The Great Britain Senior Team beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 84-80 on Wednesday to move to 3-0 in Group B of Eurobasket 2011 qualifying play.

UW senior Matthew  Bryan-Amaning played limited minutes in the game -- recording 2 rebounds and scoring no points in three minutes of action. MBA has only played five minutes total in the three games, but he is sitting back and learning from Luol Deng and Pops Mensah-Bonsu. The GB duo are the team's star players and each play the same spot as MBA.

Great Britain are the only undefeated team in their group. They will play again on Saturday taking on Ukraine.

Full box score ... click here

College football may be just in its 2010 infancy, but it is never to early to talk college hoops. ESPN.com has two articles on their College Basketball section right now that pertain to Husky Basketball and Isaiah Thomas has his picture gracing the front page.

In an ESPN Insider story, LaRue Cook of ESPN the Magazine gives an early analysis of the Huskies. In a nutshell, he says the Huskies will lament the loss of Quincy Pondexter but there is still loads of talent on the roster to carry the Dawgs to another successful campaign.

Adding more summer buzz to Husky Hoops is a blog entry by Eamman Brennan of ESPN.com that goes into more depth. He says the Dawgs need to make more shots in 2010-11...pretty simple solution, but good advice.

Matthew Bryan-Amaning is in England cutting his teeth with the GB Senior Team and London's Daily Mirror caught up with the Husky big man this week. In the article that can be found on Mirror.co.uk, he says he owes a lot to Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng.

The pair are re-united right now and continue training for the 2011 Eurobasket Championships. Great Britain returns to the floor on Sunday vs. Macedonia at 8:00 a.m. PT (4 p.m. in London).

Read about MBA ...

The Huskies will find out who they play in the first round of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational on Thursday, when the 2010 bracket will be announced live on ESPNews between 10:30-11:00 a.m. PT.

Besides Washington, this year's loaded field features Michigan State, Kentucky, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Virginia, Wichita State and Chaminade.

Washington will play three games over three days at Lahaina Civic Center from Monday, Nov. 22 through Wednesday, Nov. 24.

Fans can follow the tournament on Twitter (EASPORTSMauiInv) and check out the Facebook page (EA SPORTS Maui Invitational) to experience our "Countdown" to the big announcement.

Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times did a nice feature on Jon Brockman and the positive impression he has made with NBA fans despite his modest rookie numbers. As all Husky fans can attest...you have got to love the Brockness Monster!

Read more...

A couple quick Husky hoops notes:

--Jon Brockman is chatting on SeattleTimes.com right now. Click here to submit a question or read the transcript.

--Nate Robinson will throw out the first pitch on Friday before the Mariners play the Boston Red Sox at 7 p.m. Make sure to get to the game early to cheer Robinson on!

LAS VEGAS -- Justin Dentmon scored two points -- his first as an NBA player -- in a 101-85 Summer League win for his Memphis Grizzlies over a team of NBA D-League Select players.

Dentmon was 1-for-3 from the field and played eight minutes.

Justin Dentmon, a 2009 graduate from Washington, was added to the Memphis Grizzlies Summer League team. He made his debut for the Griz on Tuesday and did not score in four minutes of action.

Here is his Summer League bio page.

SI.com's Luke Winn caught up with Abdul Gaddy while he was in San Antonio with the U18 USA Basketball squad and reports that the soon-to-be Husky sophomore is poised to make a big jump in 2010-11.

It is a good story that hopefuly should help alleviate some of the worries of fans that were disappointed by Gaddy's rookie numbers. It's easy to forget the Gaddy didn't turn 18 until late January, probably adding to the slow development of the McDonald's All-American.

Quincy Pondexter can finally officially call New Orleans his new home as his much anticipated trade from Oklahoma City was consumated. The Hornets finalized a deal with the Thunder that sent the rights to Cole Aldrich and guard Morris Peterson in exchange for the rights to Craig Brackins and Pondexter.

Pondexter, the 26th overall pick in the draft, finished third in the Pac-10 in scoring (19.3 ppg) and rebounds (7.4 rpg) for Washington his senior season. Quincy was named All-Pac-10 First Team and to the Pac-10 All-Tournament Team his senior season and set a Pac-10 record with five player-of-the-week honors. The 6-6, 225 pound guard/forward finished his career as Washington's all-time career leader in games played (136) and finished third in scoring (1,786 points).

Pondexter joins fellow Pac-10 alums Darren Collison (UCLA) and Ike Diogu (Arizona State) on the New Orleans roster.

• Box Score

Worcester, England -- In the second of back-to-back games against Lithuania, Matthew Bryan-Amaning and his Team GB teammates lost 92-78 on Wednesday.

Bryan-Amaning scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds against the more experienced Lithuanian squad. He struggled from the field connecting on just three of 17 attempts and was also just 2-of-8 from the free throw line.

The game was a friendly between the two countries that pitted England's developmental team against Lithuania's squad that is preparing for the European FIBA Basketball championships in August.

MBA will return to London and rest before training begins with the National Team.

Vacation is over for Husky senior-to-be Matthew Bryan-Amaning, as he and the rest of the Great Britain Futures Team travels to Lithuania to play a couple of games.

MBA is one of four members of the Senior Team (National Team) that is playing in the tournament. None of the NBA guys (Ben Gordon and Luol Deng) will be playing in this tournament.

The Milwaukee Bucks media relations staff passed along some quotes from Quincy Pondexter after his workout with the team. First are Quicy's followed by Milwaukee General Manager Billy McKinney.

Pondexter

On being a gritty player...
"I think that describes Coach Skiles' type of play too. Every time you come on the basketball court, you have to come out and compete at 110 percent and that's something I've believed in since I was a kid and that's something I'm going to contribute to whatever organization takes me next week."

On matching up with Damion James...
"That's a good match up. He's a tremendous player. He's really talented, he has good size and we're both old, grizzly veterans. We're two seniors, we've seen each other in some other workouts and we've been following each other's careers since we were in grade school. So it was fun to come out here and compete against him again."

On his hopes for draft night...
"I'm trying not to think about it too much but there's no choice. You get bugged with it a lot and I'm just real anxious to see where I end up, what city I'll be living in next year and the teammates I'll have. It's something I've been dreaming of since I was a kid and it's just a real blessing that it's only around the corner."

On breaking a lot of Marquette fans' hearts with his play in the NCAA tournament...
"I heard that from the time I got off the plane yesterday and I told them 'Hey, if it wasn't for that I might not be here in your city working out for the Milwaukee Bucks'. But I'm sorry for making that shot. Even Lazar Hayward admits it was a lucky shot but hey, he should have double-teamed me. They could have tried a little bit better but Lazar said he went to double-team and I went the other way. It was a great shot, a shot that no one would forget."

On what position he'll play in the NBA...
"I'm going to be a small forward in the NBA, I'm going to be a shooting guard in the NBA. At Washington I had to change my game a little bit, I had to play some four because of how our team was made, our look of our team and in order to win games. So when I get to the NBA it's going to be my comfortable position, my natural position as a wing player. I'm going to compete as hard as I can and hopefully win a lot of championships."

On how his shot is coming...
"It's a lot better than a lot of people think. Just because I didn't take many threes didn't mean I couldn't shoot threes in college. It's coming along great. It kind of surprises people that haven't really seen me play in a workout setting like this. It needs work still. I'm not a Ray Allen-type shooter but I'm pretty decent. I want to get to be able to consistently knock down that three-point shot."

On Skiles liking players like Luc Richard Mbah a Moute who play tough defense...
"Mbah a Moute is a tremendous player. He works extremely hard on the floor and those defensive players, they seem to stick around the league a lot more than the offensive players and it's a lot easier to get a role on the team. I think when you play defense, you win games, you're able to contribute in so many ways that's bigger than just going out and scoring."

Billy McKinney - Bucks Director of Scouting

Opening statement...
"Speaking of the draft, before I comment on our workout today, yesterday we received a phone call from a couple of agents and a couple of teams saying that we had promised a player that we're going to draft him at 15. One of the first things I wanted to do today was to address that just to say that we haven't made any promises to anybody about us taking them at 15. Last year, when we had the 10th pick, there was a lot of uncertainty about the pick. We did not make a guarantee to anybody at 10 last year and certainly with the complexity of the draft this year, we haven't made a promise to anybody at 15. So I wanted to, in case any of you became aware of that, I wanted you to know that up front.
We had several calls from agents and a couple teams as well and we thought it was important that we address it not only with them but we address it publicly, so I wanted to take the opportunity to do so today."

