Wednesday Wanderings: Re-Signing Golden Tate, Rumors Galore in Mariners Land, and Husky Basketball is on the Rise

By Marshall Cherrington

Wednesday Wanderings is a weekly column written by Editor-in-Chief and creator of the Sports Soup Network, Marshall Cherrington. He brings you all of his weekly thoughts pertaining to Seattle sports, and anything else for that matter.

You know when your favorite school signs a five-star recruit and everybody is just madly anticipating his first game? Yeah, that’s my feeling with Percy Harvin. He was the huge offseason acquisition that every fan of the Seahawks has wanted to see for months on end. Well this week, my friends, we finally get the privilege to watch this man play the beautiful game of football. I hope to see Percy lighting up the field and shooting through gaps no other player on the Seahawks can fit through, except for maybe Golden Tate. He’ll be on a limited snap count so that’s why I’ll be glued to my TV to catch every one of those plays.

It was a rumor filled week in Seattle sports as the Mariners have once again been linked to every outfield free agent bat out there. Some rumors I simply did not understand and others, I wish we would sign the guy already. The Sounders might be looking for a new head coach soon and I’ll give my thoughts on that. The Huskies’ men’s basketball season started off with a pop, but not in a good way as Jernard Jarreau tore his ACL just seconds into the opening game against Seattle U. However, the Huskies’ football team put a solid pounding on the Buffaloes as they head into a huge matchup with the UCLA Bruins this Friday night. My thoughts on the week that was in Seattle sports right here, right now.

When I woke up on Sunday morning and found that a staff writer of the Seattle Times had picked the Falcons to beat the Seahawks that day, it let a little doubt creep into my mind. Add in the fact that Softy was hammering all week how Seahawks fans should be worried about this game, and you have a Seahawks fan in a poor mental state. However, when the second quarter was over, there was no doubt in my mind who was winning that game. Golden Tate was looking too fast, Russell Wilson was looking too smart, and the Falcons were just looking too bad for the Seahawks not to win.

Now as I bring up Golden Tate, I think it will be really interesting to see what the Seahawks management does with him this offseason. He will be an unrestricted free agent and is free to go anywhere he pleases. Probably not back to Top Pot Donuts, but who knows. I think some teams out there will be willing to give Tate a big pay day and if the Seahawks do indeed win the Super Bowl this year, it will make it easier for Tate to taunt his way out of Seattle. He would have already won a ring in his career and would probably just be looking for some money now. That being said, I think the Seahawks will give Tate a deal to think about. If the Seahawks do not win the Super Bowl, I could definitely see Tate coming back and trying to capture that Super Bowl ring for the team that was confident enough to spend an NFL draft pick on him. I’m thinking maybe $7-million a year for Golden this offseason. Maybe a little more. He hasn’t been the most consistent wide receiver, but when he’s on and focused, boy is he good. Probably the biggest thing to watch this offseason for the Seahawks in my opinion.

Could Golden Tate be waving bye to Seattle at the end of the season?

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The Seahawks welcome another lowly foe to town in the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday and even though the Buccaneers game was way closer than all of us would have liked, I don’t think the Vikings will be sneaking up on the Seahawks anytime soon. If the Seahawks contain Adrian Peterson in this one, it won’t even be a game. However, if the Seahawks let Peterson run loose, it still won’t even be a game. There is no way in the world the Vikings will beat the Seahawks on Sunday, even if the beast is released from inside Adrian Peterson’s chest. 38-13 Seahawks. 10-1. In control of the entire NFC. The road to the Super Bowl comes through Seattle, baby.

The other football team in Seattle didn't have too tough of a time with their foe either this past weekend as they strolled past the sleeping Buffalo that is Colorado. Keith Price was probably the most mobile I had ever seen him in Saturday and I think that could be something to watch as bowl season approaches quickly. If he can keep up the quickness and smarts with his legs, that adds a whole new element to this team. But let’s be real. Price is no Russell Wilson and the biggest damage he would most likely do is run for a few more first downs throughout the game, rather than a measly three or four yard rush that we are all used to seeing. Who knows, it could mean the difference between a win and a loss.

