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Monday, December 31st, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 04:54:47 pm
The Huskies took care of business in a game that could have found them a little distracted and sleepy. They went 9-4 in nonconference play and begin Pac-10 competition Saturday, hosting Washington State. Jon Brockman led the way again, with 21 points and 11 rebounds, both game highs. The Huskies also got nice place from their guards: Tim Morris, Venoy Overton and Justin Dentmon had 10 points each, and Ryan Appleby added nine. Key stats: Washington dominated across the stats sheet. The Huskies hit 52 percent of their shots and limited the Bengals to 41 percent. UW outrebounded Idaho State, 36-24. Washington had 19 assists and 10 turnovers, while ISU had 12 assists and 18 turnovers. Key run: There's no real turning point in a game like this. But Idaho State hung around for about eight minutes, trailing only 17-13. Then a Joel Smith steal and an Atem Wallace dunk ignited an 11-3 UW run, and the Bengals never got within striking distance again. Observations: UW ended its nonconference season 9-4, its sixth straight winning record outside of the Pac-10. … Brockman climbed to 975 career points, 25 short of becoming the 32nd Husky to reach 1,000. … Idaho State is 3-10 against an ambitious nonconference schedule that included Iowa, Brigham Young, Oregon State, UCLA, Washington State and Washington. “My philosophy is that if it doesn’t kill us it is going to make us better in the long run,” coach Joe O’Brien said. … Idaho State forward Austin Kilpatrick, a sophomore from Puyallup High School, had six points in 23 minutes before fouling out. .... UW football coach Tyrone Willingham was in attendance. He received a nice hand when shown on the Hec Ed video screen. Quotable: “They don’t even look at it any more. Tim (Morris) breaks his nose in practice and everybody rushes over to him and makes sure he’s all right. I get hit and the trainer doesn’t really even come over. He just gives me something to push up in there so the bleeding stops.” – Brockman, who went to the bench briefly Tuesday after getting whacked in the nose yet again. (He said it with a smile.) Next: 7 p.m. Saturday, vs. Washington State, Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Happy New Year.
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 04:28:22 pm
Football coach Tyrone Willingham is in attendance at the basketball game today. When he was shown on the video boards above the Hec Ed court, he received a nice hand.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 03:49:04 pm
Washington is taking care of business in the pretty blah game that was expected with a smallish, quiet crowd in attendance. Tim Morris is leading the Huskies with 10 points. UW is hitting 52 percent of its shots, Idaho State 44 percent.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 01:30:01 pm
The Idaho State Bengals are a significant step down from LSU's Bayou Bengals. So Washington's 3 p.m. game at Hec Ed should mostly just test the Huskies' ability to deal with a tough travel schedule and keep their mind on business on this New Year's Eve. Meanwhile, normal gameday drill from here: I'll pop in with any pregame notes, give a halftime update, and then return after the game with notes and quotes. The game is on FSN, and for those of you who are choosing the Huskies over football, we'd be happy to hear your game and postgame comments as well, on this final tuneup before UW begins conference play Saturday against Washington State.
Categories: Huskies
Sunday, December 30th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 03:18:32 pm
I'm on my way home from Louisiana, but wanted to pass along this LA Daily News story that points out that UCLA will try to keep DeWayne Walker as a Bruin, even though it has named Rick Neuheisel for the top job.