On the uncertainty with last year's draft because Brandon Jennings didn't have a promise...
"Well absolutely and I can recall years ago when I was the GM with the Pistons, I knew there was a player we were going to take with the 10th pick in the draft. I knew his agent very well, I also knew that teams were trying to move up to take this particular player and I couldn't even tell his agent that I was going to take him. I didn't want to disrupt our plan so we haven't made that promise to anybody in this draft. It's a wide-open draft for us. We had a good group of guys in today, we had six players in. Three of those six players will probably be first round picks today in this year's draft. Quincy Pondexter out of Washington, Damion James of the University of Texas and Devin Ebanks out of West Virginia, those are the guys that will probably go in the first round that came in to work out for us today."

On Devin Ebanks and Quincy Pondexter...
"Yeah, I'll talk about Ebanks, a sophomore out of West Virginia. He missed an early portion of this year I believe due to some academic issues, but he's a very talented small forward. He's a guy that can handle the ball out on the floor, he needs to improve his shooting a little bit, but I think one of his best assets, he does a really good job of defending on the perimeter and some of the games that I watched him play this year, I saw him defend point guards out on the floor. He's long, he's agile, he's got a great feel for the game. Pondexter, on the other hand, he reminds me of a former Buck and a former player that I used to work with in Seattle, Ruben Patterson. He's just has a pit bull mentality. When he gets out there on the court, he comes at you, he grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until after the game is over and sometimes when the game is over, he still has a hold of you."

On if Pondexter is more of a forward than a guard...
"Absolutely. The one thing that I would say, all those players, when I look at James and Ebanks and Pondexter, the one thing that they have to do to improve their chances of being an effective small forward is to handle the ball a little bit better. But when you talk about size, 6'6" is a great size. They can defend shooting guards as well as small forwards."

On the quality of small forwards in the draft...
"It's more of a forwards draft, last year it was point guards, and now you've got a really good set of small forwards and power forwards in the draft this year. So we're looking at all the possibilities of players that could be there, not only at 15, but some of these guys could possibly fall into the second round. Every year one of the things you hear from NBA executives is it's not a deep draft. Because of the amount of underclassmen that declared for the draft this year, it's going to be a very good draft and we really feel confident that we're going to get a good player not only at 15 but at 37 and 47."

On the importance of the Bucks picks...
"People want to talk to us about giving up the 15th pick and right now, because we're not sure who's going to be there, we want to hold on to that pick to see who's going to be there. If there's one of the players in our group range that will be there that we'd like to take. That is unless a team makes us an offer so great that a veteran player was included that would help us and we could move down in the draft, but we like where we are at 15 and certainly feel like we're going to get a good player at 37 and 47."

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (AP) -- Former Washingtoon Husky and Sacramento King center Spencer Hawes was traded today along with forward Andres Nocioni to the Philadelphia 76ers for center Samuel Dalembert.

"We are excited to add two players in Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni who will help us immediately and provide us with additional frontcourt depth," Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski said in a statement. "Spencer is a young seven-footer who will provide us with versatility at the center position, while Andres will provide us with a tough veteran presence."

Hawes, a 7-1 center, averaged 10 points and 6.1 rebounds last season. He was Sacramento's first-round draft pick in 2007.

Nocioni and Hawes join a rebuilding team that missed the playoffs last season and has the No. 2 overall pick in next week's draft.

The Sixers have a new coach in Doug Collins and some talented players already on the roster. They expect to improve significantly after an awful 27-win season.

Hawes, the 10th overall pick three years ago, has averaged 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in his career.

Here is a photo gallery of Hawes from his Sacramento days by the Sacramento Bee: Click here

BOSTON -- Nate Robinson and the Boston Celtics are one win away from capturing the NBA Championship after a 92-86 win in game five over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics lead 3-2 and will head back to LA for game six and game seven if necessary.

Robinson had four points and four assists in 10 minutes of action on Sunday.

In Sunday's Seattle Times, columnist Jerry Brewer wrote a great feature on Nate-Rob saying that he is proving that he is more than just a goof.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Good news for Husky hoops fans in that incoming freshman Desmond Simmons, who signed a letter intent back in the early period, has been invited to the U-18 USA National Team trials. He will be joined by Abdul Gaddy in Colorado Springs for the tryouts, which start next Monday.

Nineteen American hopefuls will audition for a shot at 12 open spots for the team that will compete in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship later this month in San Antonio.

Here are a couple of stories regarding the tryouts:

 • MaxPreps.com story: click here

 • SportsPageMagazine.com story: click here

The Seattle Times' Percy Allen had a nice breakdown of the non-conference foes on the Huskies 2010-11 basketball schedule. Check out his preview here.

Here is also a quick story by the Everett Herald's Scott Johnson.

Nate Robinson will make his NBA Finals debut on Thursday at 6 p.m. when his Celtics travel to Los Angeles to play the Lakers.

Robinson will be the first Husky since Todd MacCulloch to play in the finals. That year MacCulloch's New Jersey Nets lost to the Lakers.

Robinson has not played much in the playoffs, but he did play an integral part in Boston's Eastern Conference Finals clinching win over Orlando.

Former UW standout Nate Robinson came alive for the Boston Celtics last night in Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. Robinson scored 13 points, all coming during an important stretch of the second quarter when he spelled a banged up Rajon Rondo.

Robinson, who has been seldom-used in the playoffs, came over to the Celtics from New York in a late-season trade and patiently waited his turn. He had logged just 43 minutes throughout the postseason before Friday night's game.

The Celtics won 96-84 to advance past the Orlando Magic and into the NBA Championship where they will face the winner of Los Angeles and Phoenix.

Click here to read more from ESPN.com's Chris Forsberg about Nate's night and see a postgame video interview.

• In case you missed it, the Seattle Times did an hour long chat with Lorenzo Romar on Thursday.

• Tre Simmons' season came to an end in Israel. His team, Hapoel Jerusalem, lost 79-69 to Gilboa/Galil in the semifinals of the Israeli BSL championships. Simmons had 17 points and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.

Here are a couple different recaps of the game:

http://www.jpost.com/Sports/Article.aspx?id=176497

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/sports/galil-sets-up-final-with-maccabi-1.292247

Husky men's basketball coach Lorenzo Romar will chat with the Seattle Times at noon tomorrow. Make sure to tune in and submit your questions!

UW AD Scott Woodward participated in the Seattle Times live chat today. You can check out the transcript by clicking here.

Since the lottery for the NBA Draft was determined this afternoon, naturally the mock drafts will soon follow. The big winners of the lottery drawing were the Washington Wizards, who drew the No. 1 pick. Most all mock drafts will have them selecting Kentucky's John Wall or Ohio State's Evan Turner, with the Huskies' lone senior Quincy Pondexter appearing later in the draft.

ESPN.com's Chad Ford has Pondexter going 24th overall to the Atlanta Hawks, which would be an especially great opportunity for him. First off, his good friend and summer practice mate Jamal Crawford is there. It would be awesome for Q to have someone he is comfortable with like Crawford to take him under his wing in his early years. Secondly, the Hawks are a playoff team and would allow Q to develop in a winning situation.

In another scenario, Hoopshype.com has Pondexter going 28th to the Memphis Grizzlies. Draftexpress.com also has Q in the first round, going 29th overall to Orlando, again, another great situation where he goes to a NBA Champion-caliber team.

The NBADraft.net mock draft has Pondexter outside of the first round and going 34th to Washington. His status has not changed on this site's draft in several weeks, so it will be interesting to see if this changes in the next day or two.

LSU and men's basketball coach Trent Johnson announced on Monday that former Husky player and head coach Lynn Nance was joining his staff. Nance played for the Huskies in 1964 and 1965 and coached at Washington for four seasons from 1990-93.

He led the 1965 squad in scoring (17.5) and rebounds (9.4) and was an honorable mention All-American. Nance served as an assistant coach at Washington (1967-70) under Mac Duckworth, his college coach, and Tex Winter.

As head coach at Washington, Nance was 50-62 (.446) overall. Johnson served as an assistant under Nance and was at UW from 1989-92.

The NBA announced it's All-NBA team today and former Husky and current Portland Trail Blazer Brandon Roy made the third team. Roy, in his fourth year, averaged 21.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists for the Blazers.

The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a panel of 122 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.

There are now a bunch of websites out with their NBA Draft projections. Quincy Pondexter is all over the board right now, but it seems like he'll hear his name called at some point.

Chad Ford of ESPN.com came out with his projections today and predicts that Pondexter will be selected 24th overall by the Atlanta Hawks. DraftExpress.com also has Quincy going in the first round as the 29th selection of the Orlando Magic.  NBADraft.net has almost daily updates and today says that Pondexter is a second round pick, going 34th overall to the Washington Wizards.

It will be fun to watch the June 24 NBA Draft and see where Pondexter lands. Until then, we'll have to be entertained with prediction from pundits everywhere.

The Washington Husky men's basketball team is throwing out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Seattle Mariners game vs. the Anaheim Angels on Friday, May 7. The M's game vs. their AL West rivals is scheduled to begin at 7:10 p.m.

