in her shin. She came back early from her most recent procedure, which happened in mid-December, and has appeared in each of UW’s last eight games.
And McLellan has found a way to channel her emotion on the court, using it to motivate herself rather than bicker at official’s calls.
McLellan called her team’s lack of on-court success “really frustrating,” as evidenced by the fourth-year seniors’ 50-69 record and three consecutive losing seasons. But she’s still proud of this year’s senior class.
“We didn’t give up,” the 6-foot-2 post said. “Regardless of our record, we came out every game this season. We really fought hard, and we showed our fans that, regardless of our opponent, we were going to fight.
“It doesn’t matter what people say or what our record is; we know how good we can be.”
Whitcomb, the only senior starter on the team, said she has no regrets with her decision to stick it out and that she continues to believe in Jackson as a coach.
“It’s just her third year, and she’s proving what we can be as a program and where we can be,” Whitcomb said of the Huskies’ head coach, whose job security has come into question from the public. “It just takes time. I know that fans and people want results right away, but I don’t think that they understand all the work that goes into that.”
Jackson appreciates her seniors but will be trying to keep her emotions in check when they play their final home game this afternoon.
The seniors will try to keep a stiff upper lip as well, but that might not be easy.
“It’s going to be pretty emotional,” McLellan said. “We’re making bets on who’s going to cry and who’s not going to cry.”
So where do the odds lie with her?
“I’m almost a definite cry,” McLellan said. “I don’t like seeing other people cry. My mom and my family are going to be there, and if I see them cry, I’m probably going to cry.”
After fighting through four years of losing and adjusting to personnel changes, this year’s seniors have certainly earned the right to shed some tears. It’s been a long journey, but the UW trio has stayed the course.
“When I came here as a freshman, we were in the top four in the Pac-10 and went to the NCAA tournament,” Whitcomb said. “That was a really great experience freshman year. Then with the coaching changes and the people leaving, that obviously impacted a lot what we were able to do.
“I think now, this year, where we’re going and the strides we’ve made will hopefully lead to us getting into that top tier of the league again.”
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