The Seattle Times: Husky Men's Basketball Blog

The one that got away: Charles Garcia

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:18:02 PST

Stopped by the Seattle University exhibition game Saturday night and Redhawks coach Cameron Dollar, the former UW assistant, didn't try to hide his excitement about junior college transfer Charles Garcia, the former Husky recruit.

"He's the best pro prospect in the state," Dollar said. "I've been trying to hide him for a while now, but the word is going to get out. He can do it all. We knew (at Washington) how good he was. He's special, special player."

Not sure if Dollar is exaggerating.

It was just one game - and it was a game that didn't count in the standings - but Garcia was brilliant in a 96-68 exhibition victory over Division III Pacific Lutheran at the Connolly Center. Garcia, a 6-10 center, converted 12 of 17 shots, including 2 for 3 three-pointers, for a game-high 27 points. He also had a game-high nine rebounds and just one turnover in 21 minutes.

You can question the level of competition, however, the Lutes had three players 6-7 or taller.

Still, the "man among boys" metaphor was said often referring to Garcia, who did a little bit of everything. He's stands out in a crowd because he's able to dribble and shoot like a guard and he has a muscular, athletic frame that allows him to score inside.

Dollar likes Garcia's versatility, but the SU coach wants him to concentrate on rebounding and scoring inside.

"He's got to start from the inside out," Dollar said. "That's the progression he has to go through. Now will he be a man among boys every night for us, probably not. There's some tough teams down the road, but he'll be fine."

Garcia who hadn't played since January at Riverside Community College, said he felt nervous and anxious before his collegiate debut. He said hadn't thought much about UW since failing to academically qualify and is happy to be at Seattle U.

Garcia said he has to get use to the quicker speed of the game. He knows teams will throw a bunch of gimmick defenses at SU to slow him down, but he said he's seen it all at Riverside CC.

"Sometimes I think too much when I'm out there," he said. "I need to relax and just play."

The Redhawks play at Oklahoma State in the regular-season opener Nov. 14. and face Fresno State on Nov. 19 in the home opener at KeyArena. SU plays UW Jan. 26 at Hec Ed.

SUNDAY MORNING LINKS:

--- NBADraft.net projects UW's Quincy Pondexter as a second-round pick who will be taken 49th overall by the Phoenix Suns. He's the only player in the state in their mock draft and one of three Pac-10 players.

--- Former UW star and Sacramento Kings rookie Jon Brockman has some advice for Kentwood standout Josh Smith on his Twitter page. Brockman writes: "Big Josh Smith from Kentwood: There is no greater feeling then representing your home town team on a nation level. UW is the place for you!"

--- GoHuskies.com has a Q&A with Tyreese Breshers.

--- Seth Tarver led Oregon State to a 75-55 win over Western Oregon in the final exhibition for the Beavers. Three OSU players scored in double figures, including Tarver, who was 8 of 9 from the field for 17 points. He also had six rebounds and four steals. Calvin Haynes had 15 points and Omari Johnson added 12.

--- Portland State, which plays UW on Saturday, finished the preseason with an 80-66 win over Western Washington. In their first preseason game, PSU beat Western Oregon 108-65. Phil Nelson, the former Husky, scored a game-high 19 points.

Romar, Fortier spotted in Kentwood High stands

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:55:03 PST

Not sure if it's one last push or what, but our Mason Kelley reports he saw coach Lorenzo Romar and assistant Paul Fortier in the Kentwood High stands last night.

Obviously they were there watching star basketball player Josh Smith, who is playing football this season.

The early signing period begins Wednesday and Smith is a big target for the Huskies.

***UPDATE 12:45 PM***

--- Times reporter Sandy Ringer ran into Smith today and he said he hasn't made a decision yet.

Friday's practice report

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:39:09 PST

Coach Lorenzo Romar gave the Huskies the day off Thursday so it's not surprising he was preaching "energy, energy" at today's practice inside Harshman gym.

The players responded during the early portion of practice that was open to the media.

Senior co-captain Quincy Pondexter also kept the energy high barking: "every practice is game day" during a conditioning drill.

Everyone was on the court, including Justin Holiday who missed Wednesday's exhibition. Tyreese Breshers continues to alternate time in practice riding a stationary bike and running drills with the team on the floor.

A FEW WORDS ON RECRUITING...

Spoke with several sources close to UW and they aren't surprised prized recruits Josh Smith and Terrence Jones haven't announced a decision and expect that when one decides, the other will make his choice as well. One source called it a domino effect, but didn't say who was the top domino Smith or Jones. Nor is it certain if they want to play with each other.

Jones is reportedly visiting UCLA this weekend. In this report, Jones' high school coach said the 6-9 forward is in no hurry to make a decision, but Jones and his mother said weeks ago they wanted to make a decision before the start of early signing period, which begins Wednesday.

Whatever Jones decides, it's going to be interesting when his school Jefferson High play defending 4A state champion Federal Way Jan. 18 at Washington's Edmundson Pavilion.