Categories: Huskies
Saturday, December 29th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 01:59:27 pm
Big comeback for the Huskies, big win and big road win. The turning point was an apparently pretty stinging halftime lecture by coach Lorenzo Romar. But it seemed to work as the Huskies opened the second half on a 12-0 run that chopped LSU’s lead to a more manageable, 41-39. Another 9-0 run a few minutes later sent the Huskies ahead to stay. I thought the most interesting comment after the game came from senior Tim Morris, who said what the Huskies did today, they couldn't have done at the start of the month in their 96-71 pounding at Oklahoma State. “Against Oklahoma State we weren’t playing as a team at all," he said. "Offensively we weren’t. Defensively we weren’t. … We couldn't have come back and had this win at that time. We weren’t together enough. You call it growing up, you call it becoming more of a team. Whatever you call it, we’ve grown." It also was good to see Ryan Appleby enjoying himself so much. He's a big Pete Maravich fan and had been looking forward to this game for a long time. He toured a pretty intersting Maravich display area in the arena and he sought out stories from LSU officials who knew Maravich. “This has been a great honor to be able to come in here in Pete Maravich Assembly Center, especially to get a win,” said Appleby, who scored 12 points. “I grew up watching all of his videos and doing all of his drills and stuff. To be able to come in here and get a win is something special.” A few other notes: Star of the game: Sophomore forward Quincy Pondexter led UW with 17 points. He also provided five rebounds and showed newfound aggressiveness that he says he will continue. Key stats: LSU shot 51.7 percent in the first half, 37.9 percent in the second. … The Tigers had 18 turnovers and nine assists. … The UW bench outscored the LSU bench, 28-4. … Washington hit only three of its first 18 shots, but ended the game with a 45.9 shooting percentage. Observations: The 16-point deficit was the largest the Huskies have overcome since their famous 2004 comeback at Oregon State. … UW guard Tim Morris, who suffered a broken nose in practice Thursday, played with a protective mask. Appleby also said he was at less than 100 percent due to back spasms. … Appleby made his first trips to the foul line this season, hitting two of two. Next: 3 p.m. Monday, vs. Idaho State, Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 01:16:23 pm
UCLA has just announced that Rick Neuheisel will be their new head football coach. This will not only add interest to the Bruins' visit to Husky Stadium next fall, but it also probably increases the chance the UCLA defensive coordinator may move to UW. Also that is no sure thing, as Neuheisel has said he would want to keep Walker, and even if Walker decides to move on, he might move on elsewhere.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 12:54:03 pm
The Huskies shooting has stayed cold, hitting 11 of 33 shots. Meanwhile, LSU center Chris Johnson started hot and stayed hot, leading all scorers at half with 15 points. Coming into the game, LSU was concerned about controling Jon Brockman, a far more muscular, powerful player than anything the Tigers have. However, they've kept him in control so far with eight points. LSU also stressed its need to control the Huskies on the boards, and so far they've held their own, 19-19. Turnovers are close -- seven by UW, six by LSU -- but the Tigers have a significant advantage in points off turnovers, 10-2.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 12:35:54 pm
The Huskies hit just three of their first 18 shots (16.7 percent) and have fallen behind early, 24-13. If they can begin finding the hole they've got every chance here, because so far this is about as quiet and gentle a crowd as they could hope to find on the road.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 11:30:30 am
The crowd is drifting into Pete Maravich Assembly Center for today's UW-LSU game. A crowd of about 7,500-8,000 is expected. That's partly because school isn't in session, and partly because the campus -- the state, really -- is nearly fully focused on the BCS championship game next week 90 miles south in New Orleans. Unfortunately, the Northwest audience is likely to be close to zero, as the game won't be on conventional over-the-air or cable TV. It might be available on FSN-South on some dish packages, and on ESPN's pay-per-view offerings on some cable systems. In any case, I'll try to keep the infomation flowing here today: any pregame news, a halftime report, and then notes and quotes after the game.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 09:38:02 am
Here is the CSTV report that Carolina Panthers' coach John Fox is now being considered for the UCLA coaching job. There had been rumors that there was another candidate out there in addition to Rick Neuheisel and DeWayne Walker. Maybe Fox is the mystery man.
