Feb 2, 2013, Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies center Aziz N’Diaye (5) makes a move to the basket against Arizona State center Jordan Bachynski (13) during the second half at Alaska Airlines Arena. Arizona State center Jordan Bachynski (13) stands at left. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Statistics: 28.7 minutes, 8.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.2 blocks per game

What He Did In 2012-2013: Inconsistency has plagued Aziz N’Diaye throughout his career at Washington and there was no exception for his senior season. Still, like each other before it, he improved and became more and more consistent. This meant he was reliable down low mostof the time, a drastic improvement over his first two seasons as a Husky.

For much of the season, N’Diaye led the Pac-12 in double-doubles, but as Carrick Felix heated up in the desert, N’Diaye cooled down in the Pacific Northwest and Felix took the title. In his first 24 games, N’Diaye recorded a double-double in 11 of them; however, in his last ten, he failed to score more than seven points in any game.

Don’t let the quiet finish fool you; N’Diaye had one of the best seasons by a center in recent Husky history. Outside of Spencer Hawes’ 2006-2007 season, I can’t think of a better one in the last decade. Much of that is due to the lack of a real center in many of those seasons, but that just shows how N’Diaye can transform a system.

Many times, he was relied on as the top option for the Huskies offense. Most of this came after UW failed to convert any transition offense and resorted to throwing it to N’Diaye in the post. As the games rolled on, everyone seemed pleasantly surprised by his play. He was outperforming everybody’s expectations for his senior season and at one point was averaging a double-double (and no, not just after the first two games).

This came to an abrupt halt at some point during his 4-10 shooting (2-9 from the line) night at USC. He still scored 10 points and collected 12 rebounds, but that was the last time he would score in double figures as a Husky. Outside of rebounding, N’Diaye was virtually absent the last ten games of the season.

What To Expect In 2013-2014: Like Adbul Gaddy, Scott Suggs and Martin Breunig, N’Diaye won’t be back with the Huskies next year, but also like Gaddy and Suggs, he has legitimate pro prospects. Those just happen to be in Europe, rather than the NBA. He, along with Gaddy, put on a strong showing at the Portsmouth Invitational last week and is said to be getting serious looks from teams in Europe.

His replacement is relatively unknown. Perris Blackwell is expected to start at power forward, hopefully alongside Mike Moser. Those two will give the Huskies a dynamic duo of athletic big men, but the only true center on the roster next season will be Gilles Dierickx. The Belgian big man comes from Florida International and is thought to be a vaunted presence inside, but scored just 2.6 points per game in his only season at FIU. The frontcourt without N’Diaye is anything but proven, but is oozing with potential.

He was a relatively unknown commodity when he first arrived from the College of Southern Idaho. All we knew was that he was a physical seven-footer that didn’t seem to fit into Lorenzo Romar’s system.

The first news on N’Diaye that we heard was that he ran the mile with the team in a mere five minutes 21 seconds, erasing all doubt that he couldn’t keep up with the frenzied pace the Huskies like to play at.

Dec 13, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies center Aziz N’Diaye (5) dunks the ball against the Seattle Redhawks during the 1st half at KeyArena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

He entered as a sophomore after averaging 8.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks as a freshman at CSI. He became just the second scholarship player standing 6’9” or taller at the time, yet three Huskies will meet that height next season.

He has brought change to a program that some might say didn’t need it, but it is hard to argue with his numbers. He nearly averaged a double-double last season, with 8.9 points and 9.1 rebounds after improving in each category every season he has been at Washington.

He transformed from a tree down low that no one knew if they could count on to a rock in the middle of the lineup. During his first two seasons, it seemed as though there was little confidence in his ability to catch passes, but after a summer of hard work, he became reliable in that area among many others.

He improved so much so that I wrote an article not long ago proclaiming him as the best center in the Pac-12. Despite a less than desirable finish to his career at Washington, I stick with my words. In every game he played, he was a formidable opponent in the paint and almost always outrebounded his counterpart.

For much of the year, he led the league in double-doubles, until Carrick Felix took the title at the end of the season. He finished his senior season with 11. That comes after amassing six in his previous two seasons.

He came to Washington in the Class of 2010, alongside Terrence Ross and Desmond Simmons. It is hard to evaluate a class that isn’t necessarily finished, but in my mind, each individual player was a success. Ross came in as an undervalued star in the making while Simmons was and still is a hard-nosed, all-out basketball player. Ross is now in the NBA and Simmons will look to lead this team to an NCAA Tournament berth next season.

N’Diaye leaves after dancing just once, but it wasn’t by fault of his own. He provided the big man down low that coaches only dream of having. Romar got him for three years and wasn’t able to put his best seasons to use.

With N’Diaye either headed to the NBA or Europe, expect Romar to go back to more traditional, run-and-gun Husky basketball; however, don’t let N’Diaye’s career fool you, if he ever gets the chance to have another center like N’Diaye, Romar will put him to use.

For now, he is left scrambling to find out who will be his reliable post presence, whether it is Shawn Kemp Jr., Gilles Dierickx or Perris Blackwell, he won’t be the same as Aziz N’Diaye.

Feb 2, 2013, Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies center Aziz N’Diaye (5) makes a move to the basket against Arizona State center Jordan Bachynski (13) during the second half at Alaska Airlines Arena. Arizona State center Jordan Bachynski (13) stands at left. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

That has all changed this season; as a senior, N’Diaye is averaging 10.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. He leads all Pac-12 centers in rebounding and trails only Utah’s Jason Washburn in scoring by a third of a point per game.

Both numbers have steadily, almost linearly gone up over his three season at UW. To go along with his improved scoring and rebounding, N’Diaye has also increased his block number as well as his defense overall. While the increase from 1.0 to 1.3 blocks per game is notable, the most impressive part of it is that he has done it while significantly decreasing his fouling.

The only game he has fouled out of this season was the 76-73 loss to Nevada early in the season. Last year, he fouled out of three games and was hindered with four fouls in eight other games. Not only has he played better defense, the senior center has done it while staying on the court longer.

In his 30 minutes on the court each night, N’Diaye is consistently the most reliable and trusted player in the game for the Huskies. The guards trust to throw him a ball in the paint has improved tenfold, resulting in the most productive season N’Diaye has ever had.

Over the course of one summer, N’Diaye was able to eliminate the magnetic force field around his hands while perfecting a hook shot and improving other post moves.

The last thing N’Diaye needs to work on to become a truly dominant post player is his free throw shooting. That is the only part of his game that has not made significant improvements during his time on campus. His accuracy from the line is at a career high this season, but that number is still only 45.7 percent. When he gets the ball down low, opponents have the option to simply send him to the line, a la “Hack-A-Howard” in the NBA. Many teams have turned to this because of N’Diaye’s remarkable 63 percent shooting percentage from the field, another conference leading number.

Being the best center in the Pac-12 may not be as high of an honor as in other conferences, but N’Diaye still faces stiff competition on a night-in, night-out basis. His main two competitors for the title were Utah’s Washburn and Arizona State’s Jordan Bachynski. Both players are having nice seasons with a few standout games, but neither provides the consistency or overall skillset that N’Diaye does.

Bachynski recorded the first triple-double in ASU history earlier this season and that was arguably not even his best game on the season. He scored 22 points, collected 15 rebounds and blocked six shots in a dominating win over UCLA. However, N’Diaye and Shawn Kemp Jr. both manhandled Bachynski in the paint in UW’s 96-93 win over ASU earlier this season. Bachynski tends to have trouble with players who either force him to the perimeter or can push him around down low, like N’Diaye.

Washburn offers more consistency than Bachynski and has really picked up his game since conference play started; he has scored in double figures in all of Utah’s games since December 18. Utah’s 6’10” center finishes second in this discussion because he isn’t able to rebound like N’Diaye can. In their only matchup so far this season, Washburn outscored N’Diaye 18-6, but fell three rebounds short of the Senegalese center.

Luckily for Bachynski, he is only a junior and has the opportunity to make the strides N’Diaye did from his junior to senior season. Nobody would have argued that N’Diaye was the best center in the Pac-12 last season and Bachynski already has his name in the discussion. Washburn will graduate with N’Diaye this season. Both have NBA prospects, but neither is regarded as a first round pick.

Despite that, N’Diaye will continue to sink hook shots, throw down monstrous dunks and out-muscle opponents for rebounds the rest of the season as he continues his run as the best center in the conference. UW fans will get the treat of watching him for eight more games before he moves on and the Huskies are forced to find his replacement.

Bow Down.

