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Washington team report
Pac-10 reportSportsLine.com Report In the PaintWashington coach Bob Bender thought he had built the Husky program to a point where it would never fall back too far. But he also knew this season, the first in four years without center Todd MacCulloch and guard Donald Watts, would be a challenge, saying it would be the true test of the overall fitness of the UW program. That's a test the Huskies failed miserably this season, Bender's seventh in Seattle. The Huskies fell to 10-20 overall -- only the second 20-loss season in school history, the other a 5-22 mark in Bender's first year in 1994 -- and 5-13 in Pac-10 play, ahead of only 1-17 Washington State. The Huskies were so bad, they were blown out twice by an Oregon State team that fired coach Eddie Payne. To make matters worse, a month after the season ended, Senque Carey, seen as the team's leader for next year and beyond, announced his intention to transfer. It was just another kick to the teeth in what was already a dark time for the once-rising program. "What happened this season was unacceptable," Bender said. And he still insists it was surprising. Bender thought his team could make a third consecutive NCAA appearance, or at least a fifth straight postseason berth, counting NIT bids in 1996 and 1997. But little went right for UW. The season got off to a rocky start as the Huskies were forced to play their first six games on the road due to the renovation of Hec Edmundson Pavilion, which also forced them to play their home games at KeyArena, the home of the Sonics in downtown Seattle. UW won its first two games, at St. Mary's and at Alaska-Anchorage in the Great Alaska Shootout. But then it all began to fall apart. Asked to pick a turning point, Bender pointed to two games -- an overtime loss at New Mexico State when the Huskies blew a 14-point lead and also lost Grant Leep and Chris Walcott to injury; and the second game of the Pac-10 season when the Huskies lost at home in overtime to Southern California. If UW had defeated New Mexico State, it would have been 6-6 instead of 5-7 entering Pac-10 play. If it had beaten USC, it would have been 2-0 to start Pac-10 play instead of 1-1 and heading on the road to Arizona and Arizona State. But the real turning point might have been when JC transfer center David Dixon showed up in October vastly overweight, tipping the scales at more than 300 pounds -- he was listed at 280 in the UW media guide. The Huskies had counted on Dixon starting at center and replacing the bulk of MacCulloch's numbers. Instead, Dixon hardly played, averaging 1.6 points and 1.8 rebounds, and UW played with short lineups almost all season. "That affected everything we did," Bender said. Without a solid inside game, Bender's plan to open up the perimeter suffered as Carey, Michael Johnson and Deon Luton struggled to get their own shots, and make the ones they did get -- none of the three shot better than 41 percent. Johnson and Carey, in particular, each had subpar seasons after having come on late in the 1999 season. Still, the loss of Carey is one that can only drop the team's stock next season. Forwards Thalo Green, Will Perkins and Greg Clark failed to make a significant step up in production to solidify the power forward spot. Perkins, a JC transfer, had his moments, but also had the typical struggles of a player making his Division I debut. Green and Clark are each decent defenders, but are undersized and lack much offense. It all added up to an enormously disappointing year for UW. A Glance at 2001So how do things get better next year, considering Luton -- the team's leading scorer at 15.1 points per game -- and Walcott -- the team's only real inside scoring threat -- each graduate? Throw in Carey's transfer and the situation is that much more bleak. First, Bender is counting on Dixon -- who will stay in Seattle this summer and work out -- to make a huge improvement next season. Second, he is planning on incoming freshmen Curtis Allen and C.J. Massingale of Tacoma, Wash., to take some of the ball-handling pressure off Johnson and make up for the loss of Carey. Bender also hopes Green, Perkins and Clark will make big jumps in strength and overall play in what will be their final years as Huskies. He also expects incoming freshman forward DeMarcus Williams to be able to play immediately and at least help with rebounding and defense. If that all works out, it might allow Bender to redshirt center Marlon Shelton, who just completed his sophomore season. Or, Shelton could progress to playing regular minutes inside. Maybe that will work if Dixon really does slim down and Allen and Massingale can make an immediate impact. But that sounds like a lot of "ifs" to some around Seattle. The only advantage to missing the NCAA Tournament, Bender said, was getting an early start on recruiting. UW will have five scholarships to award next season, and Bender said the focus is on a solid class of in-state big men. "This class has everything we need in terms of size and athletic ability," Bender said. "We have five to give and at the moment, we have only offered them to in-state players." Signing a few of those players in the early November period would give the program a huge boost heading into next year, when the Huskies will also return to a refurbished Hec Edmundson Pavilion. "My intent is still to build a program that lasts," Bender said. "To be in a position to just let the numbers speak for themselves. This is not a short-term thing. It's a long-term thing." The CoachThough there is some grumbling from the natives, who wonder if next year will really be much better, Bender is safe for now. He has a four-year rollover contract and the undying support of athletic director Barbara Hedges, who hired him in 1993 -- a decision she still considers among the best she has ever made. Plus, it's fairly ridiculous to put much heat on Bender yet considering the overall history of the UW program, which pales in comparison to that of the football team. Bender, however, better sign a good recruiting class next season and win a few more games, which would at least show that the future is bright. Another growing concern is the flight of players from the program. Players have left early the past six seasons, though none have scalded Bender or the program upon their departure. Who'll be backJohnson will return along with Green, Perkins and Clark, who each started some at forward. Dixon and Shelton will also be back in the middle. Also back is backup point guard Bryan Brown, who came on late in the season, and forwards Ben Coffee -- who played sparingly this year as a freshman and still looks like a project -- and Grant Leep -- who was just beginning to come on in his sophomore year when he was hurt at New Mexico State. The Huskies are still awaiting word on whether Leep will be granted a redshirt year. Who's goneAs sporadic as he was, losing Carey hurt. A marquee recruit for Bender two years ago, next year was supposed to be his chance to break out and show what all the hype was about. He hit a pair of game-winning shots -- including a national highlight reel job at Cal -- but too often disappeared. He will be missed and hard to replace from the standpoint that starting point guards don't grow on trees, but to the same extent, Carey was nothing special and his loss is hardly the death of the program. Luton and Walcott are also big losses.. UW also loses guard Andrew Moritz, a walk-on who was given a scholarship for his senior season. Luton left as the school's eighth leading scorer and was the only consistent scorer the UW had this year. Walcott was the team's emotional leader and a smart, if limited, player inside. Luton, though, is the bigger loss since he was by far the most talented player on this year's team. Key Newcomers
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