Coach Lorenzo Romar told KJR's Mitch Levy that UW freshman point guard Abdul Gaddy reminds him of Jason Kidd. And Brandon Roy. And Mark Jackson.

That's lofty praise for a 17-year-old kid, who hasn't played a game, to be compared to a pair of guys who are among the top three on the NBA all-time assists list (Jackson is second and Kidd third) and Roy, the 2007 Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Star.

[Considering the Gaddy comparisons, it's safe to assume Venoy Overton, UW's starting point guard, is ... the next Magic Johnson.]

(Romar on Gaddy) "He's not a high flyer. He's not a guy that has amazing quickness. He just gets where he needs to get on the basketball floor. He has complete command of the offense. I mean complete command. He knows exactly where everyone is supposed to be. He gets the ball to people at the right time. He knows who he is. If you begin to really guard the other guys, he'll go get 20 himself. So he's a really, really complete guard. I've never seen him get rattled on the basketball floor. He maintains his composure. Now he makes mistakes, but he never gets rattled."

(Romar on Isaiah Thomas) "You know you're a really good player when you lead the Pac-10 champs in scoring as a freshman, you're 5-9 and you're still being critiqued. That's a pretty good player."

(What is Isaiah capable of?) "I think he could go out and average 20 points per game. And if it were a team where we just said you go and score as much as you can, probably more than that. He just has an uncanny knack to put the ball in the basket."

Romar reiterated he doesn't expect the Thomas, Overton and Gaddy trio will start, but envisions them sharing the court during games this season.

Romar told KJR he thinks redshirt freshman forward Tyreese Breshers can average 6-8 free throws per game "because he really puts pressure on the defense. He really knows how to seal. He's athletic. He carves out a lot of space in the paint. If he's healthy [Breshers is returning from leg injuries] and ready to go that's really, really going to go a long way."

And finally, Levy tried unsuccessfully to pin Romar on why Washington will not offer to renew its series with Gonzaga on the condition the games will be played at both team's home courts.

"It will happen again, one day," Romar said.

RECRUITING BUZZ:

--- Still no word from Portland-area recruit Terrence Jones, who lists UW among the five schools he's considering.

WEDNESDAY LINKS:

--- Bud Withers continues our week's worth college basketball previews with a look at Washington State and five keys to the Cougars season.

--- UCLA seems to be getting back on track after a slew of injuries and rocky start.

--- The Mercury News previews the Cal Bears.