Huskies guard Abdul Gaddy (0) and center Aziz N’Diaye (5) fight for position with Washington State Cougars forward Brock Motum (12) during the second half at the Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum. The Huskies defeated the Cougars 59-55. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-US PRESSWIRE

Is pre-season middle of the pack in the Pac-12 ok? Flying under the radar acceptable? Despite the success of the program over the years, the Husky basketball team is picked by many of the pre-season pundits to finish somewhere in the middle of the pack. The typical questions like, “Who will replace the scoring that was lost?” and a “light” recruiting class, have placed the Huskies squarely under the radar, at least as far as national talk goes. But is under the radar such a bad place to be? No, if a few key things fall into place.

Pre-season predictions are just that; pre-season. A lot of the pre-season hype is based recruiting classes, which sometimes don’t pan out. By the time pre-season predictions come out, teams haven’t even began practices. Further, you have to wonder how much the national media pays attention to the Pac-12, given the perception of the conference being “down” over the last few years. Finally, one thing pre-season predictions don’t take into consideration, and really can’t, is team chemistry. Talent is one thing, but the last I checked, basketball is still a team sport, and teams win championships.

Team Cohesion

There was talk, particularly at the end of the year when fan frustrations were at their peak, that the Huskies didn’t have the chemistry necessary to succeed. With no insider information at my disposal to either confirm or deny that assertion, I’d have to agree; not chemistry internally, perhaps, but on the court. This was exacerbated, no doubt, by the teams’ immaturity, but regardless, they failed to win the games they needed to. For the majority of the team, with another year under their belt, expect on-the-court chemistry to improve and roles to be, perhaps, more defined. All in all, an improved team identity.

Defensive Buy-in

It goes without saying – defense, in the Romar system, leads to easy offense. Last year’s team was too slow to the ball, missed key assignments and just generally broke down at key defensive moments, leaving the average fan scratching their head, as teams with lesser talent were able to find the “easy” shot. For the Huskies to exceed the rather blase expectations set by the media, they cannot rely on offense alone. Aziz N’Diaye will be the anchor down low that we’ve come to expect, but the Huskies will need an improved defensive effort on the perimeter to shut opponents down and win the close games.

Distributing the Ball

Eyes will be on Abdul Gaddy, returning for his senior campaign, sharing duties as a team captain and deservedly so. Look for Gaddy to be more ball-dominant as the team’s floor general. If forwards Desmond Simmons, Martin Breunig and Jernard Jarreau demonstrate the ability to knock down the open shot, they could contribute to a compelling offensive set of pick and roll / pick and pop ball. We know he can distribute, but Gaddy’s also shown a knack for getting to the rim during the summer league season, which will bode well both for him and for shooters on the perimeter.

The Pac-12 will be much more competitive this year. Can the Huskies exceed pre-season expectations? Yes, if they can locate early that elusive team cohesion, adopt a defense-first mentality and develop an offense that shares the ball. Don’t be surprised if the Husky bite takes a chunk out of the middle of Pac-12, and contends for another title.

5. Will a star emerge?

Last year Terrence Ross stepped his game up and became a first round talent who led the Huskies through some tough times. He had some phenomenal games, like the comeback against UCLA, which kept the Huskies in the Pac-12 title hunt. With his exit, who will step up to become the go-to player?

The obvious choice is C.J. Wilcox who is entering his red shirt junior year after scoring 14.2 point per game. He doesn’t just get hot, he gets surface-of-the-sun hot. He does struggle to create his own shot off of the dribble which, hopefully, he will be and has been working on.

Can the forgotten Scott Suggs step up his game as a senior? People forget that he led the Huskies in three point shooting at 45% in 2010/11 and scored 7.4 ppg while only playing 18.3 minutes per game. I won’t pretend to be unbiased here; I’ve been driving the Suggs bandwagon since his freshman year. He has been absolutely itching to get on the court since he was cleared to play late last December but Romar made the tough decision to keep him on the bench and save his final year of eligibility.

What about the much maligned Abdul Gaddy? I’ll have more on him later…

Keep your eye on the practice reports and player/coach interviews for hints on who is demanding the ball late and has taken the next step.

4. How legit is Andrew Andrews?

The legend of Andrew Andrews began in high school when he put up 50 points in a game and then quietly committed to the Huskies with little fanfare. It continued as he impressed in last year’s summer league and fans began to wonder if he was a hidden gem. With the depth at the point, Romar decided to red shirt Andrews and make Husky fans wait another year.

The time has come for Andrews to show what he’s got and impress the coaches (and fans) with a year of learning under his belt. Most are hoping that he can be a dynamic bench scorer that can be a combo guard and lead UW’s high speed attack whether Gaddy is on the bench or alongside him. He’s got speed, size, and aggressiveness that Romar love to see in his guards. With one tweet he showed that his shooting ability may be his most dangerous weapon. He beat C.J. Wilcox in a shooting contest by making 500 of 627 threes. Is he the complete package?

We’ll have to pay attention to what he does in the summer league and reports from practice to hear if it all adds up. We all know that Romar loves defense first, so keep your eyes/ears open if his defense in practice allows Romar to play him more.

3. Who emerges in the frontcourt?

It wasn’t pretty last year. I’ll leave it at that. Aziz N’diaye returns for his senior season at center but it will be tough to determine how much he has developed until the games begin. He put on weight last year while fixing his foul issues and that was a good step forward for the seven footer. After averaging 7.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in 23 minues, it would be great if he could step it up to average a double-double in 26+ minutes in 2012/13. Is that too much to ask from awkward Senegalese center? And free throws; has he improved AT ALL in that area? Maybe, but that type of output may be the key to the Huskies season.

With Darnell Gant graduating, it leaves a gigantic hole at the power forward position and more questions than answers in regards to his replacement. Shawn Kemp Jr. showed flashes of his potential last season but his inconsistency and flat feet leaves much to be desired. He has the right size and strength that make him the ideal fit. However, as I mentioned, there’s a lot that we have to see from him before we can pencil him in. He’ll be a guy that I will be watching very carefully during the summer league.

Martin Breunig wasn’t exactly perfect player either. He got dunked on more than he impressed last year which definitely isn’t a great sign. On a more positive note, he did show that he can score on the offensive end at a somewhat promising rate. In order to get on the court he will need to greatly improve his defense and add solid weight to his 6’8 frame. He’s an intriguing prospect who could be a dark horse but there’s a lot for him to learn before Romar will give him extended playing time. Unfortunately the summer league is not the place to see defensive improvements.

Desmond Simmons may be the leader in the clubhouse for extended playing time at the four even though he’s a more natural wing. Simmons wasn’t the “Romar Prototype” last year that we all wished he could be as his shooting touch from three point range and his defense left a lot to be desired. All reports before last season spoke highly of his shooting touch and defensive intensity. Were the reports and scouts wrong or did he just struggle adjusting as a freshman? Hopefully he regains his touch and feels more comfortable with his abilities.

2. What can Mark McLaughlin actually do?

We don’t know much about McLaughlin. The TCC transfer who averaged 27.5 ppg last season will step in to try and immediately fill the scoring shoes of Terrence Ross. He has drawn comparisons to Tre Simmons and Brandon Roy which should be a good sign. Early reports from summer league are that he has great shooting stroke and is incredibly fluid in the lane. He’s not the strongest, fastest, or most athletic but, like Roy, he puts it all together into a very dangerous package. I don’t care what league it is, AVERAGING 27.5 ppg is impressive and if he can average half of that this season the Huskies will be just fine.

He’s saying all of the right things when it comes to his dedication to defense which, as we know, is at the top of Romar’s wish list. His commitment to defense will probably be the number one thing in deciding how much early playing time he will get and ultimately what his role will become.

Personally, he’s the player that I’m most excited to see and read about. How will he adjust to the speed of the Pac-12? Will his scoring translate against bigger and better post defenders? Is  he a liability on defense? How dedicated is he to becoming a true star? Definitely stay tuned on this one.

1.  Which Abdul Gaddy shows up for his swan song?

Outside of the “Human Lightning Rod” known as Tony Wroten, Abdul Gaddy was the victim of most of Husky fans’ rage last year, including myself. I think that it’s fair to say that his knee injury in 2010/11 has left him a step (or two) slow which really hindered his game. He was forced to deviate from his slash-and-kick style to more of a passive offensive general. His shooting touch absolutely left him and his overall scoring output went from 8.5 ppg in 23.2 minutes per game to 8.1 ppg in 33.9 minutes per game. Not exactly the type of improvement that you hope for in a McDonald’s All-American’s junior season.

His struggles last year were one of the top reason why the Huskies found themselves in the NIT last year but he did show some very impressive performances in that tournament. His 11 point, 10 assist, 7 rebound game against Oregon showed that he does have the capability to be an elite point guard in 2012-13. With Tony Wroten gone he will certainly be able to better dictate the offensive pace and game plan. Don’t underestimate that factor. Gaddy MUST improve into an All Pac-12 First or Second Teamer if the

Husky squad wants to repeat as conference champs and make it into the Big Dance.

