Friday, February 3, 2012 @ 3:23pm

Is Washington's Tony Wroten ready for the NBA?

Tony Wroten's off night in Washington's win over UCLA on Thursday provided more fuel for discussions about the true freshman's NBA readiness.

Wroten, who's talented enough to generate speculation that he could be a "one-and-done" player, had two assists, five turnovers and 13 points on 4 of 11 shooting against the Bruins. He made all five of his free-throw attempts while playing 27 minutes.

Citing his shooting limitations, ESPN college basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb told "Brock and Salk" on Friday that he thinks Wroten's game needs refinement before he's ready to be effective at the next level.

"I've talked to NBA people who don't like him, ... think he can't shoot but think he's a talent," Gottlieb said, adding that a draft weak in point guards would ensure that Wroten would be taken.

Gottlieb added: "It all depends on what's important to you. If you want to be a well-rounded player so that your second contract is a big one, then you wait a year or two. If you just want to go and get paid and hear your name and become a professional, then go because I think somebody will take him."

Brock Huard shares Gottlieb's reservations about Wroten, and he explains why in Friday's Wrapup video.

You can download Friday's podcast here.

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Thursday, February 2, 2012 @ 9:57pm

The vets take over for the Huskies

With 8:11 remaining against UCLA and trailing 60-53 Aziz N'Diaye re-entered the game. Tony Wroten had come out 25 seconds earlier. It was the last substitution Lorenzo Romar would make. Momentum seemed to be pointing in the direction of UCLA who had hit back to back threes to turn a one point deficit at the half into a 7 point lead with the Huskies doing the them all sorts of favors turning the ball over time after time. The game was ugly. Then something happened.

"We were playing like individuals in the first 30 minutes and then we came together as a team," Abdul Gaddy explained. "It's just our competitive nature, we want to win so bad that we yell at our teammates sometimes but that We came together and said we had to cheer each other on no matter what and things started to go our way."

Terrence Ross was a force down the stretch scoring 11 of the final 13 points for the Huskies. That cannot be ignored but what stood out was that when this final group of Ross, Gaddy, N'Diaye, Gant and Wilcox was on the floor order seemed to be restored. They played like a veteran team. They took care of the basketball, got the ball to the right guy, they fought for the loose ball, played lockdown defense and seemed to slow the game down. Not in actual time, rather, in control.

Missing on the floor for all of this was Tony Wroten who was noticeably slowed after taking a knee in the thigh in the first half. How much did his absence play into the last 8 minutes of the game?

"You would phrase it that way, I would phrase it we put CJ in," said Lorenzo Romar who noted that Wroten seemed to lose a step after the injury. "CJ again, you have got to pay attention to him. When we were in there and started to make that comeback those guys were playing so well together we stuck with that group."

Wilcox, coming off of a week where he was not allowed to practice played 26 minutes and scored 6 points. In the final stretch he hit four free throws and came up with the steal and assist that led to a monster dunk by Darnell Gant to give the Huskies a 3 point lead with 2:08 to go. These points were about the only ones Ross was not involved in in the final stretch. Second half Terrence Ross showed up to the tune of 18 points. Darnell Gant for one, is not surprised to see Ross break out in the second half game after game.

"The thing about Terrence is, people sleep on his will to win," he said. "That guy has a will to win. He might be quiet to everybody else, but the things I catch him saying in the locker room and the things he says personally, man that guy has a will to win. He hates losing. He always picks it up in the second half. We always tell him any shot is a good shot, and he just carried us in the end."

Ross was a huge part of the win but it was the play of those around him who allowed him to get the ball and be in the position to win. Those five out on the floor were not going to let this get away. Because of early losses the feeling is every game is must win. What has changed however is now there is a feeling every game can be won. This team is still inconsistent in a lot of categories and let's not miss the fact that they turned the ball over 16 times tonight, but watching them now there seems to be less in doubt. They seem to be a team that can flat out find a way to win.

"I think it showed our maturity," Gaddy said of the win. "We were down 10 points and we fought back. We wanted to prove our maturity; we had a will to win. Down the stretch we started getting stops, and then we went to our guy, Terrence Ross."

Thursday, February 2, 2012 @ 8:20pm

Analyst: Jeff Lindquist is a better fit for UW's offense

As is often the case with college football recruiting, the Washington Huskies' 2012 class took its shape in the last few days before national signing day.

But unlike most programs, UW was able finish its recruiting effort by signing two highly touted quarterbacks in Cyler Miles of Mullen, Colo. and Jeff Lindquist of Mercer Island. Scout.com ranks Lindquist as the No. 8 quarterback in the 2012 class, while Miles comes in at No. 18.

Quarterback Jeff Lindquist threw two touchdown passes in the Jan. 3 Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl. (AP)

In Lemming's eyes, it's Lindquist who has more potential to become the successor to Keith Price at quarterback for the Huskies.

