The Seattle Times: Husky Men's Basketball Blog

An interview with Enes Kanter's coach

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:11:03 PST

Photo credit: Stoneridge Preparatory

Spoke with Stoneridge Prep coach Derryck "Tank" Thornton who coaches Enis Kanter (above), the Turkish star who verbally committed to play basketball at Washington.

(How did this happen?) "It happened because of coach Chill (Raphael Chillious), the coach at the University of Washington. He coached this kid in the Jordan game. I guess he kept an eye on him and kept in touch with the kid and he was very familiar with the kid. He spoke to the parents. Washington came and struck up a friendship. The kid is phenomenal. It's a no-brainer to try to get the kid. And then Lorenzo (Romar) came and he met Lorenzo. And the fact that he was a NBA player, and the program, and the style they had, he made the verbal. And we're excited. Really excited."

(Did he make an official visit?) "No."

(Do you know when he'll do that?) "As soon as our schedule clears up a little bit. We're in season right now."

(What other schools was Kanter considering/) "USC, Indiana, UCLA and UNLV."

(Why did he choose Washington?) "Like I said, just his relationship with Coach Chill. He liked their style of play. The fact that (Romar) played in the NBA, (Kanter) respected that. The players that have come out of University of Washington and to the NBA and done well like Brandon (Roy). All of those things. And then the stuff he found out about the school and the program. Just how good they are. What big man doesn't want to play with a great point guard like Isaiah Thomas and Abdul Gaddy."

(What type of a player is he?)

Pac-10 POW: WSU's Klay Thompson

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:37:03 PST

The Pac-10 announced Washington State sophomore guard Klay Thompson has been named the conference's men's basketball Player of the Week for Nov. 16-22.

Here's the release.

Thompson led the Cougars to a pair of victories over Eastern Washington and IPFW last week. He averaged 30.5 points per game, accounting for 39 percent of the team's points. He also added 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals in the two wins.

It's the first time Thompson has won the award.

UW's Quincy Pondexter was also nominated after he tallied 30 points and 15 rebounds, both career highs against San Jose State.

USC's Nikola Vucevic was the only other nominee. He finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds - both personal bests - for his first career double-double in a win over Loyola Marymount.

New Husky recruit: Enes Kanter; polls released

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:18:03 PST

According to Scout.com's Dave Telep, the Huskies received a commitment from Enes Kanter, a 6-foot-9 post player out of Simi Valley (Calif.) Stoneridge Prep, for the Class of 2010.

He was considering USC and UCLA. Apparently, Kanter forged a strong relationship with new assistant Raphael Chillious.

Kanter, 17, is regarded as the top prospect in Turkey and was recently named the MVP of the Under-18 European Championships, where he averaged 18.6 points and 16.4 rebounds a game.

Looks like NBA scouts expect Kanter to be a one-and-done player for the Huskies. DraftExpress.com has him as a lottery pick.

There's been no official announcement from the school because coaches can't talk about recruits during this period. Kanter is expected to sign in the spring.

Kanter joins Desmond Simmons, who signed two weeks ago, and C.J. Wilcox, who is redshirting this season.

Washington is still believed to be in pursuit of Jefferson High (Ore.) star Terrence Jones.

***UPDATED 11:12 AM***

THE POLLS ARE OUT

--- No change for Washington, which remains at No.14 in both polls. It's interesting to note California dropped out of the AP poll, leaving UW as the only Pac-10 team. The Bears fell to No. 23 in the coaches' poll.

Pac-10 Men's Basketball Power Rankings

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:17:02 PST

WEEK 3 PAC-10 RANKINGS
Not a whole lot of movement this week. Arizona State's stock is rising and Oregon's is falling. Otherwise, not a whole lot of change from Week 2.

1. (1) Washington (4-0): It's a slow stretch in the schedule for the Huskies which have an eight-day layoff between games. It's the longest break of the season for UW. Coach Lorenzo Romar said he hopes the time off will makeup for losing a week at the start of training camp because of the flu. UW is eighth in the nation averaging 90.3 points per game.

2. (4) Arizona State (4-0): Big test for the Sun Devils this week as they head to New York to play No. 9 Duke on Wednesday in the NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals. ASU also plays Friday against Connecticut or LSU on Friday.

3. (2) California (2-2): The Bears were humbled last week, but they'll easily win their next two games (Jacksonville and Princeton) and might not lose again until facing top-ranked Kansas on Dec. 22. The status of Theo Robertson (stress fracture right foot) is a concern. He's out indefinitely.

