Guest Post: UW’s Summer League Game

This is a guest post by Dustin Lagos, a regular viewer to the Husky Haul, a UW grad, and a big fan of Husky Sports. 

Before we get going, I would like to say thanks to Mark and Husky Haul for giving me a chance to write something up on the blog. I’ve been a fan of UW Hoops since I started realizing my love for the game, and I am thrilled to write for a blog I follow very closely. As a recent UW graduate, my passion for Washington athletics has only grown as I have become wiser, more experienced, and deeper in debt.

If you haven’t been paying attention, UW Hoops has a couple teams signed up for the Jamal Crawford Summer League featuring NBA, Local and International talent. Visiting North Seattle Community College to watch the Jamal Crawford Summer League game was a move prompted by three very important factors. Each of them equally important to the life of a recent college graduate…

1. The game was free to watch. NBA talent hasn’t been showcased here in far too long, so it’s nice not to have to pay for it.
2. This was the first real chance I had to see the new Huskies on the court. Two teams stocked with UW talent, young and old, met in this game.
3. Taco Bell is only a few blocks away. Those of you in the U-District know the journey you must take to find a Cheesy Gordita Crunch.

While both teams basically played with the defensive intensity of a pick-up game, there was plenty to gain from watching. Here are some quick notes on some stand-outs.

Tony Wroten – Incredible first step. Did not seem like any player on the court was able to stay in front of him when he wanted to take it to the hoop. Clarence Trent, a former Husky, felt the wrath on a specific drive, you can watch it here (http://youtu.be/_HoxE-_49hw). Wroten is playing exactly how us fans have hoped. Laser passes, amazing court vision and a knack for finishing at the hoop are all there, but the only complaint in his game would be settling for jumpers and 3pt shots when it wasn’t worth it. He also missed a few open jumpers from medium range, but the shot looks good and could be written off as a bad shooting night.

Martin Breunig – Excited to see this guy play, and left very impressed. Sneaky athletic. Can get way up in the air to finish hard. Most of his game seemed to branch about 20 feet from the hoop as he showcased his excellent dribble and first step. One play that stood out was a fastbreak in which Martin led. While I can’t remember who defended the break, he faked a lob to Clarence Trent then completed a smooth euro-step to get to the basket and finish. Very smooth and the jumper looks good too. Didn’t see much post-up, but the flow of the game barely put anybody down on the block.

Terrence Ross – Before we get into his game, I would like to coin the nickname “Montlake Terrence” for
the future NBA draft pick. Ross looked incredibly confident in his shot (for good reason). His shot looks
improved, and his lateral quickness was plenty enough to get open space to let off jumpers from any
range on the court. Made smart passes when in the lane, but when he didn’t distribute, he completed
more than a couple acrobatic lay-ups. Near the end of the game, Ross went up for a few dunks that
peaked with him far above the rim. Expect “Montlake Terrence” (I’m sticking with MY nickname for
him) to appear on ESPN Top 10 a couple times this season. He will be a force in the Pac-12 without question, and
it wouldn’t be too bold of a prediction to think he might be playing in the NBA next season, so let’s hope
the NBA lockout keeps him in purple and gold.

Andrew Andrews – Very surprised by this guy. Smart with the ball, fearless in the lane and has a great
first step. It’s almost getting repetitive to say it, but the shot looks good as well. This whole team
minus a certain 7 footer, seem to be threatening from the mid-range. Andrews seems like a pure point
that can score when needed, but seems more comfortable as a floor general. Nothing too flashy, but
dependable. He could contribute immediately, but the depth at point guard will likely force Andrews or
Hikeem Stewart into a red-shirt season.

Scott Suggs – In my opinion, Suggs is hands-down the most improved player on the team. His ball-
handling ability has increased tremendously and he hit a couple 3-pt shots with a hand on his face. A
great moment took place when Suggs drained a deep, contested shot outside the arch and tripped
backwards while joking with his defender. Players and spectators all got a good laugh from the
moment. Suggs also has become more vocal in leading this team and should play a major roll on the
team.

Cj Wilcox – More of the same from CJ. Pinpoint accuracy remains a part of his game. He pulled up on
a few shots well outside of the 3-point line as the game slowed down and drained them both. CJ also
seemed to tap into his athleticism quite a bit more as he showed grit driving into the lane and finishing
off the glass in traffic. Romar will have a tough task in dividing minutes between CJ, Ross and Suggs, as
each player clearly deserves extended minutes. Not a bad problem to have…

Darnell Gant – Made an effort to go into the post a few times, and his footwork has clearly improved. He
also has become a louder leader. His ability to lead was on display when he instructed Jernard Jarreau
to remain in the post and let his defender move to the wing to provide help defense for a Terrence Ross
isolation. The play resulted in a stop. Gant also remains bouncy and athletic as ever.

Jernard Jarreau – The Kevin Durant comparisons are not unfounded. The tall, lanky forward would likely
be bounced around playing the 4 position, but his skill set developed as a point-guard in his first few
seasons are evident. His handle, shot and movement with the ball are above average. I felt Jarreau could
have inserted himself into the offense more, but every time he had the ball, he made good decisions. I
anticipate a slow start for Jarreau but he will one day be a great contributor on this team.

Aziz N’Diaye – Aziz played in the next game, and a source close to the team said that his foot is about
90% healed. His movement seemed a little hitched due to the surgery, but it is clear that Aziz spent
a good amount of time in the gym this summer. His strength has improved quite a bit, and he takes
up more space on the court. Still needs to polish his post-up game, but a thundering dunk in the post
after collecting his own miss nearly tore the rim off the backboard. Sent a couple shots from smaller
players out into the bleachers, and his defensive footwork looks better. Hard to say how improved Aziz
is until he plays against other post-players. The one complaint would be that Aziz seemed relentless
and tenacious on the boards, but only on every other possession. If he keeps up his motor and stays
attacking, I can see him being a top rebounder in the Pac-12.

As I mentioned earlier, I wasn’t able to gather much more info on the other players at the time as there
was a lot to watch in a short time. I left the gym with high expectations for this coming season, and I
think a lot of people will be surprised with just how athletic this team is. While our worries about a post-
presence are fair, we have so much size in the 1, 2 and 3 positions that this team certainly does not
seem “small”. It’s likely that we could at some point run a situational line-up with Wroten (6’5), Wilcox
(6’5), Ross (6’6) , Breunig (6’8) and Aziz(7’0). That’s a lot of size and athleticism on the court at once and
4 of those 5 players could run a fast break, make the right pass and all of them can finish above the rim.
On the defensive end, the length and speed of our squad will cause problems and our large, athletic
guards will be hard to pass around. I’m excited, and most fans would be after seeing that game. I can’t
make any predictions on how far this team will go in March, but it will be undoubtedly be fun to watch!

On a side note, Abdul Gaddy sat on the sideline, likely meaning his knee isn’t ready for full-speed ball. We all
wish him well, as he looked ready to break out in 2010.

Thanks for reading, and I hope the good folks at Husky Haul let me contribute again! Follow me at
@dustin206 for not only Husky info, but random thoughts, opinions on new music and updates on my
music production as one half of Occidental Productions (shameless plug).

Bow Down,

Dustin Lagos @dustin206