UW Basketball | Phil Nelson returns tonight with Portland state

Three years ago, Phil Nelson was part of a Washington men's basketball recruiting class regarded as perhaps the best in school history.

He returns tonight, along with his new Portland State teammates, as a vivid memory of expectations unfulfilled. Washington and Portland State meet at Edmundson Pavilion at 5 p.m.

Recruited in the wake of the resurgence of UW hoops led by Nate Robinson and Brandon Roy, the Class of 2006 was expected to take over where those players left off.

Nelson, a sweet-shooting forward from McNary, Ore., was joined in the class by guard Adrian Oliver, center Spencer Hawes and swingman Quincy Pondexter.

By midway through last season — when all would have been sophomores — only Pondexter remained in a Huskies uniform. The 6-foot-7 Nelson decided to transfer after his freshman season to Portland State, Hawes left early for the NBA and Oliver transferred last December, ending up near his hometown of Modesto, Calif., at San Jose State.

Nobody ever expected Hawes to stay long, but the departures of Oliver and Nelson were surprises.

Washington coaches and players admit they miss Nelson's three-point shooting; the Huskies rank ninth in the Pac-10 this week at 31 percent.

"We really could have used him last year," Romar said. "We could use him now. But it is what it is, and I'm pulling for him."

Romar said Nelson transferred largely out of concerns about playing time and to be closer to home. He played 14.9 minutes per game in 2006-07, averaging 4.7 points and shooting 29 percent on three-pointers.

"If things were working out better for him on the floor, I think he would have stayed," Romar said. "Maybe in his mind he felt like he wasn't going to get an opportunity here."

Nelson has said there were also family reasons, but he also spoke of broader issues in an article this week in The Oregonian.

"The coaches, we really didn't click too well," Nelson said. "At least, that's the way I felt. I wasn't having fun anymore. It was too businesslike. I know it's our job, because they pay us to go to school. But it just wasn't fun, and that's what I went to school for."

Even before his transfer was official there were rumors he would land at Portland State, and he never seriously considered any other option. Ken Bone, who was an assistant at Washington before becoming head coach at Portland State, said it could have been awkward, given his relationship with Romar. But the UW coach told Bone it was OK, and Nelson made the move.

"I was glad he was going with Ken because I know Ken and I know Ken would push him," Romar said. "So there is no awkwardness at all."

Returning to Edmundson Pavilion will "probably be really weird for him," said Huskies forward Jon Brockman.

Nelson has had what Bone calls an "up-and-down" season so far for the Vikings, who are 7-1 and picked to repeat as Big Sky Conference champions. Nelson is averaging 10.1 points in 25 minutes but is shooting just 35.6 percent overall and 33 percent on three-pointers. He averaged 18.6 points in three games in the Great Alaska Shootout but has scored just four points in two games since.

"He just hasn't really found his rhythm yet," Bone said. "But he will."

NOTES

• Portland State guard Jeremiah Dominguez, the Big Sky Player of the Year last season, is questionable with a finger injury that has caused him to miss the past two games.

• The two teams have had one common opponent: Portland. Washington lost at Portland 80-74 to start the season, while Portland State beat Portland at home, 81-76.

• As of Friday afternoon, there was no decision on whether to redshirt freshman forward Tyreese Breshers, who is still trying to recover from offseason shin surgery and has yet to play. Romar had hoped to make a decision this week.

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