Among the Husky Hoop Shortcomings, the Lack of Leadership is Glaring
As the losses pile up, the University of Washington basketball team clearly has issues.
The Huskies don't shoot well, don't take care of the basketball, don't rebound at all.
On Thursday night against Stanford, another glaring situation came to the forefront.
This team has no leadership or defined roles.
Coach Mike Hopkins' coaching moves seem as disorganized and scatter-brained as the play of his players. One feeds off the other. Somebody needs to step up, beginning with the man in charge.
Just look at how Hopkins handled the point-guard position in the 91-75 loss to the Cardinal.
Marcus Tsohonis was made the last-minute starter, this after the sophomore from Portland didn't play at all the game before against Arizona.
The school initially disclosed the move was made because senior Quade Green was said to be suffering from a week-long illness that prevented him from practicing.
Hopkins disclosed after the game that Green didn't start for reasons he said would be kept "within the team."
Oh.
Then there was junior-college transfer Nate Pryor, who started two contests earlier in the season, including the team's lone 73-43 victory over Seattle U, and was repeatedly singled out by Hopkins for providing floor leadership. He didn't stir from the bench on Thursday.
Tsohonis responded by scoring a career-high 24 points against Stanford, which might suggest he should have been playing more all along.
The season before, he was a true freshman and a good soldier who had his redshirt status lifted at midseason once Green became academically ineligible. He started nine games at the point and outplayed the older guards. He was discarded to begin this season.
Green's academic ineligibility largely ruined the 2019-20 season, though the UW never should have collapsed from the loss of just one player. It appears he continues to act irresponsibly when the Huskies badly need him to lead them.
Early on, Pryor provided playmaking calm was a starter. He didn't get off the bench against Stanford. He's now the odd man out. He must be wondering what he got himself into.
Hopkins can't seem to coax any lasting leadership from his guys in a season that's fractured into a 1-8 tailspin with no end in sight as the Huskies visit California on Saturday.
But then again, leadership begins at the top.
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