4. (5) Washington State (3-0): When the Cougars post something like this on their blog, it's obvious the first six games really don't mean much them. They're not counting down the seconds until their game against Alaska-Anchorage. WSU is the second-best team in the Great Alaska Shoutout that begins Wednesday. The Cougs should play Oklahoma for the tournament title. And Klay Thompson is fourth in the country with a 27.0 points per game average.

5. (6) Arizona (2-0): It's Tournament Week around the country and the real season begins this week for the Wildcats, which travel to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational that begins tonight. Gotta believe new Arizona coach Sean Miller would be pleased with a 2-1 showing this week.

Saturday's Pac-10 games in review

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:04:58 PST

PAC-10 REVIEW
Bad day for the conference, which went 1-3 on Saturday. And I'm not sure if Stanford's win against Florida A&M should count in the standings because the Rattlers are awful.

So far, the Pac-10 is 23-10 in non-conference games. Every team has at least one win and there's four (UW, Arizona State, Washington and Arizona) unbeatens.

OREGON STATE
--- I'll admit it, I think I got the wrong read on the Beavers before the season when I picked them to finish fourth in the Pac-10. But I wasn't alone. Admit it. A lot of folks (maybe even you) thought OSU had the look of a conference contender.

At 1-3, these days the Beavers look like the old Beavers before second-year coach Craig Robinson arrived. Saturday they lost 65-64 at home to a Sacramento State team that was picked to finish last in the Big Sky by conference coaches and writers in two separate polls.

Sacramento State was also riding a pair of spectacular streaks before knocking off the Beavers. Sacramento State had lost 39 straight road games, which was the longest active streak among Division I schools.

And SSU had dropped 29 straight games against the Pac-10, carrying a 1-30 overall record into the game. It's previous Pac-10 win was a 45-44 victory against Washington State on Dec. 17, 1953.

Friday's Pac-10 games in review

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:42:03 PST

A LOOK AROUND THE PAC-10:

WASHINGTON
--- Quincy Pondexter has scored more points than anybody in the country. He has 96 points and his 24.0 scoring average is ninth in the nation. Isaiah Thomas is fourth in total points (90) and 17th in scoring average (22.5).

CALIFORNIA
--- It looks like Ohio State and Syracuse gave the Pac-10 the blueprint to beat Cal this week. Just like the Orangemen, the Buckeyes played 80 minutes of zone against the Bears in a 76-70 victory.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, the game could have been much worse for Cal, which played without Theo Robertson (foot) and Harper Kamp (knee). The Bears outscored the Buckeyes 42-24 over the final 15 1/2 minutes. Gotta believe No. 13 Cal (2-2) is going to lose their ranking, which could leave just one Pac-10 team (Washington) among the top 25.

UCLA
--- The Bruins won a game, but lost a starter. They beat Cal State Bakersfield 75-64 for their first win of the season, but hours before tip off senior forward Nikola Dragovic, the only returning starter, surrendered to campus police and was charged and arrested with felony assault.

In a release, UCLA announced: Dragovic was involved in an incident last month at a concert in Hollywood. He filed a report with the UCLA Police Department early the following week. Following an investigation, the Los Angeles District Attorney's office filed a felony assault charge against Dragovic and he was informed of the charge this morning. He turned himself into the UCPD and Hollywood Division detectives earlier today.

"This is an unfortunate situation for Nikola," Coach Ben Howland said. "Our staff and players will do what we can to help him during this time. He made us aware of the incident when it occurred but until this morning, we did not know charges would be filed."

Dragovic's status for upcoming games will be determined as more information becomes available.

According to the Orange Country Register, "Last November, Dragovic was arrested for suspicion of misdemeanor battery following an altercation with the woman he had been living with. That arrest came on the day of UCLA's first exhibition game.

City attorneys decided last December not to file charges after meeting with Dragovic and the alleged victim, but prosecutors reserved the right to revisit the case for up to a year."

--- Also, former UCLA coach Jim Harrick's wife Sally passed away Friday at age 70 from complications of schleroderma, a disease of the immune system.

ARIZONA STATE
--- The Sun Devils had no problems with San Francisco in a 104-65 victory. ASU meets Duke next week.

Keep an eye on Rihards Kuksiks, who scored 27 and hit seven three-pointers.

