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Nov. 16, 2012
• Washington-Seton Hall Game Notes UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Washington traveled across the country on Thursday and arrived in Uncasville, Conn. late night in advance of two games as part of the Hall of Fame Tip Off Tournament. First up for the Huskies (1-1) is a Saturday game against the BIG EAST's Seton Hall Pirates (2-0) at 4:30 p.m. PT. The winner/loser will play either Ohio State or Rhode Island on Sunday at 1:30/4:30 p.m. PT. Friday’s game is the first-ever time Washington and Seton Hall have faced each other. The trip will be the first of two excursions for the Huskies to the state of Connecticut. Washington will return in late December to play UConn in Hartford on the 29th. Saturday’s game will be televised live online at ESPN3 and on the radio KJR 950 AM. Mike Crispino and Dereck Whittenburg will call the action on the Internet, while Mike Gastineau and Jason Hamilton will provide play-by-play on the radio. Scott Suggs Update Ninety seconds into Tuesday’s game, Suggs took an inadvertent elbow to the face, followed by a knee to the back of his head as he went to the ground, forcing the senior from Washington, Mo. to the locker room for the rest of the game. Washington Coach Lorenzo Romar said the team responded well on Thursday morning during the team’s first practice since Tuesday’s stunning defeat, but when it came to Suggs, he was non-committal about his return. “Scott suffered a concussion and he’s kind of day-to-day in terms of a decision for this weekend. We’ll have to wait and see,” Romar told the media in Seattle before boarding a bus and heading to the airport. Suggs must have two days symptom free of his concussion to be cleared to play. If Suggs is unable to go, Andrew Andrews will take his spot in the starting lineup, and others will need to pick up the scoring slack. When pressed, Suggs said he is hopeful to return for Saturday’s game vs. Seton Hall at 1:30 p.m PT in the Mohegan Sun. “I want to play, but I’m not sure. It depends on what the doctor says and how my symptoms are,” Suggs informed the media. “I’m doing a lot better today than yesterday,” he added.
“I’m fired to have Darin Johnson,” said Romar. “He is explosive, can shoot the basketball and is a gym rat that is very passionate about the game and wants to be the best. “When you have that combination it’s usually a formula that is going to produce excellence on his end.” Johnson will play this year for Sheldon High School in Sacramento after transferring from Franklin HS in Elk Grove, Calif. As a junior at Franklin, Johnson averaged 16.8 points per game, 2.5 assists and led his team to a 22-6 record and the quarterfinals of CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Boys Basketball Playoff. He is ranked as the No. 86 player overall by Scout.com; 18th among shooting guards. Johnson also is conserved the No. 126th overall player according to Rivals.com. Romar foresees the guard being able to jump into the mix right away for the Huskies, which will lose Abdul Gaddy, Scott Suggs and Aziz N’Diaye next season due to graduation. Romar likes Johnson’s combination of athleticism, slashing ability and shooting. “Physically, with his body type, he is ready to go right now,” Romar said of Johnson. “He’s aggressive, strong and a slasher that goes to the basket, but he compliments it with a nice jump shot. “I don’t want to compare him to Terrence Ross, but Terrence had that blend of being a slasher and a shooter. Terrence is probably a better shooter, but in terms of slashing, Darin is probably better at slashing to the basket. “ “He wants to become a better basketball player,” Romar continued. “He likes our style; he feels our style matches who he is as a person and a player and he decided to pick the university of Washington. We could not be happier.” | |||||||||||||
