Washington Huskies Basketball: 2012-2013 C.J. Wilcox Evaluation

Jan 9, 2013; Berkeley, CA, USA; Washington Huskies guard C.J. Wilcox (23) dribbles the ball up the court during the first half at Haas Pavilion. The Washington Huskies defeated the California Golden Bears 62-47. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Statistics: 34.8 minutes, 16.9 points (41.9 FG percentage, 36.6 3-point) 4.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.0 block per game

What He Did In 2012-2013: With the losses of Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten, Lorenzo Romar turned to C.J. Wilcox to become the star of the 2012-2013 team. For much of the season, that is exactly what he did. In the first 23 games of the season, Wilcox scored in double figures during each one but one; however, over the last 11, he failed to record double figures in four of the games. He won’t say so, but this was probably because of a nagging foot injury that bothered him for much of latter part of the season. There were still games that he would score 11, 15, 19 points, but it usually came on more shots than normal and he still had performances like his 1-11 shooting game against Arizona State. The Huskies were 1-4 in games that Wilcox didn’t reach double figures and each game was within reach at one point, where if Wilcox had taken over, the Huskies may have pulled it out.

Of course, it is excusable for even your best player to have a couple off-nights, especially when he is battling injury. That being said, it was a little worrisome to see your star struggle so much down the stretch. Even with the uncharacteristic play late in the season, Wilcox was the unquestioned leader of the team through and through.

What To Expect From Him In 2013-2014: Once again, Wilcox will be relied upon heavily by Romar and the Huskies. There will more talent surrounding him, but he should be the best player on the court during most of the games. Averaging almost 17 points as a junior and coming back for a senior season is almost unheard of in college basketball, so I’m excited to see how Wilcox can improve.

If he is able to handle the ball a little more (though, with Andrew Andrews and Nigel Williams-Goss, he shouldn’t have to) and improve his drives to the hoop, he could be a dark horse for National Player of the Year. He, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jahii Carson will be the leaders for Pac-12 POY and it will be a tight race. Carson has the least amount of help, so he’ll probably post the best numbers, but Wilcox will be impressive in his own right. As long as his shot stays wet and he is 100 percent, Wilcox should be the best player in the Pac-12.