San Jose State post-game analysis

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:21:03 PST

It was ugly at times, but ultimately a good win for Washington, which finished homecoming week for ex-Huskies with an 80-70 victory against San Jose State and Adrian Oliver.

This game was all about a pair of former teammates, Quincy Pondexter and Oliver who staged a a mini-duel in front of 8,155 at Edmundson Pavilion.

Oliver, who scored a game-high 32 points, won the battle while Pondexter got 30 points and 15 rebounds, both career highs, and the win.

We'll keep the analysis short so we can get to recapping the real story behind the Pondexter-Oliver rift.

--- Tyreese Breshers was the big winner among the reserves. We talked about how the third scorer was going to rotate a lot this season and tonight it was Breshers, who had 12 points and seven rebounds. He showed no ill effects from suffering a dislocated right middle finger last Saturday. Breshers played 20 minutes, which is about his limit right now.

Breshers also had the funniest line in the post-game press conference. When asked about the game, he said: "I feel the game was called a little soft. Every time I was at the free throw line, they were talking about don't push your guy under the rim. I was like, why did I go to the weight room for?"

--- Clarence Trent was also another big winner off the bench. The freshman doesn't really have a role, but it's obvious he plays hard, plays fast and has a good feel when he 's on the court. Anybody who snags four offensive rebounds is going to play. Trent was also the only Husky who blocked a shot.

--- And Abdul Gaddy had his best game as a Husky even though he was 1 for 6 on field goals. He found holes in SJSU's 2-3 zone and finished with a game-high seven assists and no turnovers.

--- Because of UW's deep bench, the Huskies won't necessarily struggle when three starters (Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Darnell Gant and Venoy Overton) combine for six points and four rebounds. Overton had more fouls (five) than points (2), assists (three) and rebounds (none). He was handcuffed by a quick whistle from officials, who called 51 fouls.

--- The refs even gave a technical foul to coach Lorenzo Romar, who admitted afterward he deserved the T for demonstratively protesting a charging call on Pondexter.

--- Gant is finding his minutes shrinking - he played nine tonight - because he's not rebounding and playing defense. He's been the first starter to leave the court recently when Romar goes to a smaller lineup.

--- Scott Suggs got five minutes in the first half to see if he still had the hot hand and played just one minute after halftime.

--- Isaiah Thomas struggled to find any offensive rhythm and missed nine of 13 shots on a night when he scored 16 points. The Spartans gave him the three-pointer and he missed 5 of 7 behind the arc.

--- It was good to see Elston Turner knock down a couple of three-pointers. Maybe he's breaking out of his slump.

AND NOW THE BACK STORY BEHIND THE PONDEXTER-OLIVER FEUD:

San Jose State game thread

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:22:08 PST

UW WINS --- 80-70. Pondexter sets a new scoring high with 30 points. He had 13 rebounds, which tied a personal best. Thomas had 16 and Breshers 12. Oliver led all scorers with 32 points. That's it for the game thread.

PULLING AWAY --- Barring a huge collapse, the Huskies are headed to their fourth straight win. It wasn't pretty, but a month from now this game might look a lot better because San Jose appears if it could do some damage in the WAC. UW 72-58.

SLOWING DOWN --- Gotta slow down with the blog and write the game story.

GADDY TO PONDEXTER --- The Huskies tried this play in the first half, but Pondexter was fouled before he could get in the air. This time they were able to pull it off against SJSU's 2-3 zone. Pondexter started on the wing and slashed to the basket where he retrieved a Gaddy pass at the rim and flushed an alley-oop dunk. UW 66-52.

WEBSTER FOULS OUT --- Gotta believe he won't be the only one. Three SJSU players have three fouls. UW 61-50.

BRESHERS FLEXES HIS MUSCLES --- Breshers is picking up the slack for Bryan-Amaning who tailed off after a quick start. Breshers has 10 points and seven rebounds. UW 57-47.

SAN JOSE STATE IN THE BONUS --- With 12:18 left, the Spartans will shoot free throws every time they're fouled. UW 57-46.

PONDEXTER TAKING OVER --- Recognizing that the SJSU front line is in foul trouble, Pondexter is going to work. He's abusing the Spartans and driving every chance he gets. And the San Jose State is helpless to stop him because the refs are calling it tight and they know they'll be on the bench if they try to play hard defense. Pondexter just flushed a dunk that brought the house down. UW 45-37.

MORE CLOSE CALLS --- This crew isn't letting much go. Overton picked up his fourth foul and is on the bench. UW 43-35.

