Dont Discount Washington Huskies Forwards Under Coach Hopkins

The Washington Huskies Mens Basketball Team enters the 2017-2018 season with new perspective, fresh off their 9-22 season. But don’t discount the team’s frontcourt. Under Coach Hopkins, they are PAC-12 emerging stars

The University of Washington Huskies Men’s Basketball Team is earning a reputation as a back court incubator. On one hand, the team had already launched former Husky Isaiah Thomas into the NBA with great results. On the other hand, Washington Huskies point guard Markelle Fultz is now preparing to join Thomas on the Boston Celtics via the 2017 NBA Draft.  How well Fultz succeeds with the Celtics is certainly hotly debated among NBA experts right now.

But was is not hotly debated is the quality of the Washington Huskies 2017-2018 front court.  In descending height order, that includes:

6-foot-10 center/forward Sam Timmins
6-foot-8  center/forward Devenir Duruisseau
6-foot-8 center/forward Noah Dickerson
6-foot-6 forward Dominic Green
6-foot-6 wing Bitumba Baruti
6-foot-5 forward Greg Bowman
6-foot-5 forward Matisse Thybulle

On paper, only Washington Huskies will recognize the names of this group.  And even for the casual Huskies fan, one or two of the players may not come to mind easily.

But the 2017-2018 will change all that.  Let’s explore the players and their likely roles on the new ‘tude Washington Huskies.

6-foot-10 center/forward Sam Timmins

To start off, Washington Huskies Sam Timmins is the tallest of the tall. As a matter of face, towering at 6-foot-10, and weighing in at 275 pounds, he casts a long shadow in the paint. Despite coming all the way in from New Zealand, Timmins appears right at home on the basketball court.

While he appeared in all 31 games for the Washington Huskies last year, his on-court playing time was limited to just 14.6 minutes per game. This season, you can expect that “per game” stat to double.

Double Up Timmins

As the tallest man on the team, Timmins will be counted on by Coach Hopkins to defend the basket.  That will not be an easy task in the PAC-12, where he will oppose players like Arizona’s freshman center, 7-foot-0 DeAndre Ayton.

But the statistics on Timmins will line up in impressive fashion simply from the increase in playing time.  With that increase, he should surge to nearly 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game.  That’s likely to show up even better as the season progresses.  Now entering his second NCAA season, the game will slow down for the young man.  In fact, he already possesses accurate two-point shooting at 48.9 percent.  His perimeter shot, even rarely used, is less useful at 28.6 percent.

This season, Timmins will like show greater prowess on defense.

6-foot-8  center/forward Devenir Duruisseau

Next in descending height is 6-foot-8 240 pound Devenir Duruisseau.  Duruisseau returns for his third season of NCAA eligibility this year, and looks for a larger role with the Huskies.

He did not see much playing time under former head coach Lorenzo Romar, having seen action in just 19 games and only averaging 3.7 minutes per game.  The Huskies junior forward likely hopes that changes under new head coach Mike Hopkins.

Tough To Judge Impact

It’s tough to judge the impact of Duruisseau with the Huskies this season. In his cameo appearances, he appears to have the makings of a player deserving of playing time.  He has consistently shot at 40 percent or better from the floor, and his rebounds and blocks run in the nine and two on a “per 36 minutes” basis.

His most playing time occurred in his first NCAA game versus Texas on November 13, 2015.  In that game, he played 16 minutes, scored seven points and pulled down seven rebounds. However, he fouled out in that game, and in three of his first four contests.  If he can refine his playing approach, he can prove to be a positive improvement to this team.

6-foot-8 center/forward Noah Dickerson

Next in descent is 6-foot-8 225 pound Noah Dickerson. Dickerson was on the fence in the time immediately following the coaching change of the team.  He decided to remain with the team on April 22, 2017.

That was a good day for the Washington Huskies Men’s Basketball Team.  While Dickerson played every game in the 2016-2017 season, his role increased as the season wore on.  In fact, his career high came on March 4, 2017 against the USC Trojans. In that game, Dickerson played 37 minutes and scored 27 points on 10-15 shooting from the floor. That came off a performance of 23 points and 15 rebounds against the powerful UCLA Bruins just three days earlier.