Besides honoring the Pac-10 Tournament Champion and Sweet 16 participating Huskies, the M's are giving out Ken Griffey Jr. "The '95 Slide" Bobbleheads  to the first 30,000 fans through the gates.

Buy tickets for the game by clicking here.

Former UW point guard Will Conroy led the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-League title on Tuesday night in a 94-91 win over Tulsa. The Vipers won on a buzzer-beating three pointer by Craig Winder that banked in just as the final clock went down to zero.

Conroy scored 13 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists in the Vipers win. In the first game, Conroy recorded a triple double with 14 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists.

For the season, Conroy averaged 16.4 points, 10.0 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Here is a statement from Washington Husky men's basketball coach Lorenzo Romar on Washington President Mark Emmert being named the new president of the NCAA:

"President Emmert is one of the most impressive persons I've ever met. Obviously, you hate to see someone go that is that talented and so supportive. But at the same time, it is an unbelievable oppotunity for him. The NCAA will be better as a result of his leadership."

Will Conroy recorded a triple-double with 14 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists to help his NBA D-League team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, move one step closer to winning the championship. The Vipers beat the Tulsa 66ers 124-107 on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

Game two will air on VERSUS at 8:59 p.m. on Tuesday.

NBA.com has a great feature on Conroy as he tries to lead his team to the championship.

If you have been in Hec Edmundson Pavilion over the last week or so, you've noticed a little renovation going on.  The playing floor is undergoing its annual refinishing process.

Every spring contractors are hired by UW athletics to come in and sand, repair, repaint and refinish (say that three times fast!) the floor.  The entire process takes around five weeks and, since they started on April 19, should be completed around May 24.

Certainly, it's a little strange to see the floor stripped of its finish and without the familiar purple and white paint.  Check out the photo to the right, taken by UW communications assistant Jeremy Cothran.

In the meantime, Washington's men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams are conducting off-season workouts, practices and pick-up games in the East Gym and Marv Harshan Court, which are adjacent to the arena - just off the concourse areas.

The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Brandon Roy was so antsy to return to the Trail Blazers that he campaigned via text message to coach Nate McMillan.

"Coach, I think I should play," he texted on the eve of Saturday's playoff game against the Phoenix Suns.

Luckily for the Blazers, McMillan agreed.

Roy was activated Saturday, then helped Portland to a 96-87 victory that evened the first-round series at two games apiece.

Eight days removed from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, Roy made his surprising return to the court to the strains of the theme from "Rocky" blaring from the Rose Garden sound system, then went on hit a key 3-pointer late in the game that shifted the momentum squarely in the Trail Blazers' favor.

"I just didn't feel right sitting in the training room knowing that I could contribute -- so I just had to keep begging coach," Roy said afterward.

The first-round series now moves back to Phoenix on Monday night. It wasn't supposed to include Roy, but things changed Friday.

McMillan said it was a "long, sleepless night" in deciding to play Roy, the team's unquestioned leader. He even brought owner Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, in on the discussion.

"All kinds of things went through my head, thinking about the risk of him reinjuring himself," McMillan said. "But our doctors didn't feel like Brandon could hurt himself."

Read the complete report here on CBSSports.com.

The right great toe of Isaiah Thomas is proving to not be so great right now. The sophomore guard from Tacoma, Wash. will have surgery on it today to remove a bone spur which is causing him discomfort.

He has probably had the spur for some time but aggravated the injury in the New Mexico game. Thomas will be in a walking boot and be limited in basketball action for the next three to six weeks.

The surgery is relatively minor and he will be released from the hospital after the procedure.

(AP) The NCAA is on the verge of expanding the men's basketball tournament from 65 to 68 teams beginning next year and has a new, $10.8 billion TV deal that will allow it to show every game live.

The NCAA said Thursday that the Division I Men's Basketball Committee unanimously passed the proposal and it will now be reviewed by the Board of Directors on April 29.

The NCAA also said it reached a new, 14-year agreement with CBS Sports and Turner Broadcasting System Inc. that is worth more than $10.8 billion. The deal, which runs from 2011 through 2024, will show every game live across four national networks for the first time.

Here are a few links to related stories:

ESPN.com

Variety

USA Today

New York Times

SEATTLE - The Husky men's basketball team is back at it after several weeks off to rest their weary legs from a long season. It has been nearly a month since they loss to West Virginia and the team appears refreshed and rejuvenated.

The team trained in the weight room with strength coach Matt Ludwig for about an hour, then went into the Harshman Court and played some pick-up hoops. The guys seemed to be really excited to be hanging around together and back in their comfort zone.

The guys pushed each other up-and-down the court, but didn't go for too long. Needless to say, after going through the wringer with coach Ludwig, the guys were a little tired. Add in class, and it is safe to assume the guys will sleep well tonight.

Hard-nosed former Husky guard Will Conroy will lead his Rio Grande Valley Vipers into a noon (PT) Saturday matchup at the Austin (Texas) Toros in the NBA D-League playoffs.  The game will be televised live by national cable network Versus.

Conroy, who is http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/riograndevalley_austin_preview.html, is mentioned in this story as one of the best point guards in league history.  He is currently averaging 16.4 points, 10.0 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Click here to find Versus in your area so you can watch the game.

Portland Trail Blazer All-Star and former Washington Husky playmaker Brandon Roy underwent surgery on his right knee Friday and was expected to miss the team's entire NBA playoff run.  However, doctors have revised their estimates and suggest the Seattle native could return as early as a couple of weeks.

Roy is one of two NBA Huskies currently in the playoffs.  Nate Robinson is playing in his first NBA postseason with the Boston Celtics.  Jon Brockman and Spencer Hawes did not make it out of the regular season with the Sacramento Kings.

Read the http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/13231438/roy-has-knee-surgery-could-return-if-blazers-advance?tag=headlines;headlines.

Thanks to Husky men's basketball video coordinator Trevor Wade and FSN Northwest for putting together this awesome highlight video of the 2009-10 season.

In case you missed it:

Roy, who averaged 21.5 points, needs the surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

The three-time All-Star was injured in Portland's 91-88 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers last Sunday. He missed Portland's final two regular season games.

Roy originally said that he would try to play on the knee for the playoffs. Sixth-seeded Portland plays the third-seeded Suns in the first round starting on Sunday in Phoenix

"This was not an easy decision to make," Roy said in a statement. "But, if I'm going to be out there, I want to be contributing. If we're fortunate enough to advance in the playoffs, having the surgery now gives me the best opportunity to help our team."

Recovery for such a procedure is typically four to six weeks.

For the Blazers, the announcement erases some of the uncertainty surrounding the playoff series with the Suns.

Roy, who had been told that he could not further injure his knee by playing on it, said earlier this week that he wouldn't return if he was a distraction or a liability.

Roy's injury is the latest to strike the Blazers, who surprised many by even making the playoffs.

Center Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla both sustained injuries that required season-ending surgery. Forward Nicolas Batum missed the first half of the season after shoulder surgery, and swingman Rudy Fernandez had midseason back troubles. Former forward Travis Outlaw, who was traded to the Clippers, sat out for a time with a foot injury.

Roy missed more that a dozen games with a sore hamstring earlier this year before the slight meniscus tear was discovered.

In all, 13 Blazers missed a combined 311 regular-season games because of injuries, second only to the Warriors this season. Only guard Andre Miller and forward Martell Webster have played in all 82 games.

The latest absence was forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who didn't play against the Warriors after spending the previous night in the hospital with a gastrointestinal virus. He is expected to be recovered by Sunday.

Portland's starting lineup was completely different in the opener than it was for the regular-season finale against Golden State. In all, the Blazers have used 16 different starting lineups.

"At the end of the day you still have to go out and play," Webster said. "We're going to rally together and play the game."

Portland finished the season 50-32, hitting the 50-win mark for the second straight season. The Blazers wound up with the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

Third-seeded Phoenix finished 54-28. The Suns have come on late, going 23-6 since the All-Star break.

The Blazers, who have gone 19-8 since the break, won the season series against the Suns 2-1.

Coach Nate McMillan gave the team a day off on Thursday after losing to the Golden State Warriors 122-116 the night before.

"This is a setback, but we've been overcoming injuries all season long," general manager Kevin Pritchard said. "This is about looking long-term and doing what's best for Brandon."

The Blazers made it to the playoffs last season and fell to the Houston Rockets four games to two. With their youth and talent, they were expected to go further this season.

Until all the injuries happened. Now they head into the playoffs as the decided underdog.

"We're not making no excuses," center Marcus Camby said. "There's no excuses if you're going to win the series. So we're coming in confident."