GANT REAPPEARS --- Gant played just three minutes in the first half, but he started the second half. UW 39-33.

HALFTIME OBSERVATIONS --- Maybe this is too simple, but if UW was to slow down Oliver, it would really help its cause. Not only is he the leading scorer, he has three assists and and four rebounds. I'd imagine Romar continues doing what he's doing because at this pace UW will foul out half of the SJSU team in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Four Spartans have three fouls, including Thomas, Graham, Webster and Jones.

HALFTIME STATS --- Oliver leads all scorers with 13 points. No other Spartan has more than 4. Pondexter leads UW with 12 followed by Thomas 7 and Breshers 6. UW is shooting .706 from the free throw line (12 of 17) and .353 (12 of 34) from the floor. SJSU is .440 from the floor and with 12 turnovers.

HALFTIME --- UW 37-31.

OK, MAYBE NOT POOR --- Bad choice of words. But it just seems like the Huskies should have a better handle on this game. The Spartans are in bad, bad foul trouble. They've got a kid on the floor (freshman Anthony Dixon) who played five minutes this season. UW 37-31.

POOR FREE THROW SHOOTING --- It's not awful, but if UW was a little better at the line this game would almost be a blowout. As it is, the Huskies are 10 for 15 at the line. UW 33-29.

REFS CALLING IT TIGHT --- Twenty-two fouls in 17 minutes. Brutal.

OAKES RETURNS --- The big man for San Jose is back. UW 31-25.

WEBSTER PICKS UP HIS THIRD --- That's two Spartans with three fouls, which could be trouble for them in the second half. And Oakes just walked off the court and went back to the locker room, so San Jose is very small right now on the court. UW 29-25.

SCARY MOMENT --- Oakes came down awkward and appeared to hit his head hard on the floor. He was down for a few minutes, but is now on the bench. UW 29-24.

OVERTON DOING HIS THING --- Overton forced a 10-second turnover and appears to be unnerving the Spartans with his defensive play. SJSU has committed turnovers on each of the past four possessions. UW 27-22.

SPARTANS IN FOUL TROUBLE --- Jones picked up his third foul and is headed to the bench. Webster and Graham has two fouls. UW 25-22.

HEATING UP --- After a half of feeling each other out, both teams are finding their offensive groove. Oliver is intent on scoring when he can, but he's not forcing too much. The Huskies are throwing bodies at the Spartans, perhaps hoping they wear down. UW 23-22.

GOOD INTERIOR PASSING --- In a beautiful sequence Gaddy passed to Trent in the paint and he threw a pass to Breshers for a two-hand dunk that brought the crowd to its feet. Timeout San Jose State. UW 17-15.

IT WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN --- I'm surprised it took this long, but we got our first controversial call regarding an offensive foul and a player taking a charge. This time Pondexter looked as if he was fouled while making a layup, however, the official called a charge. Coach Lorenzo Romar exploded off the bench and protested so much he was given a technical foul. Oliver hit the ensuing free throws. SJSU 15-13.

SPARTAN ZONE --- SJSU is going with a 2-3 zone that's slowed UW's offense. The Huskies have scored just once on the past four possessions. UW 13-13.

THIRD SUBS --- Justin Holiday and Breshers are in for Bryan-Amaning and Suggs.SJSU 13-11.

SECOND SUB --- Abdul Gaddy replaced Overton. Oliver is going off. He's being aggressive. Early on he drove hard against Pondexter for a mid-range jumper then he took Gaddy to the hole for a short jumper. SJSU 11-8.

BRYAN-AMANING'S QUICK START --- It's always a good sign for UW when Bryan-Amanign scores early like he has tonight. He has two baskets, including a dunk and baby hook. SJSU 9-8.

FIRST SUB --- Scott Suggs replaced Gant. SJSU 8-6.

DEFENSIVE LOOK --- San Jose State is starting in a man-to-man defense with Oliver on Pondexter. UW 4-2.

STARTING LINEUPS --- No change for Washington: Isaiah Thomas, Venoy Overton, Quincy Pondexter, Darnell Gant and Matthew Bryan-Amaning.

San Jose State
F - C.J. Webster, 6-9, 255, Jr., 7 ppg., 12 rpg.
F - Chris Jones, 6-4, 205, Fr., 13, 5
C - Chris Oakes, 6-10, 235, Sr., 12, 15
G - Adrian Oliver, 6-4, 210, Jr., 11, 11
G - Justin Graham, 6-4, 195, Jr., 18, 5

The crowd, which is nearing capacity, gave Oliver a smattering of an applause when he was announced.

