Washington Huskies Basketball

At 6'9", 220 pounds, and averaging over 20 points with nearly 10 boards a game, Seattle University standout Charles Garcia was supposed to be playing for the other Division I team in the city. Instead he's Cameron Dollar's pride and joy.

Garcia was pegged as "The Next Jon Brockman" for the Washington Huskies coming out of Junior College, but didn't meet Washington's academic requirements. So on Tuesday night when the Redhawks meet the Huskies at Hec Ed, the Dawgs will get a look at what could have been and what they missed out on.

With the season he's had, Garcia has been viewed as a potential first round prospect for the 2010 NBA Draft. In its second year back in DI play, all Seattle U really has is Garcia.

Look back to the Redhawks 84-83 victory versus Wofford, where Garcia dropped a career high 41 and did nothing short of everything for his team, which has virtually been the case all year.

Who knows if he would have had success like this at Washington, but I have a hard time believing he would have struggled as much as the Huskies big men, who were flat out embarrassed by USC on Saturday night.

USC abused Washington in the paint all night, and it was clear that the Trojans picked up on the fact that this is where the Huskies are most vulnerable. Garcia may have been able to eliminate this problem that has plagued Washington all season.

While Garcia would probably be starting for Washington, it's doubtful he'd be averaging 20 and 10 a night. But would he be giving more than the atrocious combo of Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Tyrese Breshers, and Darnell Gant? Most likely.

I would imagine that Garcia would have been a nice complement to top scorers Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas. His role would have been similar to Brockman's at UW—rebound like hell and be physical.

Much to the dismay of the 12-7 (3-5 in Pac-10) Huskies, instead of overlooking Seattle U as an easy win, they'll have to figure out how to contain the player who could be helping them defend a Pac-10 crown.

It seemed as if the Washington Huskies had gotten out of a slump and rejuvenated their season completely with a successful home stand...but that is wrong.

Washington clobbered both Stanford and UCLA, with senior stand-out Quincy Pondexter putting up 27 and 25 points respectively. While he continued his terrific performance against UCLA on Thursday night, it wasn't enough to beat the Bruins, who won on a last second buzzer beater.

We know the Huskies can play, and they have proved this on many nights this season, but the inconsistency and lack of an identity appear to be doing the Dawgs in and leaving them in a bad situation. 

The lack of a big-man was a concern going into the season, and it's plagued Washington and created some mismatches. Tyreese Breshers and Matthew Bryan-Amaning aren't a very good match for the other bigs in the conference, which is why it isn't exactly surprising that the Huskies are near the bottom with a 3-4 conference record. 

Let's not completely lose hope though. Washington's season isn't over quite yet, but it's going to take a serious change to revive it. 

Winless on the road with two buzzer beater losses, Washington will play a USC team this Saturday that just suffered their first Pac-10 loss at home to Washington State. This could be a good time for Washington to come in and get that first road win.

On nights when the Huskies do show up, it's common to see both Pondexter and guard Isaiah Thomas put up 20-plus points. And the defense has a gym-rat type of defense that can be tough to compete with at times. 

In their atrocious Arizona road trip, Washington lost back-to-back games by 17, and Pondexter was held to under 10 points in each game. Teams are easily figuring out the Huskies' vulnerabilities, and finding the best ways to expose them. 

It's unclear how Washington can secure an identity that can be brought to each game so that the team can learn to win on the road. The big-men are inadequate, and it seems unrealistic to expect this to change much through the course of this season. So I personally think the identity must come from the guard triad of Thomas, Venoy Overton, and Abdul Gaddy.

On most nights, Pondexter can be counted on. But versus UCLA, it was proven that even when he plays great, it isn't necessarily enough. If the guards could give him a little more support, the Huskies could be okay.

For Overton and Thomas, slowing down the offense and getting the rest of the team involved more (i.e. passing the ball) would be nice to see. They both play really aggressive defense but tend to jump the gun at time on offense.