--- ESPN.com has these takes on late announcing recruits that include Smith and Jones.

An interview with walk-on Brendan Sherrer

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:24:03 PST

Had a chance to talk to walk-on Brendan Sherrer this week.

Sherrer is the only one - so far - to make the team after Washington held a tryout for 8-10 players. Another tryout Rudy Sharar, a junior guard from Bainbridge Island, has been working out with the team, however, coach Lorenzo Romar officially added Sherrer to the roster.

Sherrer, a 6-9, 240-pound sophomore forward out of Archbishop Murphy High in Everett, did not dress for Wednesday's s exhibition win over Central Washington, but he was on the bench in street clothes.

(How do you feel?) "I still can't believe it. It's kind of like a dream come true."

(Did it feel real when you took the team pictures with everyone else?) "Yeah. Everything has happened so fast. I'm still kind of wrapping my head around it."

(Was playing here a dream come true or did you just want to play college ball?) "Yeah just playing basketball in college. Everybody in high school kind of had a dream of going on. But that was kind of after my senior year. I kind of had a decision between basketball or college. I chose college and came to the U-Dub."

(Any offers out of high school?) "Just like junior colleges. I think it was Whitworth and a few others."

(How tough was that decision?) "It wasn't too bad. I came here because I'm thinking about going pre-dental and UW has a really good program. ... So coming to the UW was really high up there for me.

(Were you in the Dawg Pack?) "Yeah. There's actually pictures where we had our chest painted, the Dawg Pack. There's actually a pretty cool picture with me standing in the background like (Jon) Brockman dunking."

Video: Clarence Trent brings down the house

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:06:03 PST

A few posters asked where they could find this link and I didn't discover it until a UW official pointed me in the right direction.

Here's a look at Clarence Trent's rim-rattling alley-oop dunk from C.J. Wilcox. Washington's future looks to be in pretty good hands with these two freshmen.

Wright State ticket update

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:06:02 PST

Washington has sold about 7,200 tickets for each of the three games for the Athletes in Action tournament at Edmundson Pavilion that includes UW's regular-season opener against Wright State.

About 2,800 tickets remain.

A poster during today's live chat asked "if tickets purchased to the Belmont/Wright State/Portland State games gain us admission to the earlier game of the day?" and a UW official said a ticket gets you into both games that day only.

The first game will start at 4 p.m. and the Huskies play the nightcap at 7 p.m. Games are Nov. 13, 14 and 15.

Also, coach Lorenzo Romar and former UW quarterback Tom Flick are the keynote speakers for an AIA breakfast 7:30-8:45 a.m. Nov. 12.

Live chat replay

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:04:03 PST

Thanks for your patience. We'll hold our first live chat of the season here today at 12:30. Lot's to talk about: last night's game, the early signing period, UCLA nearly losing to a NAIA school, etc.

Looking forward to it. Be gentle. It's my first live chat.

UW Men's Basketball Live Chat with Percy Allen

More observations from last night's game

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:29:03 PST

There were so many story lines emerging from Washington's 77-48 win over Central Washington that I couldn't fit all of them into one post. Besides, it was approaching midnight when I finally left Edmundson Pavilion.

Anyway, a few thoughts.

MY FIRST OLD MAN RANT: I thought about mentioning it last night, but figured the time and place wasn't appropriate. But I slept on it and reconsidered, so here goes: the NCAA has got to do something about the length of the shorts. I know many fans are just fine with the baggy look, but this is getting crazy. I'm not advocating for the return of the Magic, Bird and Jordan short shorts, but the NCAA should adopt the NBA rule, which says shorts can not exceed the knee. Okay, I'm done. And I feel better.

SECOND RANT: Not sure whose idea this was, but the PA announcer last night introduced Quincy Pondexter as a guard. It went something like this: "Now rounding out our three-guard lineup, Quincy Pondexter." I had a fun debate with a UW official about Pondexter's new status. Apparently he wants to be referred to as a guard after years in UW's system at forward.

NBA SCOUT SIGHTINGS: We mentioned this last night and I can confirm there was a San Antonio scout at last night's game and he wouldn't tell me who he was there to see. I'm assuming it was Pondexter or maybe Isaiah Thomas. I'm told several NBA scouts will be on hand for the Dec. 6 game against Cal State Northridge. Why Cal State? Apparently, scouts will go to the Gonzaga-Wake Forest game the day before and fly over and check out the Huskies on Saturday. And Cal State has a pretty good guard in Deon Tresvant, who may draw NBA interest.

NCAA REFS KNOW OVERTON: Let me explain. Remember last season's game against Arizona State when an awkward sequence between Venoy Overton, James Harden and Derek Glasser created a mini-melee between the Huskies and Sun Devils? Well, the NCAA is using that sequence as a teaching point in a video for referees. Overton learned he was in the video last night while chatting with an official. The discussion occurred after a Central player made a hard foul against Isaiah Thomas, knocking him to the floor, and Overton tried to get the Wildcat player off of Thomas with a little "nudge."