Here is a quick roundup of news stories on the signing of Aziz N'Daiye from the local media outlets:

• Seattle Times: Washington Signs 7-foot Center, Aziz N'Daiye

 • SeattlePI.com: Romar calls newest commit 'most athletic big we've had'

 • Tacoma News Tribune: UW adds size with 7-footer

 • UW Daily: N'Diaye signs letter of intent to play hoops at UW

Here is a look at what is going on with former Huskies in the NBA this week:

 • Brandon Roy got bad news on Monday when he learned he has a torn meniscus in his right knee that may need surgery. If so, he will be out four to six weeks while recovering. Unfortunately for him, the playoffs will not wait for him, so it could mean he'll miss the Portland Trail Blazers' run through the Western Conference. It sounds like Roy is going to take an alternative course of action and wait to have the surgery until the season is over and try to play with his bum knee.

• Nate Robinson's numbers have been down since his trade from New York to Boston, but instead of preparing for the upcoming off-season as he would have been as a member of the Knicks, he is getting ready for a playoff run with the Celtics. Nate is averaging 6.4 points per game in 14.5 minutes as a Celt. He was scoring 13.2 ppg and playing 24 minutes for the Knicks. I'm sure it is a nice tradeoff for Nate, who has never played in the playoffs in his career.

• The Sacramento Kings boast two former Huskies on their rosters and they are preparing for the off-season. Spencer Hawes has been shut down for the year since late March with a left knee injury that will not require surgery. He averaged 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in 72 games for the Kings.

Jon Brockman is putting the wraps on his rookie season with the Kings, where he averages  2.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Despite his limited minutes, he has developed quite a following in Sacramento. He is affectionately known as the Brockness Monster and can be heard regularly making appearances on morning radio shows and seen making appearances around Sacramento. All indications are he is wildly popular with his teammates and they appreciate his style of play and his fun personality. Check out the impromptu dunk contest after a recent practice:

Here are some links to recent articles revolving around Husky Hoops:

• It looks like Clarence Trent will just concentrate on hoops and give up playing football, according to this Seattle Times Article.

• Found this great article on Will Conroy from NBAFanhouse.com. The feature covers Conroy's basketball journey and his path to Washington and in professional hoops.

• BleacherReport.com examines if the Huskies have what it takes to return to the Sweet 16 next season.

• Here's a BlogCritics report from some time back with Jon Brockman. Always fun to catch up with the Brockness Monster!

• Seattle Times columnist Jerry Brewer writes that getting past the Sweet 16 is a difficult task.

GoHuskies.com ran a story yesterday about several former UW student-athletes who will be honored this summer as inductees into the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame.

Thanks to Marc Blau of the Hall of Fame for providing some biographical information on a couple of the inductees.  Click on the link above for date, time and ticket information for the annual induction banquet.

RAMON "RAY" BARNES
WRESTLING (COACH)

Ray Barnes was an exceptionally successful wrestling coach at Puyallup High School from 1956-70. His Vikings teams won 115 dual matches with 36 losses and four ties. They won the South Puget Sound League championship five times and the West Central District title six times.

Barnes was inducted into the state wrestling coaches hall of fame in 1986.

Barnes became the athletic director for the Puyallup School District and the SPSL Wrestling Commissioner. He was inducted into the state Athletic Directors Hall of Fame in 1991.

Born May 27, 1931 in York, Nebraska, Barnes graduated from Puyallup High School in 1949. He played two seasons of football at the University of Washington before transferring to Pacific Lutheran to finish his athletic career. A left guard and nose tackle, Osborne was an honorable mention Little All American at PLC. He also coached football at Puyallup for 12 years

JOE WILLIAMS
FOOTBALL

Joe was a 1955 graduate of Lincoln High School where he earned 9 letters--3 each in football, basketball, and track and field. Joe actually earned two letters in football and basketball at Marion High School in Iowa as a 6'4" freshman before the family moved to Tacoma.

After entering Lincoln High School in 1952, Joe and Luther Carr became the first sophomores to earn varsity letters in football. Joe also went on to letter in Basketball and Track that year and qualified for a Decathlon letter.

Rumored to have been the first player in the state to duck two basketballs with one hand--but not in a game!! He even sang bass in an a cappella choir for 3 years and performed in a quartet as well. Known for his legendary strength, when a 400-pound grand piano needed to be moved across the state for a school play, Big Joe crawled underneath it, put it on his back and walked it across the stage.

In the fall of 1955 Joe went to the UW along with four other Abes players (Luther Carr, Duane Lowell, Jack Walters, and Dennis Adler) on scholarships to play football for Johnny Cherburg. Joe participated in frosh football & crew at the University of Washington. He later received an offer to tryout for the Los Angeles Rams.  But, had already started his career with the Washington State Highway Patrol, where he retired after 27 years of service.

UWTV will present a replay of the exciting 2004 N.C. State at Washington men's basketball game tonight at 7 p.m. as part of Husky Classics, its series of historic UW games.

Will Conroy and Tre Simmons each scored 12 points and Brandon Roy returned earlier than expected from knee surgery to add 10 points, leading No. 18 Washington to a 68-64 victory over No. 12 North Carolina State on Dec. 19, 2004 at the UW's Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

Check out a complete recap of the game, including stats and quotes from coaches and players on GoHuskies.com.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The NCAA appears to be on the verge of expanding the men's basketball tournament to 96 teams.

Insisting that nothing has been decided, NCAA vice president Greg Shaheen nonetheless outlined a detailed plan Thursday that included the logistics and timing of a 96-team tournament, how much time off the players would have and even revenue distribution.

Shaheen said the NCAA looked at keeping the current 65-team field and expanding to 68 or 80 teams, but decided the bigger bracket was best fit logistically and financially.

Click here for the rest of the Associated Press report on this story.

Former Washington Husky men's basketball standout Spencer Hawes will miss the rest of the NBA season with his Sacramento Kings after suffering a knee injury in the fourth quarter of a game at the Indiana Pacers.

The initial diagnosis revealed a deep bone bruise in the back of his left knee and an irregular signal in the joint line.  The Sacramento Bee reports that Hawes will return to Seattle today to receive a second opinion from the same doctor who performed two knee surgeries on him prior to his entry into the NBA.

Playoff Bound

The NBA Playoffs will include at least two former Huskies this season. Brandon Roy and his Trail Blazers clinched a playoff spot last night in a blowout win over the New York Knicks. Joining him in the fray will be Nate Robinson, who began the season with the Knicks before a mid-season trade brought him to the Boston Celtics.

Jon Brockman and Spencer Hawes will have to enjoy the playoffs from afar as their team, the Sacramento Kings was eliminated from contention long ago.

At The Final Four

The entire Husky coaching staff is currently at the Final Four for meetings. Lorenzo Romar is one of 14 directors on the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) board, which includes a who's-who of college basketball coaches.

Men's Basketball Banquet

If you haven't already reserved your spot to celebrate the season that was, you better do so soon. Space is limited for the end-of-season men's basketball banquet on Wednesday, April 14 in the Don James Center. Doors open up at 6:00 pm...so make sure you help us celebrate the Huskies' Pac-10 Tournament Championship and Sweet 16 run in style! Click here to reserve your spot now.

Washington basketball coach Lorenzo Romar is on the road recruiting. Here is his statement regarding Clarence Trent participating in Husky Spring Football.

"Clarence approached me earlier in the year and expressed his interest in playing football at the University of Washington and I told him we'd revisit it after the season. I had some conversations with [head coach Steve Sarkisian] Sark about it and when they agreed to do it, Clarence was excited and we were excited for him.

"He will still remain a part of our basketball team and it will be much like the situation when Nate Robinson played football at Washington and yet walked on for basketball that year. So, he is still very much a part of our basketball team and he will do both.

"We'll be pulling for him and as interested as I already was in Husky Football, I'm even more interested now."

When reached to comment about the possibility of still playing in the NABC All-Star game during the Final Four weekend, Quincy Pondexter put to rest any rumors by saying emphatically, "No. I'm on vacation. I would do the three-point contest, but no game and no dunk contest."

He was half-kidding about the three-point contest, but from the tinge in his voice, he would jump on a plane and participate if asked to.

Pondexter admitted his body is shot and his legs are tired and he is in need of some much needed rest. His mind could also use a vacation. He learned this past week that he is officially done with school and has earned a sociology degree.

He is unsure what is next for him, except for training and preparing for the NBA Draft. Whether that is in Seattle or his hometown Fresno, it is yet to be determined. Pondexter will be heading on vacation later this week and be able to maintain a typical 22 year old's lifestyle -- recently graduated and temporarily unemployed!

Washington men's basketball coach Lorenzo Romar met with the media today at Hec Edmundson Pavilion to review the recently-concluded 2009-10 season that culminated with the Huskies' third trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 in the last six seasons.

You can download a .mp3 audio file of the press conference here or visit the GoHuskies.com podcast page to subscribe in iTunes.