Overton has been a good option coming off the bench and has been averaging around 20 minutes in each game. I know he can have a bigger impact offensively, and having that threat would be ideal for Washington.

Gaddy's case is a bit different. To get optimal production from him, he's just needs to keep gaining experience. He's been starting, and I love that, but he's only averaging 4.6 PPG. He hasn't quite lived up to his hype yet, but it's understandable that Coach Romar wants him on the floor. Hopefully he'll develop and give more to the team.

Washington should look at the USC game as a must-win if it want to keep any hope alive to legitimately defend its 2008-09 Pac-10 title. Unfortunately, there's uncertainty as to which Huskies team will show up on Saturday.

All successful teams have an identity, and minus Q-Pon, this is something the Huskies lack for the time being.

Entering the weekend, the Washington Huskies had lost three straight games to fall to 1-3 in conference play.

After two straight 17-point losses in which the team looked lost and slow moving, the Huskies seemed to be at a loss for answers.

Coach Lorenzo Romar made only one major lineup change for the weekend, putting Justin Holiday, a wing who had seen mostly sparse playing time up to this point, into the starting lineup. 

On Thursday, the Huskies beat Stanford by 30-plus; on Saturday they whipped Cal, the conference leader in the standings and the team picked by many to win the conference.  The Huskies looked utterly dominant in both of their wins.

The players' increased focus and effort on the defensive end has generally been credited for this renaissance. Holiday's contribution has been described in this framework, cited as inspiring a higher level of play by the team. 

Few writers have focused on the skills and abilities that Holiday brings to the lineup. The truth is, Holiday is a high-level player, and his skill set is an optimal fit in the Huskies' system and with the other players in the rotation. He has simply gone unnoticed heretofore because the most apparent part of a player's game—his scoring skills—is by far the weakest part of Holiday's game. 

He is an elite defender; he is the rare player who is able to be both a top-notch disruptor and still shut down his own man. Holiday is a potent rebounder, grabbing boards he has no business getting to and creating loose ball situations on shots that should be easily possessed by opposing players. 

He possesses an excellent body for defense and rebounding, as he is exceptionally long and quick and elevates quickly. He also has an excellent feel for the game. He understands where to position himself to get the most out of his gifts and is thus able to optimize his impact on the defensive end and on the boards.  

As a result, his defensive range can be matched by relatively few in college basketball. He gets his hands on balls and in lanes that opposing teams don't expect him to reach and still recovers in excellent defensive position on his man. He gets boards or keeps balls alive that most players simply would not get to.

These are precious skills in Coach Romar's philosophy. His system emphasizes getting "points from chaos"—second and third-chance shots off offensive rebounds and fast break points off turnovers. 

Holiday is an optimal catalyst for the system, increasing markedly the number of possession-changes and -maintenances the Huskies are able to create in a game. He produces far more steals and tips, blocks and boards than any other player on the team is capable of manufacturing.

His ability to take away a quarter of the floor tightens the space for his teammates to defend in, increasing their probability of generating turnovers and bad shots. 

As long as Holiday is in the lineup, the Huskies will be a disruptive force on defense and strong on the glass. He is a game-changer. 

Holiday is also a surprising contributor on the offensive end. His basketball IQ is very good, and he is a very adept passer. His play in the half court improves the flow and pace of the offense noticeably.

He improves spacing and lanes for his teammates by making the right cut and getting to the right spot on the floor; he settles down the offense in the half court with his ability to feed the post and his understanding of where to pass the ball to keep the offense moving.

While his scoring skills are presently limited, they are not required on a team with two high-level scorers and several other scoring-talented players. The skill set listed above is, perhaps, as valuable as another scorer in the Huskies' current rotation.

Holiday is a high-level college basketball player, and his impact on the lineup over the weekend was not a fluke. While the increased focus and effort of the team as a whole was vital to their weekend turnaround, just as essential was Holiday's presence on the floor.

