Leading the way is senior stalwart Bob Houbregs.  Houbregs has been the man in Seattle since he first put on tight shorts.  A cerebral player who knows how to use his body and get inside for easy hoops he has also got the most potent hook shot North of Los Angeles.  Houbregs knows how to play and loves this game and the fans of Seattle love him.  With all the attention pointed at Seattle this year in and the hype around this team preseason ‘Hooks’ is the focal point.  I don’t think he likes all of the attention of being the symbol for a program and the city but this 6’8 225 pounder has broad shoulders.    He did, however, run into a basket support midway through the year and missed a few games with a tight back.  This stud e bounced back strong and scored 20 in his first game after the injury.  But he did lose some minutes to some up and comers and his stats were nowhere near as good as they had been in the past.  That is until the end of the year when his performance in the Conference tourney and the NIT was epic as he scored 72 points in three games and proved he was the King of the Northwest once again.  He is already a legend in Seattle but this hometown kid wants to get this team back to the Big Dance once again before he moves on.  

Perhaps the best player on the Huskies this season is Sophomore Detlef Schrempf.  And he didn’t even start most of the games.  The German born Wunderkid has brought international basketball to the states and Seattle in particular.  He looks a little odd with that patented brush cut and he talks kind of funny but the kid can play.  Schrempf is the complete package at six foot ten. He plays small forward because he is a terrific ball handler and can really get up down the court.  He loves to finish with a flair but can also pass like a point guard.  He is a tough defender who is quick enough and obviously big enough to handle small forwards fairly easily.  He got some minutes at big guard to show his versatility and his skills.  He may have as much raw talent as any foreign player in the country.  His future is extremely bright as he continues to learn as a player.  His shot, which can be inconsistent, will only get better and he is a defensive nightmare with his length and strength and speed at the 3.  He can really get to the hoop and he will do whatever it takes to win as witnessed by his willingness to come off the bench to help the team.  He has become friends with Kurt Cobain and though he may not be as big in Seattle as the Grunge King he definitely is recognized when he goes out to cut a rug. 

Fellow senior Jack Nichols has a little left in the gas tank for his senior year but it probably won’t be in the same capacity as he has had in the past.  He started last year as the number two option on the team and lined up at one forward next to Houbregs.  He was pushed hard by the rowdy youth coming to the UDub but held his ground.  He might not be cat quick or huge but this forward can still play.  Nichols is smart and tough and can play both forward positions well.  He was to team with Houbregs to be his Vedder to his Cobain but it never worked out.  The lefty did lose some time to a foot injury (the Huskies were snake bit with injuries all year) and it opened up the door for some young talent to play. Maybe this was an omen as it is what he was meant to be as a darn good role player that does not mind not getting the attention and just doing his job.  He is good at doing his job. 

Arguably the player with the most upside on the roster is Junior big man James Edwards.  A seven foot plus monster who can stack up physically with anyone, Edwards plays old school inside with his ancient turn-around jumper that clangs around for two minutes before it decides to drop.  He is a space eater of biblical proportions.  Buddha is big, mean and nasty and that can be a lethal combination when he is motivated.  He will come to play but only on his terms and he is so good he gets away with it.  Still, he has game and wherever he plays his size and skill make him an advantage to have on your side. There is one guy who wishes he was in a different conference and that is Lew Alcindor.  Edwards gives the Skyhooker fits because he as big and much meaner then the Bruin superstar.  If he played as well every night as he did against UCLA you might just have an All-American in Seattle playing center.   One thing Edwards had got to improve on is his rebounding.  He should get more just on girth alone but he does not seem to care about boards.  He will defend other big men though and is a good shot blocker though he makes his bread and butter in the paint with his patented turnaround.  Depending on the night Big James is either the most overrated bum on the planet or the next coming of Walt Bellamy. Only James can have it both ways. 

