Breaking Down the UW Basketball Roster, Player by Player
The University of Washington basketball team has lost 14 of 17 games this season after dropping 13 of its final 17 games to close out last year.
That's a lot of losing.
Way too much losing.
In some places, unacceptable losing.
The UW players involved in this mess either aren't doing their jobs, slow to develop or simply not good enough.
With Pac-12 co-leaders USC (15-3 overall, 9-2 Pac-12) and UCLA (15-4, 9-2) visiting Alaska Airlines Arena on Thursday and Saturday, the 11th-place Huskies (3-14, 2-10) will brace for more difficult times.
Coach Mike Hopkins has 11 players that he uses — 10 on scholarship and a walk-on.
Nine have started games.
Four have scored 26 points or more.
Two are seniors.
With likely no more than eight games left on the schedule, here's a brief scouting report on each player:
Quade Green — The Kentucky transfer leads the Huskies in scoring (15.4), assists (3.4) and minutes (31.9), but also turnovers (3.3). He often tries to do too much at the expense of everyone else, hence he leads in shots attempted (254). The senior point guard admittedly hasn't done a very good job of keeping this team together.
Jamal Bey — The junior swingman leads the Pac-12 in 3-point shooting (53.7 percent) and has the Huskies' high-point game (28), but only in the past three weeks has he realized just how good he can be. Bey needs to be much more aggressive offensively and take over games. It's on him.
Marcus Tsohonis — He plays more confidently than anyone else on the team and has to push hard to make the coaching staff take him seriously at all times. While starting just once and even sitting out three games, the sophomore ranks third in scoring (9.4) and has supplied three of the Huskies' highest scoring outings (24, 27, 22). He could play better defense.
Erik Stevenson — The Wichita State transfer has game, but he forces a lot of shots. It might be that he simply needs a devoted point guard to set him up around the perimeter rather than feeling obligated to create everything on his own. He showed what he could do at Cal (27). There should be much more of that.
Hameir Wright — The 6-foot-9 senior confounds the fan base by sitting on the perimeter and tossing up shots that don't go in (26.6 percent). He's undisciplined and leads the Huskies in fouls (53), but he's fouled out just once. With his limited skills, he would be better suited coming off the bench and playing an inside game only.
Nate Roberts — A 6-11 sophomore, he's the only player to start all 17 games and he leads the team in rebounds (6.4). While he's to be commended for hitting the weight room and building muscle, he needs to work on dexterity issues. He fumbles a lot of passes. He also needs to expand his offensive game beyond put-backs and lay-ins.
Nate Pryor — The junior-college transfer demonstrated so much promise when the season began. He started twice, moved the ball around, displayed an outside shot and provided three double-figure scoring games (15, 13, 13). Yet he's completely disappeared while sitting out five of the past nine games and not scoring for more than a month.
RaeQuan Battle — A 6-5 guard with a pretty shot, he hasn't been able to harness his gifts and play under control. He had a career day against Oregon (19) but he's sat out five of the past seven games. He needs hands-on coaching. The fear is he'll get impatient and leave. With his size and stroke, he might be able to do what Gonzaga's Corey Kispert does.
Riley Sorn — One of the two tallest college players in America and a walk-on, the 7-4 Sorn provides interesting possibilities. He's turned in three double-figure scoring games (16, 10, 10). He leads the team in blocks (18). Yet he needs another 20 pounds on his 260-pound frame. It's on the coaching staff to develop him physically to the point it can use him more.
J'Raan Brooks — The USC transfer has more offensive skills than any other big man on the roster, but he's a big liability on defense. Again, it's a coaching job to get him ready. He's started once. He's twice showed he can put the ball in the basket in limited stints (8, 8). He needs to be reliable as a zone defender, which is mainly why he doesn't play more.
Cole Bajema — The Michigan transfer is a 6-7 player with guard skills, someone with plenty of potential. Yet this small-town kid (Lynden) is way too polite on the court and often ignored by his impatient teammates. He and Sorn are the only players who haven't started. Bajema needs to exert himself more and make people take him seriously.