The Huskies are a much better team with a player of Holiday's ability and presence in the lineup, and we can expect the team to continue to play at a high level while he is in the rotation.

When I turned off my television after witnessing Arizona demolish the Huskies last Sunday, the feeling was all too familiar.

Just three years ago during the 2006-07 season, the Huskies were coming off a banner year. However, much like this year's team, even with their highly-touted recruit (see: Spencer Hawes), the Huskies were unable to make the NCAA tournament and missed the postseason all together after being snubbed by the NIT selection committee. 

The Huskies that year entered the season with a lot of hype, armed with a No. 17 ranking in the preseason polls and a national sports magazine gracing a cute picture of Jon Brockman and Ryan Appleby; I along with a lot of other people were having visions of a Final Four appearance.

This season the Huskies started out ranked at No. 14 and Sports Illustrated decided to again curse the Huskies by slapping Isaiah Thomas on its college basketball preseason issue. Unfortunately, these young Huskies let it get it into their heads.

Fast forward a couple of months into the season and you have a team on the cusp of playing itself out of March basketball already. It would be foolish to count these Dawgs out right now, but the task looming ahead for the players and coaches seems daunting.

The first problem that must be addressed is rebounding. Many were worried that with the departure of Brockman, the Huskies would lose their edge on the glass. I disagreed initially and pointed to the rebounding success of earlier Romar teams. However, this current team does not have the inherent desire to get it done on the glass.

Bryan-Amaning, Gant, and Breshers simply have not been effective. Between the three of them, they are averaging 11 rebounds per game. Quincy Pondexter is averaging eight rebounds per game.

What is stopping these guys from being aggressive? Is it immaturity? Is it laziness? Is it technique? Whatever it is, this team needs at least one of these guys to emerge as a better rebounder. Pondexter and the Husky perimeter can only do so much to help rebound. 

The next issue that needs to be addressed is finding a third scorer to supplement Thomas and Pondexter. In the Arizona game, Pondexter and Thomas were a combined 0-for-4 shooting in the first half.

Teams have figured out how to shut down the Huskies by simply keeping the ball out of the hands of Thomas and Pondexter. I used to think that Matthew Bryan-Amaning could be the third option, however, his offensive play has progressively worsened.

But even worse, his confidence has sunk.

If you are reading this MBA, please know that us Husky fans believe in you. We know you have the potential to be a great player on both ends of the court. Play with some confidence and swagger. You will not always be able to bully opposing defenders in the post like you were able to do against weak non-conference opponents, however, that should not stop you from making smart choices with the basketball.

I have seen time after time Matthew Bryan-Amaning forcing the issue. He does not want to pass the ball out of the post. Pass it out! Elston Turner, Scott Suggs, and Isaiah Thomas are all waiting to fire shots from the perimeter!

I still have faith that Amaning can be the third scorer, but the coaches will just have to instill some more confidence in him. 

The last weakness of this team that needs to be addressed is its defense. We can complain as much as we want about what happens on the offensive end of the court but until the Huskies solve their defensive issues, they will not be competitive in the postseason or even in the conference season.

Past Husky teams have thrived because of their ability to force turnovers and intimidate opposing offenses. The Huskies this season have been prone to falling into huge defensive lapses.

Gaddy said it best after the Arizona game: "When we get down, we get in panic mode. We just kind of start playing rat ball. We need to just start coming together more and play more as a team."

As we saw against Arizona State, the Huskies can't depend on Venoy Overton to be their only asset on the defensive end. Even with Overton switched onto Kuksiks, the guy still scored 14 points on the Huskies in the second half.

It needs to be a team effort. The Huskies could play their five best defenders night in and night out, but unless those five players play with the required focus and intensity, they will not be successful.