Watch for reports on his shooting stroke, quickness, and overall confidence. This is Gaddy’s team and it will only go as far as he can take them.

Nov 4, 2011; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies forward Martin Breunig (10) goes up for a layup during the game against the Seattle Pacific Falcons at Alaska Airlines Arena. Washington defeated Seattle Pacific 77-60. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE

It seems as though the perennial off-season question has to do with how the Huskies will fare in replacing what was lost. One of the “problems” – though, ultimately, a good one to have – with graduating players and sending some early to the NBA, is how the void left will be filled the following year. One of the reasons Romar’s program is a success is that he understands a void left by a graduating or a player making the jump early is an opportunity; an opportunity for someone to step up.

With the early exodus of Ross and Wroten, one might be inclined toward concern for where those points will be recovered this year, particularly in the backcourt. However, when you return the likes of CJ Wilcox and Scott Suggs and add the silky smooth Mark McLaughlin, the question isn’t who will score, but when, where and how much!

The looming question, then, isn’t the backcourt, but the frontcourt. How will the frontcourt shape up over the course of a year? What role does the frontcourt (need to) play to complement the talent and scoring prowess of the backcourt? With the exception of Aziz N’Diaye and Desmond Simmons, who are well known to Husky faithful, only time will tell.

It’s difficult to underestimate the value N’Diaye brings, particularly on the defensive end. His presence alone demands the attention of the opposition, and if he doesn’t block your shot, he’ll alter it. I see Simmons coming into his own this year, advancing from the strong start he had last year. He’s the perfect complement to N’Diaye down low, a solid rebounder and willing to do what it takes to win. The question, however, isn’t N’Diaye or Simmons, but the second tier of Husky frontcourt players, the “big three” – Jernard Jarreau, Martin Breunig and Shawn Kemp Jr.

As an observer, there’s so much that’s unknown and seemingly unproven about the big three. However, the talent appears to be there, as well as the versatility. Redshirt freshman, Jernard Jarreau, is able to face up the defense and knock down the open jumper. Martin Breunig has one year in the Husky system under his belt, and shows the athleticism in addition to the size to be potentially disruptive on the offensive end. Shawn Kemp Jr. showed a lot of potential last year and has looked really good in the first couple of weeks of summer league ball. He looks in shape and, consequently, more active around the rim.

That second tier of Husky big men has the potential to be the x-factor for this season. While questions linger, Romar and his staff have proven over the years to be adept at evaluating and maximizing talent. The minutes will be there, as they spell Aziz and Des; and even if they perform as a group (which is how Romar might use them), if they do so with heart and aggression, we could well see the Huskies once again exceed expectations. Bow Down!

Washington Huskies guard Scott Suggs. The Cardinal defeated the Huskies 58-56. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

Last week, I analyzed and ranked the Husky Men’s Basketball roster from #14 to #8. Today, I look at who I believe to be the seven most important players on the team. I thought I would recieve a lot of negative feedback regarding my placing of Mark McLaughlin at #8. But, instead most of it focused on Hikeem Stewart and the thoughts that he will be much better, especially on defense, than we may suspect. Several said he may be like another Venoy Overton, minus the “off court issues”, who is a solid and pesky defender brought in to bother the opposing point guard. Others say his awkwardness on offense was not typical of his play in high school and given a more definitive role on the team will give him a chance to show us what he’s got. For the sake of the Huskies, I definitely hope that is all true.

Anyways, let’s move onto the Top 7 on the roster in this analysis series. There are many different ways you could argue about the “value” of a player. You could look at it based on who scores the most points, who has the best overall statistics, who plays the most minutes, who has the best plus/minus ratio, and so forth. For this feature, I decided to use this criterion; If a player suffered a season-ending injury in the pre-season, which player would have the greatest impact on the team’s overall win/loss record through their absence.

While this is clearly a subjective measure, it is the offseason, so there is plenty of room for being subjective. So, let’s go ahead and look at the rankings and see if you agree.

#7 Andrew Andrews (PG)- The Huskies obviously need someone who can handle the ball and be a leader at the point guard position to spell Abdul Gaddy, especially if he were to suffer an injury. Gaddy averaged more than 34 minutes per game last year and in some games logged close to 40. The Huskies need a capable backup to give Gaddy a break. There are two primary backup point guards on the roster; Hikeem Stewart and Andrew Andrews. For some reason, the Oregon 5A player of the year decided well before the season began to redshirt last year, while Stewart did not. Many people felt going in that Andrews would have been a part of the rotation, while Stewart should have been the one to redshirt. But, I do suspect that Andrews saw Wroten coming in and knew he’d have a better chance to step right in and play a major role after Wroten moved on. Most people who have seen Andrews play say he will be the kind of player you can’t keep off the floor. He is not just a PG, since he can also score (averaging 24 ppg at Benson Tech) and he could turn out to be a very good compliment to a three guard line up with CJ Wilcox, Scott Suggs, and Mark McLaughlin in various up-tempo combinations.

#6 Shawn Kemp Jr. (PF)- The son of the Sonics legend was a bit underwhelming last year. Granted, he had been away from organized basketball for two years while he got his academic situation in order, so he had a lot of work to do just to get back into basketball shape and learning Romar’s system on both offense and defense. Kemp was mostly ineffective in spelling Aziz N’Diaye and often was removed from games for Austin Sefarian-Jenkins. But, he did show glimpses of his potential, especially later in the season. Romar recently stated that Kemp was now fully in-shape and gaining enough confidence that he may be ready to become a real contributor. We know the guy can produce spectacular highlight dunks and is a decent rebounder. We also need Kemp to be reliable on offense and improve his free throw shooting. For the Huskies’ sake he needs to be solid, since without Aziz, the frontline will be woefully thin.

#5 Scott Suggs (SG)- The 5th year senior is back for his last hurrah. After injuring his foot last fall, he was expected to be back with the Huskies by December. When his recovery went a little slower than hoped, he decided to sit it out completely (especially given the plethora of guards on the roster). With Ross and Wroten off to the NBA, there certainly will be opportunities for Suggs to shine. He has had lots of time to work on his game (in practice late in the season). Let’s hope his ball handling has improved, because during the few times he was asked to play the point in his junior year (after Gaddy went down), he wasn’t able to handle it. But, we all know the guy can shoot! He plays good defense, although his lateral movement could use work and he has the ability to get inside to rebound. Suggs could be a difference maker to this team if he plays up to his potential. Putting him on the floor at the same time with CJ Wilcox could really extend teams since either can launch it from long distance, opening things up nicely for the bigs or for drives to the basket.

Washington Huskies forward Desmond Simmons. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE

#4 Desmond Simmons (PF)- Simmons was a real enforcer up front for most of the season, providing critical rebounding and defense. Everyone loves his hustle and heart. He loves to get to the floor to save that loose ball or cause a held ball. But, he seemed to hit a freshman wall late last year, losing much of his effectiveness near the end of the season. But, that can happen to the best of them. Simmons has the chance to work on improving his offensive skills this off season. If Desmond can become more of a scorer, with a solid mid-range jumper, and more comfort under the rum, he could become a 10 ppg player. This would make the Huskies diverse and effective offensively by stretching defenses.

#3 CJ Wilcox (SG)- This is a guy that has a chance to become the first Husky to average more than 20 ppg since Christian Welp in 1987. Wilcox struggled through all of last season with a concussion, then a fractured femur that eventually became a bum hip. He was not able to practice most of the season, only coming in on game day, and then his minutes were often limited. Despite all of this, CJ was still able to average 14 ppg and was absolutely critical to helping the Huskies win the conference title and advance to the Final Four of the NIT. Assuming Wilcox is completely healthy, and knowing he will be much more focal to the offense with Ross and Wroten gone, CJ has a chance to really explode. If CJ Wilcox can expand his game by being more of a risk to drive inside, and possibly to dish it outside to Suggs or McLaughlin, teams will need to back off of him a bit, which would allow him even more open looks from 3-point land.

In terms of NBA potential, CJ Wilcox would rank #1 on the team. But, there are two others on this team whose absence would be even more detrimental to the team for two primary reasons. The first is the lack of similar and experienced backup players who can fill their roles and second, they play two of the hardest to replicate roles on the team; big center and starting point guard. At least Wilcox has suitable backups in Suggs and McLaughlin. I am not sure you can say that about the other two positions with certainty at this point.

