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.

Getty Images

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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Game Preview: #20 Washington vs. Arizona State

By Kevin Calderhead

After a dismal loss at Husky Stadium against rival Oregon, Washington hopes to rebound against unranked Arizona State. On the other hand, the Sun Devils look to carry their momentum after a blowout win at home versus Colorado.

The Dawgs will face a high powered Arizona State offense, averaging 342 passing yards per game, led by quarterback Taylor Kelley. This may seem extremely concerning after the Washington secondary allowed 366 yards through the air against Marcus Mariota and the Oregon Ducks, however, Huskies’ safety Sean Parker says otherwise.

“We’re still confident,” said Parker. “We just gotta fix what we do. No matter who we play, it’s all about us and our preparation.”

Sean Parker needs to have a big game for the Huskies if they want to contain Taylor Kelley through the air.

The Seattle Times

Before last week, the Dawgs’ D had only allowed 146 passing yards per game, just two touchdowns and seven interceptions. I would expect this type of performance to resume this Saturday, as Taylor Kelley is no Marcus Mariota.

Despite all the negativity regarding the defense, it is a spot where UW holds a huge advantage this week against ASU. The 19.8 points per game allowed by Washington is 25^th best in the country. Conversely, the Sun Devils are allowing a whopping 27.2 points per game.

Unfortunately, as expected, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Arizona State has the 2012 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award winner in DT Will Sutton. Last year, he had 13 sacks, 23.5 tackles for a loss and three forced fumbles. If the Huskies O-line can contain him, the offense averaging nearly 250 yards on the ground and 280 yards passing should be able to run all over the Arizona State defense.

Will Sutton is a beast up front for the Sun Devils.

AZCentral.com

The last time Washington played at Sun Devil Stadium in 2009, Arizona State quarterback Danny Sullivan threw a game winning 50 yard touchdown with five seconds left on the clock. This is only the most recent of the Huskies’ woes in Tempe. The Dawgs haven’t won a game there since 2001, and the Sun Devils have won seven in a row facing Washington.

As discouraging as this is, these are two very different teams from the last time they faced off. The last matchup between the Huskies and Sun Devils was in 2010, which ASU won 24-14. Three seasons later, Arizona State comes in as three point favorites at home. This game is a must win for the Dawgs. They need to bounce back after two tough losses to #5 Stanford and #2 Oregon, both of which could have gone very differently if a couple aspects of the game changed.

A key for the Huskies is to score right out of the gates. The last two games, the Huskies didn’t really start scoring until the second half: 17 points after the break against Oregon and 21 in the last two quarters at Stanford. Both of these offensive explosions proved to be too little, too late. If UW can put up big numbers early in the game, it gives the whole team momentum and takes a whole lot of pressure off the defense to keep it close.

Another key is to limit the momentum changing mistakes. It seemed the Huskies were cruising against Oregon, until Bishop Sankey’s fumble. At Stanford, Ty Montgomery’s 99 yard return on the opening kickoff immediately gave Stanford the momentum.

If the Huskies perform as they are capable, they will win this game easily. My prediction is 31-17, Washington.

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Eastlake’s Incredible Run Comes to a Close

by Jackson Safon

This year’s Eastlake Little League 12U all-star team was the first ever to make it to the World Series from Eastlake, and they made their trip count. The team finished 3-2 and ended up falling just short of reaching the United States championship, however, they did end up being the third best all-star team in the nation. That is an incredible feat and something that should never be forgotten. I am proud to say I once played for Eastlake Little League.

Losing yesterday against Connecticut was tough, especially because Eastlake was up 13-5 after the top of the fourth inning. An offensive explosion in that inning lead by Eastlake’s bench led to ten runs in the inning alone and a seemingly insurmountable lead. Adam Carper, Zach Olson, Jack Titus and Jack Rud (the four bench players) all came up with hits in the fourth to spark the run.

Eastlake made a deep run in the Little League World Series, but in the end, Connecticut was just too much to handle.

Matt Slocum/The Assosciated Press

However, Connecticut did not go away and scored once in the bottom of the fourth and then seven in the bottom of the fifth to eventually tie it up on a Chad Knight solo homerun. After a scoreless sixth and top of the seventh, Chad Knight came up big once again for Connecticut with a walk-off RBI that was ripped into deep left field. Give credit to the kids from Connecticut because they didn't quit and they played a great game.

One player from Eastlake I want to give credit to is Dalton Chandler. He pitched an incredible four and one third innings in his last time on a Little League mound. Dalton left it all out on the field and came up big in the most important situations. Even after he left the mound, he came up with a couple of big plays at shortstop and was a threat at the plate the entire game. Dalton is arguably the best player on Eastlake’s team this year and he showed why with a great all-around performance in yesterday’s loss to Connecticut.