Again, it comes down to maturity. This Husky team is young, but inexperience is a lame excuse if you consider your basketball program to be a powerhouse. The Huskies need to have consistency to reach the level of your Syracuses, North Carolinas, UCLAs, and Georgetowns. The Huskies lost three straight  games to start out the conference season in 2006 and still made the Sweet 16.

The past three losses do not kill the Huskies, but there now needs to be a sense of urgency or else the Huskies might not be barking come March. 

Though the Georgetown loss was disappointing, it was a great measuring stick to see exactly how good this Husky team really is. The biggest weakness of this team is its performance down low, both on offense and defense.

Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Darnell Gant, and Tyreese Breshers looked pitiful against the talented and versatile combo of Julian Vaughn and Greg Monroe. Bryan-Amaning/Gant/Breshers combined for nine points and seven rebounds, while Vaughn and Monroe combined for 33 points and 14 rebounds.

In a slow game, the Huskies are going to have a hard time taking control. However, the one thing that separates the Huskies from other teams is its perimeter players; Isaiah Thomas, Venoy Overton, and Abdul Gaddy make up one of the most talented back courts in the country. So far this season, they have not played up to their potential.

There have been glimpses of solid guard play, but within a half-court game, these guards have played below-average.

Behind Pondexter, Thomas is the Huskies' second option. Thomas is going to have a lot of trouble when he faces an interior defense like that of Georgetown. He was able to penetrate, but because of the size of the Georgetown defenders, he was not able to convert as he usually has been able to. Thomas needs to realize he can not always finish at the rim against taller defenders. Instead, he should be looking to find his teammates on the perimeter.

There are some players on this Husky team that can shoot the three well, most notably Elston Turner. However, most of Turner's threes have not been created out of penetration. Turner will see more open looks if Thomas is willing to pass out of the double and triple teams he faces when he is close to the basket.

It is also important to look at the performance of Venoy Overton. Though his defense has been superb so far this season, his offensive capabilities have been limited. Besides his occasional fast-break points, he has seemed out of place in the half-court offense.

In a game against a team with a suffocating defense, Overton was pretty much useless—he finished with with points. I do not believe he should be the starting point guard for the Huskies, instead he should be utilized as a "spark-plug" off of the bench.

Much of the hype surrounding the Dawgs this season was predicated on the fact that incoming freshman Abdul Gaddy would be able to have an immediate significant impact. Though there have been glimpses of his talent, he has yet to assert himself at the offensive end. From observing him in his high school days, I know Gaddy can do so much more offensively. The ball needs to be in his hands more.

Abdul Gaddy needs to be the staring point guard.

Thomas and Overton should not be the guys bringing the ball up and controlling the offense. This kid can pass and find holes within the defense. Thomas, Pondexter, and the other Husky guards need to be cutting to the basket more often.

Currently, much of the offense has been created through one and one moves. Gaddy needs to be utilized as a facilitator for this Husky offense to be able to find a rhythm against stronger and taller teams.

The season is still in December, however the Huskies have experienced their weakness; playing against teams with strong post players. The Huskies will most likely not get a chance to play another good team like Georgetown until March.

For now, the Dawgs can not be satisfied with 20 point wins against mediocre opponents. Rebounding and defense remain suspect, but above all, the Huskies need to take care of the basketball and share it more on the offensive end.

You would have thought the night that Oregon lost to Portland, Oregon State lost to Sacramento State, and Southern California lost to Loyola Marymount would have been the night the Pac-10 hit rock bottom.

Especially since Loyola Marymount and Sacramento State won a combined five games last year, or the fact UCLA had already lost to Cal-State Fullerton, Oregon State went down to Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and Stanford couldn't beat Oral Roberts earlier in the year.

But that night wasn't rock bottom for the Pac-10.

Neither was two days later when Montana knocked off Oregon and Wisconsin defeated Arizona.

Rock bottom might just be what happened during Wednesday and Thursday night's action.

California had a chance to redeem itself and go on the road to the Pit and beat New Mexico. Washington State held a double-digit lead against a ranked Gonzaga team. Arizona had two overtimes to knock UNLV from the ranks of the undefeated.