#2 Aziz N’Diaye (C)- Aziz has shown himself to be almost irreplaceble. Perhaps some of that is due to the players brought in (or not brought in) by Lorenzo Romar to give him help or back him up. But, also as the famous saying goes “You can’t teach height”. Simply put, there just are not that many 7’0″ tall, muscular, and quick players built like Aziz. N’Diaye is critical to the defensive schemes of this team because his mere presence disrupts opposing offenses. He is a strong rebounder, good shot blocker, and can even score some points, mostly through putbacks. What Aziz needs to improve to really become a factor is to improve his touch under the basket and develop a better post move. With defenses extending out so much to cover the long distance shooters the Huskies have, Aziz needs to be a threat inside to keep defenses honest. He also needs to learn to just use his size and athleticism to just dunk the ball rather than do cutsy moves under the hoop. Aziz also needs to learn to be more selective on his choice of fouls, as when he gets into foul trouble his effectiveness on defense is greatly diminished. Lastly, he has got to improve that 38% free throw shooting average. At the rate he shot them last year, if he could just raise that average to 60% (still not great), he would average more than 1 ppg more, which could make the difference between one or two more wins for the team.

#1 Abdul Gaddy (PG)- Abdul Gaddy came to the University of Washington as the #2 rated PG in the country. He has mostly failed to live up to all of the hype. His freshman season was downright disappointing. His sophomore season showed promise before it ended prematurely with a torn ACL. Last year, we began to see a better and more confident Gaddy, who averaged 34 minutes per game, while showing improving leadership and stability. But, he was not a serious offensive threat in most games, and defensively he often struggled to keep quicker guards in front of him. While he was not a 5-star PG, he was exactly what the team needed to counter the role Wroten played. At the very least, Gaddy needs to perform at least as well as he did last year. But, Gaddy could become even more important to the team if he could become more of a threat from outside. This could also improve his opportunities to get into the lane driving and his ability to pass out to the wings or down low to the bigs. Percy Allen reports that Gaddy has looked terrific in the summer league. He reported that Gaddy appeared to be working on very specific parts of his game, rather than just playing the role of the straight point guard. Gaddy has been scoring at will, dropping three’s, and working on his drive moves. The only worry I have are the reports that he struggled to keep Anrio Adams in front of him (which is something Gaddy struggled with last year). But, overall, I think these reports could mean a very big year for Gaddy and the Huskies and maybe even a spot in the NBA draft.

Washington Huskies forward Jon Brockman and forward Quincy Pondexter both should have been Pac-10 Player of the Year in their senior season. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-US PRESSWIRE

Whenever people discuss who the most valuable player on a team (or in a league) is, there is often wide-ranging disagreement about how you define such an award. Do you give it to the player who is the best overall player? The one who scores the most or has the best overall statistics? The one the team relies on the most for  leadership, or perhaps the +/- statistics when they are on the floor? What about what impact having that player gone with an injury would have on the ability of the team to win games?

When Jerome Randle beat out Quincy Pondexter in 2010 (a record 5-time Pac-10 Player of the Week winner), people asked what exactly is the definition of such an award, if the weekly winner doesn’t win it for the year. Obviously the NBA didn’t see it that way since Pondexter was an NBA 1st round draft pick, while Randle went undrafted. Pondexter was a better scorer and rebounder. But, Randle was the point guard, and if he went missing, the impact on the Golden Bears would have arguably been a bigger loss than to the Huskies. People also rationalized it by saying, well, it goes to the “best player on the best team”. But, if that is the criterion, then why didn’t Jon Brockman win it in 2009 when the Huskies won their first outright conference championship in 54 years?

Then, last year, Terrence Ross averaged 16 ppg on the conference champion Huskies and they ended up giving the Player of the Year award to California’s Jorge Gutierrez instead despite the fact that he didn’t even rank in the Top 6 in any statistical category. If anyone needs to ask who the NBA thinks is the best player, then just look at Ross being drafted #8 in the NBA Draft and Guitierrez going completely undrafted (like Randle). So, apparently that best team saying only applies when the Huskies don’t win the title.

The problem with this kind of analysis is that even in basketball, with its small number of players, the differences in the size and abilities of players makes it difficult to compare them to each other. How do you compare the contributions of a 5’9″ point guard and a 6’6″ small forward? How about a 7’0″ center? Some shoot from long distance while others score from inside. Some play great defense, while others are rebounders.

You could analyze it by looking at the +/- data. The plus/minus analyzes simply how many points the team scores versus gives up when each player is on the floor and when they are on the bench. Some players who are perceived to be very important can often have a net minus (the team is outscored when they are on the floor), while other players who may not put up tremendous statistics have a net positive. The reasons may have to do with these player’s contribution to defense or their role in helping others score on offense. It can also include the intangibles such as saving loose balls or setting great screens. It could be issues of leadership and chemistry. But, since that data does not appear to be available (although rumors have it that Romar keeps it internally), we have to use a slightly different and more subjective level of analysis.

So, perhaps we need to look at it from another angle, one that is more subjective, but still important. Perhaps the MVP is not the player who is “the best”, or who scores the most, or who has the best NBA potential, but rather which player when missing has the greatest impact on the team’s ability to win games. Thus, in my countdown of ranking the 2012-13 Husky men’s basketball roster, I am going to use this as my question; If a player were to suffer a season ending injury prior to the beginning of the season, what impact would their loss have on the win/loss record at the end of the season.

Today I am looking at players ranked #14 to #8 on the roster, while in my next post, I’ll examine players ranked #7 to #1 in terms of their significance to the team.

#14 Gilles Dierickx (C)- This 7’0″ center the transfer from Florida International will have to sit out this year. The Belgian did not put up impressive stats as a freshman (2.6 ppg). He is not a traditional banger, opting instead to play more of a finesse game, with a decent mid-range jumper. He’ll likely benefit from a redshirt year to work on his game, learn Romar’s system, and beef up a bit. He will still be a valuable practice player though. He could be the long-term replacement for Aziz when he graduates.

#13 Jernard Jarreau (SF)- The 6’10″ small forward redshirted last year. As a guard early in high school who simply outgrew that position, there is much for him to learn about how to play under the hoop. He is said to be a decent outside shooter, but he definitely needs to bulk up to be effective rebounding and playing defense. We really are not sure what to expect from him because we have not really seen a player like Jarreau before. While this ranking may end up being dead wrong come February (and I hope I am ), if he were to go out with an injury the Huskies would not be affected from the stand point of their normal style of play.

Washington Huskies guard Hikeem Stewart. Washington defeated Washington State 75-65. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE

#12 Hikeem Stewart (PG)- As the third backup point guard behind Gaddy and Andrews, I just do not see Stewart getting a lot of minutes. In his rare opportunities last year on the floor, he seemed very uncomfortable. Gaddy will average more than 30 minutes per game again and Andrews is said to be the kind of player you can not keep off the floor. There are many people who are very high on Stewart and say he will surprise some people. Perhaps that is true, but when you look at a team with as much depth in the guard position as the Huskies have, it is hard to imagine there being enough minutes for Stewart to play a major role. In fact, it might not even hurt him to redshirt this year.

#11 Perris Blackwell (PF)- Wait a minute. How can a player who is redshirting be ranked ahead of two players who will actually be playing? When that player is a 6’9″ power forward with three years of previous experience playing the likes of Gonzaga and St. Mary’s, that’s when. Perris Blackwell has a chance to come right in as a leader on this team in practice, as well as, to be an effective teacher and practice player for Aziz, Bruenig, and Kemp to learn from and get better going again.

#10 Austin Sefarian-Jenkins (PF)- ASJ was a much needed addition when he arrived on the team in late January. Romar was desperately trying to find someone to help Aziz N’Diaye up front and neither Martin Bruenig or Shawn Kemp Jr. could seem to do the job. But, he was raw, often confused on the offensive side of the ball, and made some critical defensive errors from time to time. But, we completely accepted that because he made up for it with his brute strength and desire to win. What we can not count on for next year is having him back. He seems like a sure-fire NFL tight end and Steve Sarkisian may advise him to focus solely on football for his own good at the end of the season. If he returns, awesome for Husky fans. If not, we’ll all understand and hope that the other forwards have improved enough to make up for it.

#9 Martin Bruenig (SF)- The German combo forward had a pretty disappointing season last year. While he has the size and skills to be a very good weapon for Romar next year, he seemed confused on defense and uncomfortable on offense. If Bruenig can get the hang of the defense and offer Romar some depth up front, especially from a rebounding stand point, he could go a long way toward taking the Huskies to the NCAA tournament. A break out season for him could mean very big things for the Huskies. But, if he repeats what we saw last year, the Huskies will more or less be where they were at last year. No big loss. So, it seems there can only be upside here.

