Huskies

Washington sophomore forward Jernard Jarreau will undergo surgery today to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. He’s expected to return in 8-10 months. Jarreau will not travel with the Huskies this week to New York for a pair of games in the 2K Sports Classic. MONDAY MORNING LINKS: — A freshman and free throws led Washington to…

Washington sophomore forward Jernard Jarreau will miss the rest of the 2013-14 season after tearing his right ACL in Sunday’s season opener. He’s expected to have surgery in the upcoming weeks, according to UW. It’s a big blow for the Huskies who are without junior forward Desmond Simmons (knee) at least until mid-December. Washington is hoping…

Another day and no real news on Jernard Jarreau, who injured his right knee Sunday. The redshirt sophomore forward underwent an MRI Tuesday afternoon and the team is expected to give an update on his status Wednesday. We’re going to have coach Lorenzo Romar in this space for a live chat 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. I’m guessing the…

No news of substance to report on redshirt sophomore forward Jernard Jarreau, who injured his right knee in the early minutes of Sunday’s 88-78 season-opening win over Seattle University. He did not return to the game, but was spotted near the UW bench on the sideline walking with crutches. Initially Jarreau was to have an MRI today,…

Huskies guard C.J. Wilcox looks to complete a jump pass over Redhawks forward William Powell in the second half. (Lindsey Wasson – Seattle Times)

Washington should learn Monday just much time redshirt sophomore forward Jernard Jarreau will miss after injuring his right knee in Sunday’s 88-78 season-opening win over Seattle University.

He went down in a heap with 18:25 remaining and didn’t return. It wasn’t pretty. After picking SU’s Isiah Umipig clean in the open court for a steal, Jarreau raced ahead for a layup. With Umipig providing tight defense, Jarreau stumbled as he left the floor. He pounded his fist on the floor and shouted: “It’s broken.”

With reserve center Robert Upshaw and UW trainer Pat Jenkins supporting him, Jarreau limped off the court.

During the postgame interview, coach Lorenzo Romar offered little in terms of a timetable on Jarreau’s return or how the Huskies will proceed before Thursday’s game against UC-Irvine presumably without the 6-10 power forward.

Senior forward Perris Blackwell, who missed the season opener due to a concussion suffered in last Wednesday’s exhibition, is expected to return. But it remains to be seen if UW pairs him with Shawn Kemp Jr., who started Sunday, or if Romar uses a four-guard lineup that included Mike Anderson.

Keep in mind, the Huskies are also missing junior forward Desmond Simmons (knee), who isn’t expected to return until mid-December at the earliest.

I asked Romar about the front court depth and he said: “You asked me when Desmond got hurt if we were thin in the rotation. I said if no one gets hurt. Well, now we’re slim up there. But if our guys can go compete and scrap like we did tonight, then we’ll be able to get through it.”

Considering the injuries, Romar said Sunday’s win was “one of the more special wins for me as head coach since I’ve been here.”

Seattle University coach Cameron Dollar made several fascinating in-game decisions such as frequently switching between a 3-2 zone and man-to-man defense, which confused the Huskies midway in the first half.

However, Romar made the most important coaching move weeks ago when he made referees a fixture at practice. The Huskies did a much better job adapting to how officials will call games this season. While the Redhawks committed 29 fouls that pushed Dollar into a running dialogue with the referees, Romar remained mostly silent and UW enjoyed a huge free throw disparity.

The Huskies converted 33 of 41 free throws and the Redhawks were 11 of 19 at the line. Washington scored 46 points in the second half and 24 came at the charity stripe.

Otherwise, the game was statistical standstill. Washington had more assists (14-9), but SU did a better job on the glass (41-37 rebounds). The Huskies led 14-7 in fast break points, but the Redhawks led 19-11 in second-chance points. UW forced more turnovers (13-9) and led 18-12 in points off of turnovers, but SU dominated 44-30 in points in the paint.

The Redhawks also shot better from the field (44.8 percent to 41.0) and on three-pointers (33.3 to 25.0).

The difference in the outcome – free throws and the Huskies ability to withstand the loss of two starters.

“What makes this one special is we were out there many times and were playing just on scrap, sheer will and determination,” Romar said. “Those are the wins that you love.”

Here’s the box score.

MORE NOTES, QUOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:

Had a chance to chat with incoming junior Jernard Jarreau a few weeks ago.

He talked about his first year with the Huskies last season and described it as “up and down.”

Jarreau started the first seven games and came off the bench in 24 contests while also sitting out three due to coach’s decision. He averaged 3.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 12.7 minutes.

Jarreau said he’s grown an inch and is now 6-11. He also weighs 225, which is up five pounds. He wants to add five more before the season opener.

It’s difficult to know where he fits in Washington’s rotation because of the logjam at power forward. Jarreau is competing with Shawn Kemp Jr. and Desmond Simmons for minutes. Jarreau, who shot 40.2 percent last season, is a better perimeter shooter and appears to be more a natural fit at power forward in coach Lorenzo Romar’s high-post offense.

This is seemingly a make-or-break year for Jarreau, who redshirted as a freshman. He’s got loads of talent – there’s not many 6-11 guys with his ball-handling skills – but he admits he’s got to be more consistent.

Here’s the interview.

Here’s video (above) of redshirt freshman forward Jernard Jarreau after Washington’s 65-57 win over USC. He finished with 12 points, three rebounds and two blocks.

Redshirt freshman Jernard Jarreau began the season winning a four-man competition at power forward with Desmond Simmons, Shawn Kemp Jr. and Martin Breunig. He started the first seven games before losing his job to Simmons. After 16 games as a reserve, he lost his spot in the rotation and didn’t play in the two previous games before…

Here’s video (above) of a post-game interview with redshirt freshman Jernard Jarreau after Washington’s 72-62 win over Oregon State. He finished with eight points and seven rebounds, which were both personal bests.

Washington redshirt freshman Jernard Jarreau talks about competing for the starting power forward position and what the Huskies need to do to replace Shawn Kemp Jr. who is out 6-8 weeks with a knee injury. Here’s the video. This player was created in September 2012 to update the design of the embed player with chromeless buttons. It…