Huskies

Here’s comments gathered by the University of Washington from players talking about Tuesday’s first round game at BYU in the National Invitation Tournament.

C.J. WILCOX

(What was this day like for you? Were you confident? Nervous? “I was confident that we were going to get in. I wasn’t too worried about it.”

(When you saw BYU pop up on the screen what was your initial reaction?) “I actually called it two days ago that we would be playing at their place, so I wasn’t too shocked. I was shocked that it actually happened but I was ready for it I guess.”

(Are you close to anybody on that team?) “Yes. I played AAU with Tyler Haws and pretty much the whole team was my rival high school team.”

(What are your thoughts on returning home?) “It will be good to see some people, but as far as playing I know it’s going to be pretty hyped from their side of things.”

(What kind of crowd are you expecting to see there?) “A pretty big crowd – knowing that I’m coming home again and that I’ll be playing Haws again, there were a lot of battles between us in high school. It will be pretty big.”

SCOTT SUGGS:

(What are your thoughts on continuing your college career?) “I’m just excited to be able to keep playing. I wish things would have turned out differently in the Pac-12 tournament but nonetheless we’re able to keep playing. We have another chance to win something.”

(Were you nervous coming in to today?) “Yeah. I didn’t know if we were going to make it. There were a lot of good teams that didn’t make the (NCAA) tournament that we knew were going to be in this. Fortunately we were selected.”

(At this stage does it matter who you are playing or where you are playing?) “It doesn’t matter who we play. Where ever we go we will be prepared to play our hardest. I’m just excited to get another opportunity to play.”

(Do you know anything about BYU?) “I’ve seen them play a few times. Haws is one of their main guys and they have Carlos Delfino. A few of the guys know him.”

ABDUL GADDY:

(What are your initial thoughts on continuing your career?) “We live to play another day. We’re just going to have to go out there and play hard and continue keep on going.”

(Does it matter right now who the opponent is or where you are playing?) “The point is to just keep playing – home or away. It does not make any difference. I just want to keep my career going as long as possible.”

(Any thoughts on BYU?) “It’s C.J.’s hometown. That’s all I know and that he’ll be glad to play them.”

Here’s comments from UW players following their 61-54 loss to UCLA.

SCOTT SUGGS:

(On the team having good motion on the court) “We wanted to come in here and finish this season on a wining streak so we gave a lot of effort today. It was fun, I wish we could have given the fans a win.”

(On the team’s confidence going into the tournament) “I don’t think we lost any confidence today but we know we need to limit our turnovers. That was a big influence today, so I’m sure we’ll focus on that for the next couple of days.”

AZIZ N’DIAYE

(On what he liked about what the team did today and what they weren’t able to do.) “We came ready to play and they’re a good team. We battled pretty well against them and ended up coming up short because of negligence. We turned the ball over a couple too many times and that’s what made the difference.”

(On today’s challenges on matching up against UCLA) “They’re a good team, they push the ball hard and try to score off of the fast break. We did a good job getting back on difference but when we had turnovers they just capitalized. It’s hard to bounce back on those because it’s just a numbers game at that point. I think they were scoring a lot on turnovers, which made the difference.”

(On the last home game of his career) “We’ve seen a lot of wins here, and the dawg pack and all of our fans have been amazing throughout our whole careers here at UW. We wanted to win to finish everything right.”

(On this game dampering the team’s confidence going into the tournament) “I don’t think this game will affect our confidence at all because last night we pretty much knew everyone’s seeding in the Pac-12. We’re just going to watch a lot of film and look at the tournament as a new season. We’re going to go in with that mindset taking it one game at a time.”

Here’s the postgame video (above) of Washington players following their 65-57 win over USC.

SCOTT SUGGS

(On the final game on Saturday) “It hasn’t really hit me yet but the game should be fun. It’s been a good five years. It won’t be the end of the year, but it will be the last time I play at home so it will be special.”

 ANDREW ANDREWS

(On Fontan being hurt) “I didn’t know he was hurt, I was just trying to help the team in any way that I could. I wasn’t doing much on offense so I figured my defense could help us.”