CAL LOSES AGAIN --- The Bears dropped another one. This time they lost to Ohio State 76-70. Theo Robertson is still out and it looks like Cal is getting next to nothing in the middle. Jerome Randle had 26 points and Patrick Christopher 12 on 5-for-14 shooting.

FSN HAS THE CALL --- Brad Adams is running play-by-play and Francis Williams is the analyst for FSN. Jen Meuller is on the sidelines.

BRESHERS AVAILABLE --- Nothing official yet, but Tyreese Breshers has been going through warm-ups and looks as if he'll play tonight if called upon. He has his right index and middle fingers taped together. Breshers injured his finger last Saturday against Belmont and did not play Sunday against Portland State.

HUSKIES ARE ON THE FLOOR --- Let's get this started. We're about 45 minutes away from tip off and Washington is on the court stretching.

Dawg Pack getting recognition

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:51:02 PST

Photo credit: AP PHOTO - Ted S. Warren

Interesting link that was passed on to me about Washington's home court advantage.

It's a story on ESPN's subscriber site. I don't normally post stuff from a pay site, but here's an excerpt. And check out the quote below from three Pac-10 players about Husky fans. Here it is:

Which school has the biggest homecourt advantage?

1. Duke: 29 percent

T2. North Carolina and Kansas: 5 percent

T4. Clemson, BYU, Gonzaga, Utah State, Michigan State: 4 percent

T9. Pitt, Washington, Memphis: 3 percent

T12. 5 tied at 2 percent

T17. 25 tied at 1 percent

Explanation
Another question, another Duke answer: Turns out the Crazies are indeed the craziest. But notice within the full results some of the more curious answers. Ever thought of BYU, Clemson or Utah State as particularly difficult places to play? They are, according to players. And three different Pac-10 players said Washington is a brutal road game because of fans' computer skills. "They had some Photoshopped pictures of our point guard and coach doing stuff -- like, weird stuff," says one player. "They were so professional, I thought they were real for a minute."

ONE MORE NOTE:
--- It's kind of obvious to many sports fans, but scholars like to debate these things.

Research out of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business shows that fans have a great impact on college basketball games and that officials are not objective in their
efforts to be fair to both teams.

A study co-authored by a professor in Indiana University's Kelley School of
Business suggests that fans do have a great impact on games and that
officials often are not objective in their efforts to be fair to both teams.

According to a release: An examination of 365 major conference games played during the 2004-05 college men's basketball season found a clear pattern of an increased probability of a foul on the team with fewer fouls, the visiting team and the team that is leading.

Video: Scouting San Jose State

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:09:02 PST

GAME INFO:
WHEN/WHERE: 8 p.m. today at Edmundson Pavilion.
TV/RADIO: FSN/950 AM

SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS
COACH: George Nessman (37-86 SJSU record) is in his fifth year with the Spartans.
RECORD: 1-0
LAST SEASON: 13-17 overall, 6-10 in WAC (tied 6th)
PREDICTION: Picked eighth in the WAC coaches and media poll. Picked fifth by Lindy's magazine.
SERIES HISTORY: UW leads 1-0. Last meeting 88-69 in 1976.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Adrian Oliver (left), the former UW Husky, makes his first return to Washington. He's playing his first full season with the Spartans after missing parts of the past two seasons after transferring. He led SJSU with 17.1 points last season, but played just 18 games because of eligibility rules and injuries (knee strain, sprained ankle and torn ligaments in his foot).
Photo credit: San Jose State

OVERVIEW:
--- San Jose State beat William Jessup, a NAIA school, 89-63 in it's opener. In that game, the Spartans led 46-31 at halftime and by as many as 32 points twice in the second half. They shot 46.0 percent from the field, but committed 21 turnovers.

--- SJSU returns four starters.

--- Depth could be an issue. The Spartans play an 8-man rotation and there's a big drop-off in talent when Nessman goes to his bench. F Kyle Thomas, a 6-8 transfer Loyola University of Illinois, is SJSU's top reserve. And senior G Robert Owens is the Spartans' three-point shooter. He took six in the opener and sank two.

--- Last season's 13-17 record was their best record since 2001. The Spartans have made just one NCAA tournament appearance (1996) since 1980.

