Both Jones and Ross commit to UW!!!! Great day to be a dawg!!! Whoooo!!!
Andrew
Category Archives: Huskies Basketball
Happy Walter Jones Day!
If you haven’t heard, Seahawk great Walter Jones announced his retirement yesterday. It was certainly not unexpected after he missed all of last year after surgery. He was one of the best left tackles to ever play in the NFL, legitimately in the discussion with just two or three others as the greatest ever. It’s incredibly doubtful we’ll ever see anyone on the Seahawks offensive line come close to the dominance Jones showed. I heard this morning that he gave up nine sacks in his career, which is just one sack every season and a quarter, and happened to be the same amount of quarterbacks that he blocked for. The Seahawks were just as likely to have a new quarterback as Jones was to give up a sack. His #71 jersey will be retired immediately. Good luck to Walt in the future and thanks for the memories!
The governor has declared today to be Walter Jones day. I don’t really know what you do with that, other than reminisce and listen to sports radio, but I guess you could try to eat 71 hot dogs or something. Luckily, there are plenty of other sports things going on today, so if you’re not into hot dogs, watch for these instead:
3:30 Terrence Jones and Terrance Ross Announce Their Commitments
Jones and Ross are probably the two best remaining basketball recruits on the west coast, and they are both considering the Huskies along with a host of other schools. Classmates at Portland’s Jefferson High, they will announce their choices at a 3:30 press conference with two other teammates.
Ross is rumored to have committed to the UW Monday on a visit, but is delaying the announcement so he can do it with his friends. That’s not for sure, but I’m about 90% positive he’ll be a Dawg at this point. He’s a 6′ 5″ wing with great athleticism and an excellent shot. He wasn’t able to play at Jefferson this past year due to transfer rules, but as a sophomore in 2008 he was the Oregon player of the year, and now can be found as high as the top 30 in recruiting rankings. He’d be a huge add, with his size and offensive talent playing in nice contrast to Isaiah Thomas’ small and slashing game. There are concerns with both players about getting into school, but Ross himself has said that he’ll qualify, so there’s no reason to doubt him until he doesn’t get in.
Jones is not as clear of a lock for UW as is Ross, but he’s an even higher ranked prospect and arguably a better fit for next year’s team. A 6′ 9″ forward, Jones is an inside-out type player who reportedly can do a little of everything offensively with good defensive to boot. Honestly, I’ve heard a little of everything about Jones skills, including that he does or doesn’t have a low post game, shot, or premium athleticism. It’s clear he’s more of a three four swing guy than a true post-up four, though. Think a bigger Pondexter rather than Brockman, I guess. Whatever the case, he’d be a huge get and would likely step right into Pondexter’s starting spot. Kentucky and now Kansas seem to be his most likely landing spots if not UW, but I’d say there’s a better than even chance he’s a Husky.
Keep your fingers crossed. Getting both guys could mean the Huskies are Pac-10 favorites (if they’re not already) and a big threat to go to the Final Four.
6:30 Husky Spring Game Under the Lights
This is the first time the spring game is being played at night, and I’m really looking forward to it. The spring game is always a little weird to watch since it’s all Huskies (see Andrew’s post below), but it’s a lot of fun if for no other reason than it’s a chance to watch some football again. Plus, it can give an idea of how the team and individual players have progressed, especially the non-linemen. Look for Deontae Cooper to put on a show, and hope that the back-up quarterbacks show anything. I think parking’s $7 but the game’s free, so come on out!
7:00 Cliff Lee!
Lee finally makes his Mariner debut against the Rangers tonight, and there’s a definite sense that the season is finally starting for real. He won’t help the offense, but if they start to come around, this team could come together quickly. This is also the first series where the opponent has to face both Felix and Cliff, which will be a lot more fun for us fans than it will for the Rangers. Snell goes to the bullpen, but I haven’t heard who is being taken off the roster yet. Candidates would be Colome or maybe Kelley or Texeira. The Mariners are just a game back of the division lead, and a sweep could really get momentum going in their direction.
It should be a fun day and weekend. Hope you enjoy it!
-Matthew
Filed under Huskies Basketball, Huskies Football, Mariners
2010-11 Husky Basketball
I was standing in the shower yesterday, thinking about where the Huskies were going to find another scholarship or two for next year’s team. All 13 scholarships were full and two of the better unsigned prospects out there, Terrances Jones and Ross, have the Huskies on their final lists. It’s possible neither signs with the Dawgs, but it’s looking increasingly likely that one or both will (knock on wood). And that would mean one or two current players would have to leave the team or vacate a scholarship in some other way.