PONDEXTER PUTS IN EXTRA WORK: It was noted on an earlier post, but Quincy Pondexter is continuing his post-game workout tradition. When asked about it afterward, he said: "I missed three free throws. I think so, yeah. You want to come?"

Isaiah Thomas, who sat at the interview table next to Pondexter, chuckled at the response and said: "I'm going home and going to sleep."

FUN WITH POLLS: Thanks to everyone who participated in Wednesday's poll. We had 1,610 votes, which is outstanding. We'll do more of that this season. Here's the results:

--- 34 percent said a successful opening meant UW would leave the game unscathed without any major injuries.

--- 24 percent wanted a blowout victory.

--- 17 percent wanted to see the newcomers, including Tyreese Breshers and Abdul Gaddy have a nice debut.

--- 16 percent thought it was important that for the role players to play well.

--- 4 percent was satisfied with a win, 3 percent wanted stars Thomas and Pondexter to shine and 1 percent thought Overton needed to take control of the offense.

Well, it seems almost everyone got what they wanted. Not sure about the role players, however, Darnell Gant and Matthew Bryan-Amaning combined for 20 rebounds. The reserves are sure to get a boost when Justin Holiday returns.

AND FINALLY A LOOK AROUND THE PAC-10:

--- UCLA may be in trouble. These aren't your dad's Bruins. No Alcindor. No Walton. No Edney. UCLA nearly LOST to NAIA Concordia last night at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins were missing injured point guard Jerime Anderson.

--- Arizona beat Augustana College 92-76, however, the Wildcats struggled in the second half and played the Division II team to a 42-42 tie.

Post-game wrap-up

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:06:03 PST

Let's start with some links.

--- Here's our game story before post-game interviews. Stats are at the bottom.

--- Jerry Brewer likes coach Lorenzo Romar's chances of molding this group into something significant.

--- The Associated Press filed this report.

Good win for Washington, but as a few of us in press row were saying what can you really learn against a team like Central Washington.

The Wildcats, which lost four starters and six of their top seven scorers from last season, aren't very good. At least not early on. Not after three weeks of practice and seven newcomers learning the system.

Not that the Huskies cared. They have problems of their own.

Because the flu reduced the roster in half and stalled the way Romar would normally run training camp, the Huskies were forced to practice the past nine days without a day off.

The non-stop pace, Romar said, might have contributed to the woeful shooting. However, history says UW hasn't been stellar from the free throw line in a couple of years aside from last season when the team shot .700 at the line.

But we're going to give the Huskies the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps tired legs and first-game jitters played a part in the horrendous shooting. UW shot 38 percent (27 of 71) from the field, 23.8 percent (5 of 21) from the free throw line and 48.6 percent (18 of 37) from the line.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Several candidates, but I'm going with Venoy Overton. He had as much to prove as anyone as he re-assumed the starting point guard duties after a year as a reserve. Overton wasn't spectacular directing the offense, but he had just one turnover, which is huge because he knows turnovers will put him on the bench. Overton (four steals) also spearheaded the defense and his infectious personality seemed to energize UW at the start. If only he can create easy shots for others. If he can mature into a playmaker, he'll be an all-Pac-10 player this season.

BREAKOUT PERFORMER: This is easy. Tyreese Breshers. He came in at the 17-minute mark and during his first four minutes, there was nobody better on the court. Nobody. He had all six points of his points during that span, but when he tired, he started to commit fouls and Romar gave him the hook. Still, you can see the potential in Breshers and it wouldn't be surprising if he were to work himself into the starting lineup when Pac-10 play begins.

MISSING BROCKMAN: Jon Brockman's legacy hangs over this team and it was evident tonight when Central collected 18 offensive rebounds. That's as many as UW had. Washington won barely won the battle of the boards 59-54 and many times I found myself thinking Brockman would have gotten that rebound. Still Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Darnell Gant each had 10 rebounds. Quincy Pondexter had 7 and Isaiah Thomas 6.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

--- It's going to be interesting to see how Justin Holiday fits into the rotation in the Nov. 13 opener. He figures to have a spot, so somebody will be bumped to the bench. Other than Breshers, not sure if any of the guys who weren't in the rotation last year proved tonight they belong in the rotation.

--- Still that's not to say there's not talent at the end of the bench. It's easy to see UW will be in good hands in a few years as freshmen C.J. Wilcox and Clarence Trent mature. Both have bright futures. They connected on a eye-popping alley-oop dunk (Trent did the dunking) that brought the house down.

--- I'll attribute Elston Turner's 0-for-4 night on his not being comfortable with the many rotations. Turner is a role-specific player who thrives in a structured system. At times, tonight's exhibition felt like a pick-up game and Turner didn't look comfortable.