Categories: Huskies
Friday, December 28th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 08:22:45 pm
The Huskies practiced today at Pete Maravich Assembly Center for their Saturday game at LSU. It was a lot of fun especially to see Ryan Appleby taking in the hollowed ground of his longtime hero, Pete Maravich. "Just seeing a lot of the film of Pistol Pete and seeing him when he was on campus, and things like that, it’s almost a little eerie I guess knowing that he walked around here at one time," he said. While this was Appleby's first time at LSU, coach Lorenzo Romar had been twice before: once with Athletes in Action and once as an assistant at UCLA. That gave him a lasting memory of the LSU mascot, a real live tiger who in those days attended the basketball games. "He was along the baseline in a cage," Romar said. "You could see guys thinking, ‘Coach, no loose balls tonight … I’m not running out of bounds.’" Romar's pro career ended the year that Pete Maravich's ended, so they never played on the same court at the same time. However, I asked Romar of his memories of Maravich: "I’ve got a brother that’s 18 months younger than me and every morning he would check the LA Times for a number of things in the sports, but one of the main reasons was how many did the Pistol get," Romar said. "And in college I remember him playing for LSU and all the scoring that he did. But he did things in such a flamboyant manner, he was unbelievable. And then later he became a Christian, and that was something that I remember and I was really impressed with how his life changed in that way." Tim Morris suffered a broken nose in practice in Seattle on Thursday, but he took part in the Baton Rouge practice today and said the mask didn't bother him. "It was fine," he said. "I shot the ball better than normal, really." Finally, I asked Jon Brockman how this LSU team is different from the one UW beat in Seattle last season. "Last year when they came into our place we were a little worried about them banging us around and we knew it was going to be a real physical game. Now their focus has shifted a little bit to where they still have some really good post players, but they’re not the kinds of guys who are going to beast you around. They’re the type of guys that are going to be real nifty and have good footwork and they’re so long they can get their shot off over anyone. It’s definitely going to be a different style of basketball game." By the way, the team was scheduled to have dinner Friday night at a place called Louisiana Lagniappe, a Baton Rouge restaurant picked out by someone who should know: UW president Mark Emmert, who came to UW from LSU. ("Lagniappe," by the way, is a Louisiana word meaning "a little something extra," sort of like the 13th donut of a baker's dozen.) Game time is noon Saturday. Unfortunately, it's not on regular TV or cable anywhere but in the South.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 11:05:42 am
I just spent a few minutes with LSU basketball coach John Brady, talking out his team's game with Washington tomorrow. Brady's Tigers are a long a lean team - plenty of blocked shots -- but not very physical -- not good rebounders. That makes UW's Jon Brockman a particular concern in the game tomorrow. He says he plans to use a combination of man and zone, and double-teams, and to try to force Brockman to receive the ball out of his comfort zone. Here's a little more, in his own words:
As for those Huskies, they are on the court of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center right now (12:30 PST). I should get some time with coach Lorenzo and the team one they're finished, and I'll pop back in here if there is any news. I do see that Tim Morris, who suffered a broken nose yesterday, is practicing with a mask. And it was fun to watch Ryan Appleby -- a longtime Maravich fan -- walk into the arena for the first time and look up at that retired No. 23 hanging from the rafters.
Categories: Huskies
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Thursday, December 27th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 08:00:00 pm
Tim Morris, a starting guard on the Washington men’s basketball team, suffered a broken nose in practice Thursday. He was taken to University Hospital, but was released in time to travel with the team to Louisiana, where the Huskies will meet LSU on Saturday. He is expected to be available to play with a protective mask. Also available is starting guard Ryan Appleby, who suffered back spasms last weekend against Cal State Northridge.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 07:38:44 pm
Even with full silence at UW, all indications point to UCLA assistant DeWayne Walker as Tyrone Willingham's top choice for the Huskies’ defensive coordinator position. However, Walker may have other options. According to several reports, Walker met with UCLA officials Wednesday morning about the Bruins' head job, and then had a face-to-face meeting with Willingham later in the day. Some reports indicate that Willingham may have sweetened the pot by suggesting a two-year contract, which could ease Walker’s concerns about the fate of the UW staff beyond the 2008 season. However, there's no way to sweeten the pot enough if UCLA offers Walker. He and former UW head coach Rick Neuheisel have been interviewed twice. Temple coach Al Golden also interviewed, but as since taken himself out of the running. Also, LA sources indicate the interviews -- even the list of candidates -- may not yet be complete.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 09:47:56 am
The Washington Huksies' visit LSU at noon Saturday. And LSU basketball now and forever is linked with Pistol Pete Maravich, who played there 1966-70. I happened to be growing up in Louisiana back then, and my memories of discovering Pete remain vivid. I try to tell a little about what it was like in my Friday column. Meanwhile, here's the real thing.
Categories: Huskies
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Monday, December 24th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 03:03:05 pm
UW junior forward Jon Brockman was named Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball player of the week today. Here is the release from the Pac-10.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 09:19:50 am
Tyrone Willingham hasn't spoken to local media since the press conference announcing his return as UW's head coach. However, ESPN's Web site has a mostly upbeat look at UW's football future, with a few quotes from the coach.