(Rebound mentality) “I just don’t want to run 17’s for not rebounding, so I just go to the boards. It’s not so much as a threat that I’ll have to run if I don’t, it’s more that I set a goal for myself to crash a certain amount of times and I try to hold myself to reaching that goal every single game.”

(On the team being on a roll (like the beginning of conference season) “We’re just trying to play consistent. We don’t look at streaks, we just take the games as they come and try our best to go out there and play hard. We don’t pay too much attention to how many games me lose in a row or how many games me win in a row; we treat each game as an individual game. We’re just trying to play as hard as we can.”

(Feeling like the team regained something) “Not at all. After every single game we felt like we could have done something to prevent those losses. The games that we did win, we still felt like we made some bad defensive and offensive decisions, so we just take those games and try to learn from them. We don’t have the type of group to try to be front runners when we win, and when we don’t just hang our heads thinking we aren’t doing very well.”

C.J. WILCOX

(On the team rolling in the right direction) “Yes we’re definitely getting close to playing the way that we’re supposed to play, especially at the right time. Our team usually does it but we start a little late; it seems like we’re starting to get the ball rolling.”

(On the team’s free throws turning around in the second half of the game) “Jernard stepped up big tonight and hit his free throws. He’s been capable of doing that all year and he stepped up tonight at the right time, helping us get the win.”

(On being face guarded during the game) “I was expecting it but when Scott gets going it makes things a lot easier on me. They have to focus on him a lot more and I can just take the play while Scott gets the shots to put points on the board. It takes a lot of pressure off of me.”

(On how different USC played with Dedmon) “USC played completely different, Dedmon is a force under the basket. He has a lot of offensive rebounds, he dunks, and he hits three’s. He played a good game and definitely makes a difference on the floor.”

Here’s video (above) of Scott Suggs after Washington’s 72-68 win over Washington State.

He finished with 23 points, one shy of his personal best. He also had five three-pointers.

AP Photo – Matt YorP

Fair or unfair, Abdul Gaddy and Scott Suggs (near right) are held up as Exhibit A and Exhibit B when many Washington fans attempt to explain what’s gone wrong with this season.

That’s what happens when you’re senior co-captains. You become a target for criticism. You carry the expectations of a team some believed had NCAA tournament potential.

And when things go wrong, you take the hit. When you lose eight of 10 games, you’re forced to answer difficult questions.

On Saturday when defending regular-season champion Washington was officially eliminated from the Pac-12 title race, Gaddy and Suggs gave a performance that affirmed why some believed the Huskies could have contended for the conference crown again.

They provided the veteran leadership, playmaking and clutch plays that you’d expect from a four-year starter (Gaddy) and a fifth-year senior (Suggs).

And it was fitting they connected on the play that sealed Washington’s 68-59 win at Arizona State.

Leading by three points in the final minute, Gaddy blew past a defender at the top of the key and darted into the lane drawing two more ASU players.

He spotted Suggs standing in the right corner and delivered a perfect pass. Suggs then immediately rose high and drained a three-pointer over sophomore forward Jonathan Gilling who dashed to the corner with his arms extended.

Too late.

Suggs’ splashed through the net. It was his fourth three-pointer and sixth field goal. He finished with 16 points.

For Gaddy it was his seventh assists. He also had 13 points, five rebounds, a steal and zero turnovers in 32 minutes.

And for Washington, it was a much-needed win after Wednesday’s embarrassing defeat at Arizona. The Huskies proved a lot to their critics Saturday.

They proved they haven’t given up on this season or themselves. They proved they could win a closely contested game on the road even if their leading scorer is a non-factor. They proved they can build a 13-point lead in the second half and keep their composure when ASU closes to within a point 57-56 in the final four minutes.

On the next possession, redshirt freshman guard Andrew Andrews drew a foul and made both free throws.

The Huskies received a bit of good fortune when the Sun Devils missed two open three-pointers that would have tied the score.

However, on the next play Andrews delivered one of the unsung plays of the game. Shawn Kemp Jr. missed a hook shot, but UW retained possession because Andrews climbed over a defender and gathered the rebound.

