Injury may sideline Brockman vs. Cal

When the Washington Huskies won at California on March 1, coach Lorenzo Romar said the best thing about it was that the team triumphed despite Jon Brockman sitting on the bench for long stretches because of foul trouble.

Wednesday, they might have to try to beat the Bears with Brockman sitting the entire game.

The school on Sunday listed Brockman as questionable to play against Cal in a first-round game Wednesday in the Pac-10 tournament in Los Angeles. He has a sprained left ankle. Brockman was injured with 1:56 remaining in the second overtime of a 76-73 loss at Washington State on Saturday when he landed awkwardly while going for an offensive rebound.

Brockman's left foot was encased in a boot afterward and he left the locker room on crutches. He said he would try to play against Cal if the diagnosis was only a sprained ankle. A further examination Sunday showed no other injury.

But Brockman also said it was a pretty severe sprain and that "I turned it over about all the way I could." And even if he were to try, it's unlikely he'd be anywhere near 100 percent.

"Other guys have been out two weeks with a sprained ankle," Romar noted after Saturday's game. "So we'll see. It's so hard to say right now."

If Brockman can't play, likely replacements as starters are sophomore swingman Quincy Pondexter or freshman forward Matthew Bryan-Amaning.

Brockman had scored 25 percent of the team's points (17.6) and grabbed 33 percent of its individual rebounds (11.6) entering the Washington State game.

But as he pointed out afterward, Washington has had some success the last two games when he has been on the bench. He played 23 minutes in UW's 87-84 win over Cal, with 10 points and four rebounds, and the Huskies outscored WSU by three during a six-minute stretch he sat in the first half Saturday.

Not having him for the entire game would be a different deal, Huskies players said.

"We really need him and it's going to be hard without him, but I think we can do it if we all stay together as a team," guard Justin Dentmon said.

Beating California is vital to Washington's postseason hopes. The Huskies fell to 16-15 with the loss at Washington State, and they must face the Bears in the Pac-10 tourney instead of an easier first-round matchup with Oregon State.

The Beavers became the first team to go 0-18 in Pac-10 play since the league's expansion for the 1978-79 season.

The Huskies would have to win four straight to take the Pac-10 tournament and get a bid to the NCAA tournament.

They are hoping that a win or two would help secure a bid to the NIT or the new College Basketball Invitational.

Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com