Categories: Huskies
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Sunday, December 23rd, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 08:16:41 am
I haven't spoken to Kent Baer since he was fired as UW defensive coordinator, and I haven't seen him quoted in the local media. However, he apparently had a few words for his hometown paper in Logan, Utah, declining to cast himeself as a scapegoat saying instead, "Sometimes, maybe you're just together too long." He also said he would like to continue coaching for another 10 years, and would especially like to get a chance at a head job and/or a shot in the NFL. Here is the full article by Craig Hislop.
Categories: Huskies
Saturday, December 22nd, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 05:06:38 pm
UW was happy to get the win, of course. And coach Lorenzo Romar was happy to see players like Justin Dentmon and Venoy Overton step up and help make up for the loss of Ryan Appleby (back spasms). However, Romar wasn't thrilled with the performance and didn't think the Huskies built on the progress of their past couple of games. “I didn’t think we made a big step today," he said. "I don’t think we improved defensively tonight. I thought there were times we did a really good job and forced them to turn the ball over and take bad shots, but I didn’t think tonight was where we can look back and say, ‘Hey, we made another huge step.’” More on Appleby: He came into the game with UW’s top scoring average. However, he was shut out, partly by a box-and-one Northridge defense, and also by back spasms, which limited him to 14 minutes. Appleby, who also suffered back spasms over the summer, said he expects to be ready for the next game. “I drove middle, kicked it to (Justin Dentmon), planted on my right foot and turned and felt the muscle pull,” he said. “… The real test is when you wake up in the morning. If I wake up and I’m good, hopefully I’ll be all right in a couple of days.” Star of the game: Most UW guards played well. But there’s no overlooking the performance of forward Jon Brockman, who had a game-high 21 points and shared game-high rebounding honors with 10. The performance returned him to his position as UW scoring leader. Key stats: The Huskies outrebounded the Matadors, 42-29. … UW guard Venoy Overton hit all five of his shots, including four from 3-point range. … Both teams had more turnovers than assists. Key run: Northridge had pulled to within four points, 58-54, with less than eight minutes remaining. Then a Tim Morris 3-pointer ignited a 13-1 run by the Huskies, and their lead never dipped below double digits again. Next: Noon Saturday, at Louisiana State, Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 04:09:52 pm
He looked a little wobbly during halftime warmups, but he's taken the floor with the rest of the lineup that started the game.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 03:54:26 pm
Washington has been in control most of the way against the Matadors of the Big West Conference. Justin Dentmon leads all scorers with 13 points. Jon Brockman has 12. UW is shooting 50 percent, CSN 43 percent. Washington is leading on the boards, 22-14. As mentioned below, Ryan Appleby went out about five minutes from halftime with back spasms. His status for the remainder of the game is undetermined. He was scoreless in the first half.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 03:51:55 pm
UW senior guard Ryan Appleby is on the bench again after going to the locker room with back spasms. His return remains questionable. UW leads Cal State Northridge, 39-30, with about a minute remaining in the first half.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 08:32:52 am
The UW men are back in action today, playing Cal State Northridge at 3 p.m. at Hec Ed. The game also will be shown on FSN. Here is my preview from today's paper, which takes a look at the progress of this season's freshman class.
Categories: Huskies
Friday, December 21st, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 03:32:10 pm
Well, that Bellotti-to-UCLA thing didn't last long, even by Internet standards. Here's the release from the Ducks.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 07:44:33 am
Hmm, the UCLA football coaching search just gets more and more interesting with the report that Oregon's Mike Bellotti -- the Pac-10's dean of coaches -- has appeared on the Bruin's list. Here's a report from the LA Daily News. And here's now it looks from the Eugene Register-Guard. Meanwhile, here's a Daily News take on DeWayne Walker, the UCLA defensive coordinator and acting head coach who may be the most mentioned name for the UW defensive coordinator's job. Thursday, December 20th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 01:47:17 pm
The details are complex and frustrating, but the bottom line is that Washington's basketball game at Louisiana State on Dec. 29 won't be shown locally -- or almost anywhere else. The rights to the game originally belonged to ESPN, but they decided not to carry it on any of their networks. Instead, ESPN sent the rights to FSN South - not not FSN Northwest or anyone else. This means that folks with dish packages can watch the Huskies' last chance at a non-conference road win. But no one else.
