Washington basketball started the season off beating Baylor, and finished 10-3 in non-conference play, but then Pac-12 play changed everything…
Washington basketball had all the talent in place to compete for the Pac-12 championship, and before the season started they were expected to finish inside the top three at the very least.
Things started to go downhill when sophomore guard Quade Green was declared academically ineligible for the remaining Pac-12 schedule. Green was the Huskies’ third-leading scorer at the time averaging 11.6 points per game, and was the team’s leader with 5.3 assists per night. The loss clearly hurt the team, and the team was never able to recover.
Standout freshman Isaiah Stewart lived up to all the hype. He led the team, in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.0 and 8.8 rebounds points per game. Stewart was named to the All Pac-12 First Team and All-Freshman First Team. He will likely go on to the NBA after playing only one season for Washington.
Jaden McDaniels, their other five-star freshman, finished second on the team in scoring with 13 points a game. He also finished second on the team in rebounds, with 5.8 per game. Just like Stewart, McDaniels will probably enter his name in the NBA Draft.
Though he played well when you look at his numbers, McDaniels hurt the team quite a few times picking up costly technical fouls. Mike Hopkins relegated him to the bench halfway through Pac-12 play, and he provided a huge spark off the bench late in the season.
Junior Nahziah Carter was the Huskies’ third-leading scorer and rebounder, at 12.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Carter is a talented player, but at times he would disappear for long stretches during the game. Hopefully, he’ll return for his final year at Washington, because he can take a big jump forward and drive up his NBA Draft stock.
Freshman Marcus Tsohonis, who was originally supposed to redshirt, took over as the starting point guard for most of the season after Green was ruled ineligible. Tsohonis and fellow freshman RaeQuan Battle look like they’ll form a dynamic backcourt in the coming years.
This was a very odd, up and down season for the Huskies, and with J’Raan Brooks and Erik Stevenson being added to the mix, Hopkins’ squad will be reloaded and ready to make a run at the Pac-12 title once again.