I still wish Romar wouldn't have put on his own 'cool jacket.' All signs pointed to him righting the ship but by that point it had been too much. UW hoops has been, well, best way I can put it is unlucky. A lot of 'ifs' and 'buts' that won't change what happened.
My top of head biggest 'ifs':
Marvin Williams - If they land him, very good chance they win it all in 2005. Instead UNC wins it all. Give credit to Roy Williams who was on him early and established a relationship. Would have gone to Kansas had Roy stayed at Kansas. Shout out to Tubob Shakur for taking the ferry to Bremerton for the announcement.
Marcus Williams vs. Martell Webster - Huskies get the big fish Martell to sign, but he bails to NBA. In that pursuit of Martell, Marcus slips to second fiddle, signs with UA. Also likely a difference maker on the 2006 team. Secondary if: Terrence Williams - was third fiddle and also a more productive college player.
Terrance Jones - How much money was on the line? Fucking Calimari. Interesting how these projections work out. Terrance Ross had the better career, but Tone Wroten team with a decent big would have been interesting.
Tyreese Breshers - Loved his high school tape. Was it his heart that was the medical retirement? I dooged for Breshers.
2012 to 2013 Class - There were grand rumors that Romar was going to land Aaron Gordon (Arizona), Jabari Bird (Cal), and Nigel Williams Goss. Never mind that Zach Lavine was just down the street, but apparently he was a UCLA lean for a long time. BTW most obnoxious father I've ever encountered at a high school game. Romar whiffed on all but NWG, and scrambled to fill holes with shit. Because he wanted to promised the guys playing time, literally took no one the year before except for Mark McLaughlin, who was ruled ineligible or kicked off the team in like a day.
Robert Upshaw - What a waste of a body. You go 11 - 0 with wins over ranked San Diego State and Oklahoma. Then after Stony Brook wheels fall off. Team was ultimately a paper tiger but from a tourney lock in late December to nothing 2 months later is astounding. I regrettably booked a trip to Vegas for the P12 tourney in early December.
Charles Garcia - Another athletic big. There's still a bio for him on UW site. Played 1 year at Seattle U, scored a bunch. Put him on that IT 'cold blooded' team. Question marks, lots of them.
Dejaunte & Chriss early exit - Might arguably be UW's best class. Dejaunte, Chriss and Thybulle. Noah Dickerson was solid in the post. I don't think anyone projected Murray and Chriss to leave early, and I recall the class to be what people had been arguing for, less one and dones, just solid guys who would be in the program for 3 years. Both have good freshman seasons and both are first round draft picks. Neither were even top 50 players in their class. Says a lot about place and fit. The following season with Fultz, a maturing Thybulle and Dickerson???
Quade Green - Not that it mattered too much because the 2019 season would be cut short due to covid, UW playing in one of the final games of the season, but whoever the teams director of academics should have been fired after allowing your point guard to become academically ineligible. Just a reminder, Baylor had one loss all season until losing 3 of 5, one to 3rd ranked Kansas to end the season. UW with Green: 11-4 with losses to Gonzaga (some shit calls in that game, fuck the zags), Tennessee, Houston, and UCLA. Without Green: 4-13.
Great list. Going further back I Doog to myself thinking about a team with Jason Terry at PG, Donald Watts at 2, Micheal Dickerson at SF, Curtis Borchard at PF and Todd McCullaugh at Center. Bring Deion “shootin” Luton off the bench and you’ve got a final 4 type team with four starters being local.
Josh Heytveldt on the 2006 team would have been amazing. Maybe another final 4 squad that I can dream about. He was a UW lean until I think Romar got ratted out for impermissible contact? Can’t quite remember.