#8 Mark McLaughlin (SG)- I know this will be a controversial ranking, given that McLaughlin was the nation’s leading JC scorer last year at TCC and some say he may end up being good enough to enter the NBA draft next year. There are those who say he’ll be a starter by the end of the season. But, the reason I placed him here was a big-picture kind of thing. Remember, this is a ranking of who would have the biggest impact on the win/loss column if they were lost to injury in the pre-season. The Huskies have two shooting guards (CJ Wilcox and Scott Suggs) who are experienced upperclassmen who have started for Lorenzo Romar and know his system quite well. They are extremely good outside shooters, have length and athleticism, play solid defense, and can together take up all of the minutes in this position if necessary. At the point guard position, we know Gaddy can play 35+ minutes per game if need be and they seem to have an effective backup in Andrew Andrews. McLaughlin has jumped around quite a bit in his career, so honestly we do not know what to expect from him. Will he be the kind of player Romar simply can not keep off the court? Or, will he be a role player trying to find his minutes? Only time will tell on this one. But, we’ve seen what this team looks like with Gaddy, Wilcox, and Suggs and what it looks like when they go missing due to injury. We don’t have that answer with McLaughlin yet…

Washington Huskies guard C.J. Wilcox. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE

In Part I of the series, we examined which seniors on the roster have the best chance of being taken in the 2013 NBA draft. In Part II, we examine the underclassmen who have the best chance of making the jump early for the 2013 draft or will likely be taken in the 2014 draft if they decided to stay.

Beyond the seniors, there are a couple of other players who seem like conceivable NBA draft picks. The most obvious choice is CJ Wilcox. The super-smooth long distance shooter has the height (6’5″) and tools necessary to be successful in the NBA. In fact, to me he is the most natural fit for the NBA of any of the current players or signed recruits the Huskies have. Wilcox managed to average 14 ppg despite playing the entire season with a variety of injuries (most notably a stress fracture in his femur that also caused it to migrate to his hip that limited his practice time and minutes on the floor). It also didn’t help that he suffered a serious concussion against Saint Louis. Romar even alluded to the fact that Wilcox might have even been a 20 ppg player had he been healthy, even with the competition for touches with Ross and Wroten.

If CJ Wilcox is healthy all next year, he could really explode onto the national scene. The Huskies lost two big time scorers early to the draft this year in Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten, and CJ Wilcox is most obviously the one on the roster who will be counted on to pick up the slack (along with Scott Suggs and Mark McLaughlin). If CJ Wilcox were to average something close to 20 ppg and get the national headlines, I think the NBA draft could come calling. He is currently projected for 2013 to go #31 at NBADraft.com and #38 by DraftExpress.com, which is early in the 2nd round. A bigtime season could easily move him into the late 1st round.

But, there is talk from people close to the situation that CJ’s dad doesn’t want him to go into the draft early. Apparently, Craig Wilcox has really emphasized the importance of earning a degree and developing all the parts of his game that need to be improved. If CJ starts rising up to the level where GM’s are telling him he is a lottery pick, the thinking may change. But, it would not seem prudent to leave early if he were going to go in the 2nd round, since those contracts are not guaranteed. Thus, it is certainly not a sure fire thing that Wilcox will give up his final year of eligibility to chase the NBA dream.

One part of the decision making process that could come into play, much as it did for Isaiah Thomas, is simply how the roster will potentially affect his prospects at improving his stock during his final year. When Isaiah Thomas decided to leave Montlake, there were some obvious reasons. He was THE MAN during his junior season. But, with Tony Wroten coming in, plus the return of Abdul Gaddy, plus Terrance Ross, CJ Wilcox, and thinking Scott Suggs were all coming back, the guard position looked so stacked that you could only reasonably assume that his minutes and role on the team would change and his influence may diminish. It wouldn’t be that Thomas still wouldn’t have been a critical part of the team, but his best opportunity to shine might have past him. Would CJ Wilcox make that same decision if faced with an in-coming class that included players like Nigel Williams-Goss and potentially the likes of an Aaron Gordon, Jabari Brown, and/or Jabari Bird? Those players will/would want the ball in their hands and that would ultimately affect CJ’s opportunities. It will be interesting to see how that all plays out.

Seattle Redhawks guard Mark McLaughlin during the 2k Sports Classic. Maryland beat Seattle 105-76. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-US PRESSWIRE

Then there is the big wildcard in all of this, and that is JC transfer Mark McLaughlin. The former Rivals 4-star recruit certainly took the long road to Montlake. But, he was a 4-star recruit for a reason, averaging 21.3 ppg at Inglemoor HS. Then, last year he was the nation’s leading junior college scorer at Tacoma Community College at 28.4 ppg. So, all indications are that the 6’6″ McLaughlin can fill it up. Whether his skill set will translate well in the more competitive Pac-12 remains to be seen. But, he was considered good enough that he committed to Washington State in 2007, before switching his commitment to Nevada. But, after coach Fox left Reno for Georgia, McLaughlin then switched again to Baylor of the Big 12 after going to a prep school. But, then he decided to back out of that commitment right before the season and went to Seattle U when it went Division I. But, after just 17 games he left the Redhawks and transferred to TCC.

One issue you have to consider, like with Isaiah Thomas’, is that he is a bit on the older side. McLaughlin is already 22 years old and has two years of eligibility remaining. With the NBA always so focused on potential and youth, potentially entering the league at 24 is a little on the old side. If McLaughlin has another big year, perhaps even scoring nearly 20 ppg, he might just find himself on the NBA draft radar. At 6’6″ he certainly has the size they are looking for from a shooting guard.

Whether he will have the same effectiveness on a team with plenty of established guards remains to be seen. He did only score 7.2 ppg in 17 minutes at Seattle U. He obviously picked it up at TCC. But, it is a quite the question mark of what he will do at UW. It is one thing when you are “The Man”. It can be quite different when the ball is in the hands of the starting PG (Abdul Gaddy) much of the time and if it does get passed to CJ Wilcox or Scott Suggs, it is probably going up from 3-point range. There are quite a few players  who will want the ball in their hands.

However, given the long road McLaughlin has traveled, if he starts showing up on NBA mock draft boards and starts hearing from GMs about his potential, he might just make the leap. I don’t think we can necessarily count on having him for two seasons. While I don’t necessarily think he would base his decision directly on what CJ Wilcox decides, clearly what they decide will have an impact on the other. If CJ decided to stay for an additional year, then McLaughlin’s opportunities to score might be reduced (and vice versa), especially considering who might join the team in 2013. But, if CJ declared for the draft, then McLaughlin could return for a second season much more in a leadership role and with more of a focus on him as a scorer.

Of the remaining underclassmen, there are not too many others on the roster who appear to be in a position to declare for the NBA draft in 2013 (or even 2014). Shawn Kemp Jr. might be a potential candidate for 2014 if he showed a big improvement this year and then came on for a monster 2013-14 season. I say this given his more advanced age and desire to move on to the next level. But, as of right now I do not see him as NBA material. But, you never know what kind of improvement we might see.

Perris Blackwell might be a 2014 candidate given his size and skill set. But, I do not know enough about him yet to make an informed judgement. I’ve only seen him play on TV once. Desmond Simmons seems like a real 4 year guy to me, so even if he were to start getting recognized, I figure he would be more likely in 2015. Then there is the one commitment for 2013 that we need to consider and that is Nigel Williams-Goss. Despite his obvious skills at the PG position and the real expectations that he will take over the starting PG position from Abdul Gaddy as a freshman, Williams-Goss does not appear to be the type of player both in terms of size, skill set, and attitude to be One-and-Done. Even if he were a can’t miss NBA prospect like a Jabari Parker or Aaron Gordon, the fact that he was deciding between UW and Harvard says to me that he will stick around for at least a substantial portion of his education before making the leap.

As for others, yes there are known one-and-done recruits UW is going after, such as the aforementioned Parker and Gordon. But, it isn’t worth talking about them until they sign their LOI somewhere. So, looking at who is currently at Washington and who has given their commitment so far, if you were to ask me who the next Husky player to enter the NBA will be, I would have to say the most likely one is Aziz N’Diaye. I think C.J. Wilcox has the best chance to be the highest draft pick of the mix. But, since we know Aziz will be in THIS draft and Wilcox might just wait until 2014, that is what I am going for.

My prediction is that the next Husky in the NBA will be Aziz N’Diaye!

But, while the future is bright, I think we might have to accept that no Huskies may be drafted in 2013, for only the 2nd time in 10 years.