After a timeout, Gaddy used a screen and was matched against 6-10 ASU freshman forward Eric Jacobsen. Gaddy dribbled the ball between his legs and got Jacobsen off balance before dropping a long jumper at the top of the key.

The Sun Devils answered with a Jahii Carson layup and Washington led 61-58 in the final minute with Gaddy back at the top of the key with the ball and the game in his hands.

This time he connected with Suggs, who made perhaps the biggest shot of his UW career.

After Wednesday’s 70-52 defeat at Arizona, it didn’t seem possible the Huskies could win a game like they did Saturday night. They won because they outrebounded the Sun Devils 35-22. They won with great free throw shooting (12 of 16 for 75 percent). They won because they committed just seven turnovers, their fewest since Jan. 9.

Almost every other significant statistic was virtually even.

It remains to be seen if the win will have serious Pac-12 Tournament implications.

Washington (15-13) is tied with Stanford (16-12) for ninth place in the standings with 7-8 records. But the Huskies would get the higher seed over the Cardinal because UW won its only head-to-head battle.

The Huskies are hoping to finish the regular season with wins during their three-game homestand. They’re hoping they can climb to fourth in the standings and receive a first-round conference tournament bye.

MORE NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:

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Here’s video (above) of Scott Suggs after Washington’s 68-59 win at Arizona State.

AP Photo – Oregon’s E.J. Singler (right), scores over Washington’s Scott Suggs (left).

The Washington Huskies needed some extra time to themselves after tonight’s 65-52 defeat to No. 23 Oregon to talk about how they managed to come up short in what they considered a must-win game.

Long after the loss, they remained in the locker room hashing and re-hashing how yet another seemingly close game slipped away. In reality, it wasn’t really that close. Washington led for just 18 seconds midway in the first half. They closed to within six points (46-40) with 8:34 left, but never got their deficit under 10 points in the final four minutes.

Still, the setback required a long discussion among the players.

“We were just talking to each other and making sure everybody is alright,” senior co-captain Abdul Gaddy said. “We just got a couple of guys that are upset. Me included. (Desmond Simmons) is upset. The whole team is upset. … We had to make sure we got each others’ back no matter what.”

After Tuesday’s players-only meeting resulted in season-low scoring output, you have to wonder if the message is getting through to the Huskies.

They converted 35 percent from the field, which is the third worst shooting performance this season. They missed 11 of 13 three-pointers. Oregon was abysmal from the free throw line while converting 13 of 23 (56.5 percent), but the Ducks made more FT than Washington attempted. The Huskies were 8 for 12.

If you’re as inept offensively as Washington was – at home no less – you’re not winning many games. And you’re probably not going to the NCAA tournament, which is something the Huskies have stopped talking about.

For now, they’ve got bigger problems like regaining their confidence.

“Right now this is a mental situation,” coach Lorenzo Romar said. “Our minds have to be right.

“Somehow without experiencing a whole lot of success, we have to regain our confidence. We have to regain our swagger as a team.”

Not sure how that happens with six games left in the regular season. It’s not as of Romar has many options. He’s been reluctant to say it, but Wilcox is mired in a seven-game shooting slump. Maybe it has something to do with his foot injury and maybe it doesn’t. Whatever the case, Romar doesn’t have many alternatives when Wilcox is struggling as he was tonight. He’s reluctant to bench the 6-5 guard believing “every time he shoots it, I think it’s going in.”

However, Wilcox missed 10 of 13 shots. And tonight was the first time in awhile he didn’t affect the game in other areas such as rebounding or steals.

When asked what’s wrong with the high-post offense, Romar chaffed. He believes the offense is working properly. It’s creating open looks for players such as Wilcox and Scott Suggs, who didn’t make shots. Suggs was 1 for 6.

When asked who played well, Romar singled out Gaddy, Aziz N’Diaye and Simmons. Surprisingly, Simmons only played 21 minutes even though it was clear his energy and hustle was sorely needed.

Unlike Sunday’s defeat, UW turnovers didn’t decide the game. However, the Huskies forced just one turnover in second half.