Unfortunately for the Pac-10, the Golden Bears couldn't win in a hostile environment. The Cougars collapsed down the stretch in Spokane, and the Zags escaped with a win. The Wildcats didn't have the grit to take out the Rebels on their home court.

The scoreboard at the end of the night should have read "Mountain West and West Coast Conferences 3, Pac-10 0."

You would think with a night of spectacular fireworks of futility, that Wednesday night would be the Pac-10's finale of failure.

But right now, the only thing the Pac-10 is excelling at is failing, and that finale would only be a tease.

Current Pac-10 favorite Washington managed to do the unthinkable. In the process of losing to a team picked to finish ninth in the Big 12, the Huskies remarkably lost in a way that allowed Texas Tech's students to rush the court not once, but twice.

After the referees waived off a basket that left the hands of Michael Singletary after the buzzer, Washington couldn't ride that momentum to an overtime victory.

Lorenzo Romar's team was supposed to be the ONE glimmer of hope during this bleak season of Pac-10 basketball.

Now, that's gone.

Outta here as fast as the Huskies left the floor to avoid the Red Raiders' second floor stormin'.

With Southern Cal's loss to Texas, the Pac-10 will have 24 losses among 10 teams. The Big East has 16 schools, and they've lost half as many games. The Atlantic 10 has 30 losses among 14 teams—that's 2.14 losses per team—and the Pac-10 is at 2.4.

Remember the A-10 has a team, Fordham, that won three games all last season and three others that finished 200th or worse in the RPI.

Last year, the Pac-10 had only three that finished outside the top 100—this year there are three outside the top 200.

It's not even that early in the season anymore where those numbers are that skewed. Most schools have played about half of their non-conference games. Most Pac-10 schools only have about a half-dozen remaining games out of conference to prove themselves, or really in their case, not further embarrass the league.

The way things are setting up, the Pac-10 might actually only receive one bid to the big dance.

What happens if Washington proves to be the dominant team and only losses one or two games in the league, no one else separates itself, and everyone else loses at least seven conference games?

You think the committee should be picking a nine or 10-loss Pac-10 team?

I don't think so.

Of course that part is just hypothetical, and one other team should separate itself to give the Pac-10 a second, maybe a third bid.

Right now though, you've got to think that the WCC with Gonzaga and Portland or the Mountain West with UNLV, BYU, and New Mexico might actually garner more bids than the Pac-10.

We all knew the Pac-10 might be bad this year. But who thought it would be this bad?

For more updates on college basketball, follow Jameson on Twitter.

At First Glance:

Washington:  5-0. AP: 12 ESPN: 10 BP: 8  RPI: 6  BPI:  51  Offense:  84.8 ppg  Defense:  66.2 ppg

Texas Tech:  7-0.  AP: NR  ESPN: NR  BP: 39 RPI: 39 BPI: 12  Offense:  75.1 ppg  Defense:  58.7 ppg

Backcourt:

Washington:  Isaiah Thomas is the first half of the dynamic duo in Washington’s offense.  Thanks to lockdown specialist Venoy Overton and super-frosh Abdul Gaddy, Thomas is mostly free to take advantage of every scoring opportunity available to him, and at 20.6 ppg it’s obvious he has.  Elston Turner and Scott Suggs provide about nine points a game off the bench.

Texas Tech:  John Roberson and Nick Okorie share the wealth more on offense than their Husky opponents but together can’t match Thomas’ output.  Roberson makes very good decisions with the ball and Okorie is a defensive specialist.  David Tairu provides instant offense off the bench.

Frontcourt:

Washington:  Quincy Pondexter is the second half of the dynamic duo in Washington’s offense.  Like Thomas he averages 20.6 ppg but also crashes the boards with alarming efficiency at 11 rebounds a game.  Matthew Bryan-Amaning has improved his game and can provide a third option on offense.  Tyreese Breshers and Justin Holiday are counterparts to Turner and Suggs in terms of productivity.