Terrence Ross (Washington) is introduced as the number eight overall pick to the Toronto Raptors. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

This is part I of a two part series looking at the next set of Husky basketball players who have a chance to join the long line of Husky greats taken in the NBA draft. Part I will focus on the incoming seniors, while Part II will look at the underclassmen possibilities…

On Thursday night, the Washington Huskies saw two players taken in the first round of the NBA draft. Terrence Ross was taken at #8 by the Toronto Raptors, while Tony Wroten was taken at the #25 spot by the Memphis Grizzlies. This is the first time in Husky history that two players on the team were taken in the 1st round. It is still amazing to me that a team with two first round caliber players missed out on the NCAA tournament. But, that’s a discussion for a different day. Lorenzo Romar has certainly been able to maintain a pretty good stream of players being taken in the NBA draft.

Since the 2004-05 season, Romar he has seen nine of his players selected in the NBA draft. And usually there is at least one every year. Let’s take a look at his track record.

In 2005, Nate Robinson was taken in the 1st round with the 21st pick.

In 2006, Brandon Roy was taken in the 1st round with the #6 pick, while Bobby Jones was taken in the 2nd round with the 47th pick. Will Conroy went undrafted, but has played on various 10-day contracts in the NBA while bouncing around the D-League and international leagues.

In 2007, Spencer Hawes was taken with the 10th pick of the 1st round.

In 2008, no one selected.

In 2009, Jon Brockman was taken in the 2nd round of the NBA draft with the 38th pick overall. In addition, while undrafted, Justin Dentmon was able to make his way up through a couple international leagues and the D-league into the NBA on a few short-term contracts.

In 2010, Quincy Pondexter was taken with the 26th pick of the 1st round.

In 2011, Isaiah Thomas was taken with the 60th and last pick of the NBA draft.

So, 9 players have been taken in the last 8 drafts and only in one of those years no players were selected. That is a pretty good track record for potential recruits to look at. Everyone talks about how John Calipari has a track record of getting players to the NBA. But, really, does anyone really believe that these 5-star one-and-done prima donas wouldn’t have gotten to the NBA without Calipari’s help? But, with Romar a number of his players were 4-year players who really did need the time to “develop”.

Thus, it leads us to the inevitable discussion of who will be the next Husky great to get the call from the NBA. There are essentially two questions to ask here. First, are there any players on  the current roster who look like definite NBA talent for the 2013 draft? And second, will Romar get any of the one-and-done players in the 2013 recruiting class that would enter the draft in 2014?

First, let’s examine the current roster. In this article, I am focusing on the three seniors on the roster who will definitely be hoping that the NBA comes calling next summer. In Part II, I will examine the underclassmen to see who else might be possibilities to be drafted in 2013 or 2014.

Washington Huskies guard Abdul Gaddy. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

When you look at the seniors on the roster, you have Abdul Gaddy, Scott Suggs, and Aziz N’Diaye. Since this is their final year of eligibility, each of them will hope to get the call to the NBA next year. It is their last chance to shine, to show improvement on the things they need to work on, and wow the scouts with their athleticism, potential, leadership. Last, but not least, they must demonstrate that they are winners. This is a season of unknowns in 2012-13. Will this team with arguably less talent be able to get to the NCAA tournament, while the team with two first round picks could not? Getting to the Big Dance will likely depend on whether these three seniors have the kind of season that will also get them into the NBA draft.

Let’s start with the team’s starting point guard Abdul Gaddy. Gaddy has been somewhat of an enigma for Husky fans since he arrived. Gaddy was a highly touted 5-star recruit, rated the #2 point guard in the nation out of high school. He originally committed to Arizona for Lute Olsen. But, once Olsen decided to retire, he decided to stay closer to home. Many figured he would be a one-and-done type player, except that that wasn’t an option since he was too young to enter the draft. In fact, he was the youngest player in all of Division I in the country that year.

But, after a pretty disappointing freshman season, many people chalked it up to age (he was only 17) and inexperience. Gaddy did show some improvement during his sophomore year until he suffered that torn ACL early in the year that knocked him out of the rest of the season. Gaddy came back last year as the starting PG and played more minutes than any other Husky player. He was reliable and durable and definitely started to grow into the position. With a roster full of high fliers, but with no obvious leaders, you could see him grow more and more into that role of elder statesman as the season wore on.

Gaddy seemed comfortable as a play-maker, but definitely lacked much of the necessary explosiveness to be an effective scorer. He improved his outside shooting, but seemed to struggle taking defenders off the dribble or defending quicker guards. It will be interesting to see if he can finally blossom into the 5-star recruit that he was hyped as 3 years ago. This is his last chance to show NBA scouts that he has a future in the league. Currently, he has gone from a sure-fire NBA prospect to missing from the Mock Boards of both DraftExpress.com and NBADraft.com. He will definitely need to show the same level of reliability, improved leadership, and improved scoring ability to get himself back on the board.

Cal State Northridge Matadors guard tries a hook shot over Washington Huskies center Aziz N'Diaye

Aziz N’Diaye is another senior with a shot at an NBA career. In fact, his chances of playing in the league may be even better than Gaddy’s. While Aziz clearly has his limitations on the offensive end, his size and athleticism is definitely something that NBA scouts are looking for. As the old saying goes “you can’t teach height”. But, it goes beyond that. He is so strong and muscular, that he is very difficult to move out of the post and his ability to run the floor will be very effective in breaking up fast breaks and getting down the floor for rebounds on the offensive side. He could still use some improvement on his footwork, but his athleticism gives him the ability to recover when out of position to disrupt opponent’s shots.

While shooting 38% from the free throw line is not very encouraging, his ability to take up space on the defensive end and intimidate guards who drive into the lane could prove quite useful at the next level. His solid minutes on a team without much front line depth last year helped relieve some of the injury concerns by NBA scouts, but his propensity to foul too much has to keep them concerned. Hopefully Aziz will be able to stay out of foul trouble this year, he will improve somewhat on his post play and offensive skills, and he will be able to continue to show his durability. Currently, NBADraft.com has him as the #56 player taken, which is late in the 2nd round. But, DraftExpress.com does not have him on the board. If undrafted, I do think Aziz might be able to carve out a niche in the NBA as an undrafted free agent.

Scott Suggs is someone who is not really being talked about right now in the NBA draft. After redshirting last season, it is difficult to really know what we are going to get from him. After the former Mr. Basketball from Missouri arrived at UW, he had a disappointing freshman season (which many people, including me, felt he should have redshirted), an improved sophomore year, and a promising junior year. While he is certainly a good shooter from outside and a solid defender, his ability to dribble and run the offense need work. He needs to take on more of a leadership role next year, and needs to be a threat to drive to the basket with his tall athletic frame and ability to pass out of traffic. A lot of people are excited to see what he will look like in this 5th year. He could potentially have a real breakout season with the absence of obvious scorers ahead of him like Ross and Wroten. He biggest competition for touches and shots will come from CJ Wilcox. But, being more featured on offense could give him a chance to shine. But, I don’t believe that even a big time season would get him into the NBA draft . I think he could have a chance to make it someday, but it would likely similar to the route taken by Dentmon and Conroy via the D-League. Or, more likely he’ll carve out a nice little career overseas.

So, of the current crop of seniors, I see Aziz N’Diaye as the most likely to be drafted. Tomorrow, I’ll look at who else might make it among the rest of the roster.

Scott Suggs. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

The title of best player is always up for debate in the world of sports. Sure, some NBA teams possess super stars that leave little doubt like the Heat and LeBron James, the Magic and Dwight Howard, or the Zombie Sonics and Kevin Durant, but at the college level things change drastically. Several players contribute in a variety of ways to allow great debates about which player has the greatest and most positive impact on his team.

This past off-season saw the departure of our two best players in Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten. While some may not agree with declaring Wroten as one of our top players, it is hard to ignore everything he did for the Husky squad. What this means for the 2012-2013 season is a wide opening for several individuals to elevate their games to the next level and take over the reigns as the squad’s “Best Player.”

Being the best player is about more than points per games or how many rebounds a player can snatch up in 40 minutes. The best player needs to have intangibles that don’t show up in the post-game box score. The best player needs to dominate all aspects of the game and thrive because of it.

Arguably the best player in recent, if not all, UW history is Isaiah Thomas and he is exactly the sort of player I refer to when I talk about a guy doing more than just hitting baskets and making plays. I.T. ruled the court with both his skills and his attitude. The guy refused to lose. He did everything and more to motivate and carry his team through adversity as well as success. If you have any doubt about how good I.T. was and is, just watch this.

My initial reaction was to peg Scott Suggs as the best player next season. Suggs has everything a team could want in terms of size, athleticism, and experience. After facing a tough foot injury right before the 2011-2012 season began, Suggs opted to take a medical redshirt and return in full force for a complete and dominating senior season. Built just like Ross, Suggs stands at 6-6 and nearly 200lbs. Suggs’ long athletic frame allows him to elevate above the competition at the hoop and outside the arc.