--- I saw a few posters compare Abdul Gaddy to Thomas, noting Thomas was sensational in his Husky debut when he scored 27 points. I broached that topic with assistant Jim Sahw and he reminded me that comparison is unfair because they're different players. Gaddy is a pass-first guard, while Thomas is a scorer. Plus Gaddy is coming from the high school ranks and Thomas spent time at a high-powered prep academy before coming to Montlake.

Gaddy said he needed to adjust to the speed of the game, when explaining his three first-half fouls. He also has to learn what he can do defensively that won't draw a whistle. And knocking down an open shot won't hurt because teams are going to leave him open until he proves he hit the college three.

--- It would be nice if Washington could generate easy offense in the half court. UW gets easy buckets in transition and off of turnovers, otherwise it can be a grind. Central threw a 2-3 zone at the Huskies that stopped them in their tracks.

--- And finally, I love this thread. Really. Just had a chance to read some of the comments. Thanks for finding that live link to the game. I missed that one and should have thought to ask Central if they were doing that.

I'll also talk to my editors about a live chat during games. I believe Bob Condotta did this once for an afternoon game. It's much harder to pull that off at night when you've got a tight deadline to write a game story for the newspaper.

Thanks again and we'll get better at this. Promise.

Central Washington Game Thread

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:10:03 PST

UW WINS --- Huskies 77-48. Thomas scored 18 points, Pondexter 15 and Overton 11. Bryan-Amaning was the leading rebounder with 11. Gaddy had six assists. UW shot 27 of 71 (38.0 percent) from the field, 5 of 21 (23.8 percent) on threes and had 15 TOs.

I'm heading to the locker room for post-game interviews and will return with more stats and post-game observations.

POSTERIZED --- Again too bad there's no TV because Trent would have made all the highlights. He snagged a pass from Wilcox and flushed a rim-rattling dunk that got the crowd buzzing. UW leads 75-42 with 4:20 left.

GETTING UGLY --- This game is in the bag and it looks as if coach Lorenzo Romar will continue to experiment with rotations in the final nine minutes. Pondexter and Thomas are on the bench and it looks as if the reserves will finish the game. UW leads 66-32 with 8:30 left. I'm going to slow down with the game thread and write the game story for the newspaper.

TOUGH SLEDDING --- Gaddy has a team-high four fouls. He picked up three quick ones early in the first half. Gaddy has 1 point, 1 rebound and three assists in 18 minutes.

PULLING AWAY --- UW leads by 30, 55-25. Pondexter has seven in the second half and he's taking over along with Thomas.

FIRST HALF OBSERVATIONS --- Hard to be critical of a 25-point lead, but it seems as if UW's offense is a little sporadic, which is probably because it's playing a 12-man rotation. Breshers is impressive. Bryan-Amaning has eight rebounds, but has yet to score. Defensively, UW picked up right where they left off last season. They're challenging everything. Overton is hounding and harassing every CWU ball handler and not conceding anything.

FIRST HALF STATS

Thomas --- 14 points on 4-for-10 shooting
Pondexter --- 7 points on 3-for-7 shooting, 5 rebounds
Bryan-Amaning --- 8 rebounds, 0 points on 0-for-4 shooting
Overton --- 6 points on 2-for-6 shooting, 2 rebounds
Breshers --- 6 points on 2-for 2 shooting and 2 for 3 at the line, 2 rebounds.
UW --- 13 for 41 shooting (31.7 percent), 5 for 16 3-pointers (31.3 percent), 36 rebounds, 8 TOs.
CENTRAL --- 4 for 27 shooting (14.8 percent), 1 for 8 3-pointers (12.5 percent), 25 rebounds, 12 TOs.

HALFTIME --- Thomas concluded the first half with a long three-pointer seconds before time expired, giving UW a 43-18 lead.

PLAY OF THE GAME --- Too bad there's no TV broadcast because Pondexter had an ESPN moment when he sneaked behind the defense and caught a pass from Gaddy for an alley-oop finish. UW leads 38-17.

BIG LINEUP --- Thomas, Gaddy, Pondexter, Breshers and Bryan-Amaning. UW 36-17 with 2:05 left.

NO OFFENSIVE CONTINUITY --- Blame it on the use of 12 players, but there's no flow to the offense. UW has nine baskets and five assists, but it's as if they're not playing with each other. Other than Breshers, the Huskies don't have much of a inside presence offensively. UW 30-14.

STRUGGLES AGAINST ZONE --- Central is able to slow UW a little with a 2-3 zone. The Huskies are 3 for 13 behind the arc. UW leads 30-13 with 3:36 left.

MORE EXPERIMENTING --- Gaddy, Overton, Pondexter, Suggs and Trent. Suggs drained a three-pointer lifting UW to a 25-10 lead.

ANOTHER ODD PAIRING --- Overton, Wilcox, Turner, Breshers and Gant. UW 19-7.

DEFENSE SPECTACULAR AT THE START --- UW has allowed just seven field goal attempts and forced eight turnovers.UW leads 16-5.