In my mind, the top candidates were probably Clarence Trent, Scott Suggs, maybe Tyreese Breshers or somebody. A younger guy with some talent who hasn’t broken through yet, who might be nudged out gently or decide to try to find more playing time elsewhere. Elston Turner fits the description, but I figured that after his mini-breakout to end the year, he’d be expecting big things and stick around. Less than an hour later, I got in my car and the first thing I heard was a KJR update saying Turner had decided to transfer.
So, there’s one scholarship open. There might be another departure to come, depending both on those recruiting decisions and the feelings of current players as they get deeper into the offseason. For now, let’s take the opportunity to look at the roster as it currently stands. Continue reading
Filed under Huskies Basketball
Clarence Trent, Football Player
Just a quick note. As Andrew mentioned, Clarence Trent, a freshman forward on the basketball team, is on the football roster this spring. It sounds like it was his idea and both sets of coaches were all for it. He’s playing defensive end and took part in the first practice today. See Andrew’s practice report for a few more notes.
It’s pretty unlikely that Trent ever has an impact on the football team, or is even on the roster when they start play in the fall. But with most of the other defensive ends out, he’ll get every chance to show whether he has any future in football beyond this spring. He’ll get lots of coaching and practice time, and he certainly has the body and athleticism to make it happen. No one seems sure that he’s ever played football before, though, and jumping into the Pac-10 isn’t easy.
If he is playing come fall, there are some interesting implications. As pointed out by the Percy Allen and others, any scholarship athlete who plays football has to be on a football scholarship, regardless of which sport originally gave them the scholarship. So if he’s playing football, he’ll be on scholarship with the football team, which will open up another spot on the basketball team. Not a big deal for the football program, which has 85 scholarships to work with and generally has a lot of turnover year to year. It’s a huge deal for the basketball team, however, which has just 13 scholarships. Trent’s scholarship could then go to an extra recruit this year or next. Essentially, it would mean an extra player, who, honestly, would probably have more promise as a basketball player than Trent.
This will probably be a distant memory by this time next year, but something to think about. Best case scenario, it could be a move that helps both programs in multiple ways.
-Matthew
Andrew’s note: I’m jumping on at the end of this post because I didn’t think my thoughts were worth it’s own post. I read somewhere that the last time Trent played football was his sophomore year. As I noted earlier, Trent looked a little lost in practice today. It was impressive to see how the coaches didn’t leave him in the dark. They could spend their time with players who could have an immediate impact but they didn’t, they treated Trent as a very valuable asset to the team. I wouldn’t write Trent off, he is a freak athlete. He has just as much speed of any of the ends and looks very strong. He’ll need to put on quite a bit of weight but, who knows, this might just work.
Filed under Huskies Basketball, Huskies Football
Monday Quick Notes
Who doesn’t like some quick notes on their Monday lunch break?
- Just when it looked like the Mariners season was going to fall apart before it started, it now looks like it probably won’t. Of course, both feelings were based on spring training, which is usually not a good way to go. Cliff Lee is still injured, but there have now been good performances in the last week from everyone else expected to be in the rotation. Ryan Rowland-Smith looked sharp yesterday, although his velocity was a little down from what you’d like to see. Has anyone heard if it’s just a slow gun in Peoria? Fister threw four innings today as he’s mostly recovered from that forearm bruise, and looks like he should be good to go to start the year.
- Speaking of Lee, his suspension appeal hearing that was supposed to be today was postponed indefinitely. He also was shut down for 5 days to rest his abdominal strain. I think that time is about up, so hopefully we’ll know more about when he’ll be back later this week. At this point, I think he’s a 95% bet to start on the DL. Even if he recovers quickly, he’ll still need to stretch out a little bit after a spring of little work. In the interest of keeping hopes down, I’m planning on him returning around May 1st. Anything before that is a great bonus.
- Bedard threw off a mound today, which is a huge step. He didn’t throw real hard, of course, but the added strain from throwing from a mound compared to flat ground is a big hurdle to overcome. It sounded like everything went well today, so hope for very little soreness tomorrow. The team sounds very enthused about his comeback, and he’s theoretically way ahead of schedule, but setbacks can happen in a hurry. May 1st or shortly thereafter isn’t out of the realm of possibility form him either, but I would plan on closer to June 1st.
- We are now seeing the downside of an NCAA tournament with a ton of upsets, in my opinion, that being a pretty uninteresting Final Four. As great of a story as Butler is, I just can’t get excited about seeing them in a semi-final, much less the final. I want the big names! I couldn’t even tell you who the best NBA prospect still playing is. Any thoughts? It’s been a great tournament to watch thus far though.
- Spring practice for the Huskies starts tomorrow. I’ll try to get to a few practices, and I’m sure Andrew will make a few more. See Andrew’s spring preview posts for an idea of some of the issues the Huskies are looking at. I’ll try to put up a quick post with some of the biggest questions the Huskies have this spring later today or tomorrow.
