First off, thanks to Bob Condotta. Thanks for starting this blog back in 2005. Thanks for the many years of fantastic reporting. And thanks for setting such a high standard for covering the UW hoops beat and blogging in general.

For those who don't know, Bob was one of the first sports bloggers in the business. The guy is a pioneer. For real. And he keeps getting better.

Okay, enough of the gushing. Bob's the man. We all know that and thankfully, he won't be too far away. You can read his work on UW football and I'm sure he'll stop by here from time to time.

This is my second go-around covering Washington basketball. I was the beat writer for The Times during the 1996-97 season. That was an interesting if not underachieving team with a fun mix of players and coaches. Todd MacCulloch. Jamie Booker. Mark Sanford. Donald Watts. And Bob Bender.

Unfortunately, I spent just one season covering Husky hoops, but that one year had always piqued my interest in college basketball and I look forward to this opportunity. So much has changed. This blog is one of the biggest changes. Thanks for the warm welcome and the advice. As many of you have noted, there's big shoes to fill.

I welcome suggestions, ideas, questions and comments. Still not sure what's going to stay or change on the blog so let me know what you think.

Personally, the best part of blogging is the dialogue with readers. There's nothing like it. I won't proclaim to have all the answers, but I'll find the answers. And I hope this blog continues to be a portal for all things Husky hoops.

Alright, time for some tidbits.

As many of you know, coach Lorenzo Romar met with Terrance Jones, a 6-8, power forward at Jefferson (Ore.) High, last week. According to Rivals.com, Romar wasn't alone. UCLA also met with Jones.

On its insider site, Rivals also reports that Jones has seven other schools on his list Oklahoma, Kentucky, Maryland, Arizona, Kansas, Oregon and Oregon State. North Carolina is apparently off the list after an in-home visit with Jones was canceled last week.

Jones said the UW's in-home visit "went well," and his mother will be involved in recruting process. He also wants to "be an impact player as a freshman." His mother would like Jones to pick a school in the fall, but Jones thinks he'll make a decision in the spring.

Also, Lindy's College Basketball Preview is on the newstands. The magazine picks Washington to finish second behind California. Sorry no links available, but here's a quick summation.

Lindy's Preseason All-Conference Team
First Team: G Isaiah Thomas (UW); G Patick Christopher (Cal); G Jerome Randle (Cal); G Nic Wise (Arizona) and F Klay Thompson (WSU).

Second Team: F Quincy Pondexter (UW); G Abdul Gaddy (UW); F Dwight Lewis (USC); F Landry Fields (Stan); C Roeland Schaftenaar (OSU).

Third Team: G Derek Glasser (ASU); G Calvin Hayes (OSU); G Malcom Lee (UCLA); F Nikola Dragovic (UCLA) and F Theo Robertson (Cal).

Lindy's also tabs Gaddy as Newcomer of the Year, Pondexter as Top Rebounder, Thomas as Most Entertaining and Venoy Overton as Top Defender.

More later.