BRESHERS SOLID SO FAR --- The redshirt freshman forward was 2-for-2 shooting in six minutes. He didn't have a rebound, but he controlled the paint.

FT WOES CONTINUE --- UW is 2 for 7 from the line.

STRANGE GROUPING --- UW has Thomas, Gaddy, Breshers, Scott Suggs and Clarence Trent in the game. UW 13-5.

UW's PESKY DEFENSE --- The Huskies have forced a turnover on the last four possessions. Thomas and Pondexter have steals and Overton harassed Tyler into an offensive foul. UW 10-3.

FROSH DEBUT --- Abdul Gaddy checks in to a loud ovation. One troubling note, UW is 0-3 on FTs with Thomas missing all of them. UW leads 7-3.

FIRST SUB --- Tyresse Breshers is the first off the bench, subbing for Bryan-Amaning who looked as if he failed to rotate on a defense and missed a rebound.

UW SCORES FIRST --- Overton drained an open three-pointer to give UW the early 3-0 lead.

STARTING LINEUPS ---

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
G - JC Cook, 6-1, 190, Jr.
G - Toussaint Tyler, 6-1, 185, Jr.
G - Humberto Perez, 6-2. 185, Jr.
F/C - Roby Clyde, 6-5, 230, So.
F/C - Chris Sprinker, 6-9, 225, Sr.

WASHINGTON
G --- Isaiah Thomas
G --- Venoy Overton
C/F --- Matthew Bryan-Amaning
F --- Darnell Gant
F --- Quincy Pondexter

SCOUTING PONDEXTER? --- There's a San Antonio Spurs scout in the building. I remember him from my NBA days, but I can't think of his name. Seemingly he's here to scout Pondexter or Isaiah Thomas because I can't think of anyone else in this game that he'd want to see. Maybe Matthew Bryan-Amaning.

POLL CLOSING SOON --- With about an hour remaining in our poll question, most Husky fans think the No. 1 priority tonight is getting out of the game healthy. A lot of fans are looking for a blowout and a couple hundred fans want to see the new guys make a nice debut.

DOORS ARE OPEN --- It's about an hour before the game, fans are streaming in and the Dawg Pack is settling into their midcourt bleacher seats. The Huskies have been on the court for about 15 minutes. Elston Turner and Quincy Pondexter were the first out of the locker room. The Wildcats were on the floor about 30 minutes before UW, probably getting adjusted to the spacious arena.

PRE-GAME INTERVIEW --- Check out our interview with assistant Raphael Chillious in an earlier post.

Pre-game interview with assistant Raphael Chillious

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:39:02 PST

About 90 minutes before tonight's exhibition and I ran into Washington assistant Raphael Chillious just before ducked inside the locker room to change for the game.

Here's our quick interview with Chillious.

(It's also your debut tonight, how are you feeling?) "I do what I do right before a game. I'm nice and calm until the ball goes up. Then I'll be intense."

(How long has it been since your last game as a coach?) "Almost two years now."

(Is it like riding a bicycle?) "I hope it's like riding a bicycle. For me everybody has been asking me all day are you all pumped up? I'm usually just pretty even and once it's time to go I'll be intense during the game. The only thing I'll be focused on are my responsibilities and whatever Lorenzo (Romar) needs me to do."

(What are your responsibilities?) "A lot. It depends. Really paying attention to the guards and charting some stuff defensively and offensively. But really focusing on what those guards are getting done."

(What are you looking for tonight from Washington?) "The biggest thing is we're looking for them to play hard tonight. We figure it's so early they'll be a lot of mistakes we think. But we just want them to play hard. That's the biggest thing. And progressing. And I think we are."

And if you hadn't done so, please vote in our poll below. Thanks.

Poll question: What constitutes a successful opening tonight?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:33:08 PST

Sure it's just an exhibition on the scale of David vs. Goliath, but I want to get a gauge of what you're thinking before 14th-ranked Washington takes on Division II Central Washington tonight in a preseason game.

So let me know what you think and we'll have some fun with the results after the game.

The poll will close at 7 p.m.

Lorenzo Romar on KJR: "(Tyreese Breshers) is quite a load."

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:21:23 PST

In an interview this morning with KJR's Dave Mahler, Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said he's anxious to see the progress Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas made in the offseason during tonight's exhibition against Central Washington.

Romar also singled out Tyreese Breshers.

"It seems like maybe he's the Wizard of Oz, maybe he doesn't really exist and no one has really seen him, but we've seen him in the last few weeks and he's quite a load," Romar said in the interview. "When he gets out there in practices, our guys know that he's out there. The guys that play with him know it and definitely the guys who play against him know it."

Romar estimated Breshers is 85 percent recovered from the leg injuries that forced him to redshirt last season. It's not the injuries that's holding Breshers back, it's his lack of conditioning. During a 2 1/2 practice, he'll work out for about 90 minutes.