Mariners season opener is in a week, April 5th! Everybody getting excited? You know I am! A few things to watch this last week of spring training:
- Roster moves: the roster seems fairly set, but watch for injuries or a random surprise.
- Cliff Lee: once there’s some resolution on the appeal and he throws again, we should have a better idea of a return date.
- Can the pitching staff, especially the rotation stay sharp and stretch out to 80+ pitches in their last starts before the season?
- This should be the time where numbers start to mean a little more for the hitters. The veterans especially should be getting a little more locked in.
-Matthew
Filed under Huskies Basketball, Huskies Football, Mariners
A Husky Post-Mortem
Yesterday at game time, I sat at my desk, unable to get away from work quite yet, Bob Rondeau giving his usual pre-game chatter, and I had a feeling that I frequently get before Husky football games, but rarely before basketball games. It’s hard to describe, a nervousness that everyone has surely experienced, and I think it comes from knowing that the next few hours will become memories and a part of life. That sounds overly important, sports are just a game, so on and so forth, and ultimately, what happens on the court or field isn’t that important to my life. For those playing or coaching, it might mean a lost job or change in career trajectory, but for me, there’ll just be some sadness or disappointment or joy and whatever memories I take away from it.
It’s those memories that are important, so much more important than the game or results itself. They are just some memories among many others, but they are a part of life. Any sports fan can rattle off his strongest memories of games the way a music lover remembers concerts or a parent remembers times with his child. For me, it’s Edgar’s 1995 playoff grand slam at my friend Dustin’s house, me alone on the couch while everyone else was off doing something else. Falling asleep as a kid on my birthday with an Apple Cup on TV and a new baseball glove on my hand. Watching the two UConn losses, the first in a church and the second in a bar. A thousand moments at Husky Stadium: Corey Dillon running wild in the pouring rain, Santana Moss losing the ball, high fives with my dad, walking on the field looking for Andrew and Rachel after the USC win in a sea of joy and astonishment.
A game like yesterday’s is hard because there was very little worth remembering. After one of the most memorable seasons in their history, the Huskies just got beat. They didn’t play well, they didn’t compete, they didn’t respond when challenged. It was a tough way for Quincy, one of their all-time great players and people, to leave. It was a tough way to end a season that was alternately frustrating and exhilarating.
So I’ll leave the game breakdown to a fellow Good Guy here or elsewhere. I don’t have much to say. Anyone who’s watched this team could tell you what went wrong. This game wasn’t right for this season. This season was fast breaks and the whole team on the floor for a loose ball, MBA hook shots and dunks, Justin Holliday’s long arms and Elston Turner’s late season threes. It was Isaiah becoming a basketball player and the leader of the team, and Venoy hounding Derek Glasser one last time. It was a talented group of guys becoming one of the most exciting teams to watch I’ve ever seen, even if it started too late and ended too soon. And it was Quincy Pondexter doing everything, making every shot, and it was especially Quincy dropping the game winner against Marquette. It was a season worth remembering.
-Matthew
Filed under Huskies Basketball
Huskies In a “Sweet” Group
The Huskies are back in the Sweet 16, which unless you’ve been in a coma the past week, I’m sure you know by now. In the past, Washington has yet to get through this round and crack the Elite 8, despite some mighty close calls that I’d rather not get into. Maybe this is the year, but maybe not. Either way, it has been a special year at Montlake, and a trip to the round of 16 has been accomplished for the 3rd time since ’05. That’s pretty special, but it got me wondering, just how special? In other words, what schools have notched 3 sweet 16 appearances from 2005-2010? Here is a list of the 12 teams to do so.
North Carolina (4)
Michigan State (4)
Villanova (4)
West Virginia (4)
Washington
Tennessee
Kansas
UCLA
Memphis
Louisville
Xavier
Duke
That’s a pretty elite crowd to be in, and if not for a narrow 2 point loss to Purdue in last year’s 2nd round, Washington would be just the 5th team to have 4 trips since 2005. Nevertheless, 3 appearances from ’05-’10 is a feat that only 12 schools can brag about. This is a testament to Washington’s consistency to produce a winner, and specifically the recruiting and coaching job done by Romar. Looking at this group, it’s hard to deny that the Huskies are a top 15 program in college basketball today.
-Dan
Filed under Huskies Basketball
YES!!!!
Go wild, go crazy, dance in the streets, listen to “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus and don’t feel guilty about it! 6 weeks ago our season was dead, now we’re in the sweet sixteen! Recap coming from one of us later but for now… Seth Davis, Jay Lunardi, and whatever other writers who thought that we were terrible….. Suck it! Go Dawgs, that was beautiful!
Andrew
Filed under Huskies Basketball
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