Yes Yes To More Noah

The key to a good start to this season is to highlight Dickerson’s offense early in the year. Then, other players can develop around him as the team gains experience together. Dickerson returns for his third season this year and has mastered many of the skills needed to succeed. He shot a respectable 54.7 percent last year, and averaged 12.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

But he has much more to improve upon. His physical dimensions suggest he will likely be steered to a power forward role in the NBA. As such, he will need to develop some proficiency with a perimeter shot this season.  Another area on offense is his 67.6 percent shooting from the free throw line.  His physical style of play coupled with his offense will draw plenty of fouls this year.  As such, foul shots should be on the upside of 75 percent.   Finally, Noah stands at 6-foot-8. At that height, he should improve upon his shot blocking.  That will place him in the upper tier of PAC-12 Men’s Basketball.

6-foot-6 forward Dominic Green

Dominic Green has plenty of incentive to perform well this year.  Returning for his third season of NCAA eligibility, the 6-foot-6 185 forward from Renton, Washington is still waiting for that “breakout” game where everything falls in place.

Green has not failed to earn the opportunity. He played all but one game in 2016-2017, and averaged 21.6 minutes per game. Now this is not to say that he didn’t play extremely well at times. He had a flash of his potential in a 20 point, 6 rebounds, 3 block performance against Western Kentucky on November 25, 2016.  This year, he will need to recapture the magic of that game, and sustain it throughout the course of the season.

Greener Pastures

Upon futher investigation, the dynamics of that Western Kentucky performance was the strong play of Malik Dime and the opponent focus upon shutting down point guard Markelle Fultz.  In that game, Fultz delivered nine points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists.

That stat sheet resembles the likely scenario of the 2017-2018 games. Without a Markelle Fultz at point guard, you can anticipate more distribution than scoring from the back court this year. That type of play will truly enhance the effectiveness of Green.

6-foot-6 wing Bitumba Baruti

And next up, wing Bitumaba Baruti brings versatility to the Washington Huskies.   Standing in at 6-foot-6 and weighing in at 210 pounds, Baruti has the right physical make-up to force for position in the paint, or bounce out to showcase a quick burst move driving to the basket.   In fact, the team made ample use of that versatility last year:

Now the team must better harness the potential mismatches created by Baruti’s vesrsatility.

Beginner’s Luck

Appearing in just 17 games in his first NCAA season, Baruti experienced just his third year of organized basketball play.

On one hand, you can expect significant upside from Baruti this year.  On the other hand, the endless energy and preparedness of new head coach Mike Hopkins will be a perfect training program for Baruti. In fact, with just 17 games and 4.5 minutes per game experience, Baruti’s improvement will be pure gain for the team overall.

6-foot-5 forward Greg Bowman

Senior forward Greg Bowman returns for his final year of NCAA eligibility.  The 6-foot-5 200 pound foward from Mountlake Terrace Washington hopes that he has saved his best for last.  Bowman appeared in 11 contests during the 2016-2017 season, averaging just 1.6 minutes per game.

Never appearing in more than a handful of minutes in a game, his best showing so far was a four minute eight point outing against the Pennsylvania Quakers on November 21, 2015.

Bowman Senior Statesman

Now in his senior season, Bowman is seeking more time on the basketball court. And his shooting accuracy warrants that consideration.  Despite in sporadic playing time, Bowman has shot no worse than 50 percent accuracy.

While this year will likely not witness a huge spike in minutes, he certainly is in line for more court time with productive training under the new coaching staff.  And even in the absence of team-leading numbers, his presence on the team serves as another resource to teammates under the new coaches, and even those new to the Washington Huskies.

6-foot-5 forward Matisse Thybulle

Finally, 6-foot-5 190 pound Matisse Thybulle may be the least tall person in this list, but he will not be the least player on the basketball court.  In fact, he may be the most proficient scorer on the team this year.

Thybulle truly developed into a go-to-guy in his second season with the Washington Huskies, and there is every reason to believe he is due for another significant leap up in production.  In fact, his shooting percentage of 44.8 percent in only marginally more accurate than his three-point shooting of 40.5 percent. And this year, that three point shooting will get plenty of looks in a Hopkins offense.

Live By The Three, Die By The Three

Like any perimeter shooter, when it falls, Thybulle is unstoppable. But when it doesn’t fall, Thybulle is rather human.  However, his shot has a sweet touch to the delivery, in a nearly textbook fashion, that his cold spells are infrequent and short-lived.

Meanwhile, he delivers all over the court. He can rebound, block shots, steal, pass off assists, and  makes opponents pay at the foul line with an 84.1percent free throw efficiency.  Thybulle is the type of two-way player who will make Coach Hopkins first season much easier.

In the end