Romar said he expects Pondexter to assume the leadership role on and off the court that Jon Brockman has held for the past several years.

Romar gave a little insight into why he's choosing to start junior Venoy Overton at point guard instead of prized recruit Abdul Gaddy. He also said the starting lineup could change.

Said Romar: "Venoy is going to decide that. And the rest of the guys are going to decide that. At this point right now, he's just so far ahead defensively and does so much. And he's a veteran. Right now at this point, that's what we're going with. Down the stretch, you don't know what's going to happen. But the players decide that. If we're playing in games and we decide to make a change, we'll make a change. If not and we play this way, that will be the case. But the players always decide. The coaches make decisions based on what the players are giving you everyday in practice."

And Romar said Justin Holiday has made an immediate impact in practice since returning Monday from offseason hernia surgery.

"You felt it in terms of even his leadership," Romar told KJR. "You felt it defensively. He knows what's going on. He's a very, very smart basketball player. He really should be an X-factor with this team. I think him and Tyreese Breshers are the two guys that can make a difference with our team aside from the usual suspects."

Scouting Central Washington

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:17:03 PST

This season we'll look at the upcoming opponents. Today: Central Washington.

Two fun facts about tonight's 7 p.m. exhibition at Edmundson Pavilion.

--- Washington and Central haven't played since Jan. 9, 1943 when UW won 58-30 in Seattle to avenge an earlier season loss, 53-49, on Dec. 23 in Ellensburg.

--- Central hasn't played a Pac-10 school since losing 84-40 to Washington State on Nov. 5, 2006.

The Wildcats lost six of its top seven scorers, four starters and 76 percent of its scoring from a team that finished 18-7 overall, second in the nine-team GNAC with a 12-4 record and lost in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament last season.

Despite its retooled roster, GNAC coaches picked Central to finish third in the conference.

Senior point guard Jon Clift started 23 games and averaged 5.3 points per game last season, but he's not starting this season. Chris Sprinker, who is a Curtis High grad, also saw extensive playing time last season. He averaged 6.6 points per game and shot 54.6 percent from the field.

The other returners are senior G/F Riley Sivak, who averaged 3.5 points, and sophomore center Ted Nelson, Central's first 7-foot player.

The aptly named JC Cook leads a group of seven highly touted junior college transfers. Cook averaged 21.7 and 19.4 points per game in his two seasons at Clackamas Community College.

Other notable newcomers include 6-4 forward Jody Johnson, a former Franklin High standout and Yakima Valley CC and 6-4 swing Najee Ali, a freshman from Rainier Beach High.

Wildcat coach Greg Sparling is in his 15th season at Central and has a 238-156 (.604) record.

Projected starting lineup:

G - JC Cook, 6-1, 190, Jr.
G - Toussaint Tyler, 6-1, 185, Jr.
G - Humberto Perez, 6-2. 185, Jr. or Riley Sivak, 6-5, 195, Sr.
F/C - Roby Clyde, 6-5, 230, So.
F/C - Chris Sprinker, 6-9, 225, Sr.

And here's a conversation with Wildcats beat writer Ian Abbott of The Daily Record:

(What are your expectations for the season?) "I don't know what to expect but I would not be surprised to see them drop off this year. ... They lost most of their leading scorers. They lost two of their high profile guys both were transfers at one point Jake Beitinger and Matt Penoncello. Both of those guys struggled with injuries the set them back. They also lost defensive specialist Johnny Spevak whose with the football team. ... They lost an important sixth man who came on strong late in the year Brandon Foote who was kind of a monster for them."

(Any clue about the newcomers?) "It's a big mystery to me. I haven't talked to coach about any of these guys. I don't follow local community college guys and that's really what all of these guys are. That's kind of where they get a lot of these guys from. ... If you look at their roster most of their roster is guys they brought in off community colleges. Nobody really caught my eye, but I don't know if I'm the expert on that."

(What does Central hope to gain from tonight's game?) "Obviously going into this game expecting to win is probably a bit much to ask against a nationally ranked team like Washington, but I think it will be a chance for them to not necessarily check out their new guys but build some chemistry and get a game plan in place with this new lineup. They only have Jon Clift back as far as their starting lineup and I'm not sure if he'll start. . ... The only problem is how well can you gauge what you got against a team like Washington and I don't know what Washington is going to bring. How much firepower they're going to show or how many guys they're going to workout in and out. ... Going back 2006 was the last time they had a really high profile exhibition game and they faced Washington State. They lost 84-40 on Nov. 5, 2006. I don't remember if that was right before Washington State was becoming one of the ranked teams or they were ranked at that point. So that might be a parallel."

(Describe Central's style.) "They run a pretty fast-paced offense."