Roughly 15 hours after the Washington Husky men's basketball team dropped its Sweet 16 loss to second-seeded West Virginia in Syracuse, N.Y., the team returned to campus following a long night of travel.

After fulfilling the NCAA's postgame media obligations, the team, staff, band, cheerleaders and several supporters returned to the team headquarters (DoubleTree Syracuse) to change clothes and pack for the return trip home.  At midnight (ET), the team bus departed for the airport and a return charter flight to Seattle.

The flight made a scheduled landing in Minneapolis, Minn. to take on fuel.  However, the flight crew and mechanics noticed a problem with the aircraft that prevented it from making the rest of the trip to Seattle.

So, the entire travel party waited approximately five hours for two smaller replacement planes to arrive and bring them home.

Most of the travelers remained on the airplane for the duration, chatting, sleeping, playing cards, watching movies, etc.  Some of the party departed and waited inside the charter service holding area (since it was a charter, the plane did not use a normal gate at the Minneapolis airport).

Once the first of the two smaller aircraft arrived, the team and staff boarded the new airplace and completed the rest of the journey.

The travel-weary group arrived at Hec Edmundson Pavilion at approximately 9:30 a.m. (PT) to a waiting group of about 50 or so athletics staff members who cheered in support as the team departed the bus.  Two local television stations were also present to grab a quick soundbite of the team's return.

Kudos to the athletic staffers responsible for the travel logistics for dealing with a difficult situation and getting the team home in the middle of the night.

The Huskies will have a classroom from Russiaville, Indiana closely following the Dawgs in tonight's game. As part of a school-wide project, Suzi Morgan's first grade class drew Washington as their team to follow before the NCAA Tournament started and the Huskies have not disappointed their friends from afar with an exciting run to the Sweet 16. 

The class, although located in Big 10 country, is having a Purple and Gold spirit day in honor of their new favorite NCAA Tournament team. Hopefully the Puppy Pack from Hoosier country cheers on the Huskies loud this evening!

With Washington heading into tonight's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game against West Virginia (TV: CBS, 4:27 p.m. PT), yesterday's media sessions with both teams have generated a great deal of media coverage.  Here are a few links that might help you get a clearer picture of tonight's matchup.

Live In Syracuse:  Sweet 16! - GoHuskies.com

Practice Day Blog & Links - GoHuskies.com (video included)

Family comes first for Quincy Pondexter - Seattle Times

Washington's Lorenzo Romar make the impossible somehow happen - Seattle Times

Huskies' Isaiah Thomas blossoming as season progresses - Seattle Times

West Virginia's loss probably not UW's gain - Tacoma News Tribune

Size doesn't matter to Huskies - Tacoma News Tribune

Glass slipper doesn't fit the Huskies - Everett Herald

Pondexter Makes the Most of His Time at Washington - New York Times

Bryan injury blown out of proportion? - Charleston Daily Mail

WVU moving up the ladder toward elite - Charleston Daily Mail

West Virginia aims to keep on 'Truck-in' without Bryant - New York Post

West Virginia has experience advantage - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Quick hits on Thursday's tournament games - ESPN.com

Mountaineers Loose, Huskies Jellin' - Syracuse Post-Standard

One of the great things about winning in the NCAA Tournament is the national media coverage of the Huskies.

Check out this great profile of Quincy Pondexter by the New York Times.

Here's a brief excerpt:

For a big man on campus -- one of the biggest men, really -- to sit in a makeup chair for nearly an hour, then put on a pair of ballet tights and take the stage for the Pacific Northwest Ballet's "Nutcracker" shows that Quincy Pondexter has a certain level of comfort in his own skin.

After a nearly five-hour charter airplane ride from King County International  Airport/Boeing Field to Syracuse, the Washington Husky men's basketball team arrived today in central New York for its third NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in the last six seasons.

The team, staff, band, cheerleaders and several supporters departed the UW campus at around 11 a.m. (PT) and arrived at Syracuse Hancock International Airport around 8 p.m. (ET).  The weather was a little chilly, windy and a light rain fell as the team deplaned and went immediately to the waiting buses on the tarmac.  The forcast in Syracuse for this evening calls for 33 degrees and a rain/snow mix.  However, the weather reports predict a high of 51 tomorrow with sunny skies.

The team enjoyed an excellent dinner of chicken, brisket, ribs, mashed potatos, corn, macaroni & cheese and cornbread at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, a local favorite.  While the downstairs dining area was packed with customers and a live band preparing to play, the team and a few supporters were ushered to a private upstairs dining room.

Afterward, the team checked-in to its official headquarters for the next several days, the DoubleTree Hotel Syracuse.   Following a film session, the team will turn in for the night to prepare for a day full of practices, media sessions and game preparation tomorrow.

Keep up with the Huskies on this Dawg Blawg and several other daily entries on GoHuskies.com.  There will also be occassional updates on the UWSportsNews Twitter page.

You may have noticed that the Husky players have been saluting the crowd and their teammates after hitting big shots in games recently. Check out KCPQ-13 Aaron Levine's report on the new Husky phenomenom:

http://www.q13fox.com/videobeta/67020275-b4e5-4d29-82c6-7df57e02cddd/Sports/The-Husky-Basketball-Salute-

Heading into Thursday's NCAA men's basketball Sweet 16 matchup against West Virginia, there is a ton of media coverage of the Washington men's basketball team.  Here are a few links for your reading pleasure:

Coaching makes strange bedfellows of Romar, Huggins - SeattlePI.com

This Coug says:  Bravo, UW, but enough already - SeattlePI.com

Playing basketball was always the plan for Washington's Elston Turner - Seattle Times

Quincy Pondexter to face former teammate De'Sean Butler - Seattle Times

Romar gets another shot at his dream - Everett Herald

Mountaineers and Huskies not strangers - Tacoma News Tribune

Wash.: Win, repeat:  Blue-collar Huskes are red-hot now - The Dominion Post

WVU not celebrating yet - Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Business As Usual - MSNSportsNET.com

Red hot Huskies ready for regional semifinals - Associated Press

This really isn't a "media" article, but is worth reading:

How "Sweet" It Is - Bobby Jones' Blog

Washington ISP Sports Network flagship station KJR 950 AM in Seattle will be broadcasting live from Syracuse this week at Tully's Erie Boulevard (2943 Erie Blvd., East Syracuse, New York 13224; 315.449.9339, www.tullysgoodtimes.com) at the following times:

Wednesday, March 24: 1-4pm

Thursday, March 25: 1-4pm

Friday, March 26: 9am-1pm (if Huskies win Thursday)

Husky fans are encouraged to come by and enjoy the festivites and visit with Dave "Softy" Mahler.

Coach Lorenzo Romar and senior Quincy Pondexter talked about their upcoming game against West Virginia and the team's performance in the NCAA Tournament today at a press conference in the Founder's Club at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

You can download the audio of the press conference here, or check out some other great content on the GoHuskies.com podcast page.

University of Washington campus television station UWTV will televise today's Lorenzo Romar and Husky men's basketball players' NCAA Tournament press conference live at 12:30 p.m.   The Huskies travel to Syracuse, N.Y. to face second-seeded West Virginia Thursday at 4:27 p.m.

UWTV is located on channel 27 on Comcast cable systems throughout the state of Washington.  It is also available on Broadstripe Cable and Click! Network.  Visit www.UWTV.org for availability in your area.

In addition, UWTV will air the Feb. 4, 1999 victory over Arizona on its popular "Husky Classics" program, presented by FSN, tonight at 7 p.m.

The second-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers defeated Missouri today by a score of 68-59 to advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 in Syracuse against the Washington Huskies.  The game will be televised live by CBS-TV.  The tipoff time will be announced as soon as we find out.

The team is scheduled to practice at Hec-Ed on Monday and will travel via charter to Syracuse on Tuesday.  Wednesday will be filled with media obligations, an open practice and, most likely, a closed practice session as well. 

For those of you who are looking for a little scouting information, here are a few helpful links:

MSNsportsNet.com - West Virginia's official athletic website.

ESPN.com - West Virginia's team page

Scout.com - a West Virginia fan site.

CBSSports.com - West Virginia's team page

Rivals.com - a West Virginia fan site

The Dominion-Post - Morgantown, WV newspaper website (subscription req.)

The Times West Virginian - Fairrmont, WV newspaper

West Virginia Metro News - WVU Coverage

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette -WVU Coverage

Big East Conference

NCAA Basketball Statistics

With its convincing 82-64 victory over third-seeded New Mexico in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., the Washington men's basketball team is headed to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time since 1998 and the third time under coach Lorenzo Romar.

GoHuskies.com has a ton of game coverage, including a recap, stats, photos, postgame quotes, press conference audio and video highlights.  It's about as comprehensive as it gets.