KEY MATCHUP: Washington's front line, particularly C Matthew Bryan-Amaning will have a tough matchup against SJSU twin towers C Chris Oakes and F C.J. Webster. Oakes averaged 7.6 rebounds last season, which was second in the WAC and Webster was 6.5, which was eighth.

STARTING LINEUP:
F - Webster, 6-9, 255, Jr., 7 ppg., 12 rpg.
F - Chris Jones, 6-4, 205, Fr., 13, 5
C - Oakes, 6-10, 235, Sr., 12, 15
G - Oliver, 6-4, 210, Jr., 11, 11
G - Justin Graham, 6-4, 195, Jr., 18, 5

UW ASSISTANT RAPHAEL CHILLIOUS SCOUTS SAN JOSE STATE:

FRIDAY NOTES AND LINKS:
--- Got to start out with hearty congratulations to former UW assistant Cameron Dollar who got his first win last night as Seattle University coach. The Redhawks beat Fresno State 85-84 on a last minute shot from sophomore guard Cervante Burrell.

--- Speaking of the SU, several Husky players were on hand to watch their former coach. Dollar said: "I saw them. Those are my guys. I love those dudes. It was good seeing them."

--- Definitely didn't expect Cal to lose as badly as they did to Syracuse last night. I missed the game, but saw the highlights as the Bears were mauled inside by the Orange in a 95-73 defeat. The Bears were missing G/F Theo Robertson (right foot), but from what I hear, Cal's front line was overrun by the Orange and the Bears couldn't break Syracuse's 2-3 zone.

--- Arizona had few problems cooking Rice 66-49.

--- Klay Thompson scored 37 points - a season high for a Pac-10 player - to lead Washington State past IPFW.

--- And finally, here's another preview of tonight's UW-San Jose State game from Scout.com.

Isaiah Thomas unplugged

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:19:03 PST

Photo credit: AP PHOTO - Ted S. Warren

Admit it, you've overlooked the little guy.

In our online poll earlier this week, 3,104 people responded and only 5 percent (155) picked Isaiah Thomas when asked which player surprised you the most this weekend?

While everyone's been captivated by the resurgence of Quincy Pondexter, the emergence of Scott Suggs, Justin Holiday's newfound three-point shot or Matthew Bryan-Amaning's strong interior play, you yawned while Thomas dropped a career-high 30 points in the opener and followed that with 23 and 21 points. As if scoring 74 points in three games is run of the mill.

But here's the thing, the Freshman of the Year is better than he was a year ago when he was the best player on the best team in the Pac-10.

Here's our story. It's an interesting read with insight from the Wright State and Belmont coaches.

In an wide-ranging interview below, Thomas talks about what's changed in his game. He says he's always learning from teammates and he's established a network of past, present and potentially future NBA guards who he texts and talks to regularly, including his namesake.

AND HERE'S MY INTERVIEW WITH ISAIAH THOMAS:

(What's going on with you this year?) "I'm playing a lot better, more under control. I'm just more mature. I know what to expect in the college game. It's something I've worked on all summer. Especially shooting. Overall just being patient and letting the game come to me.

(How are you better?) "Just the work I've put in. It feels like it's a little easier out there just playing against the guys. Always shooting and getting a lot of reps in. Just being more mature and knowing what to expect out there. Knowing what people are going to come at you with different kinds of defenses. Knowing where your teammates are. Trying to get everybody involved. Trying to win.

(Do you think you're being overlooked?) "I won't say that I'm being overlooked. We're winning. And people I guess expect this out of me. I expect it out of myself. It's not a big deal if people overlook me they'll find out sooner or later. As long as we're winning and people are having fun and we're playing hard I'm all for it.

(Where did this rebounding come from?) "I feel like with (Jon) Brockman gone, we need help somewhere. With me, I can always get the long rebound and stuff like that. I told coach, if he let me crash the offensive boards I'd probably average about seven this year. But he's not letting me do that."

(You had seven against seven against Belmont.) "Yeah. I can get at least two more if he'd let me crash, but he's not letting me do that."

(What part of your game has improved the most?)

Take a look at Bob Condotta's blog

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:02:02 PST

Bob Condotta just posted a blog about the annual graduation rates for student-athletes and it seems as if Washington performed well.

UW student-athletes enrolling from the 1999-2000 academic year to 2002-03 graduated at a rate of 84 percent, which is second in the Pac-10 behind Stanford.

This report takes a look at all student-athletes, not just men's basketball players.