He originally committed to UW. Lots of stories about how he used to sell popcorn at games. Jason Terry had quite the glow up in high school as well after a state title run in his junior year. Franklin goes on an amazing run, beats McDonalds All American omm'A Givens (UCLA) in the state title game and JT is all of a sudden a hot commodity. Franklin would battle it out with O'dea and Garfield the following year to a three way tie for metro regular season title, and Franklin would get a winning bucket, and survive on the other end to beat a feisty White River team for two in a row. Another fun fact, JT wasn't even the leading scorer on the 95 Franklin team. He was however a tenacious defender and that was the role he played at Arizona. I knew a guy that went down to Tucson and worked JT out, and JT's work ethic to improve his jumper and outside shot was immense. BTW it was JT's mother who snitched to the NCAA. If you watch the Dallas Mavericks title celebration in the locker room, there is at least one other Franklin Quaker in the locker room celebrating. Oh and other what if's. Quincy Wilder (Decatur '96 → Ineligible → Highline CC → SC → Boise / Prison → Evergreen State) and Brian Scalabrine (Enumclaw '95 → Highline CC → SC → NBA / White Mamba).
yes 👆🏻that rings a bell or that JT was originally going to UW but I was long gone from Seattle by then. At first I thought he was the Romar years and after reading you comment I believe it was Bender maybe? Terry and Watts would have been fun pulling for UW 🏀 from Southern California. UConn game 😭
The only thing that killed Romar was the NCAA adopting the NBA style of exhibition ball. I haven’t watched an NBA game in 15 years, if the old crews of the great 80’s got to play in this version of the NBA nobody would be breaking records ever. Romar’s style of play was ruthless, physical and fast. When Jay Bilas started careening for NCAA to change to the NBA game, all was lost. Bilas was soft.
Comments
I believe it helps those of us paying attention because that era of Husky football wasn’t much fun/train wreck’ish
Roy teams through the IT was peak hoops since Harshman, peak Romar feels like a
I still wish Romar wouldn't have put on his own 'cool jacket.' All signs pointed to him righting the ship but by that point it had been too much. UW hoops has been, well, best way I can put it is unlucky. A lot of 'ifs' and 'buts' that won't change what happened.
My top of head biggest 'ifs':
I may be forgetting a couple.
Great list. Going further back I Doog to myself thinking about a team with Jason Terry at PG, Donald Watts at 2, Micheal Dickerson at SF, Curtis Borchard at PF and Todd McCullaugh at Center. Bring Deion “shootin” Luton off the bench and you’ve got a final 4 type team with four starters being local.
Josh Heytveldt on the 2006 team would have been amazing. Maybe another final 4 squad that I can dream about. He was a UW lean until I think Romar got ratted out for impermissible contact? Can’t quite remember.
Accurate on Heytveldt. I believe that added to the Zag hate because it was Few whining about it. (IIRC)
Jason Terry is going back, would have loved him at UW but it’s hard knock since his team at Zona was their only hoops natty and Lute was no slouch.
He originally committed to UW. Lots of stories about how he used to sell popcorn at games. Jason Terry had quite the glow up in high school as well after a state title run in his junior year. Franklin goes on an amazing run, beats McDonalds All American omm'A Givens (UCLA) in the state title game and JT is all of a sudden a hot commodity. Franklin would battle it out with O'dea and Garfield the following year to a three way tie for metro regular season title, and Franklin would get a winning bucket, and survive on the other end to beat a feisty White River team for two in a row. Another fun fact, JT wasn't even the leading scorer on the 95 Franklin team. He was however a tenacious defender and that was the role he played at Arizona. I knew a guy that went down to Tucson and worked JT out, and JT's work ethic to improve his jumper and outside shot was immense. BTW it was JT's mother who snitched to the NCAA. If you watch the Dallas Mavericks title celebration in the locker room, there is at least one other Franklin Quaker in the locker room celebrating. Oh and other what if's. Quincy Wilder (Decatur '96 → Ineligible → Highline CC → SC → Boise / Prison → Evergreen State) and Brian Scalabrine (Enumclaw '95 → Highline CC → SC → NBA / White Mamba).
yes 👆🏻that rings a bell or that JT was originally going to UW but I was long gone from Seattle by then. At first I thought he was the Romar years and after reading you comment I believe it was Bender maybe? Terry and Watts would have been fun pulling for UW 🏀 from Southern California. UConn game 😭
The only thing that killed Romar was the NCAA adopting the NBA style of exhibition ball. I haven’t watched an NBA game in 15 years, if the old crews of the great 80’s got to play in this version of the NBA nobody would be breaking records ever. Romar’s style of play was ruthless, physical and fast. When Jay Bilas started careening for NCAA to change to the NBA game, all was lost. Bilas was soft.
Duke gonna Duke.