For your reading pleasure, here are a few links to stories around the Internet about the game:

Sweet!  Huskies in round of 16 - Tacoma News Tribune

No time for Pac-10 basketball to get cocky - Sacramento Bee

Huskies' Thomas is red-hot - The Herald

NCAA Tournament provides shock and chalk value - Los Angeles Times

A time of redemption for Pac-10 - San Francisco Chronicle

Defenses fuel NCAA upsets - San Jose Mercury News

Washington and the West gain respect - RealClearSports.com

Really? Surprising Washington continues improbable run - CBSSports.com

Why can't the Huskies continue this run? - Seattle Times

Huskies didn't panic, now are prospering - The Sporting News

Packing a punch - Yahoo! Sports

Washington's Resurgence Continues With Win Over New Mexico - New York Times

Washington men rout New Mexico, reach Sweet 16 - Seattle Times

With today's NCAA second round game against New Mexico just minutes away, let's hope the Dawgs can pull off another "upset.".  Washington is seeded 11th in the tournament, while New Mexico is the region's number three seed.

The game is scheduled for about a 3 p.m.  (PT) tipoff at HP Pavilion.  Keep up with the game live on CBS-TV, GoHuskies.com, the Washington ISP Sports Network or the Westwood One Radio Network.

We'll also have in-game updates on GoHuskies.com and through the UWSportsNews Twitter feed.

The Husky basketball squad just returned to the team hotel after practice and the NCAA mandated media session.

Practice was about 90 minutes long and the team spent the majority of the time working on preparing for New Mexico and getting a feel for the HP Pavilion rims and depth perception. The first 60 minutes were very focused and spirited, but the last 30 minutes were much lighter.

The final 30 minutes was spent playing four-on-four with Romar splitting the groups into gold and purple teams. The purple team consisted of Darnell Gant, Justin Holiday, Elston Turner and C.J. Wilcox, while the gold team was Tyreese Breshers, Scott Suggs, Abdul Gaddy and Clarence Trent. The games were full court and were played to five.

Quincy Pondexter, Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Venoy Overton watched from the sidelines. Overton even picked up one of the CBS headsets and called play-by-play, which drew plenty of laughs from players, coaches and NCAA Tournament staff members hanging around the arena.

The purple team won the first game, but the gold team won the second game. Coach Romar tried to stop practice after that, but the players insisted on playing once more to determine the winner. Purple came out on op in the final game to take home the 4-on-4 crownd for the day.

After practice, the team went to their dressing room and enjoyed a tasty lunch of In-N-Out burgers - always a favorite amongst the team (and staff too!). Pondexter, Bryan-Amaning and Overton had to scarf their food down quickly as they went to the podium for media interviews.

It was rather crowded in the UW lockerroom, keeping the guys very busy and entertained.After 3:50, the Huskies boarded a bus and were given a police escort home. On the way to the bus, the players stopped and chatted with the two officers who were leading the players home. Clarence Trent even mounted the motorcycle and turned on the siren and flashed the lights!

Make sure you check out the preview of tomorrow's game, where there are lots of useful links to quotes and audio from the day's events.

The 11th-seeded Washington Huskies face 3rd-seeded New Mexico in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday afternoon at approximately 2:50 p.m. (PT) at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.  Here is a brief statistical analysis of the two teams:

What a magical night for the Huskies.  By now, everyone knows the story... 

Down by just one at halftime of its NCAA Tournament first round game against Marquette in San Jose, Calif., Washington trailed by as many as 15 second half points before roaring back for an incredible finish. 

Quincy Pondexter had possession of the ball with time running down and the scored tied at 78-apiece.  He waited at the top of the key until the final few seconds, spun and backed his way down the left side of the lane and banked a shot off the glass with just 1.7 seconds left to give the Huskies a hard-fought and well-earned 80-78 win.

The Dawgs will get as much rest as possible this morning before waking for breakfast, a film session, lunch, practice (closed to the public), media interviews, dinner and more film.

Tomorrow's second round game against New Mexico is scheduled to tipoff at approximately 2:50 p.m. (PT).  It will follow approximately 30 minutes after the Butler/Murray State game scheduled for 12:20 p.m. at HP Pavilion.  Here's a link to Stubhub if you are looking for tickets.

As one would expect, there is a ton of media coverage of last night's game.  GoHuskies.com has complete coverage of the game, including a recap, notes, quotes, postgame audio and an extensive photo gallery.

Following are a few notable links:

Quincy Pondexter's shot lifts Washington, 80-78 - Seattle Times

Washington's Justin Holiday in right place for game's last shot - Seattle Times

Quincy Pondexter makes the big play, as a senior leader should - Seattle Times

Glove? Huskies' Thomas doesn't need a glove - Everett Herald

Huskies' Pondexter steps up - Everett Herald

Huskies rally for memorable finish against Marquette - Everett Herald

Huge Huskies comeback stuns Marquette - Tacoma News Tribune

Tourney Time:  Darnell Gant and the anatomy of a comeback - SeattlePI.com

Compelling story lines in San Jose - San Francisco Chronicle

Golden Eagles suffer another heartbreaking loss - OnMilwaukee.com

Golden Eagles eliminated in first round by Huskies - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Fear factor fueled Huskies comeback - Yahoo! Sports

The University of Washington men's basketball team landed at Mineta San Jose International Airport at approximately 9 p.m. tonight after a rather uneventful, short charter plane ride from Seattle. The Dawgs left campus at 5:30 p.m. to a small gathering of athletics staff and fans cheering them on. All four of the local television stations sent cameras to capture the team's departure for the night's newscasts.

Once the bus arrived at Sea-Tac, the travel party cruised through the baggage check and an almost empty security line then went straight to gate S-5 to board the Sun Country Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

The smooth flight provide the coaching staff another opportunity to watch film (provided by recently-dubbed "Team MVP" Trevor Wade, the team's excellent video coordinator) on Marquette and work on game-planning for the Golden Eagles. Several of the players studied for their last final exams, while others read books, listened to iPods and caught a few minutes of sleep.

Before leaving campus, the team conducted a media session at Bank of America Arena, watched film and went through a short practice.

Speaking of final exams, the team is accompanied by Faculty Athletics Representative Patrick Dobel and a staff academic coordinator. A couple of players will be taking supervised final exams from the road.

Senior forward Quincy Pondexter will be taking the last final exam of his college career tomorrow morning. The Fresno, Calif. native has completed his degree requirements and technically graduates at the end of the quarter this week. With his degree in hand, Pondexter will be able to focus his entire attention to preparing for the next chapter of his career - as a professional basketball player, hopefully in the National Basketball Association.

NOTES:
» Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas were named to the National Association of Basket ball Coaches (NABC) and United States Basketball Writers of America (USBWA) All-District teams.

» The Husky Ticket Office sold and distributed roughly 600 all-session tickets to the games in San Jose. Each team is allotted a total of 550 tickets to the regional, none of which are broken-up by session - every ticket provided to the schools are for all three sessions of the regional. The UW was able to secure a few additional tickets from other schools in the regional and those were made available to season ticket holders. Considering that the UW has a sizable alumni base in California, it is pretty safe to assume a lot of Husky fans have purchased tickets through HP Pavilion and/or local ticket brokers.

» While on the subject of tickets, the Husky Ticket Office is accepting deposits for 2010-11 season tickets. A deposit of $100 ensures priority for tickets next season. In addition to a ticket for every game and a more attractive seat location, season ticket holders receive priority to purchase postseason tickets. For new season tickets, seat locations are determined by the order in which the deposit is placed.

The Washington Husky men's basketball team is preparing for this evening's short airplane flight to San Jose.  The Dawgs will conduct a brief media session prior to their afternoon practice in Bank of America Arena.  The team is scheduled to depart the arena by bus at approximately 5:30 a.m. (fans are welcome to attend and see the team off!) and will take a charter flight to Mineta San Jose International Airport.  The team hotel is the Crowne Plaza San Jose - Downtown.

Below is a brief overview of a few notable events over the next few days.  Note that all practices on Wednesday are held at HP Pavilion and are open to the public with no admission charges.

The official pre-game party/rally in San Jose has been set!  Husky fans are invited to The Old Wagon Saloon and Grill, located at 73 N. San Pedro Street - just a short walk from HP Pavilion.

950 KJR AM host Dave "Softy" Mahler will be broadcasting live from the site and there is no admission charge.

This video is from several weeks ago of the Washington players doing some impromptu dunking at the Marv Harshman Court after a practice. The players decided to use the gymnasium wall in the background to assist in their dunks.

The final Lorenzo Romar and Tia Jackson radio shows, which originated live from Anthony's at Shilshole last night, are now available for download via GoHuskies.com or iTunes.

Click here to download the Lorenzo Romar Show

Click here to download the Tia Jackson Show

To check out other great podcasts from UW Athletics, visit GoHuskies.com.