Categories: Huskies
Wednesday, December 19th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 05:19:05 pm
I've heard from several people that Washington has asked UCLA's permission to talk to DeWayne Walker about the Huskies open defensive coordinator position. UW officials would neither confirm nor deny this report ... or likely any report, right up until hires are officially announced. Walker is UCLA's defensive coordinator and also their acting head coach as they prepare for the Las Vegas Bowl in the absence of former/fired head coach Karl Dorrell. However, just because UW seems interested in Walker doesn't necessarily mean Walker is interested in UW. Walker remains a candidate for the UCLA head job. And even if he isn't selected he might be asked to stay on as UCLA defensive coordinator under Rick Neuheisel, or he might have options as a head coach or coordinator elsewhere.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 02:38:48 pm
Word on two coasts -- LA and Baltimore -- places former UW coach Rick Neuheisel as the front runner for the head coaching job at his alma mater, UCLA. The news provoked this whimsical post (taken from the comments section in a previous post) from blog contributor PapaHawk:
Categories: Huskies
• 3 comments
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 12:25:49 pm
I'll be back talking UW athletics with Dave "The Groz" Grosby again at our regular time, 2:20 this afternoon on KJR, 950-AM. Once again, due to recent events, it seems unlikely that today is the day that crew or soccer will be discussed. The conversation also will be streamed over the Internet.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 09:16:12 am
Former UW coach Rick Neuheisel apparently has become a serious candidate, and perhaps the favorite to become head coach at UCLA. This has double meaning to UW, because according to LA Daily News and other reports, Neuheisel would be willing to keep DeWayne Walker on as defensive coordinator. Walker also has been mentioned among the most-coveted candidates in UW's search for a defensive coordinator to replace Kent Baer.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 08:58:57 am
The only concern about UW's recruiting class has been that it has seemed a bit heavy on the offensive side. Recently, even that has been addressed, and especially with the landing of Kennedy High defensive end Everrette Thompson. Thompson, who scout.com ranks as the No. 11 defensive end prospect in the country, was the top remaining unannounced prospect in the state, and likely nudges the class into the top 15 nationally.
Categories: Huskies
• 5 comments
Tuesday, December 18th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 09:18:01 pm
UW let PSU shoot over 60 percent for much of the night, so I wasn't sure what coach Lorenzo Romar would think -- considering he's been stressing defense so much lately. But he seemed to think that Portland had just been hot and that his team is progressing on both ends of the court. Some notes and thoughts on the game: Star of the game: Washington forward Jon Brockman scored 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, both game highs. Key stats: Washington shot 61.8 percent from the field, its best night of shooting since February 1999. … Portland State grabbed 14 rebounds. UW sports staff couldn’t find a lower opponent’s total in records dating back to the 1980s. Key run: UW guard Ryan Appleby hit two 3-pointers just before halftime. Then, UW scored the first four points of the second half. The 10-point run took the Huskies from even to their first double-digit lead. Observations: Appleby tied a school-record with seven 3-pointers. … Portland State 5-foot-8 guard Mickey Polis scored 16 points in the first half, hitting five of five 3-pointers. However, UW shifted bigger defenders on him in the second half and he didn’t score again. … Phil Nelson, a former Husky who is sitting out this season after transferring, sat on the PSU bench and was lightly booed by the Dawg Pack student section. Romar quote: "I feel like we're making progress. With this lineup, there are some guys tat aren't in the lineup, who, if they could catch tehse guys defensively, would be in the lineup because they're better offensive players. At this point, since these guys give us the best defensive presentation, we're going to continue to go with them." PSU coach Ken Bone quote: "Overall, I thought we competed well. Our kids fought and went out and did the best they could. Washington is a little bigger and a little stronger, and it took its toll in the last 15 minutes." Next: 3 p.m. Saturday, vs. Cal State Northridge, Hec Edmundson Pavilion, FSN.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 08:25:22 pm
After experimenting the past couple of games, Romar sent out the same lineup tonight as he did Saturday against Portland. However, they're playing much more up-tempo tonight. The main story tonight has been 3-point shooting. Ryan Appleby has 15 points,all on threes, including one at the buzzer. Portland State's Mickey Polis had 16 points - on five three-pointers and one that he turned into a four-point play.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 06:57:46 pm
Former Husky Phil Nelson just joined his Portland State teammates on the court at Hec Edmundson Pavilion and was greeted with boos from the small number of Dawg Pack studnets already in the gym. Nelson is redshirting this season and won't play, but he'll likely hear more once the crowd fills in. Nelson was part of UW's mostly lost recruiting class as Nelson, Spencer Hawes and Adrian Oliver have drifted away, leaving only Quincy Pondexter in purple. (In other Pac-10 hoops personnel news, Brook Lopez is back with Stanford.)