During his junior season campaign, Suggs showed a huge improvement concerning his inside game. Suggs was able to attack the rim and finish inside. We are all well aware of Suggs’ ability to nail the outside shot. Suggs was arguably the best sharpshooter on the team in 2010-2011 due to his consistency and accuracy. Watching Suggs during warm-ups this past season has only increased my confidence in his ability to drain the long ball. As a fifth year senior, Suggs has more experience than most. Suggs has participated in 3 NCAA tournament appearances as well as having won a regular season title and two tournament titles (I won’t include his redshirt season as he did not play in any games).

I believe Suggs will step in to fill Ross’ shoes immediately and will make a strong case for Pac-12 Player of the Year honors. The one aspect on his game that Suggs can improve on to solidify his position as the Best Player is rebounding. Suggs has never been a great rebounder, but the increased presence of his inside game will allow Suggs more opportunities near the hoop to snag a few extra boards. I can easily envision Suggs averaging 16 points and 5 rebounds per game. That type of production combined with excellent senior leadership and tenacity would make for an amazing player and could certainly be a game changer in tight situations.

C.J. Wilcox should be involved in any type of “Best Player” argument, whether simply the Husky Basketball team or the Pac-12 conference. Wilcox averaged a quiet 14 points per game last season despite battle nagging injuries that prevented him from seeing action in several games and limiting his play time in others. With a full summer to heal the stress fracture in his hip/leg, Wilcox is primed to light up the court for what could be his final season. Wilcox is attending the Kevin Durant skill camp this summer along with playing the the Seattle Summer league games, giving him plenty of opportunities to work on his abilities before the preseason games across the Atlantic.

As with Suggs, Wilcox can strengthen his argument for the team’s best player by improving his rebounding from 3 boards per game to 5 or 6. A greater aspect to improve upon, perhaps more important than a few more rebounds per game, would be Wilcox’s ability to play into and through contact near the paint to draw fouls and free throws. Wilcox averaged 84% from the line last season and at one point had hit over 30 free throws in a row. Romar’s teams have always been known to be unsuccessful at the foul line, yet individual players have made great strides in improving their shot from the charity stripe and in doing so become game changers.

These individuals include I.T. and Jon Brockman. Last season, Wroten averaged nearly 8 free throws attempts per game, making under 60% on the season. With Wilcox’s 84% average those 4 points from 8 free throws becomes nearly 7 points per game. 3 points extra per night is a huge number from the foul line where close games are won and lost. What could ultimately hold Wilcox back from being the best player on the 2012-2013 squad is his quiet nature. In terms of sheer athletic ability, no one can match-up with Wilcox.

Wilcox has been the fastest at the mile, is one of the quickest sprinters on the team, and has the highest vertical jump of anyone. Wilcox out jumped Ross last season and we have all seen what type of plays can occur when a player has huge hops. If Wilcox can become not only a leader in terms of production, but also as a vocal and emotional leader, he could be a favorite for Player of the Year awards.

Aziz N’Diaye would be my third pick for top player on the team. N’Diaye’s size and defensive presence alone put him near the top of the list. N’Diaye showed great improvement to his footwork, post moves, and in softening his hands. The big man is no longer a black hole in the middle where the ball will never return from. N’Diaye showed better court vision knowing when to take his man to the hoop and when to kick the ball back out to the perimeter. N’Diaye is already a supreme rebounder, picking up nearly 8 per night, but could take another step forward by boxing out better on the offensive end and allowing his length to take charge.

Where N’Diaye can really improve is his offensive game. This has always been the weakest part of N’Diaye’s game, but his jump hook is improving steadily. I would also like to see N’Diaye throw down a few more dunks. Too often, N’Diaye is right next to the hoop and opts for a dainty little lay-in. Throw down, big man, throw down. Dunks are the highest percentage shots there are. At 7-0, it is hard to have a dunk blocked inside 4 feet. Take a page out of this kid’s book, N’Diaye, it’ll help you immensely. If N’Diaye can continue improving his ability to catch the ball and finish at the rim, he could quite possibly average 14 points per game on top of 8 rebounds and a block or two a night. All that production does not even begin to tell the whole tale, something I argued earlier would be critical in determining the team’s best player. How many times has an opposing player driven towards the lane only to see N’Diaye towering in the paint? How many times has that player then changed his mind and opted for either a terrible jumper or been forced to kick the ball back outside the paint? That is the type of impact that doesn’t show up in the box score. It’s the type of impact that every player should strive for.

A fourth, perhaps outside pick, would be Abdul Gaddy. Gaddy has struggled to live up to the All-American hype that surrounded him coming into his freshman season. Gaddy came to the UW as a quite young 17 year old, trying to compete against 22 year old players who were much stronger, faster, and experienced. Gaddy’s sophomore campaign started phenomenally, but sadly he blew his ACL right as Pac-10 play began. Gaddy spent the summer recuperating his knee and appeared to be on track for a solid 2011-2012 year.

Gaddy spent much of this past season looking slower and more cautious, something that was not all that surprising given his newly injured knee. At the end of the year, Gaddy finally realized how deadly he can be when driving the lane. Not only does it open the opportunity to kick out for an assisted 3-pointer, but it also allows Gaddy to get a good look at the hoop down low in the paint where his teardrop shot can be put to good use. What Gaddy needs to do in order to become our best player is to take this team over and make it his.

This will be Gaddy’s senior season. His last hurrah. Gaddy must develop that seasoned, vocal leadership this team so dearly lacked last season. Gaddy could average double digit points if he attacked the rim consistently and improved his 3-point accuracy. And, while it may seem greedy, I would really like to see Gaddy average 7 assists per game. Gaddy has amazing court vision and has a great knack for making solid passes to open players. I believe Romar’s play calling is what is holding Gaddy back from averaging those types of numbers. If Romar can develop a few more motion offensive plays, Gaddy will have more opportunities to deliver the rock to open guys on the perimeter and in the post. With the addition of Suggs as a steady hand inside and out, Gaddy has one more tool at his disposal to spread the floor and make things happen. Another important point to note is the absence of Wroten allows Gaddy to resume taking a majority of the point guard play time, meaning more play-making opportunities to boost his stats.

So who do you think will take over in 2012-2013? One of these four? Someone else? Let us know in the comments below.

Go Dawgs!

Dierickx played high school basketball at West Hills Chaminade in California but heirs from Belgium. He played one year for the FIU Panthers and will have three left to play for the Huskies. He will be required to sit out the 2012 year according to D-1 transfer rules, and will be eligible to play for the Dawgs in 2013.

According to the FIU Bio page:

Appeared in 29 games for the Panthers, starting in 15…Averaged 2.6 points-per-game and 2.2 rebounds-per-game…Shot 48.6 percent (34-of-70) from the floor (second-best shooting percentage on the team)…Converted 8-of-10 attempts (80.0 percent) from the free-throw line…Ranked No. 3 on the team in blocked shots (16)…Averaged 0.4 assists-per-game and an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.3.

Not an overwhelming stat line in his freshman campaign but shows lots of potential at the mid-major university. He will also have a year to learn under Aziz N’Diaye and battle alongside Perris Blackwell.

It may not make sense to many UW fans as the 2013 recruiting class was/is to be a big haul of high school talent and already two scholarships are pushed into transfers, Blackwell and Dierickx. Lorenzo Romar may have something up his sleeve but it is befuddling now. And while these two can’t play the 2012 season there is no doubt that it helps in practice to have these two extra big men.

One more thought is that 2013 is a big class for forwards and guards but impressive big men are lacking. This may be Romar’s way of adding big-men to the guards and forwards that he wants to bring in. Keep in mind that guys like Aaron Gordon and Jabari Parker both want to play the 3 in college.

Washington Huskies head coach Lorenzo Romar. (US PRESSWIRE)

Lorenzo Romar is heavily recruiting the 2013 class. It has been dubbed the ‘biggest recruiting’ class in the Romar era. Primarily, because there are some big time recruits that have UW on the radar. Players like Jabari Parker, Aaron Gordon, Isaac Hamilton, Marcus Lee, Nigel Williams-Goss, etc.

This has led many to believe that 2013 could be a mammoth class for UW if the pieces fall into place for Romar. Either way it has started with a bang in the verbal commitment of Nigel Williams-Goss and Husky fans are hoping that it continues.

Currently, the Huskies have one remaining scholarship for the 2012 class. Indications are that Romar isn’t opposed to using it for 2012 if he finds the right fit. UW hosted  Mouhammadou Jaiteh last week and he may be a potential big man to fill that last scholarship.

If not him or another 2012 recruit, there will be one more scholarship for 2013, bringing the total of certain scholarships up to four.