Now that Washington's place in the Big Dance has been announced, it's time for...  The Dancin' Dawgs!

Lost in the shuffle of today was that the Huskies received some votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll released on Sunday. Washington received 10 votes on the heels of winning the Pac-10 Tournament championship and 12 of its last 14 games.

Who was right behind the Dawgs in the voting? Marquette, the Huskies NCAA First Round opponent, with nine.

 • Click here for a look at the complete poll

The Pac-10 Tournament champion Washington Husky men's basketball team travels to San Jose, Calif. to face the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday.  The game will be televised live by CBS-TV and streamed live by CBSSports.com.

The game is scheduled be tip-off at approximately 4:20 p.m.  You can see a complete bracket with times here.

The Washington ISP Sports Network, buoyed by flagship station 950 KJR AM, will provide a live radio broadcast, which will also be streamed live via Dawg Channel All-Access on GoHuskies.com.  CBSSports.com will also provide a live statistical Gametracker of every game of the tournament.

You can find Marquette extensive basketball information on its offical athletic website.

Below is a quick comparison of the two teams:

It was certainly an afternoon to remember as the Washington Huskies showed grit, determination and a "never-say-die" attitude and defeated a resiliant Cal squad 79-74 to win the 2010 Pacific LIfe Pac-10 Tournament yesterday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Join the team this afternoon at 3 p.m. in the Don James Center for the NCAA Selection Show.  Doors open at 2:30.  You can read more about it here.

GoHuskies.com has the most complete coverage of the Pac-10 Tournament, including a game recap, quotes, notes, a photo gallery and downloadable audio of the post-game press conference. 

Here's a quick look of the various tournament-related media stories from around the West Coast:

Now that they're in, Dawgs hope to stick close to home - Everett Herald

Washington men win Pac-10 Tournament title - Seattle Times

Huskies set sights on next challenge - Seattle Times

UW wins one tourney, gets ticket to another - Tacoma News-Tribune

Huskies win Pac-10 Tournament - Sports Washington

Two NCAA bids likely after Cal's late gamble seals title for Huskies - Arizona Republic

Now it's time to wait for Cal - San Francisco Chronicle

Washington plays its way off the bubble and into the NCAA Tournament - Los Angeles Times

Huskies can enjoy a carefree Sunday - Seattle Times

Bears are down but not out - Oakland Tribune

LOS ANGELES - The Huskies are in the Pac-10 Championship after a 79-64 win over Stanford, giving the Dawgs a chance to guarantee a place in the NCAA Tournament with a win over No. 1 seed Cal.

The GoHuskies.com crew was at the Staples Center tonight and has plenty of info from the Stanford game, as well as a preview of Saturday's game with the Golden Bears. Continue to check back on the site all morning and afternoon as we'll have plenty of coverage from here in L.A., from the hotel to the Staples Center.

• UW-Cal Pre-game notes



 

With the annual Pac-10 Tournament getting off to an exciting start last night, with Oregon knocking-off Washington State in overtime to earn a date with top-seeded Cal, every team in the league enters the event with an added sense of urgency.

For the last few months, scribes around the country have labeled the league as having a down year.  Granted, the conference didn't register a sparkling non-conference record in the early-season months of November and December.  Thus, it is hard to argue with the critics.

However, take a look at the way the league has shaped-up.  There are no "gimme" games in the Pac-10 this year.  Every weekend, teams have had to compete at their highest levels just to maintain pace in a parity-filled league.

So, it's hard to predict what will happen at the Pac-10 Tournament this weekend.  Eight teams remain - each with a great chance to have its name called with the NCAA Tournament selection show takes place Sunday afternoon. 

Every game of the tournament will be televised by FSN, with the championship airing on CBS.  So, watch but don't be surprised if there are a few "upsets" along the way...  Just not for the Huskies, of course!

Here is a quick roundup of media coverage headed into the tourney:

Thomas taking hold of the reins on offense

After a season on the edge, Huskies built for NCAA run

Huskies head to Pac-10 tournament trying to bubble to the surface

Washington fans keeping an eye on other conference tournaments

Huskies' 'season is on the line'

No comfort zone left for Huskies

Beavers look to reverse losing trend vs. Washington

The Sporting News handed out its postseason college basketball awards and the Huskies were well represented in their Pac-10 awards.

Venoy Overton was named the publication's Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, Quincy Pondexter was named to the first team all-conference squad and Isaiah Thomas was named to the second team.

Cal's Jerome Randle was their Player of the Year, Mike Montgomery the Coach of the Year and Arizona's Derrick Williams was the Freshman of the Year.

Sporting News named a five man team first team that also included Cal's Patrick Christopher, Stanford's Landry Fields, Williams, Pondexter and Randle.

Thomas was joined on the second team by ASU's Derek Glasser, UCLA's Michael Roll, WSU's Klay Thompson and Cal's Theo Robertson.

The Sporting News did not release an all-defensive team, just their top player.

The craziness that is March Madness begins this week and there is tons of hoops on television for Husky fans!  The annual men's and women's Pac-10 Tournaments take place tonight through Sunday and the NCAA Selection Show will air Sunday afternoon on CBS and, for the first time ever, will be streamed on NCAA.com.

Here is a schedule of Husky-related hoops on television this week.  As usual, check your local listings for the time and channels for FSN, FSN Northwest or CBS in your area.

The bracket for the evening session of the Pacific Life Pac-10 Tournament on Thursday, March 11, has been adjusted. The first game of the evening session will now feature No. 2 seed Arizona State vs. No. 7 seed Stanford at 6:18 p.m. PT, while the second game of the session pits No. 3 seed Washington vs. No. 6 seed Oregon State at approximately 8:40 p.m. PT.

As the higher seed in the evening session, Arizona State earned the right to extra recover time should it advance to Friday's semifinal. With one less play-in game in this year's tournament, the Conference determined that the adjustment to the bracket was necessary for this year.

The Pac-10 Tournament gets underway at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 10 with No. 8 seed Oregon taking on No. 9 seed Washington state at 8:10 p.m. PT.

• Pac-10 Basketball Tournament Central

GoHuskies.com caught up with Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas and got their thoughts on the recognitions they received on Monday. 

Quincy Pondexter:

"I'm honored to be the only player to win Pac-10 Player of the Week five times. When you think about who won it four times in the past, it's humbling to be in their company. I've said it before, but this has been a dream season that we hope to cap off with a strong Pac-10 Tournament and hopeful NCAA bid.

"Congratulations to Jerome Randle on having a fantastic season and leading his team to a 21-9 record and securing what will probably be a spot in the NCAA Tournament. I'm real proud of him for turning into the player he is after four years and hopefully he has a long and successful career after this."

Isaiah Thomas:

"It's a blessing. I feel like I deserved it based on my play, but big ups to my teammates because without them, I would not have gotten the recognition."

Former Washington Husky forward, and current member of the NBA's Sacramento Kings, Jon Brockman made a rather unorthodox appearance recently...  He joined Kings cheerleaders and the team's mascot, Slamson, at KB Home's Riverbend development in north Stockton to help promote one of the home builders' newer housing developments.

Numerous fans showed up simply to receive an autograph from the popular Kings forward, who has been donned the "Brockness Monster" by Shaquille O'Neal in a Twitter post earlier this year.

Check out the complete story on Brockman's appearance in this article from the Stockton Record.

Washington is the No. 3 seed for the upcoming Pac-10 Conference Tournament and will play Oregon State in a re-match of Saturday night's game. The Huskies (21-9, 11-7 Pac-10) beat the Beavers (14-16, 8-10 Pac-10) in Corvallis 82-70 - their sixth-straight win over them.

Washington has proven to be a tough matchup for the Beavers, who prefer to play a slower-paced game and a 1-3-1 defense. The Huskies punched holes in the 1-3-1 early and the Beavers switched to a 2-3 zone, which didn't prove to deter the Huskies.

Washington hung 76 points on OSU in the first meeting on Dec. 31 and 82 on Saturday. Those two totals are the most points scored by any Pac-10 team on them. The Beavers gave up an average of 58 points per game in their other 16 Pac-10 games, while the Huskies averaged 79 points per game in their two contests against the Beavs.

The Huskies will fly down to Los Angeles on Wednesday evening after practicing that afternoon.

Fans can follow the Pac-10 Tournament on the conference's official website by clicking here.

Since last night's 86-72 victory over Oregon was not on television locally, Comcast SportsNet is scheduled to show a replay of the game tonight (Friday) at 9 p.m. (PT).  You can watch Pac-10 Player of the Year candidate Quincy Pondexter slice, dice and cut through the Oregon defense en route to 34 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Check your local listings to find out how to watch Comcast SportsNet Northwest in your area.