However, Price may be finding himself looking at the sky this upcoming Friday as the Huskies take on the UCLA Bruins in an exciting matchup. The Bruins are already back up to number 13 in the nation after it seemed like just last week that they were ranked in the twenties. This inconsistency in the rankings basically tells the story of what the team has looked like on the field this year. At times, the Bruins have looked like a top ten team in America, but at other times, it’s hard to see why they are even ranked. Brett Hundley is one of the best quarterbacks in the Pac-12 and he can kill you through the air, on a good day, but can destroy you on the ground every day. He has great pocket presence and I've seen him get out of some holes that Mariota can’t even see out of. The key will be to force Hundley to throw the ball. Sure, he’ll probably end up throwing for over 250 yards if you force him to do this, but it’s better he beat you through the air than on the ground because he is way more inconsistent through the air. It’ll be a battle of the two solid defenses in this one. I’ll have to go with Washington, 31-27, just squeaking by UCLA in the end. This prediction will probably go wrong, since it’s me who’s calling it, but hey, I predicted the Champions Classic perfectly last night (Jabari Parker is a baller by the way).

The Huskies need to make UCLA QB Brett Hundley throw the football this Friday.

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Continuing on the topic of college basketball, I think the Huskies are severely underrated this year. Even though Jernard Jarreau tore his ACL, I think the front court play will be fine with the emergence of Mike Anderson. Shawn Kemp Jr., Gilles Dierickx, and Perris Blackwell should be able to hold it down until Desmond Simmons recovers from his knee surgery. But speaking of Mike Anderson, I think he was the most impressive guy out there on Sunday night. He showed the ability to defend, handle the ball, rebound, and score exceptionally well. It’s too bad the Huskies only have the guard for two years because they could really use him for about another two go rounds. Darin Johnson was also a guy who impressed me and if he finds his stroke just a little more, I think he’ll become a deadly shooter as the season progresses. This is a team to watch out for in the Pac-12. I guarantee you they will not finish eighth in the Pac-12, like the media has projected them to.

If you like rumors, the Mariners are your favorite team. I like rumors, and the Mariners are my favorite baseball team. It’s awesome scrolling through my Twitter timeline and seeing all the national baseball reporters with the hashtag “Mariners” in their Tweets. And for a good reason too. The Mariners suck and need all the help they can get. But a few days ago when I was scrolling through my timeline, I stopped and was puzzled by a Tweet. The Mariners wanted to add Carlos Beltran to the fold. Really? Carlos Beltran? A 36-year old outfielder who probably wants to play for a contender this late in his career? That can’t be. But indeed, it was true. I’m really not surprised by anything anymore when it comes to the Mariners. I’m really interested to see what moves the team does make this offseason though. The team does have a lot of money to spend and I can’t help but get giddy when I see that specific hashtag linked with a big player. Who knows, the Mariners could be contenders next year. No, I know. They won’t be.

Carlos Beltran? Really Jack Zduriencik?

MLBlogs.com

To wrap it up, I’ll briefly touch on the Sounders. Sigi Schmid should be hosed by now. If you can’t win with that much talent on a roster, that’s ridiculous. Find a coach who has proven that he can win with talent, and hire him to be the next coach of the Sounders. Come on Hanauer. You convinced Dempsey to enter his own nightmare with the Sounders, didn’t you? Now find a coach to get Dempsey out of that nightmare.

That about does it for this week’s edition for Wednesday Wanderings. If you’re looking for a quick update on the Madden series between Jackson and me, it’s right here for you. I smacked Jackson around with the Colts and Bengals and now have a 4-3 series lead on him. I fully expect to extend the lead even further the next time we play. My running backs are averaging over 200 yards a game. Can’t stop that ground game! Thanks for reading and do check out some podcasts on the left hand side of our page. Some of them are good. Kind of.

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Washington Huskies Men's Basketball Season Preview

By Kevin Calderhead

Last year, Washington Men’s Basketball, having lost two key players to the NBA draft, posted a disappointing 18-16 record (9-9 Pac-12). The loss of Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten left a big hole that evidently was not filled effectively. As the Dawgs begin to practice, we must put last fall and winter behind and look to what is to come in this brand new season.

                

As in any college sport, seniors will graduate (hopefully). Three starters from last year will not return this season: point guard Abdul Gaddy, guard Scott Suggs, and center Aziz N’Diaye. Coach Lorenzo Romar seems to know how he is going to compensate for the loss of these players.

Let’s begin with point guard position. Abdul Gaddy was supposed to be the greatest point guard UW had ever seen. Gaddy was ranked the second best point guard in the country during high school. The only guy in front of him on that list was John Wall. Yeah, he was that good. Unfortunately, after a knee injury, Gaddy was never the same. He played well, but not great. His replacement, Nigel Williams-Goss, has the potential to be the Gaddy that never was.