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 12:06:11 pm
UCLA's search for a head coach could have an impact on Washington's search for a defensive coordinator. Here's a nice look at some of the possible actions and reactions from the Daily Breeze.
Categories: Huskies
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Monday, December 17th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 08:28:53 pm
Even before UW offcially confirmed that Kent Baer wouldn't be back as defensive coordinator, fans and media were speculating who would be wanted -- and willing -- to come in and try to improve that Husky defense. The current defensive staff includes two men who have served previously as UW defensive coordinator: defensive line coach Randy Hart (1995-98) and linebackers coach Chris Tormey (1994). Tormey also has been head coach at Idaho (1995-99) and Nevada (2000-03). I've always been intrigued by Tormey, who I thought had a fantasticly innovative defense at Idaho. As a Southern Miss alum, I especially remember his Vandals beating my Golden Eagles in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise with a defense that sometimes used only two -- sometimes even one -- down linemen. The other advantage with Tormey, of course, is that he'd take the job. It's an open question as to how many established guys would want to come in to a place with no athletic director and significant uncertainty regarding this staff. If Willingham goes outside the current staff, he could consider names such as DeWayne Walker, who was defensive coordinator at UCLA and whose status is uncertain since the firing of Karl Dorrell; and Ron English, defensive coordinator at Michigan whose status on Rich Rodriguez’s new staff hasn’t been announced. They're both highly regarded guys, who could be retained at their present schools, or have a choice of coordinator jobs, or even head coaching jobs. Or they could be facing a little run of unemployment and decide UW might just work. Other names also drawing speculation despite what strike me as pretty high degrees of improbability are Ed Orgeron, the former Miami and Southern California assistant recently fired as head coach at Ole Miss; Mark Banker, current defensive coordinator at Oregon State; and Jim Mora Jr., Seahawks secondary coach and UW alum. I can't imagine any of those guys coming. Orgeron figures to have better options. I don't know why Banker would leave an established gig for such an uncertain one. And I can't see Mora leaving his current position for anything but the top job. Meanwhile, a reader below posted a pretty enthusiastic vote for Jon Tenuta of Georgia Tech. Here is the latest I could find on his status. Exceptionally interesting off-season we got going here.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 01:49:26 pm
The University of Washington confirmed today that defensive coordinator Kent Baer and tight ends/special teams coach Bob Simmons will not return to the staff next season. UW football coach Tyrone Willingham met with his coaches this morning and informed them of the news. Here is the university's press release. A couple of defensive players on campus Monday afternoon said they had not been told anything. When it was announced that Willingham would return for his fourth season, he said that he would review his staff as usual in his postseason assesment. However, there also was some thought that today might be the day because a recruiting dead period began Sunday and the staff came back from off the road. Baer has worked under Willingham since 1995, and the UW defensive coordinator for the past three seasons. However, he came under fire this season as the UW defense fell to last in the Pac-10, giving up a school-record 446 yards per game and an average of 31.6 points per game.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 09:44:37 am
The Washington men's basketball team gets back into action Tuesday against Portland State. State is a more veteran and more athletic team than the University of Portland, which gave UW fits on Saturday. The Vikings also are coached by former Lorenzo Romar assistant Ken Bone. However, UW transfer Phil Nelson is redshirting this season. A quick look ahead to the Vikings: PORTLAND STATE (7-4) Series: Washington leads, 6-0, including a 105-73 win last season. All games have been played in Seattle. Scouting report: The Vikings top three scorers are separated by less than a point in scoring average: Dominguez (11.8), Deonte Huff (11.6) and Morrison (11.1). Portland State is 4-38 all-time against schools from the Pacific-10 Conference, including losses to top-10 UCLA and Washington State already this season. … G Alex Teifenthaler, a sophomore from Spanaway and Bethel H.S., has appeared in two games since transferring from the University of Portland and is averaging 5.5 points. Next: 3 p.m. Saturday, vs. Cal State Northridge, Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
Categories: Huskies