(Is the basketball team being overlooked in Ellensburg because the Central and Ellensburg High football teams are undefeated?) "The interest is pretty high. I haven't been here all that long so I won't be able to say it's an all-time high, but they (Ellensburg High) haven't been ranked No. 1 (in 2A) in the state in, they couldn't remember a time they were ranked No. 1 in the state. It's still football season here and to be honest I knew that Central was going to play U-Dub in Seattle, but to be honest, I completely forgot about it until one of our guys e-mailed me saying are you guys going to send someone out there to cover that. We're not going to be sending someone out there. We have a full slate of football this weekend and it's pretty safe to say most people here are still focused on football season.'

Abdul Gaddy: "When the game is on the line ... I want to be in."

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:37:03 PST

Washington freshman Abdul Gaddy knew nothing would be given to him when he chose Washington after de-committing from Arizona.

Several people questioned his decision to join the Huskies which had a pair of standout point guards in Isaiah Thomas and Venoy Overton, but Gaddy said he picked UW because of a closeness he felt with coach Lorenzo Romar.

Gaddy said he's not upset he won't start Wednesday's exhibition against Central Washington, but admitted it will be strange to begin the game on the bench. The last time Gaddy didn't start, he was a freshman at Tacoma's Bellarmine Prep.

(Gaddy on having to fight for a fight for job) "It's different. It's hard. It's kind of like some people would ask why would you do that. But I'm looking at it as a positive. They make me better every day in practice. Guarding Isaiah and playing against the defensive pressure of Venoy, they make you better on both sides of the game. And that just helps me go farther ... to help me go to the pro level."

(On playing Central) "It's going to be a new experience for all the freshmen, especially me being in front a lot of my friends and family. So that will be a new thing. It will be fun. A lot more people coming to watch play."

(Does the team have something to prove?) "It's going to be like our second test. We had our first test with the scrimmage. This is going to be like our second test playing against a really good, solid team. So we get to come out, show what we're made of and see where we're at. We're not where we're supposed to be. ... We're improving each day. So this is going to be our second test to see where we're at."

(Sounds like it's a redemption game?) "We didn't really have a great start, but we had the flu and everything so our chemistry wasn't really there. But having this week and half of practice and getting after it, I think our chemistry has really grown a lot and people will see that. I think this will be a much better game for us."

(What's the difference between coming off the bench and starting?) "Coming off the bench, you can give a spark of the bench. And being a starter, you're just like starting right away. But coming off the bench can be the same way. My coach always said, it's not how you start the game it's how you finish the game. When the game is on the line, I want to be in the game and hopefully coach puts me in the game when the game is on the line. That's where I want to be."

QUOTES FROM ROMAR'S PRESS CONFERENCE.

(What can Gaddy give as a reserve?) "That calmness. Your offense is in good hands because he's not going to make very many mistakes. He's going to get the ball to the right people. He's going to calm everyone else down. If things aren't going well, he can take over the game himself. So he's got that uniqueness about him."

(When did you notice he was a leader?) "When he was in high school. You watch him play in high school and you just see. We watched him play many times and in a situation he just had that poise about him and just that way about him. He was just always in control of the situation. What he does just like what Jon Brockman did in high school and what Isaiah Thomas does it transfers to any game situation. Jon Brockman gets 10 rebounds the other night in 19 minutes. Surprise. It does't matter where he plays, he's going to rebound. Doesn't matter where Isaiah Thomas plays, he's going to score. It doesn't matter where Abdul Gaddy plays, he's going to run a team and bring calm to the storm. That's what he does.

(Do you coach Gaddy differently?) "Yeah, when someone really has a niche I think the way you coach them is you back off of them and let them perform their niche. Isaiah Thomas, don't give him a 1,000 rules on offense. ... You kind have got to give him structure and then let him go.

"With Venoy defensively and even Venoy offensively with his great push of the basketball you can't just give him absolutes. You got to point in a direction and just say kind of get there with your own ability.

"Well with Abdul you kind of give Abdul the blueprint of what you want your house to look like and then you decorate it the way you want it. That's what you do with him. And you'll have a pretty nice custom decorated house too because he knows what he's doing."

TUESDAY EVENING LINKS:

--- Here's our story on the starting lineups and today's big news.

--- ESPN Insider, which is normally a pay site, offers a free glimpse at a UW story with a breakdown on each player and grades by position. ESPN has other in-depth looks of Pac-10 teams (for a few) on the website.

--- SunBreak.com writer Seth Kolloen gives a UW preview.

--- Sam Saig at AllPac10.com picks Washington to win the conference.

Venoy Overton will start against Central Washington

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:59:03 PST

Lorenzo Romar unveiled his starting lineup for tomorrow's exhibition against Central Washington.

PG -- Venoy Overton
SG -- Isaiah Thomas
C/F -- Matthew Bryan-Amaning
F --- Quincy Pondexter
F --- Darnell Gant

The odd man out - for now - is highly touted freshman Abdul Gaddy, however, Romar said he considers all three point guards, including Thomas, as starters.

Romar said the starting lineup isn't etched in stone and could change for the Nov. 13 opener against Wright State.