Pac-10 picks and Thursday morning links

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:05:03 PST

Haven't found a good day to post the Pac-10 picks. I thought Wednesday would work, but we got a little crowded yesterday with the Live Chat so I thought I'd start the morning with them.

The Pac-10 can begin to rebuild it's battered image this week if a few teams can take care of business against staunch non-conference competition.

LAST WEEK'S RECORD: 18-3.

THIS WEEK'S GAMES AND PICKS:

Tonight: Rice at Arizona; California vs. Syracuse; Indiana-Fort Wayne at WSU.
My picks: Arizona, Cal and WSU.

Friday: San Francisco at Arizona State; Cal at North Carolina or Ohio State; Cal State Bakersfield at UCLA; San Jose State at Washington.
My picks: ASU, UNC or OSU, UCLA and UW.

Saturday: Oregon at Portland, Sacramento State at Oregon State, Florida A&M at Stanford, Loyola Marymount at USC.
My picks: Portland, OSU, Stanford, LMU.

Monday: Arizona at Wisconsin; Montana at Oregon, Pepperdine at UCLA.
My picks: Wisconsin, Oregon, UCLA.

Tuesday: Arizona vs. Colorado or Gonzaga; Jacksonville at Cal; Stanford vs. Virginia.
My picks: Arizona, Cal and Virginia.

THURSDAY LINKS:

--- Cardinal F Landry Fields scored a career-high 28 pointts, however, Stanford fell 83-81 to Oral Roberts at Maples Pavilion.

--- Terrence Jone's mother told ZagsBlog.com he's going to wait until the spring before signing with anyone. Linda Mashia-Jones, Jones' mother, said:"It's looking that way. I can't say for sure unless he has a breakout tomorrow [Wednesday] and calls me and tells me he's ready to make a decision."

A 6-foot-8 forward from Portland (Ore.) Jefferson, Jones and his mother visited UCLA two weeks ago. He is considering UW, UCLA, Oklahoma, Oregon and Kentucky.

--- Arizona State signed 7-2 center Jordan Bachynski from Canada. He joins Corey Hawkins, a 6-3 guard from Estrella Foothills High and Keala King, the No. 1 ranked boys basketball prospect in California and No. 25 recruit overall in the country. Here's the report.

An interview with ex-Husky Adrian Oliver

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:31:03 PST

Had a chance to catchup with former Husky Adrian Oliver, who makes his first and possibly only return to Montlake on Friday when Washington plays San Jose State. Here's our story for the paper.

AN INTERVIEW WITH ADRIAN OLIVER:

(What are your thoughts as this game approachs?) "I'm just taking it as another game. I know I went there. I know I've had history there, but it's kind of bittersweet because I still have a lot of love for the guys and coach Romar. When I watch them on TV, I pull for them. But now I'm here and now I'm going to be on the opposite side of coach Romar. It's not a game where I feel I have something to prove or I'm playing for revenge. It's just a game that I'm going to go out and play hard and I feel like my team has something to prove.

(Why do you say bittersweet") "Because I have a lot of memories there. It's where I started my college career. It's where I became a man being away from home. I've been up there about 2-3 times since I've transferred to visit some friends and it was a little weird. Driving from the airport. Seeing downtown. Seeing the campus. I had a lot of time to myself there. It's where I learned to be an adult. So I say it's bittersweet aside from basketball.

Photo credit: San Jose State University

(Will you have to manage your emotions?) "Yes and no. I'm pretty good with that. I don't let my emotions show on the day of the game. I pretty much keep a straight face throughout the game. I can't let my emotions get in the game because that would alter my judgement. I don't think my emotions will be a problem. I know I'll have a lot of energy like I do for every game, but just the fact that I'm coming back to the UW I don't think I'll have a problem with my emotions."

(Is Quincy the only guy you played with?) "Nah. I played with Venoy (Overton) for a little bit. I played with Matthew (Bryan-Amaning). I played with Darnell (Gant). I played with Isaiah (Thomas) during the summer. Just the only guys that I haven't played with are the freshmen from last year and the freshmen from this year."

(How much do you stay in contact with your old teammates?) "Me and Q we talked once this summer on the phone. We text each other every now and then. I kept in contact with coach Romar. I keep in contact with Spencer (Hawes)."

