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Oct. 15, 2011

SEATTLE -- The Huskies officially embarked on their 2011-12 season with a two-and-a-half practice on Friday. While many programs chose to kick off their season with much fanfare and the bright lights of Midnight Madness events, Washington chose to practice in relative anonymity in an empty Alaska Airlines Arena.

The benefits of conducting a private practice as opposed to an open event were clear. The practice was crisp and intense. It was business-like and a lot of productivity was accomplished. The freshmen were able to get acclimated to their first college practice and coaches were able to teach when needed.

Don't get me wrong...Midnight Madness events are fun and can inject a ton of energy to start the season. Dunk contests and 3-point competitions are a spectacle to behold, but as far as simulating the rigors of a practice, there is limited value.

The importance of the fans is not lost on the team though as students and Dawg Pack members will be able to get their first glimpse of the Huskies on Thursday in an event specially catered to them called Dunks and Dinner. Lorenzo Romar is providing dinner for the first 500 students and they will get a chance to see the Huskies scrimmage and show off their dunking arsenal.

So, without the limelight blaring down on the Huskies, Friday's practice felt like a great jumping off point to the season. The Huskies are continuing practice over the weekend with two-a-days on Saturday and one practice on Sunday at Evergreen State College in Olympia.

Here are some observations from Friday:

The Huskies are BIG and FAST
Fourteen players were on the floor for day one. Seven were grouped as post players in drills - the shortest being 6-foot-7 Desmond Simmons. Seven were grouped with guards...none standing shorter than 6-foot-2. The Huskies are definitely trotting out an imposing group that has potential to cause matchup problems in both the post and perimeter.

And the Huskies are not sacrificing any speed with their size. Six-foot-eight Martin Breuning ran the court with ease displaying some impressive finishes at the rim. Aziz N'Diaye keeps showing his abilities to break the mold of plodding 7-footers by running up and down the court. Even Brendan Sherrer drew raves from Coach Romar for hustling down the court on the offensive end of the break.

Defense and taking charges are the emphasis
Players are finding that the quickest way to find yourself on the sidelines or being singled out during practice is for not playing hard on defense or not trying to draw the charge when the situation calls for it. Several nameless players learned this on occasion when forced to undertake in extra "charge drills" and running. I think the coaches got their points across. And most everybody was willing to sacrifice their bodies to draw charges.

Abdul Gaddy looks like he's back...and better than ever
The junior point guard is showing no ill-effects from his ACL surgery and looked wonderful when leading the team. I think outside observers will wince more the he will seeing Gaddy go at it on the court. He was diving on the floor and absorbing contact like a maniac. Additionally, his shot looks keyed in right now. Gaddy's shot in the final weeks as open gyms winded down was very smooth. He definitely carried it over to the first day of practice.

You better be awake when Tony Wroten has the ball in his hand
The young freshman has never seen a pass he did not like or think he could not make. Wroten was able to connect on a lot of them, several were missed by teammates and several were too big of bites for him to complete. He's definitely going to have some turnovers in the stat column, but will also have some dazzling moments on the court that will leave Husky fans shaking their heads in disbelief. It's a lot like the bravado of Isaiah Thomas, the attitude of Nate Robinson and the shot-selection of Terrence Ross...some things are better just left not tampered with and sometimes, you need to take the bad with the good. Believe me, there will be plenty of good.

Chemistry is not the question, who will be the alpha Dawg could be
It is clear this group of Huskies gets along. Throughout the open gyms and during the first practice, players were very encouraging of each other and look to enjoy each other's company. The open gyms saw players often debating fouls and teasing each other, but it was all in good fun and never turned ugly.

The big question is who will be the x-factor down the stretch for Washington. Last year, that guy was Isaiah Thomas and to a certain extent Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Justin Holiday. This year the team's three captains - Darnell Gant, Abdul Gaddy and Scott Suggs - are all great leaders and guys the other 13 can rally around. But, none of them have been asked to or been put in the position to take the big shot or put the team under their wings in tight situations. There are plenty of candidates on the team and players that would relish the opportunity to be THE MAN, but until they do it, you just don't know. As Keith Price is proving for the UW Football team though, sometimes all you need is a chance. Undoubtedly, it will be a fun journey to see who the basketball team's Keith Price will be this year.