Romar on Overton: "He's been more consistent. His freshman year, he was really good early and then as teams began to defend him and scout him, he wasn't as good as he was early. Then last year, he wasn't in great condition early and as the year progressed he became a better conditioned player. He was really good by the end of the year. Right now he's kind of playing a little bit like he was at the end of the year."

Romar on the three point guards: "We don't have anyone better at running the team in our program. We don't have a better on-ball defender than Venoy Overton and I don't think we have a better scorer out of the smaller guards - take Quincy Pondexter out of the equation - than Isaiah Thomas. So everyone brings something special to our group. Abdul's specialty is he really can run a team. And he can score if he needs to score, but has a great feel for just how to get people involved."

Romar expects everyone to play except Justin Holiday, who is recovering from offseason hernia surgery. Holdiay had his first full practice Monday and there's no reason to push him so quickly. Besides, without Holiday Romar can give more minutes to other guys.

I'll have more later from Romar's press conference.

Wright State game just got a whole lot easier

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:05:04 PST

Washington will face a weakened Wright State in the Nov. 13 season opener for both teams.

Raiders guard Vaughn Duggins has been suspended for the first three games of the season because he was arrested with operating a vehicle under the influence in August, charged with OVI in September and faces a pretrial hearing in the case on Nov. 16.

For some reason, it took coach Brad Brownell two months to levy the punishment.

Duggins, a 6-3 junior, was a first-team All-Horizon League player as a sophomore when he averaged 13.8 points per game. Last season he led the team in scoring before breaking his shooting-hand finger before the fourth game. Duggins sat out the rest of the season on a medical redshirt and he has two years of eligibility.

SOME LINKS:

--- BleacherReport.com takes a look at the upcoming season and predicts the Huskies will win the Pac-10.

--- CollegeHoops.net has UW No. 12 nationally. The website also takes a look at the Pac-10.

Monday practice notes: UW adds a walk-on

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:02:03 PST

Walk-on Rudy Sharar, a junior guard from Bainbridge Island, was at practice, but he's still in the tryout process and has yet to earn a spot on the team.

However, the team's other tryout Brendan Sherrer, a 6-foot-9, 240 pound sophomore out of Archbishop Murphy High, was officially added to the roster Monday.

In a statement released by UW, coach Lorenzo Romar said: "He's got size and that is something that will help us when practicing. He's strong enough to push the other guys and he's only a sophomore, so he has a chance to grow with the guys. He also has a great attitude and work ethic."

Sherrer was not at Monday's practice.

IN OTHER NEWS:

--- F Justin Holiday, who underwent offseason hernia surgery, was back practicing with the Huskies and looked as if he hadn't missed the first two weeks of training.

--- F Tyreese Breshers, who is recovering from a leg injury, still appears limited. He worked out in team drills and rode a stationary practice early in practice.

--- Romar hasn't announced starters, but it's going to be difficult to keep Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Darnell Gant out of the lineup because of they're good rebounders and defenders. Early in practice, the team ran a rebounding drill and Bryan-Amaning and Gant excelled. Isaiah Thomas, 5-8, also showed grit to go inside and snag a few boards.

--- Just two days before the Nov. 4 exhibition against Central Washington, it appears the toughest position battle is between Venoy Overton and Abdul Gaddy at point guard.

--- The Huskies held an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday and Romar said the team has made strides since practice began Oct. 17. In the statement, he said: "Everybody is back out on the court and that is the good thing. I think as a team we made some progress and that is what you want. We have to make more progress though in the next couple of days. We have Central Washington on Wednesday and then we have eight days before we open the season."

Pac-10 exhibition season begins

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:55:25 PST

A handful of schools began the exhibition season Sunday with blowout victories. Of course, the scores really don't matter unless you're the USC Trojans and you need a second half comeback to beat Division II Cal State Dominguez Hills. (Is it too late to change my Pac-10 predictions?)

The Trojans played without six players, including four possible starters and struggled early on. USC's Dwight Lewis led all scorers with 17 points.

The Ducks cruised to a 99-61 win over Concordia evening at McArthur. Oregon freshman forward Jamil Wilson had 17 points. Oregon coach Ernie Kent said: "We had talked to Concordia and told them we were going run." This is the story in the Register Guard.

And OSU beat the tar out of Southern Oregon in the first exhibition for the Beavers.

Here's a look at the rest of the week for the practice games.

Wednesday --- Arizona, Washington and UCLA
Thursday --- Cal
Friday --- Stanford
Nov. 9 --- Washington State

SOME LINKS:

--- Gary Parrish of CBSsports.com picks Washington to win the Pac-10.

--- Here's another Pac-10 preview that picks Washington to win the conference.

--- On it's pay site, ESPN's Jay Bilas lists Stanford's Landry Fields, Washington State's Klay Thompson and Oregon's Michael Dunigan among the top 10 players who are underrated.

--- Stanford F Jeremy Green, who was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman team last season, was arrested by campus police at a campus dormitory on suspicion of felony domestic violence.