The Huskies are sharing preseason top billing in the Pac-10 with Cal, which does return four starters from a team that twice beat UW last season.
Then again, Washington, not Cal, won the Pac-10's regular season title.
"We're the defending Pac-10 champs, so it definitely goes through us first," sophomore guard Isaiah Thomas said. "People can have their own opinions -- Cal has everyone back, they're a great team and they beat us both times last year. They're hungry.
"But we've got some new guys who are going to make a difference this year."
Foremost among them is freshman point guard Abdul Gaddy, who joins Thomas to form one of the most explosive and potentially entertaining backcourts anywhere.
In an interview this summer with SI.com, Thomas was asked to envision how things will shake out with his new guard partner.
"I just envision a lot of, I guess, highlights," he said. "With a guy like (Gaddy) handling the ball, you don't know what can happen, and with a guy like me having the ball too, it's going to be fun to watch.
"Abdul is as good as advertised, with what he does with assists and creating (opportunities) for people, and I'm probably more of a scorer, so we're both going to be able to do what we do."
Gone is Jon Brockman, the Huskies' rebounding machine for the past four seasons. Expect fast-paced UW -- which led the Pac-10 at 78.6 points per game last year -- to play even faster.
The up-tempo formula allowed coach Lorenzo Romar's squad to become the first Pac-10 school since Oregon State in 1958 to follow a losing season with a conference regular-season title.
There are issues, starting with who will eat up the rebounds left by Brockman. Senior forward Quincy Pondexter will need to contribute there, along with Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Darnell Gant and a couple freshmen.
The Huskies also either need to begin shooting better from the 3-point range, or shooting less often. They were ninth in the Pac-10 in accuracy from beyond the arc at 33.7 percent, and their returning players converted just 29.7 percent.
Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.
