A Way Too Early Husky Basketball Starting Lineup
Husky football just went on hiatus following Saturday's spring game. Mariners baseball no doubt will grab everyone's attention in the coming months. Yet considering the massive rebuild taking place at the University of Washington — imagine Alaska Airlines Arena being taken down to the studs — basketball won't be far from our consciousness this offseason.
While Mike Hopkins' program going into a severe nosedive was rightfully negligent, efforts to put it in recovery so far have been fascinating.
The Huskies have pulled a three-year starter out of the West Virginia coal mines, rescued a guard from the embers of an Arizona fire sale, gone big-game hunting in Africa and found potentially the most imposing towering southpaw for Seattle since Randy Johnson.
The acquisition of UW basketball talent is far from done, but that shouldn't stop anyone from moving the new pieces around in different combinations and contemplating what Hopkins might have at his fingertips these days.
So, likely six months from the real season opener, here's a way-too-early starting lineup that could go a long way to making people forget the 5-21 nightmare that was Husky basketball last season.
Langston Wilson
This 6-foot-9 big man, a Pennsylvania native who played a lone season of junior-college basketball in Georgia the year before last and received his scholarship release from Alabama last month, might be the offensive post presence the Huskies didn't have last season.
In his video highlights, Wilson appears to be both an aggressive dunker and a reasonable 3-point shooter, someone who could force opposing defenses to play the UW more honest than at any time since they put Jaylen Nowell and Matisse Thybulle on the floor.
A 10-point scorer, Wilson has been labeled the nation's No. 2 JC player and local websites have even hailed him as "a massive get" and somewhat of a savior without delving into his background at all. It's still not clear whether he left an overbooked Alabama willingly or was asked to move on.
Emmitt Matthews
Matthews is a proven talent who would prefer to have more of a headliner role with Hopkins' Huskies. Another left-hander, he averaged 7.7 points per game for NCAA tournament-qualifier West Virginia this past season, and most likely would like to double it with the UW.
A 6-foot-7 junior from Tacoma, Washington, with two seasons of eligibility remaining, Matthews brings a reputation as a strong defender, something that was glaringly missing for the guys in the purple shirts.
Matthews might be the player more likely to be a starter than anyone else on the roster.
Jackson Grant
With Wilson and Matthews playing prominent roles, the top 35 recruit won't have to be an immediate savior. The 6-foot-10 freshman from Olympia, Washington, can ease his way into college basketball.
While the Huskies had no big men who could hit a 3-pointer last season with any degree of success whatsoever, consequently enabling defenses to put all of their attention on the UW guards, Grant should have plenty of opportunity to score in any number of ways.
His highlight video show him confidently draining 3s when he's not using clever footwork to step around opponents. Grant has a chance to be very good from the outset of his career.
Terrell Brown
The Huskies need this Seattle native foremost to run the floor and get the ball to the big men whenever possible, and replicate the 4.9 assists per game he dished out for Seattle U in 2019-20.
Of course, Brown can score. A first-team All-WAC selection, he averaged 20.7 points per game. He totaled 20 points or more 16 times, including a career-high 31 points four times for the Redhawks.
However, with more star-studded Arizona, the 6-foot-3 guard started just 9 of 26 games and averaged 7.3 ppg and 3.5 apg. Points-wise, he scored in double figures just eight times, with a high of 18 points against Arizona State.
If there's one consistent from him moving from the WAC to the Pac-12 it's that he still was an adept playmaker in each league.
Jamal Bey
Bey is the only holdover from last year's mess. For now. Hopkins could pick up another guard or two before he's done that might relegate this returning Husky starter to a reserve role.
At 6-foot-6 with a 3-point stroke that topped the Pac-12 for accuracy, Bey should be a starter everywhere he goes. However, he's been a reticent player, often deferring to his teammates when he needs to take over.
Polite didn't work last year with all of those guys who have left him for other programs after losing 21 of 26 games. Amid the turmoil, Bey averaged 10.3 ppg while shooting 50.7 percent from behind the arc. He needs to call for the ball, take his shot more and bump his average up to 15 ppg or more.
With all those big men, it might be a lot easier for Bey to score. He might like it. It's time to be selfish.
With these guys forming our starting five, that leaves 6-foot-11 junior Nate Roberts, 6-foot-7 junior Cole Bajema, 6-foot-2 point guard Dominiq Penn, 7-foot-4 walk-on sophomore Riley Sorn and African newcomer 6-foot-8 Samuel Ariyibi to provide bench support.
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