Texas Tech:  It’s doubtful that Mike Singletary will score 25 consecutive points again or stand up to diva tight ends but he leads the Red Raiders in scoring and serves as the team’s leader.  D’Walyn Roberts and Darko Cohadarevic are the other starters on the front line, though Cohadarevic only played nine minutes in their most recent victory against Samford.  Brad Reese and Theron Jenkins provide almost double figures in points combined off the bench.

Coaching:

Washington:  Lorenzo Romar came from St. Louis in 2002 to a program that was in pretty bad shape.  In his second season the Huskies went back to the Dance.  The next season, they got a number one seed in the Dance.  Expectations are very similar this season and Romar has gotten them to respond. 

Texas Tech:  Pat Knight has gotten off the hot seat for the moment.  Like his father he has Texas Tech playing man-to-man defense and running a motion offense.  If the Red Raiders’ good start translates to an NCAA Tournament appearance that would ease the pressure.

Prediction:

Nobody has been able to stop Isaiah Thomas or Quincy Pondexter all season.   Okorie and Singletary,  your mission, should you decide to accept it, will be the first to do so.  The Raiders will have the Lubbock faithful on their side but it’s not going to be enough.

Washington 80, Texas Tech 69.

The Washington Huskies looked solid last night despite former Husky Adrian Oliver torching them for a good 30 points. Quincy Pondexter had some interesting things to say about Oliver leaving the Husky program. Check out his quote here .

Speaking of Pondexter, he has impressed me throughout these first four games. He has picked up right where he left off after his stellar play in the NCAA tournament in March. I don't know how he's reached this level of play, but there is no doubt that he is a different player from last season.

In these last four games, he's put up point totals of 12, 25, 29 and 30. Last night, to go along with his 30 points, he had 15 rebounds. Looking at the stat line, I could have mistaken him for Jon Brockman circa 2009. I did not know Pondexter had the capability to grab 15 rebounds, but he has been able to do it. It looks like this team will be another classically dominant rebounding team, even with the loss of Brockman.

Obviously, the season is still young, and it is still too early to reach some conclusions about Pondexter and his play, but I do not foresee this guy declining. If there has been one way to characterize his play over the past three years at UW, it would easily be inconsistent. Ever since he arrived as a four-star recruit, UW fans have patiently waited for a breakout season. Pondexter did have glimpses of above-average scoring ability, but this season he has reached a new level.

Perhaps the most interesting development to come out of Pondexter's newfound scoring prowess has nothing to do with him. If Pondexter is putting up 20-point nights, what exactly happens to the production of Isaiah Thomas? Isaiah will still score at least 15 points and is just another threat for teams to zero in on. I do not think opposing teams or even Coach Romar know who this team's first option is. This makes the Huskies an extremely dangerous team that will be scoring points in the bunches.

I am looking forward to the Huskies' Dec. 12 game against Georgetown. We will see how Pondexter handles a well-capable defender and, by that time, we'll have more games to judge this Husky offense on.

Buzzer beaters, upsets, and Cinderella teams—it has finally arrived: The college basketball season is officially underway.

For the first time since 2006, the Huskies are entering this season ranked in the top 15 both in the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls.

The hype has started for these relatively young Huskies. Coming off a regular season Pac-10 title, the Huskies will be looking to repeat as Pac-10 champions, but more importantly will be looking to advance further into the NCAA Tournament.

A lot of experts think the Huskies have the potential to make it to the Sweet 16 this year. I’ll go out on a limb and say these guys are Elite Eight material. My early observations of this team remind me much of Lorenzo Romar’s earlier days as head coach.

This team is quick with a lot of depth. This offense is going to push the ball up and down the court, they are going to be playing high quality pressure defense, and they will not get tired. This is a team that seems capable of running off runs of 20 points.

