Quincy says, "I played awesome!"

UW 68, WSU 48

In Voltaire's famous satirical novel, Candide, there's a character named Pangloss, a stupidly optimistic man who in the face of widespread death and suffering continues to insist that we live in "the best of all possible worlds." But even a broken clock is right twice a day, and Pangloss would've been correct to point to today's UW/WSU game as evidence of the world's just and proper functioning.

This was the Husky team we've been waiting for years to see. The guards pressured and pushed the ball without making stupid mistakes. The forwards used athleticism to control the paint. The team hit its free-throws and three-pointers. Quincy Pondexter exploited his myriad talents and hard-earned physical strength to play a remarkably well-rounded game. Even the broadcast was terrific, with the peerless Kevin Calabro doing the play-by-play. 

Most importantly, WSU coach Tony Bennett's attempts to slow the game down backfired. With about 2.5 minutes to go and Wazzu down 12, Bennett instructed his athletically overmatched/unable to rebound players to foul the Huskies and make them hit free throws. An understandable decision--albeit an unusually early one--but few hoop fans can enjoy a seemingly endless sequence of cheap fouls, free throws, and timeouts.

Similarly, while self-proclaimed purists love to wax righteous about the Princeton offense and the beauty of back cuts, blah blah, I don't think too many fans care for the Bennetts' slow-it-down/grind-it-out/feed-the-oaf brand of ball. Give Tony credit--he's not an ideologue, and seems open to running when his team has the legs. And obviously he's had a lot of success as a coach. But for basketball fans everywhere, I'm hoping the Cougs' current brand of grind-and-grab achieves little success.

Thus it was particularly satisfying to see Bennett's hack-a-Husky strategy backfire, with the Dawgs going on a 13-5 run highlighted by an entertainingly gratuitous off-the-backboard alley-oop pass from Justin Dentmon to Quincy Pondexter.

While today's game raises question marks about the quality of the Cougs, here's hoping that the Huskies can carry the poise and marksmanship they displayed in Pullman through the rest of the Pac-10 season. If they can, they'll have no problem getting themselves invited to the Big Dance. 

It's a reality of college (and high school, and Euro) basketball that the combination of good measurements and a few good games is all it takes for a player to get his name bandied about as a future pro. Eight glorious minutes in 2007 put Quincy Pondexter's name in mock drafts. Seth Kolloen makes a nice point about the fan frustration over Pondexter being based on unrealistic expectations, but that was one of the most dazzling stretches of individual play I've seen in college basketball.

Can Pondexter get himself back on the radar? He seems to be in the process of reinventing himself as an inside-out jack-of-all-trades, scoring with a selection of high-post moves and feathery push-shots. He's like a poor man's Antawn Jamison, with better defense. That probably won't be enough for NBA attention--at his size, he'll need to have a handle and a jump-shot to go with it.

Jon Brockman is the team's star, but given his short arms and fairly one-dimensional offensive game, he'll be condemned to draft camps and tryouts. I tend to agree with Seely that Brockman might be better suited to the NFL.

And at just 5'8", Isaiah Thomas has a lot to do before he will get serious consideration as a pro prospect.

The Husky most likely to see the draft hype is Matthew Bryan-Amaning. He's spent the last couple games cleaning up on cream-puff competition, but when you're 6'9" with muscle, long arms, and hops, it doesn't take much more than that to get noticed. He has a looong way to go in terms of skills, but a double-double or two in Pac-10 play will undoubtedly have draft sites atwitter about the rangy Brit.

Lorenzo Romar's boys finally looked like the Huskies of old last night, beating Oklahoma St. 83-65. Remember how when teams would play the 03-06 Huskies, they'd say it felt like there were seven defenders on the floor, because the Huskies were so quick? Remember how his teams ran so well he would send five players to the offensive boards, knowing that enough of them would get back on D regardless? That's what last night was like. Oklahoma St. shot 40% from the three-point line but still couldn't make a game of it because UW was too damn quick.

Other welcome developments: balanced scoring, continued efficient scoring from Justin Dentmon, and Quincy Pondexter's discovery of an effective midrange/baseline/high-post game. His touch in the 6-12 foot range is actually really impressive.

Elston works as a toothpaste model in the offseason.

Florida 86, Washington 84

I'll admit, despite my nose-holding over yesterday's stinker against Kansas, I like Romar-ball. It can be sloppy and ugly in the halfcourt, but Romar's teams always play like the best kind of underdogs--not the soporific, Princeton offense types, but the aggressive, athletic, undersized, ones.

We got a taste of that against Florida tonight. 5'8" Isaiah Thomas cut up the Gators' defense, showing remarkable confidence and poise for a freshman (particularly down the stretch) and a better-than-advertised ability to drive right (even if he had to finish left). As always, Brockman put the "crash" in crashing the boards. (Just an aside, but is anyone else amazed that his slow-motion, telegraphed baseline spin ever works? There must be more than a little hook to it.) Justin Holiday showed a nice handle for his size and Darnell Gant bounced manically about the paint, a pogo-stick sprung free. It was nice to see Justin Dentmon making good decisions and hitting threes--he's probably had to work pretty hard to get there. Even nicer was the team's sudden understanding of concepts like offensive spacing and shot selection. As commenter Nick predicted it would yesterday, the team already appears to be getting smarter.