Dalton Chandler had an amazing LLWS.

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Even though Eastlake’s season came to a sad finish, they deserve endless praise for an unbelievable run through the district, state, regional, and World Series tournaments. Every single player had big moments. The coaches had tough decisions to make that all helped lead the team deep into the tournament. The fans were incredible in Williamsport and back on the home front. The Northwest team hats were the only hats to be sold out at the World Series and the Sammamish Teen Center was packed every game for viewing parties. Finally, the parents of the players need to be thanked for the time they had to take out of their schedules to chaperone their kids around all summer and eventually across the country.

Eastlake Little League has the third best all-star team in the nation. It cannot be said too many times. The kids and coaches will return to a heroes welcome and it is most deserved. Go Eastlake.

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Eastlake Little League Making a Run in the World Series

by Jackson Safon

Eastlake Little League from Sammamish, Washington has one of the top three all-star teams in the United States of America. Let that statement sink in for a moment.

With a population of 46,700 in Sammamish, there were 13 twelve year olds that came together and have created something great. You might be thinking ‘Hey! There are 14 kids on the team!’. Of course there are. But as you may or may not know, Jacob Dahlstrom actually lives right on the Renton/Maple Valley border, and is only a member of Eastlake Little League because there is no little league where he lives. He attends Eastside Catholic, which is in the Eastlake zone, and therefore he plays on the Eastlake team. Fourteen kids, three coaches, and an innumerable amount of fans.

With their 6-5 win over Nashville, Tennessee yesterday, Eastlake Little League moved into the United States semifinal, with an opponent to be determined by the loser of the California vs. Connecticut game on Wednesday.

The game against Tennessee started out horrifically for Eastlake, going down 2-0 after the first inning and after the first two innings not only had Eastlake not had one hit, they had not even put the ball in play; all six of their batters had struck out (five of them looking). Tennessee pitcher Trae McLemore looked dominant early, but all Eastlake had to do was just put a crack in the dam, and soon the floodgates would be opened.

Nate Fitzgibbons was walked to start the third inning, followed by Dylan Matsuoka who was pegged on the hand. Bryce Delay then fought off a pitch that flared into center, which just bounced off the glove of the second baseman. For the first time all game, Eastlake actually had runners on base and all of a sudden the bases were loaded with no outs. The next play was one of the more controversial in the whole game. Both sides were in disbelief. It was the type of play that flips momentum 180 degrees. The floodgates were opened.  

On an 0-2 count, Jack Carper sliced a ball to right field. From the angle showed on television the ball looked clearly foul at first glance, but the umpire called it fair, to the disbelief of most. Two runs scored on the play and just like that, the game was tied. The Tennessee manager went out to challenge the play, and after ESPN showed several replays I still wasn't sure, but the more I watched it, the more I believed that the call was correct. Sure enough, the umpire came back out with an emphatic, “the call stands” and that was that. Tie ballgame.

The players from Tennessee were visibly rattled and it led to an onslaught for Eastlake, scoring six runs in that inning. This was not the end of the game obviously and credit will be given where credit is due. The kids from Tennessee never quit, scoring two runs in the bottom of the third and one more in the bottom of the fourth, making it a 6-5 game. As nervous as all the fans were, Jack Matheson was not and in the bottom of the sixth, he closed the game out, looking confident the entire time.

Celebration ensued, but while this was the end of the game, it is not the end of the story because of the pesky pitch count rules. Eastlake plays again on Thursday, but it will be without both of their top two pitchers Jacob Dahlstrom and Jack Matheson, because they both pitched over 35 pitches yesterday, which means that they need at least two days rest (Wednesday and Thursday).

Eastlake Little League looks to continue their historic run Thursday night at 5 p.m.

Washington Post

This means that whomever Eastlake plays, whether it be the same Connecticut team that beat them earlier in the tournament, or powerhouse and United States favorite Chula Vista, California, they will be without their top two pitchers. Hope is not lost however, as Will Armbruester, Dalton Chandler, and Jack Carper have all proven to be more than capable of having success in Williamsport. Furthermore, we will presumably not be going against the number one pitcher for either California or Connecticut because they will be pitching against each other in a game on Wednesday. Eastlake absolutely has the talent to win the game against whomever they face, however it will remain to be seen whether they can put it all together and continue their historic run.

Only two more wins and Eastlake is the United States champion. Three more and they are the best 12U all-star team in the world. But we must go one game at a time. And the next one is on Thursday at 5 PM Pacific Time on ESPN2. Stay tuned.

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