There will always be at least three sure scoring options on the court with Quincy Pondexter, Isaiah Thomas, and Matthew Bryan-Amaning. Thomas emerged as the team’s No. 1 option last season, but during the tail end Pondexter became a scoring threat.

After the first three games, Pondexter finally seems entirely comfortable within the offense. He is better and more natural shooting from around the perimeter, but his biggest strength by far is his ability to sneak into the post and create for himself.

This may be a little radical, but the way he was getting his buckets in the first three games reminded me much of Brandon Roy. Recall that Roy was not exemplary at any one particular skill; he was just a solid player in all aspects who could dish and finish ruthlessly.

Pondexter has size, and unlike Roy, he is a threat on the boards. Jon Brockman’s absence will not have too much of an impact if Pondexter is able to keep on rebounding the way he has been.

If the Huskies finish in the top 10 by the end of the season, either Pondexter or Thomas will be a first team All-American. I’m putting my money on Pondexter. However, Pondexter and Thomas will not be able to do it alone.

This is where the presence of Bryan-Amaning becomes so critical. He played well in the non-conference last season, but the overall quality of his play faded as he faced more physical defenders in the Pac-10.

Will MBA be able to hold his own in the post in the conference this season? Even if MBA cannot step it up, the plethora of shooters and scorers on this team is scary.

Remember, the Huskies were able to get by just fine with the play of Mike Jensen. It is possible to win games without a dominant big man, but having one will make your team more competitive down the stretch.

It’s only been three games, but the Huskies are playing pretty well right now. There is still a lot for these young Huskies to learn, but the non-conference schedule will give the coaches and the players a chance to feel out the system.

This season has a lot to offer; it is just up to the players and the coaches to fully play and coach to their potential. 

Welcome to Romarville. Where, going into the 2009-10 season, the Washington Husky basketball program is flying high.

At least, so it seems. And why shouldn’t the Huskies have confidence? They’re the defending Pac-10 champions, and even though a lot of the experts think Cal has a legitimate shot at their title, not very many people are expecting a let down.

Despite losing Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon, the Dawgs bring back just as much talent, and bring in just as much talent. Which leads to expectations that are just as good.

Of course, Lorenzo Romar and the huskies have been in this situation before. Coming off of their second consecutive Sweet 16 performance, the Huskies were featured on Sports Illustrated as a Sweet 16 contender, and climbed  into the top ten in the polls in 2006-07, before crashing and burning, not even to be selected by the NIT. Even more mediocrity followed, as the Huskies finished below .500 the following season.

The cause was the disappointing freshman class of 2006, where Quincy Pondexter was the only remaining member midway through his Sophomore year.

Ironically, Quincy Pondexter is now the reason that the Huskies will have to ability to put a halt to the rollercoaster that has been Husky basketball in the last ten years, and possibly create a Pac-10 dynasty.

To do so, is much easier said than done.

The Huskies still have a couple questions that need to be answered before we can book our tickets for the Sweet 16.

Should the loss of Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon be overlooked?

Washington lost nearly 30 points to the graduation of their senior leaders, and nearly 12 rebounds a game from Jon Brockman alone which led to Washington being the most dominant rebounding team in the Pac-10.

The scoring is hoped to be replaced in the back court, where with the arrival of Abdul Gaddy, Isaiah Thomas will be moved more into an off guard position, like Dentmon last season, which should lead to increased scoring opportunities, and more numbers.

Perimeter shooting could be an issue as well where Dentmon was the huskies only consistent threat. Either Isaiah Thomas needs to improve in this area or Romar will have to rely on bench contributors such as Elston Turner.

In the paint, the Huskies are hugely depending on the emerging and maturation of Mathew Bryan Amaning. The 6-9 240 pound Brit has shown tons of potential his first two years, where dawg fans hope that his Junior year is much more like the 23 point 12 board performance he had against Portland State without Jon Brockman taking the load off of him.