Sunday, December 16th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 09:46:46 am
The Huskies are scheduled to visit USC next Nov. 1, but the question remains whether they will play in the Coliseum -- their longtime home -- or the Rose Bowl -- with whom they are flirting. That answer could come this week. The LA Daily News offers this roundup of the situation. Saturday, December 15th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 05:07:42 pm
Very ugly win, but coach Lorenzo Romar seemed happy enough with it. Clearly, he's grading on a curve these days ... he's valuing defense above everything else, and so he was far happier with those 63 points allowed than he was alarmed about those 67 points scored. Huskies to to 5-4 on the season, Pilots to 3-7. Portland's Nik Raivio led all scorers with 23. Star of the game: Senior guard Ryan Appleby led the Huskies with 18 points, including a short twisting jumper in the final seconds that settled it. Key stats: Washington shot 33 percent in the first half, and 74 percent in the second. … The Huskies had only one assist in the first half and ended with a season-low-tying nine. … Portland outrebounded UW, 33-28. Key run: Appleby helped pull UW out of its offense doldrums by hitting three 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the second half. Observations: Appleby and Artem Wallace got their first starts of the season. … Jon Brockman was held to 11 points and managed only six shots. Portland was one of the few teams not to double-team Brockman, and the change seemed to make him tentative as he looked for the defensive help to arrive. Quotable: “This is a tough place to play. Despite their recent losses, they are a tough team. They had a very impressive winning streak here before (last weekend’s loss to Pittsburgh), a great student section and a very athletic team that is well coach. So, given that context, I am pleased with how our team played.” – Portland coach Eric Reveno. Next: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, vs. Portland State, Hec Edmundson Pavilion, FSN.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 04:01:55 pm
Romar has been valuing defense in selecting his starting lineups, and maybe it's time to try going with offense. This was about as ugly a home half as I can recall. Washington his 10 of 30 shots from the field, including 0-for-7 from 3-point range, and gave away five points at the line. Fortunately for them, the Pilots also had trouble with foul shooting: 1-for-4. Brockman didn't score over the first 16 minutes, going 0-for-3 from the field.
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 02:52:34 pm
Coach Lorenzo Romar implied that he'd probably juggle his starting lineup again today against Portland, and he has. Ryan Appleby and Artem Wallace will start for the first time this season, along with Jon Brockman, Joel Smith and Tim Morris. This is by far the most veteran lineup Romar has started -- perhaps the most veteran lineup he can start: two seniors (Appleby and Morris) and three juniors. Appleby hasn't started because he hasn't been available -- missing the first seven games with a fractured thumb. But this marks quite a resurrection for Wallace, who started the season buried near the end of the bench, having a nice game last week against Pitt and completing his reqard today.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 09:43:08 am
Following up on its report from yesterday, the LA Daily news now reports that former UW coach Rick Neuheisel did interview for the UCLA head coaching job on Friday ... although neither coach nor school would comment.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 09:20:28 am
The UW men's basketball team gets back into action today, hosting the Portland Pilots. There are a couple of familiar names on the Portland roster: Sikma and Raivio. That is forward Luke Sikma, son of Sonics' immortal Jack Sikma; and Nik Raivio, brother of former Gonzaga Bulldog Derek Raivio. The Huskies have lost four of five games and have fallen to .500 for the first time since Jan. 31, 2004. A quick look at the game: PORTLAND (3-6) Statistical leaders: For Portland, G Nik Raivio, 11.2 ppg; Luke Sikma, 10 rpg and 3.1 apg. For UW, F Jon Brockman, 19 ppg and 11.6 rpg; G Venoy Overton, 4.6 apg. Scouting report: UW has not revealed its starting lineup, but coach Lorenzo Romar indicated he might try a new combination. … Brockman leads the Pacific-10 Conference in rebounding, Overton leads in steals (2 spg) and Joel Smith leads in 3-point percentage (61.1). … Portland sophomore forward Robin Smeulders has experience with the Dutch National Team. … Point guard Taishi Ito has rejoined the Pilots after missing the last four games following the death of his father. Last season, Ito was the top WCC freshman in six statistical categories. … Starting forward Sherrard Watson is the only senior on the Portland roster, which includes six true freshmen. Next: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, vs. Portland State, Hec Edmundson Pavilion, FSN.