Where do I start with this guy? He was the 19^th ranked recruit on ESPN, and his high school team, Findlay Prep, went 124-8 during his four years there. Williams-Goss played in both the McDonald’s All-American game and the Jordan Brand Classic. Even though he’s only a freshman this year, Romar says he is emerging as a leader. Let’s not forget about the other point guard on the Huskies’ roster. 6’2” sophomore Andrew Andrews showed last year that he can play a little basketball too.

Nigel Williams-Goss looks to fill the void left by Abdul Gaddy.

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So that solves that problem. Moving on to filling N’Diaye’s spot.

Romar looks to use 7’ center Gilles Dierickx (Will we ever have a big man whose last name we can spell?) and 6-9 forward Perris Blackwell. Both are transfers that redshirted last season, due to NCAA regulations. Dierickx didn’t post great numbers at his previous school, Florida International, only 2.6 points per game and 2.2 rebounds per game in 14.9 minutes. However, having a player of his height helps immensely on defense, and if he can perform offensively as well he could be a key part of this Husky basketball team.

His counterpart from University of San Francisco, Perris Blackwell, is the offensive threat that the Dawgs need down low. Coach Romar wants his guards to feed Blackwell the ball, and with the Husky’s high-post offense he could be very successful. He posted 12.7 points and 6.1 rebounds in the 2011-12 season at USF.

Returning from last year are Shawn Kemp Jr., Jernard Jerreau and Desmond Simmons. Kemp showed signs of greatness in his 18 point and 6 rebound performance against Arizona State last year. Jerreau has yet to have a breakout game, but as a sophomore, can only improve from here on out. Desmond Simmons works the hardest out of any guy on the team, always fighting for rebounds and playing great defense. I think everyone overlooks Simmons, and I’m really not doing him justice. He’ll be one of the key players on this Husky team, like last year.

What the Huskies lost in Suggs was a great scorer and most importantly, the team leader. For this spot this year, all eyes go to senior guard C.J. Wilcox. Wilcox is the best scorer on this team, and not only will he need to be consistent in his performance, but he must emerge as a team leader. He was 2^nd team All-Pac-12 last year, had an honorable mention in 2012 and made the Pac-10 All-Freshman team in 2011. All last season, Wilcox was plagued by a stress fracture in his foot. After the season ended, he had surgery to repair it in May.

C.J. Wilcox is the most integral piece of this basketball team. He has the most experience of any of the other players on the roster. And he absolutely has to be the leading scorer if the Huskies want to win a substantial amount of games this season. Hopefully the surgery fixed the nagging foot injury, and he can perform as he is fully capable of.

CJ Wilcox looks to lead this Huskies team to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years.

The Husky Haul

Now the real question: Can the University of Washington make the NCAA tournament this year?

That all depends. The 2013-14 Huskies are a very young team. And if the pre-season media prediction, in which the Dawgs were picked to finish eighth in the Pac-12, is correct, then the answer is absolutely not. However, there are so many new faces that we haven’t seen play yet that there is no real way to tell. If the young players can prove that they can perform, then there is a chance that they can make the NCAA tournament. But honestly, it’s too early to say at this point.

I don’t think the Huskies will finish as low as eighth in the Pac-12, but I also don’t think that they will be in contention for first place in the Pac-12. Arizona and UCLA are too good of teams. So I’ll put the Dawgs at fifth place. But who knows, maybe the Huskies will exceed everyone’s expectations and be serious contenders in the Pac-12. Here are my final predictions for this year’s team:

Starting Lineup:

PG: Nigel Williams-Goss

G: C.J. Wilcox

F: Perris Blackwell

F: Desmond Simmons

G: Andrew Andrews

Leading Scorer

Is there really any question? If it’s anyone other than C.J. Wilcox, it’s likely that this season just didn’t pan out well for the Dawgs. I’m predicting he averages about 18 points per game, up from 16.8 last year.

Leading Rebounder

This is a tougher one. This one really depends on who Coach Romar plays and who he doesn’t. I’m going to say Perris Blackwell, with 7 or 8 rebounds per game, followed by Shawn Kemp Jr. with about 6.

Leading Assister

Nigel Williams-Goss. He’s going to get most of the playing time at point guard, so hopefully around 6 assists per game.

Breakout Player

I think Shawn Kemp Jr. is going to have a big year. Watch for him to throw down some big jams this year. Hopefully his dad has taught him a thing or two about bangin’ out.

Sixth Man

Andrew Andrews. He’ll be a great guard off the bench if Williams-Goss needs a break, or the Huskies run three guards. On that note, I don’t think we’ll see much of four guards on the court like we did with Wilcox, Ross, Wroten and Suggs.

Well those are my predictions. I’ll revisit these predictions at the end of the season to see if I’m completely right, or way off the mark.

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