Compared to most of the conference slate where Amaning wasn’t the factor inside the Huskies had hoped for. 

It's not a gimme that the Huskies will not miss these two.

Is Quincy Pondexter going to be ‘The’ guy

When the Washington Huskies needed a basket Jon Brockman willed the ball into the basket. When the Huskies needed to turn the tide, or stop the bleeding, Jon Brockman would not be denied on the boards. When the Huskies needed a leader, Jon Brockman would make his voice heard.

Jon Brockman is now in the NBA, and Lorenzo Romar has made it abundantly clear that this is Quincy Pondexter’s team.

A surprising notion three years ago when Quincy Pondexter was a hot head freshman from Fresno who thought he was one and done material.

Pondexter has the tools. The ability to handle the ball around the perimeter, a shot that gets more consistent each year, and a growing ability to score inside the paint.  Last season proved that Pondexter was an improving player.

In all but four Conference games, Pondexter scored in double digits, four times eclipsing the 20 point mark, while the rebounding numbers need to improve heading into this year, six boards a game playing the three spot in Romar’s system isn’t anything to scoff at.

The biggest concern is, when the going gets tough, will Pondexter get the Huskies going tough?

How will the rotation shape out?

With the starting lineup set, Husky fans are dying to know how the rotation will shape out, which Romar has already stated that due to the depth of the team, the Huskies are going with an eight or nine man rotation. 

So here’s how I believe it will shake up to be

Starters

PG – Venoy Overton

SG -  Isaiah Thomas

SF - Quincy Pondexter

PF – Darnell Gant

C – Mathew Bryan-Amaning

First off the bench: PG Abdul Gaddy, F/C Tyreese Breshers,

Second line of reserves: F Justin Holliday, G Elston Turner, F Clarence Trent

To put it lightly, I do not envy the job that Lorenzo Romar has of finding minutes for all of these kids. And there are a plethora of combinations that Romar could use, that we’ll find out what he has in the bag for us this first weekend. And let’s not forget, that it could change up depending on how guys play, and how guys practice as well.

The starting lineup is not a projection, but what Romar has already stated he’s settled for.

Abdul Gaddy coming off the bench is a no brainer. The five star point guard has already been likened to Nate Robinson and Brandon Roy by his coach, but I’m hoping he’s more like Will Conroy in the way he’ll be able to distribute the ball and be able to score when he needs to. His passing and ball handling skills are easily the best on the team.

Tyrese Breshers, the redshirt freshman 6-7 big man, should be the first man that Romar calls off the bench to spell either Gant or Amaning. Romar loves his physicality and his ability to be able to bang inside. He doesn’t necessarily have the height, but like Brockman before him, plays bigger than he is.

Defensively is what he’ll also be able to provide given the dawgs more shot blocking to go along with Amaning. However, coming off a knee injury suffered prior to his freshman year that forced him to redshirt, Breshers won’t be 100 percent until January at the earliest.

This could open up the door a little bit for Clarence Trent and Justin Holiday, both of whom are tweeners between the three and four spots on the court.

Elston Turner would be the second guard off the bench for the obvious reason of his shooting ability. He’s a more athletic Ryan Appleby with the ability to put the ball on the floor and even play inside a little bit.

Left off are sophomore Scott Suggs and Freshman CJ Wilcox. Wilcox will redshirt, and Suggs, is just a victim of too much depth, who should probably just redshirt as well since he didn’t, playing sparingly, last season.

The combinations Romar could use are endless with a rotation of up to ten players. I wouldn’t anticipate any more than nine playing in one night though.

There could be a lot of small line-ups, such as Gaddy, Overton and Thomas all being on the court at the same time. Pondexter playing the four, with even Holiday or Trent at the five. Or Elston Turner coming in to play the three and Pondexter moving inside to the four spot.

As eluded to earlier, I do not envy Romar’s task to divvying out minutes. But, that’s not a bad problem to have.