In advance of the Huskies’ first game of the season, and hoping to get some insight on our opponent, I caught up with Brad Brownell, who’s about to start his fourth season as the Head Coach at Wright State.
Montlake Madness: Please give me the capsule scouting report on Wright State as you see it at this point — style of play, strengths, weaknesses, etc.
Coach Brownell: We stress defense with mostly a man-to-man type of defense. This year, we have nine older players who have experience in the program and have scored in double figures at various times so it will not be up to just one or two players to be scorers or defenders–we spread it out.
MM: What’s your strategy for beating Washington?
CB: We will need to take care of the ball, get quality shots and get back in the transition to defend quickly.
MM: How much extra meaning do your games against bigger conference schools take on, knowing there are so few opportunities before tournament time to test yourselves against those schools likely to get the high seeds come tournament time?
CB: We treat every game the same with preparation and take one game at a time, though we appreciate the opportunity to challenge our players against the nation’s top teams like Washington.
MM: How does your team suffer not having Vaughn Duggins, one of your most talented players, during the three games in Seattle?
CB: We will be hurt by depth and the loss of a major scorer and his experience.
MM: Can you give me your brief scouting report on the Huskies?
CB: Washington has tremendous perimeter speed and athleticism at all positions as well as a fast-paced transition while applying defensive pressure.
MM: Anything else you want to mention about your team?
CB: Thanks for your time and we look forward to the weekend of games.
Hey, thanks for coming!