UW Basketball Future

There were so many possibilities revolving around the Huskies basketball team going into the Pac 10 Tournament. What would happen if they lost in the first round? Would Isaiah Thomas enter the draft? What about Venoy Overton, who is loved by NBA scouts because of his defense. What about MBA, who has loads of potential and had a superb second half of the season.

Then, the Dawgs marched through the Pac 10 Tourney and earned an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament. When the Huskies won their group of four and made it to the Sweet 16, some people started picking them to beat teams like West Virginia and Kentucky. Their season concluded when they got their asses kicked by West VA, but their run gave a lot of hope for the future.

Then, there were the transfers. First, it was Elston Turner. Second, it was Clarence Trent. Both of them were role players this past year, but had potential to be two or three year starters. The hearts of Husky fans were broken and it looked like another rebuilding year with the inconsistent Abdul Gaddy running the show.

But, recently a couple of high school stars have said that they are almost certainly headed to play for Washington. Terrence Jones and Terrence Ross are best friends from Portland who are going to play for the same school no matter what. Both are talented and athletic and can play several positions at the college level. After a visit to Seattle, Terrence Ross thinks that Washington is the right school for him. Terrence Jones played in a tournament at Hec Ed this past winter and said that he loved playing here. So, there might be a swap of Turner and Trent for Jones and Ross, which the Huskies shouldn't have a problem with.

Finally, there's Tony Wroten Jr. This kid might become the best player to ever come out of the 206, which is not an easy task. I have played against him since I was in fifth grade, and he always played a year higher than his age because he was too good. He was always the best player on his team and played with the type of swagger that NBA players play with. Honestly, I feel really bad for Tony because he tore his ACL playing football this fall. But, his injury helped our team make it to state, so I guess I'm not that upset. Maybe he could do us all another favor by staying home and choosing the school that his father played football for.

If Tony chose Washington, and players like Isaiah Thomas decided to stay for their senior years, the Huskies could be looking at a possible No.1 ranking in the country. Just imagine a starting lineup of Gaddy, Thomas, Wroten, Jones, and either MBA or the 8 foot tall center that the Huskies recently signed.

NBA Playoffs

The beginning to this years playoffs has been phenomenal. Today was one of the greatest basketball days i have seen in a while. You got D-Wade putting up 46 points against the washed up Celtics. What Dwayne Wade did today was heroic, refusing to lose. The way he carried Miami to victory was breath-taking. In the fourth quarter when he came down the court and hit 4 straight threes it was literally "where amazing" happened. He went back down the court as Doc Rivers called timeout starring at his hand, talking to it. He couldn't believe it either.

Then in the next game on ABC, LeBron pulled another LeBron. I thought for a moment there he was going to do the "testicle dance" you know when a player comes down the court carrying his balls like he has elephantitis or something. That mans got game. At the end of the third quarter LeBron pulled up form half court like he was shooting a jump shot in the paint, and burries it in Derrick Rose's face and stands there starring at the crowd, taking in the moment. That's what NBA fans live for, these moments. Thank you King James.

UW Basketball

The Washington Huskies Men's Basketball team, along with the rest of the Pac-10 Conference, has seriously underachieved this year. Picked by many to finish at the top of the conference for the second year in a row, the Huskies have instead suffered from a lack of Jon Brockman. The 4-year starter and mammoth post presence has been sorely missed despite the best, if not inconsistent, efforts of finally-emerging senior Quincy Pondexter, who is in the running for Pac-10 player of the year award. It now appears that because of the overall weakness of the Pac-10 conference and because of the Huskies completely inconsistent play this season that has varied from dominant to worst in the conference, they are firmly off the bubble. The only way they can play into the NCAA tournament is to win the Pac-10 tournament and earn the automatic bid, which might be the only bid the Pac-10 receives. Their showing in the tournament will depend greatly on several important factors.

Quincy Pondexter playing consistently - in 8 of the past 10 road games, Pondexter has scored less than 10 points. That is unacceptable from the leading scorer and senior team captain averaging 20 points per game on a team that has struggled greatly on the road. He must provide somewhere around his season average of 20 points everywhere, especially on the road where the Huskies have struggled, if they want to make a tournament run.

The backcourt-the 3-guard starting lineup must continue its stellar play. Isaiah Thomas has been consistently excellent, providing scoring, leadership, playmaking and of course solid defense. Venoy Overton has stepped up his scoring to nearly 10 a night, a huge contribution, especially on the road where they have slipped especially with Pondexter's inconsistencies there. Also, his defense continues to be among the best in the country at the position. The 3rd part that may be the biggest let down of the Huskies season is Abdul Gaddy, the freshman point guard pegged as the next big freshman to make a splash in the Pac-10. His efforts have been subpar at best. 4 points and 2 assists a night from someone with the talent of his caliber is unacceptable. If he doubles that production and plays firmer defense, especially on the ball, the Huskies will have a 3-headed monster that they believed they would have at the beginning of the season.

The defense-Venoy Overton, Isaiah Thomas and Justin Holiday are all superb defenders. However, the rest of the team appear soft at times, especially in the full court defense. The Huskies thrive on pushing the ball up-court and playing aggressively on both offense and defense. the whole defense, not just those 3, must play better on the ball and take more chances to create turnovers and get the ball in the hands of their playmaking backcourt members to boost their confidence and score points with ease in the transition game. Also, Pondexter and Matthew Bryan-Amaning must play big in the paint to make up for a lack of size.

Matthew Bryan-Amaning continuing his solid play has come on very well as of late, including a season-high 17 points, 12 boards and 2 blocks against Washington State in the Huskies last win. Without his Brockman-esque effort, the Huskies would have fallen. If he can continue to produce double-doubles in the paint in any fashion resembling Brockman to back up Pondexter, the Huskies will win and have a very real shot to win the Pac-10 Tournament and secure a second-straight NCAA tournament bid.

Jason Heyward

The young 20 year-old lefty is considered the No.1 prospect in Major League baseball. The kids got pop he can hit for average and he's just a talent. Some compare him to Ken Griffey Jr., but lets be honest "The Kid" is one of a kind. Bobby Cox, the Braves manager said that the noise off of his bat sounded just like the same ring Hank Aaron had after hitting a bomb.

Bobby Cox does bring players up to the bigs quicker than most managers, the likes of Brian McCann, Jeff Francoeur, and Andruw Jones. McCann and Jones have had solidified careers, Francoeur not so much. I think baseball fans are hoping that this kid is apart of the new generation of superstars, I know I am.

This kid is hitting homeruns out of the spring training facility and smashing cars in the parking lot. Bobby Cox is seriously considering putting up a net just because of Jason Heyward. In his first couple of spring training games he's shown patience at the plate, something young players are notoriously known for not doing. The best part of all of this is that I got the stud with the last pick of my fantasy baseball draft.