As of now, this is how it looks for 2013:

1. Empty scholarship from 2012.
2. Abdul Gaddy graduates.
3. Aziz N’Diaye graduates.
4. Scott Suggs graduates.

From there, if UW needs more scholarships, things are a little more complicated. Because as of now, with one open scholarship next year, three seniors graduating, and Williams-Goss committed. That leaves three scholarships for 2013. Husky fans were hoping for more but three may be all Romar has to work with for 2013.

The other options:

• Transfers- of course, a player could transfer and that would open up a spot on the Husky roster. Honestly, this could be a big possibility because of how mammoth the 2011 recruiting class was for UW. They signed six; Shawn Kemp, Jernard Jarreau, Andrew Andrews, Hikeem Stewart, Tony Wroten (now in the NBA draft), and Martin Breunig. The chances are high that one of them will not be happy with the amount of playing time they are receiving by the end of next year. However, maybe not?
• NBA Draft- The NBA could call another underclassmen on into the NBA. Currently, on the Husky roster there may only be one guy that fits that bill in CJ Wilcox.
• Then there is Perris Blackwell. As of now, Blackwell will have to sit out a year so he will be playing the same time as this incoming class of 2013. However, there was mention that he would try to graduate this summer and play right away in 2012. That would be another scholarship, however, it seems unlikely that he will be able to graduate from San Francisco in time.
• Mark Mclaughlin is a talent, some scouts that I have talked to have even said he is better than Suggs and would start over him. Others are saying if he plays at the top of his game he may be only be a one year guy. However, most likely Mclaughlin is at Montlake for two. He will free up a scholarship spot for 2014.

Obviously, the chances are low that UW lands every caliber commit they are interested in, so maybe the two or three open currently, is enough for Romar. Husky fans would say to this, “Romar Math” aka Romar always finds a way to bring in the guys he convinces to come to Washington.

The 2011-2012 season has been over for some time now. Our two stars have declared early for the NBA draft and Lorenzo Romar seems to be done recruiting for next season. The Dawgs have added two new names to the roster, though one will likely red shirt this season as per NCAA regulations regarding transfers.

So what can Husky fans expect out of next year’s team? It’s a bit hard to tell at the moment, especially in light of last season’s less than stellar outcome. While the 2011-2012 team was young, but talented, the lack of depth may have ultimately led to the early season losses and the late season collapses. 2012-2013 looks to be loaded with much more experience and, hopefully, a much deeper bench that will allow Romar and staff to execute the type of high octane defense that has been such a staple of this program.

With seven freshman on last season’s roster it is easy to see why the team may have struggled early on. Next season the roster will feature two redshirt freshmen, five sophomores (four if Austin Sefarian-Jenkins does not return), one redshirt sophomore, two juniors, and four seniors (though Perry Blackwell will be redshirting). Now I must state that experience does not always equal talent, but it certainly is not a deterrent.

Only two incoming players will have had zero experience with Romar’s program and both players are experienced college ball athletes. Along with the preseason trip to Europe and Africa, this team should be a much more prepared unit than the 15 guys that took the court against Seattle Pacific University in early November, 2011.

The biggest question is most certainly “Who will replace Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten?”. With Scott Suggs returning from his medical redshirt season, it is easy to imagine Suggs slipping right into Ross’ starting possession and immediately make a positive impact. Suggs was our most consistent 3-point threat in the 2010-2011 season and he appeared confident in his shot throughout the exercises in the pregame warm-ups. Suggs has a chance to be one of the leagues leading scorers if he can not only knock down his jumper, but also drive the line with regularity to keep the defenses from cheating out to cover him.

C.J. Wilcox also has the potential to jump into the starting 5 with his excellent outside shooting. At times, Wilcox was a streaking shooter hitting either all of his shots or none at all. There is no stopping Wilcox once he gets hot, just take a look at the 2009-2010 game against UCLA for proof.

I should also throw the new Husky’s name in here, Mark McLaughlin. While I have seen very little of his game outside of the occasional highlight video, McLaughlin is another tall wing with excellent scoring abilities. McLaughlin could provide excellent 6th man support, much like Wilcox this past year. Who knows, McLaughlin may turn out to be a better scoring threat than either Suggs or Wilcox, though my money is on the later players.

As for point guard production, the majority of the burden will fall upon Abdul Gaddy who is still struggling to live up to the hype set before his freshman year. Gaddy showed much more aggressiveness in the final stretch, but it proved to be too little too late. Gaddy is a well controlled guard with great court vision who, unlike Wroten, can see his teammates on the perimeter while attacking the lanes and is very comfortable kicking it out for an open J. Gaddy needs to be willing to move inside the paint and drop in the teardrop over the opposition frontcourt or simply bank his shot off the glass into the rim. When Gaddy executes inside, it looks all too easy and often leaves me wondering why in the world he doesn’t attempt such things more often.

With next year’s starting five likely featuring two outside threats versus two point guards. We may see more driving shots from whoever is at the 1 position as the defense spreads to covers the 3-point threat. I also believe that Andrew Andrews is in a position to provide stellar relief for Abdul Gaddy.

Andrews has shown to be a fairly solid outside shooter and is also known for having great speed and passing abilities. I’ve been told that Andrews has come out of practices looking like the best point guard on the court. We can only hope that these rumors are true. Hikeem Stewart can also improve his impact on the game by spending the summer with a shooting coach. As it stands Stewart is a 1-dimensional player without much of a shooting game, making it far too easy for opponents to simply sit back and let Stewart jack up shots that will never fall.

The second question the Huskies will have to address is “How will the frontcourt perform?”. In many ways, this is a more important question than replacing Ross and Wroten. Players almost always step up their offensive production when called upon to do so and considering the holes our team needs to fill is in our deepest position, well we as fans shouldn’t stress ourselves too much in that regard.

The Huskies lose Darnell Gant to graduation, leaving Aziz N’Diaye as the only major minute grabbing big man. Desmond Simmons will pick up most of Gant’s minutes as Simmons proved himself to be an amazing rebounder and hustler whenever he got into the game. Simmons did hit the proverbial freshman wall late in the season, but the fact that it took so long to occur is a testament to the work ethic Simmons possesses. I believe that Simmons and N’Diaye will be responsible for most of the dirty work off the glass, but expect some support for our outside guards.

The Husky frontcourt will also add in 6’10 redshirt freshman, Jernard Jerreau. While Jerreau is still built like a beanpole, he has put on weight since arriving to the UW campus. Another summer of working out will hopefully see an additional 10 or 15lbs of muscles added to his physique. The frontcourt should also see reasonable production from Shawn Kemp Jr and Martin Breunig, both of whom showed potential on the offensive side of the ball. Their defensive lapses is what likely kept both players from receiving more minutes throughout the year. I am a big fan of Breunig. During his limited playtime, he really impressed me on the offensive end and I like the way he executes. I also enjoy Kemp Jr. dunking the ball next to the rim, rather than trying to lay it in as N’Diaye so often does.

So can the frontcourt establish itself as a respectable threat such that our backcourt benefits? I would say…yes. The Husky frontcourt will not be one of the top in the nation, heck it likely won’t be one of the top in the conference (see: UCLA for frontcourt depth). What the Husky frontcourt will be is a reminder for teams that the pick-and-roll still exists, that cheating out to the perimeter leads to easy dunks and lay-ins, and that dropping the ball inside to our big men is not any less effective than hitting a 15 foot jumper.

Last season our frontcourt averaged only 28% of our points, I’d like to see that number jump to 35%. Our team relied far too much on backcourt production last season and that wears down players quicker than one might imagine. Sure, we managed to score nearly 80 points per game, but our defense suffered from the effort required on the offensive end. If the post can establish themselves as a scoring threat, the perimeter players will not be asked to run off of so many screens or cut across the baseline as often. I’m not saying those things should stop by any means, but if we can get a nice pass to the block for a 1-on-1 situation, our frontcourt should be talented enough to score a majority of the time. N’Diaye has really begun to put together some solid post moves that are near impossible to stop at 7 feet tall.

Overall, I would say this team may be slightly more consistent than 2011-2012, but I fear a similar post season outcome. UCLA and Arizona look very dangerous with some very talented freshmen joining their respective teams. Stanford also looks to be a threat, losing very little from last year’s NIT championship team. What this means for the Huskies is with a successful non-conference season of their own, the Pac-12 could finally start making a return to dominance in the NCAA tournament.

At this point, I would predict the Huskies to finish in 3rd, maybe 4th place, with a 12-6 or 11-7 record. As the season draws nearer and more information begins to come out from the various camps and practices, I’ll speculate more on how each individual Pac-12 team should fair in the coming season.

Go Dawgs!