MORE NOTES, QUOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:

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Here’s video (above) of the post-game interview with Scott Suggs following Washington’s 71-60 defeat at USC.

The senior guard was 0 for 3 in the first half, but tallied all 16 of his points in the second half. He led the Huskies in scoring.

Seattle Times – Dean Rutz

Rather than the breakout, signature win that was in their grasp, the Washington Huskies are dealing with a fourth straight defeat following a 57-53 loss against No. 8 Arizona.

It’s the longest losing streak 2008 and the Huskies must be thinking when is it going to end?

Washington did so many things right tonight. It held Arizona to 35.1 field goal percentage. It shutdown the Pac-12′s second-best three-point team and limited the Wildcats to 3 of 18 (.167) shots behind the arc. It forced 17 turnovers and had 10 assists on 21 field goals.

But the Huskies also committed several costly errors.

They committed 17 turnovers that led to 20 points. They shot 36.8 percent from the field and a season low 8.3 percent (1 of 12) on three-pointers. They had just two fast-break points and four points from reserves. They were 10 of 17 (58.8 percent) at the free throw line.

And Washington failed to execute offensively in the final 30 seconds when it desperately needed a play to tie the score.

This could very well be the defining game of the season because the Huskies would have received a huge lift with a victory. However, everything about Washington comes into question now.

You have to wonder why Washington was held to a season-low tying 53 points?

Why can’t the offense run?

Why can’t the shooters C.J. Wilcox and Scott Suggs (above, right) make shots?

Why is Abdul Gaddy committing six turnovers?

Where was the bench?

Why did coach Lorenzo Romar leave Wilcox in the game when he picked up his third foul with Washington leading 33-28 at the 16:02 mark? Less than two minutes later, UW’s leading scorer collected a fourth foul at 13:53 and was forced to sit down for nearly six minutes. When he re-entered, Arizona led 44-39.

And how in the world did the basketball wind up in Aziz N’Diaye’s hands on the final play when it was designed for Wilcox? The 7-foot center took a three-pointer from the corner – his first three-point attempt in his UW career – that grazed the rim.

Gaddy’s explanation of the final play is equaling baffling.

“I didn’t even know he (N’Diaye) was in the game,” Gaddy said. “I thought somebody else had subbed in. The play was for CJ. I knew that two guys were going to run to him. When I passed it into the corner, I was like, why is Aziz in there? It just happended.”

Of course the final play didn’t matter all that much. The game turned when Wilcox picked up his fourth foul and needed to sit down.

When asked why he didn’t take out Wilcox after the third foul, Romar said: “Because he’s really good, tried to give him a chance to play through it. With his fourth foul he came back in with 8 minutes to go and didn’t foul again.”

Even though Washington reclaimed a 51-50 lead with 2:31 left, you can second guess Romar’s decision because Arizona made it a point to attack Wilcox with Nick Johnson knowing the UW guard didn’t want to pick up another foul.

Johnson dove into the lane and arced a short jumper over N’Diaye to put Arizona ahead 52-51. After both teams traded baskets, Johnson stayed on the attack and drew a foul. He made one of two free throws to set the stage for the game’s most pivotal play.

Trailing by two points, N’Diaye freed Wilcox with a screen and he cut to the rim. Gaddy spotted him and threw a pass that sailed high and wide.

“It was behind the backboard too much,” Wilcox said. “I just tried to save it and ended up turning the ball over.”

Said Gaddy: “It was just a bad pass. I should have got it there.”

Said Romar: “C.J. was wide open. You go back and look at the film and you’ll see he was wide open. We didn’t complete the pass. It was there.”

The same might be said for the game.

MORE NOTES, QUOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:

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Fifth-year senior guard Scott Suggs led a late charge that allowed Washington to overcome a four-point deficit in the final six minutes and pull out a 68-63 win at Washington State in the Pac-12 opener.

He was basically a non-factor for about 37 minutes. But when it mattered most, Suggs scored three straight baskets for the Huskies. He sank two long jumpers and converted a fast-break layup that put UW ahead 64-61 with 1:02 left.

Suggs scored six of his 11 points during the final three minutes.