Game Daily: Mediocre regular season sends Huskies into critical offseason

Mar 6, 2013, 12:00 AM

After a wild, rollercoaster ride of a 2012-13 season, the Washington men’s basketball team finishes up conference play this weekend with games against USC and UCLA. That will be followed by the Pac-12 tournament, some sort of postseason tournament (most likely the NIT), and, most importantly, an offseason that will determine the future of Husky basketball. It’s a strong statement, but it’s a truthful one. This upcoming offseason will be one of the most important in recent memory for the Huskies and will be a key role in deciding the future of the Washington men’s basketball program. It seems so long ago that things were looking up for the UW. Only a month and a half ago, the Huskies were 4-0 in conference play, one of the major surprises of the Pac-12. They were being discussed as a potential sleeper in the conference, and a team that could potentially do some damage in the NCAA tournament. Then, the Huskies lost at home to Utah, who was winless in the Pac-12 at the time and is now 3-13 in conference play. This started a run of seven losses in eight games, which only ended a few weeks ago with a win over Oregon State. Although they have rebounded — winning three of their past four — the Huskies, in seventh place in the Pac-12 at 8-8, are not even very close to being on the bubble. So what does this mean for next year and beyond? An uneven regular season has left the Huskies with far more questions than answers heading into the offseason. While it may not have always shown it, the UW is a veteran-laden team, one that will lose three starters next year. But not only do the Huskies lose three starters, they also lose three key cogs in this year’s squad: Abdul Gaddy, Aziz N’Diaye, and Scott Suggs. Gaddy is the team’s second-leading scorer, with Suggs in third and N’Diaye in fourth. The UW’s main ballhandler, Gaddy also leads the team in assists. And N’Diaye leads in rebounds and blocks. Losing three seniors is a big blow for any team, especially one that relies so heavily on its veterans. Head coach Lorenzo Romar has mostly been using an eight-man rotation all season. When three of those top-eight players leave, what is left are two returning starters and a group of inexperienced young players. While C.J. Wilcox and his 3-point shooting will return for one more season on Montlake, what happens when Wilcox goes cold, which happened multiple times this season? Who will step up then? The only returning starter other than Wilcox is Shawn Kemp Jr. Kemp brings size and athleticism to the low post, but he is a wildcard nonetheless. Romar doesn’t know just what he has yet in Kemp, and it may be a while before he finds out. Other than that, there isn’t much in the way of returning talent. Andrew Andrews will be expected to step up and take over a starting role, but he still needs to take better care of the ball and be more efficient from the field. Desmond Simmons will also be counted on to take a much bigger role in the offense next season. All of these players will be vital for the UW next season if it wants to improve on its up-and-down 2013. But, where it stands now, fans and coaches alike are left to wonder if these guys will take the next step on the way to stardom. That all begins this offseason. If Andrews improves, and Kemp improves, and Simmons improves, and one or two guys come out and surprise people, then the UW should have as good of a chance as anyone next season in the Pac-12. But, again, those are all questions. The answers won’t come until next winter. Reach columnist Daniel Rubens at sports@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @drubens12

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