UW Basketball | Huskies return from workouts with optimism

There's at least one Huskies team that will go bowling this year.

As part of team bonding last weekend while the Huskies were in Lacey to start practice, UW men's basketball coach Lorenzo Romar took his team to a local bowling alley. Apparently, a team of coaches won the night with a strike in the 10th frame.

More importantly, said Romar, the Huskies got in some good workouts at Saint Martin's University, leaving Romar with continued optimism about this team.

"We're further along this year than we were [last year]," he said.

Specifically, Romar said the practices reinforced that "we have more playmakers" this year. Having three seniors who have been in the program four years, he said, has also quickened the learning curve.

"You can see that the seniors really understand what is going on," he said of a trio led by forward Jon Brockman.

And maybe best of all, Romar said the team did not suffer any significant injuries, one of the few times he can remember that happening during the opening weekend of camp, which tends to be physical and intense.

The Huskies are still practicing with just 10 players, however, as senior Artem Wallace (offseason knee surgery), redshirt freshman forward Darnell Gant (offseason sports hernia surgery) and true freshman forward Tyreese Breshers (shin) remain sidelined.

Romar said Wallace could be practicing by the end of this week and Gant by the end of next week. But Breshers' return is further away.

Aguilar wants to play basketball

Devin Aguilar, a freshman receiver for the football team, said Tuesday he plans to walk on to the basketball team once the football season ends.

The native of Denver was the Colorado Class 5A state tournament MVP in 2006 as a guard at Mullen High and received significant basketball recruiting interest before deciding to concentrate on football. He reportedly had offers from schools such as Iowa State, Utah and Wichita State for basketball.

Aguilar hadn't been sure if he would try hoops but said that if the football team doesn't make a bowl game — which is becoming an increasing possibility with an 0-6 start — he'd like to try to play basketball.

"I think as far as now, I will walk on to basketball," he said. "Because I was making that decision based on how our season went in football and right now, since it's real shaky, I might as well go out and do it."

Aguilar said he has talked with Romar to keep him up to date.

"He knows I'm trying to come out and want to play," he said. "I told him the same thing, that I was just basing it on the [football] season and how things go."

Aguilar, listed at 6 feet, 195 pounds on the football roster, describes himself as "just a guard" and not specifically a point or shooting guard.

The Huskies currently do not have any walk-ons on the roster.