What a shame last night's dominating performance by Washington senior forward Quincy Pondexter wasn't televised.  "Q" went off on the Ducks with a 34-point, 10-rebound, 6-assist effort that should place him right in the driver's seat in the discussion for Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year honors.

In UW's 86-72 road win at Oregon last night, Quincy went 14-18 from the field, 2-of-3 from beyond the three-point arc and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.  He scored on a vast array of dazzing dunks, layups and acrobatic shots that showed that he certainly has a chance to succeeed at the next level.

After the game, Oregon's Tajuan Porter said, "Pac-10 player of the year, that's my vote. He dominates. He played hard and rallied his team to victory."

Quincy has earned Pac-10 Player of the Week honors four times this year, a feat achieved only three times previously.  Pondexter joins Oregon State's Gary Payton (1988-89), Arizona's Chris Mills (1992-93), UCLA's Ed O'Bannon (1994-95) and Arizona State's Eddie House (1999-2000) as the only four-time winners in a season. All four of those players went on to win at least a share of the Pac-10 Player of the Year award.

He is second in the league in scoring (20.3 ppg),  third in rebounding (7.9), sixth in field goal percentage (.546), 10th in steals (1.4), 5th in free throw percentage (8.6), 2nd in offensive rebounds (3.2) and fifth in defensive rebounds (4.7).

The University of Oregon has been recognizing honorary captains for each team during their Pac-10 home games - the last conference contests at McArthur Court. Former Oregon coach Dick Harter and Husky great Brandon Roy will be recognized prior to tonight's game.

Roy will be making the drive down this evening from Portland, where he may be the most popular Trail Blazer on the team. Although their is no official record, it may be safe to assume that tonight will be the most applause ever for a current of former Husky athlete!

Oregon will play their non-conference games at Mac Court in 2010 before moving into the Mathew Knight Arena, which is under construction less than a mile away from their current arena.

Since Thursday's Husky men's basketball game at Oregon was not selected as part of the Pac-10 television package (USC at Arizona State at 5:30 p.m. PT / 6:30 p.m. MT and UCLA at Arizona at 7:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. MT were selected instead), there are a few ways to follow the game live on the radio and the Internet.

Every Washington Husky game is broadcast live via the Washington ISP Sports Network.  For a listing of affiliates, including Seattle-based flagship station 950 KJR AM, check out this link on GoHuskies.com.  Bob Rondeau and Jason Hamilton will describe the action.

You can also listen to the broadcast on the Internet through Dawg Channel All-Access, a subscription service provided by CBSSports.com College Network through GoHuskies.com.

The University of Oregon, which is the only Pac-10 school not part of the CBSSports.com network of official athletic websites (noted here due to the fact there is no "Gametracker" coverage of the game), has a link to its live stats coverage here. 

Finally, the UW athletic communications staff provides in-game Twitter updates at www.twitter.com/UWSportsNews.

If you haven't been around Husky Stadium since the Dawgs knocked off Cal 42-10 to end the season, you haven't had a chance to see the massive construction project taking place in what, for years, was the E-11, E-17 and E-12 parking lots on the south side of the stadium. (Click on the photos to see larger versions)

Every season ticket holder and Tyee Club member has received information through the mail, email, internet and, in many cases, by telephone regarding the significant impact the voter-approved Sound Transit project will have on Husky athletics for the next six years. 

The Reader's Digest version (for you younger generation folks, this means "condensed") is:  A six acre construction zone for the next six years has eliminated approximately 600 spaces in parking lots E11, E12 and E17.  The project to build a UW Sound Transit Station for light rail was approved by King County voters and has caused some major changes in the way the UW handles parking for major events on campus - most notably Husky football games.

With an upheaval in parking assignments, the athletic department is looking to help alleviate some of the inconvenience with an expansion of its popular free Metro bus transportation system throughout the Puget Sound (a roughly $600,000 annual expense to UW athletics) and the addition of buses, carts and vans to shuttle fans to and from the stadium to the various parking lots.

Chris Fetters of Sports Washington wrote this piece in late November that described many of the changes.

If you are looking for specific information regarding your season tickets or Tyee membership and how that affects your parking, please visit this website or call the Tyee Office at (206) 543-2234.

With its extensive coverage of the Washington high school state basketball tournament, FSN Northwest will have just a bit less coverage of the Huskies this week.  Here is a schedule of UW hoops events and Huskies All Access this week:

Last night's weekly Lorenzo Romar and Tia Jackson basketball radio shows are now available for download from either GoHuskies.com or iTunes. 

The shows are broadcast live via the Washington ISP Sports Network and Seattle-based flagship station 950 KJR AM every Monday night from Anthony's Homeport Shilshole Bay.  The exclusive live streams of the shows are available through Dawg Channel All-Access on GoHuskies.com.

To download last night's Romar Show, please click here.   To download last night's Tia Jackson Show, please click here.

To visit the official iTunes page for GoHuskies.com and Washington Athletics, please click here to launch iTunes or click here to read more about it on GoHuskies.com.

The team is at Beasley in Pullman right now doing a shoot around and we're winding down at practice. The "shooters" are doing an around the world shooting drill right now where they have to hit 5 of 7 from five different three-point stations to advance. If the player hits five in a row, they advance at get to shoot at the nexst station.

Guess who's winning? C.J. Wilcox.

Coach Romar exclaimed "Put a quarter in him" because of his machine-like shooting skills. Man, is he going to be fun to watch next year!

In case you missed it, here is a Q&A with Wilcox from GoHuskies.com earlier this week.

Everyone knows the story of Cougars coach Ken Bone's familiarity with the Huskies - having coached with Romar at Washington for four years. But, a side note is that his nephew, Kegan, is one of the managers for the Husky basketball team.

The Everett Herald's Scott Johnson wrote a nice article on the Bone family and how their our roots on both sides of the state for the Apple Cup of hoops match up.

Read more...

Coach Romar met with just a few members of the media on Thursday before the Huskies head off to Pullman to face the Cougars.

Here are a few notes from the session:

--Brendan Sherrer is in the hospital right now with an infection. He is expected to fully recover and a UW staff member who visited him reports he is smiling and in good spirits. He should be released from the hospital in the next couple of days.

--The Huskies took Sunday and Wednesday off.this week and coach Romar reports that this is a good time of the year to only play one game and have a little break: "It's fine for us. We have finals coming in a couple of weeks a hopefully guys take advantage of not playing a game over a week long to do some extra studying. But also, a little bit to rest the body and the mind. At this time of the year, your mind can be drained. A break like this during this time will kind of free your mind a little bit so that when you come back you'll be ready to get going. "

--Coach Romar was asked if the time off after having such a great game on Saturday could have some negative drawbacks. He said there is a chance, but that at the same time the guys should remember how much fun they had last time they were on the court and the success that they had. He went on to say that the team did have a lot of energy on the court Monday and Tuesday so it didn't seem like there was any let down.

--When asked how things are different now than from when he played against WSU, coach Romar said that the crowd size is the biggest change. When he played, a crowd of 6,000 fans made him fired up feel that there were a lot of people there. Now, if there's 6,000 fans that can be interpreted that no one showed up.

The Washington men's basketball team travels to Pullman this weekend to take on in-state rival Washington State.  The game will be televised live by FSN Northwest at 7 p.m. with a replay on Monday at 5 p.m.

Don't forget, if you aren't near a television you can catch the game on the radio (Washington ISP Sports Network & 950 KJR AM) or the internet (GoHuskies.com).

Here is this week's FSN Northwest schedule of Husky hoops coverage:

Gail Wood, a sports writer from The Olympian, has just released a new book titled Saved Twice. The book is about the inspirational stories of 13 athletes and sports figures that have overcome life-threatening moments to succeed.

Among the Huskies represented are Lorenzo Romar, Kayla Burt and Brian Sternberg.

Here is a little excerpt provided by the author:

Lorenzo Romar felt the barrel of the pistol push against his forehead. "What would happen if I pushed the trigger?" snarled a member of a notorious gang. Growing up in Compton, Calif., Romar learned about the jagged edge of life.

Before Romar became the Pac-10 coach of the year at the University of Washington, he had to learn about surviving gangs. Romar shares his story in Saved Twice, a recently released book about 13 athletes.

The book is written by sportswriter Gail Wood, who was named Gannett's columnist of the year and won a Blethen Award from the Seattle Times for feature writing.

Two other former UW athletes - Brian Sternberg and Kayla Burt - also share their stories.

Marty Tadman, the All-American defensive back from Boise State, talks about the night he considered suicide.

"We all love a comeback," Wood said. "These stories are about the best comebacks ever. The bring hope and inspiration."

With their real-life drama as a backdrop, their stories are inspirational.

To order the book for $10.99 call the toll free number 1-866-909-2665. Or go to http://www.xulonpress.com/ or to http://www.amazon.com/