Christian Welp, Steve Hawes, Doug Smart all could have played big minutes for other teams.  These guys all got some minutes but were destined to backup roles even though they have big time ability.  Not that they would be beating out Alcindor and Walton or but this trio can play down low. Hawes in particular should get more time.  He was very effective this season both starting and coming off the bench.  His ability to play and guard both post positions is huge and though he is smaller than the rest he gives the team more overall skills up front.  He can score on the blocks or from mid-range which is huge as no other big guy besides Houbregs goes outside the key.  He does not get any attention backing up Houbregs and Edwards but he should. Smart is a solid player who has been Houbreg’s and Nichol’s caddy for far too long.  He can score and board but is the smallest of the big guys at on;y 6’7 230.  He seems destined for the bench and has been losing minutes to some of the new guys coming to Seattle.  Welp showed great potential and is a horse but was another Husky who the injury bug bit and his problems with his feet might not go away.  Too bad because he loves the paint and is as productive as they come shooting almost 70 percent.  He never takes a bad shot and can board but he must be healthy or he will spend the rest of his career in Seattle in an arcade instead of what he was born to do which is take up space in the paint and make baskets at a high level of accuracy.  Christian (way too much religion for a sports page) is another German born player who is solid in all facets but not quite the talent of Edwards.  He is huge as well though and gives the other teams a duo of 7 footers to deal with every night who can play. Not many teams can say that!

The backcourt for the Huskies does not look good from the get go.  Coach Dye had brought in a huge group of recruits to battle in Seattle for the future of the back court.  AS for the carryovers, Sophomore Eldridge Recasner was the only Husky to play in all 31 games and was by far the most unsung of any of the starters.  Recasner is a gamer who can score and dish but is not exactly the kind of athlete they got running around in Arizona in the back court.  He shuttled between point and the two spot depending on who he was playing with.  Recasner knows how to play and is clutch and comes looking to win every night.  Juniors Louis Nelson, Chester Dorsey and Clarence Ramsey are incumbents who are in jeopardy of losing minutes to the young guys this year.  Dorsey has the best basketball knowledge on the team and took it upon himself to be the vocal leader of this team.  Dorsey is a good defender who can pass and is the best playmaker on the team.  He is a bit of a showman and quite popular with his behind the back passes but he brings little or nothing in the scoring column.  Dorsey is not the answer for the Huskies as Dye was looking for someone a little more athletic to guard the great point guards that have taken over this conference especially from the Arizona schools who gave the Huskies fits all year long.  Nelson, a true shooting guard, hails from LA and can play.  He can shoot and has been doing a fine job but he got hurt late in the year.   He is the favorite to start again and this team needs his outside shooting but he will be challenged.  Ramsey is 6’4 and brings a nice offensive game to the Huskies.  Like, Nelson, he is not the perimeter defender this team needs to hang with those athletic wings that are everywhere in the PAC-10 nowadays. 

The trio of Seniors George Irvine and Dave Carr and junior Ray Price will battle for wing minutes at the small forward behind Schrempf presumably.  Irvine is the incumbent and can score inside and out but is not the most physical player in the world.  He is smart though. And consistent.  He is also a pure shooter with not much else.  Carr is a tremendous athlete who can finish all day but is only 6’3.  His dunks are famous around the sound but he has to get better at shooting.  That is not the problem for the Machine.   The 6’6 kids from SoCal was a huge recruit because he can flat shoot ala the wonderful nickname. He looks like that kid from West Virginia when he goes up for one of his many jump shots.  He averaged over 30 a game in high school and has played well since coming north for the winters.  Price played extremely well the last half of last year and actually outscored and outplayed Irvine and might be the favorite to be the sixth man this year.  It would be really cool if these guys could combine their skills and perhaps get a little better at ballhandling but this is a solid trio that might have been surpassed on the depth chart by a German kid but they will contribute. 

The Seattle Sound has taken the world by storm.  The new place to be in America is in the Northwest where this new style of music that came from the basements of the forgotten youth has blown up.  The University of Washington is the center of this new world.  The kids on campus there wear theit black jeans and listen to their music and love their Huskies.  The hype for the basketball season with a couple of superstars on magazines all over the country has the fanaticism running amuck.  After all there is only one Hendrix and he did not have to be hyped to become the legend that he is.  He did that all on his own.  Maybe next year with all the looky lous leaving town the Huskies can actually get down to playing basketball.  After all isn’t that is what it is all about.  Just playing the music, er, I mean game.   Most of the locals would rather have it as their own little huge small town without all of the attention anyways!  And anyway isn’t there a certain kind of dignity in being alone?  And one more thing; Steve, don’t cum yet!!!