Categories: Huskies
Friday, December 14th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 08:19:14 am
The L.A. Daily news is reporting that former UW coach Rick Neuheisel will interview for the open head coaching job at UCLA, perhaps today. That would certainly solve my problem of trying to think up preview stories for the week that UCLA visits Husky Stadium next fall.
Categories: Huskies
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Thursday, December 13th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 09:13:35 pm
Coach Tyrone Willingham picked up another well-regarded recruit Thursday, with the oral commitment of Bradly Roussel, a linebacker from Louisiana. Roussel is 5-foot-11, 215 pounds and runs the 40 in 4.7 seconds. He played at Redemptorist High School in Baton Rouge. Scout.com gives him a three-star rating and ranks him as the No. 25 middle linebacker prospect in the nation. He was awarded two stars by Rivals.com.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 09:09:57 pm
Any of you watching UW's basketball game against Pitt on TV might have noticed the clip from Romar’s playing days, showing him harmonizing on “People Get Ready” on a bus ride with his 1983-84 Milwaukee Bucks teammates. Even though Romar sounded pretty good to me, he said he got some cracks about his singing. However, it's clear that he remembers that team fondly. “That team was one of the first teams where I really understood what ‘team’ meant,” he said. “The bus rides, going to church on Sundays - not the whole team, but when we were on the road a group of us might get together and go. Go to the movies together. Go to each other’s house for dinner. That team was pretty close-knit.” As far as news, there wasn't much today. Romar said he will go with another defensive-oriented lineup Saturday against Portland, but he doesn't want to commit to any names until after the Friday practice. That was the main message to the media today and presumably to his players all week: Romar believes this team will go as far as their defense takes them, and he's going to use playing time to reward those who understand.
Categories: Huskies
Wednesday, December 12th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 09:13:40 pm
Chris Polk, an all-purpose running back ranked among the nation’s best, has reconsidered his oral commitment to Southern California and now plans to become a Husky. Polk is a 5-foot-11, 195-pound running back from Redlands East Valley High School in Redlands, Calif. He runs a 4.5 40, and also has been a standout receiver. Scout and Rivals each rate him a four-star recruit.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 06:19:06 pm
At least two people speculated about as possible candidates to replace Todd Turner as UW athletic director – Chuck Nelson and Mike Cragg – have confirmed their interest. University president Mark Emmert hasn’t publicly identified potential candidates, but Nelson and Cragg have been included on most short lists of speculative names -- at this stage, extremely speculative names. Nelson is a color commentator on UW broadcasts, tournament director of the Boeing Classic and former Husky kicker. “I’m flattered and humbled to be involved in the conversation,” Nelson said. “Certainly it’s a great institution and I have a great affinity for it. It’s an intriguing idea to be involved in a very large job and a very large undertaking. I like what I’m doing, but I think most alumni would certainly be interesting in helping if they could.” Cragg is a 1986 UW grad who is now director of Duke University’s Legacy Fund and associate director of athletics for Duke basketball. The Legacy Fund is made up of 30 donors who have made contributions of $1 million or more. He also has overseen the construction of the Krzysewski Center, a $15.2 million facility scheduled to open next month that will serve as an academic support center for all sports and a men and women’s basketball training center. “I’d be honored if I was considered for the position,” Cragg said. “It’s certainly one of the dream places for me. I’m in one of them right now, but the University of Washington and the athletic director position would be a dream position for me as well.” Neither man has been contacted by the university. Emmert has named no candidates, given little information on the search process, but has said he hopes to have a selection by spring.
Categories: Huskies
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