That said, more than anything, the game served as an Elston Turner, Jr. teaser. In the few minutes I've seen this year, he looks like the type of smooth, sober player that Romar's teams need. (The best example of course being Brandon Roy.) In five games, Turner is 7-16 on three-pointers, and has a stroke that makes you think his success will continue. Moreover, his court sense seems superb. His instant, laser entry pass to Jon Brockman on a ball reversal was one of the game's highlights. (Still to be determined: whether he has a handle/penetration skills.) Turner's dad (Sr.) is a former NBA player and current NBA coach--it looks like he taught his son some stuff about the game.

Meanwhile, Quincy Pondexter, remains sadly ill-equipped for halfcourt basketball. I say sadly with sincerity--it's clear that he's worked hard on his conditioning and he seems earnest and diligent. But could someone please send him a DVD of the late Pete Newell's big man camps? Or even a scouting tape of Carmelo Anthony? The Bargain Doll has physical tools galore, but I've known eighth graders with better footwork. Like Romar, Rick Pitino has his teams play fast on offense. But Pitino's known for drilling his players relentlessly on individual skills. Romar would be wise to follow suit. Maybe Pondexter is psyching himself out, but from here it looks like he lacks the skills to go with his athleticism.

Finally, why are there no Elston Turner, Jr. clips on YouTube? If Scott Suggs can get compared to Russell and Jordan, can't Elston at least get a few high school highlights set to Lil Wayne?

Kansas 73, Washington 54

If early returns are any indication, the young Huskies can't shoot, at least not very well. Their basketball IQ is somewhere in the double digits. Quincy Pondexter still lacks moves out of a triple-threat. (He looks like a pro in the open court, where he can combine the stutter step, spin move, and jump stop to dazzling effect.) Jon Brockman seems to have hit his ceiling as a basketball player. Isaiah Thomas can't go right. The team is athletic, determined, and generally unselfish, but doesn't have the savvy and ball skills to put it together. Romar's talent acquisition still outpaces his talent development.

Nevertheless, on the nights when they can knock down a few shots and force a few turnovers, these Huskies should be fun to watch. Against talented, disciplined teams like Kansas, they'll continue to have trouble, at least until their shooting and decision-making improve. Next up is Florida in tomorrow's runner-up game.

Thanks to KU's utter domination of UW, I now owe my friend Dakota a really ugly KU t-shirt. (That was the wager--loser gets the winner a really ugly t-shirt of the winner's team.) He suggested this one:





 

My friend Dakota is the offspring of a KU professor.

UW vs. KU
6:30 PM
ESPN2
Line: Kansas by 6
Buzzer Beater prediction: Washington by 47

More needlessly snarky photos of KU's finest after the jump.
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Portland 80, Washington 74. I guess I should've added "Wha happened?" to the Husky hoop glossary.

The Huskies are pushing forward Jon Brockman for an All-America spot this year, and to that end, they produced the video below. Brockman's not the most highlight-friendly player around, but did they have to loop highlights and soundbites to make the video longer? And the mock-player intro feels awkward, like when announcers talk about players during TV broadcasts and rather than a headshot of the player, the broadcast shows video of the player staring into your living room, trying to look tough, waiting for the red light on the camera to turn off.

Nevertheless, it's a nice break from the football season to be able to watch a video of a Husky All-America candidate.

Freshman guard Isaiah Thomas D’s up tough.

What: Husky Basketball Season Opener, vs. Western Washington University
Where: Hec Ed Pavillion
When: Thursday, November 6
Final Score: UW 105 — WWU 85

Watching the Husky Basketball team last night in their season opener was something that every fan of Seattle sports needed; it's been a rough year, and winning was starting to be a foreign feeling. But the trouncing of the Vikings was an exciting boost, even if they are a D2 team.

Freshman guard Isaiah Thomas was clearly the night’s showstopper, living up to expectation with 27 points and some wicked speed. Not to be forgotten, big man Jon Brockman tacked on 14 points and 18 boards.

At times there were some sloppy passes and lazy defense, but at others there was some really tough D (Venoy Overton) and some amazing laser beam passes (Justin Dentmon). There were little reminders that it was a tune-up exhibition game — like Brockman going coast-to-coast — but the team played hard and maintained a 20-30 point lead throughout. Coach Lorenzo Romar was visibly pleased.

Watching the Huskies triumph rather than embarrass themselves side was a welcome and exciting change; we might have to forget that the 2008 football season existed, but that shouldn’t be the case for Romar’s ’08-’09 squad.

ESPN/USA Today released their preseason college basketball rankings today, and the Huskies received 8 votes, making their de facto preseason ranking #38 in the nation. Fellow PAC-10 squads UCLA (#4), Arizona State (#15), and USC (#21) made the top 25, as did Gonzaga (#11). Wazzu received one vote.