(Do you ever play the what-if game?) "Nah I don't. I made my decision and I'm happy with that decision. Things come up in life to where you can't control it. That's the way I look at things. That's the way I live. There could be a lot of what-ifs obviously. But I made my decision to come here and I'm happy with it. Q committed to stay and I'm happy for him that he's doing really well. And Spencer and Phil both made their decision. Spencer is obviously doing well and so is Phil. I think it all worked out for the best. You could say what-if, but you could say that in a lot of cases for a lot of players."

(What happened when you transferred?)

Transcript of Live Chat with Percy Allen

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:43:03 PST

Had a good time today. Great questions, except the ones about adult beverages. We'll do it again next week. In the meantime, check out the transcript.

Live Chat with Percy Allen

Pac-10 Men's Basketball Power Rankings

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:19:03 PST

Week 2 PAC-10 RANKINGS

Quite a few shifts after the preseason rankings and only one team didn't move. Washington took over the top spot, Arizona State made the biggest jump and Oregon State, the only conference school with two losses, tumbled hard.

1. (2) Washington (3-0): It's blasphemous around Montlake to say a negative word about Jon Brockman, but you have to wonder if UW is better this year without No. 40. Of course, it's too early to tell, but the defensive rotations are quicker and if Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Quincy Pondexter can rebound against Pac-10 teams like they did this weekend, then we'll revisit the question again in February.

2. (1) California (2-0): We're going to learn more about the Bears on Thursday when they host Syracuse (2-0). Similar to Washington, Cal struggled in its opener before stomping Detroit. Unlike UW, the Bears face a stiff early-season test against the Orangemen, who are ranked No. 24 in the coaches poll.

3. (4) Oregon (3-0): Good team? Or better scheduling? I'm guessing the latter, but with his job hanging in the balance you can't blame coach Ernie Kent for loading the early part of the schedule with tomato cans who combined for a 30-63 record last season. Tajuan Porter is third in Pac-10 with 56 points behind UW's Isaiah Thomas (74) and Pondexter (66). Husky fans need to pay close attention to Saturday's game at Portland.

4. (8) Arizona State (3-0): The Sun Devils probably have the best win of any Pac-10 school so far beating a respectable TCU squad last night. ASU pulled out a 52-49 victory over the Horned Frogs to advance in the NIT Season Tip-off semifinals to face Duke. Five players are averaging at least 10 points. And maybe ESPN's Joe Lunardi, knows something about ASU that the rest of us are slowing finding out.

5. (7) Washington State (2-0): The Cougars should be feasting on the early schedule while learning new coach Ken Bone's system, but Eastern Washington gave them a scare before Klay Thompson saved the day. Evidence of the Bone Effect: WSU is averaging 80.5 points per game. Last season, it averaged 59.2. A few NBA scouts are starting to take a hard look at 6-8 sophomore F DeAngelo Casto.

Tuesday practice notes: Tyreese Breshers injury update

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:02:52 PST

During his weekly press conference coach Lorenzo Romar didn't have much information on redshirt forward Tyreese Breshers, who injured a right finger in Saturday's game against Belmont. Breshers sat out Sunday because he felt discomfort and couldn't grip the basketball.

Breshers, however, was back on the court Tuesday night at practice and appeared okay. He had his middle and ring finger taped together and took part of every drill that I saw. I'm still not certain, which finger he hurt and a school official was unsure if it's accurate to say the finger was sprained, dislocated or what. So for now, it's just injured.

I'm expecting Breshers will be cleared to play in Friday's game against San Jose State.

Meanwhile, the Huskies returned to the court after taking Monday off and if you didn't know better, you would have thought they were 0-3 rather than 3-0 the way Romar was barking at them and making them run. Practice was intense.

Romar had them working on close out drills, defensive rotations and boxing out for defensive rebounds. He emphasized communication and loudly and repeatedly told the Huskies they needed to talk to each other on the floor.

Speaking of talking, the coach met with the media before practice.

HERE'S THE HIGHLIGHTS OF ROMAR'S PRESS CONFERENCE:

Isaiah Thomas on SI cover

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:49:03 PST

The word is starting to spread about the Huskies.

Sports Illustrated put UW guard Isaiah Thomas on the regional covers of its college basketball preview, which hits stands tomorrow.

SI ranks the Huskies No. 9 in its preseason poll and Thomas is named to the Third Team All-Americas as voted on by SI writers.

Video: UW analyst Jason Hamilton

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:29:03 PST

Washington men's basketball analyst Jason Hamilton shares his thoughts after the Huskies perfect weekend performances against Wright State, Belmont and Portland State.

RECRUITING NOTE: