Notes from Coach Romar’s Press Conference

Lorenzo Romar just finished up addressing the media for his first press conference of the year. Here are my thoughts after hearing it.

General Thoughts on the Team

• Good camaraderie on the team.
• Good size on the team but there isn’t compromised athleticism or quickness.
• UW has an interesting blend, half of the team has played in NCAA games, championship games, and half haven’t.
• The coaches will be very busy trying to get everyone on the same page in the first few weeks of practice.
• Romar said if the team does what they are capable of as a team, those guys will be recognized with individual awards.
• Deflections are up because of the size and length on the team.
• Some of the guys this summer, took it upon themselves to work on their weaknesses.
• More on the size of the team: ‘You can score post points with your wings. Even with your point guards.’

On Tony Wroten Jr. 

• Tony Wroten Jr. “A lot of people are interested in seeing him get out there.”
• Romar says, they understand that people want to follow him and want to see him.
• “Tony Wroten has done everything with a capital E that we have asked him to do. We are very pleased with what he has done for us, in terms of being a team guy and doing whatever we ask.”
• Coach Romar talked with the Coach from the Junior Olympic team and he said that they would have not won the gold medal without Tony Wroten Jr. He was their unnamed defensive player.

On Jernard Jarreau 

• Jernard is at 211 now. He came at like 195. He has been impressive in some ways.
• Jernard has a body-type like Kevin Durant. Romar emphasized that this is JUST body-type not playing style.

On Big Men

• ‘Shawn is in a much better place than he was in July. He came at 265 he is down to 251 now. He is in much better condition.’
• ‘Aziz N’Diaye is moving a lot more fluidly. He is even in better condition than he was last year.’

On Freshman

• Romar says he only plans to red-shirt 1 of his players. (Andrew Andrews)
• “The new guys need to learn our system. What Husky basketball is all about. The veterans have a responsibility to help them.”
• “We have a core of experience. There are some guys that have done this before that won’t be intimidated in the first game or on the road….the others have to learn to be somewhat like that.”
• Romar says that, ‘very rarely does a freshman come in and they are not behind defensive. Very rarely does a freshman come in and understand the intensity level they have to have to win.’

On Terrence Ross

• Terrence Ross has taken a big step forward on the defensive end.
• ‘You can count on one hand how many guys that can shoot from the perimeter and at the same time be able to take it inside and score easily. Terrence Ross is one of those guys.’

On the Pac-12

• ‘I don’t think there is just one team to beat. There are going to be a few teams to beat. Obvious standouts are Arizona, Cal, and UCLA. Stanford and Arizona state may get over the hump this year.’

On Abdul Gaddy

• ‘Abdul Gaddy is completely fine. You would have to be reminded that he had an ACL injury.’
• Gaddy has been able to see things from a coaching perspective and that has helped him as a player.