"I think Miles has gotten more publicity, but I love Jeff Lindquist," he said. "We had him down at our Semper Fi game. He's the first quarterback I selected for that game (Lemming helps decide the rosters for the game) and he didn't disappoint. Jeff's got a great arm [and] he's a tremendous leader both on and off the field."

At 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, Lindquist has the build of a pocket passer. He threw for just over 1,900 yards and 22 touchdowns in 11 games a senior at Mercer Island.

Miles is considered as a more athletic quarterback than Lindquist. However, as Lemming points out, that may not be the best option for the Huskies under head coach Steve Sarkisian and his pro-style offense.

"[Lindquist] is a good sized player who can run," Lemming said. "He's not a sprinter, but he makes good decisions, better so than Cyler Miles. Miles is a super athlete, great runner, but I think as far as being a pure passer, working with a guy like Steve Sarkisian, I think Jeff is the kind of guy that can really get the job done."

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012 @ 6:02pm

Jay Bilas: Tony Wroten is among nation's top freshmen

Washington guard Tony Wroten made a statement in front of a national TV audience last Saturday, scoring 17 points and blocking a last-second shot to secure a win over Arizona.

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas joined "The Kevin Calabro Show" Wednesday, and said that Wroten is among the nation's best freshmen.

Wroten averaged 17.5 points per game in January. (AP)

While Bilas acknowledged that the Huskies have some work to do in order to erase a lackluster non-conference schedule, he thought they looked like an NCAA tournament team Saturday.

If the Huskies make the tournament and Wroten continues to shine the way he did in the month of January -- he averaged 17.5 points per game -- the possibility of him declaring for the NBA draft is a realistic one.

As a senior at Garfield high school last year, Wroten was a player that Bilas tabbed as the best passer in the 2011 recruiting class. Bilas still distinguishes him as a top distributor, but also believes that Wroten has grown as a player this year at the UW.

"He's an elite level passer," Bilas said. "I think he's really improved his decision making. He's not trying to knock the ball out of the park every time. ... I think he's really improved his reads."

As of Jan. 26, NBADraft.net had Wroten as the 20th pick in its latest mock draft, while Washington sophomore Terrence Ross was 13th. But the decision to enter the draft, Bilas said, shouldn't be based purely off mock drafts and rankings.

"There are so many different variables that go into that," Bilas said. "It's such an individual decision [that] I tend to think that it's not so much about your preparedness to be drafted. It's whether you're fully committed to be a pro."

The nation will get another chance to see Wroten, Ross, and the Huskies Thursday as ESPN will televise their game against UCLA at 6 p.m.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 @ 1:28pm

Steve Sarkisian's recruiting efforts pay off for Huskies

Losing out on some of the top local recruits invited jokes about holes in the fence Steve Sarkisian said he was trying to put around the state.

Despite that, the Huskies' recruiting class appears to be just fine.

In Wednesday's Wrap Up video, Brock and Salk say Sarkisian deserves credit for making the necessary moves to ensure a strong recruiting class.

You can download Wednesday's podcast here.

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012 @ 1:02pm

After committing to UW, Jordan Payton picks UCLA

Tuesday's signing day offered another reminder that recruits' commitments don't mean much until their letters of intent are signed, sealed and delivered.

The latest example is Jordan Payton, a wide receiver from Westlake Village, Calif. who signed with UCLA on Wednesday after committing to Washington Tuesday night on ESPN.

Payton, who is ranked by Scout.com and Rivals.com as the 15th-best wide receiver prospect in the nation, had also previously committed to USC and California. He said during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January but reopened his commitment after Washington hired two of Cal's coaches, Tosh Lupoi and Eric Kiesau.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 @ 5:27pm

Analyst: Shaq Thompson is a 'once-in-a-decade' player

Washington may have lost out on Lakes offensive tackle Zach Banner, who is rated by Rivals.com as the 16th-best prospect in the country.

But on the same day, they secured a commitment from what one recruiting analyst thinks is "a once-in-a-decade-type player."

Shaq Thompson

Thompson, who is from Sacramento, Calif., had committed in the spring to Cal, where his brother, Syd'Quan, played football. That changed when Washington hired Tosh Lupoi, the defensive line coach at Cal who had helped recruit Shaq Thompson.

Thompson tweeted Monday night that he was committing to Washington, then confirmed his decision to several media outlets.

"Shaq Thompson going to UW was huge," Biggins told "Brock and Salk" on Tuesday. "I don't like to use too much hyperbole, but in the 15 years I've been watching especially California players, he's probably the best safety I've seen in my 15 years. He's such a tremendous talent.

"Literally, you break his game down and he doesn't really have discernable weakness. His body -- he's 6-2, 220 right now as a high school, 18-year-old kid. He can run. Two years ago, when he was 180, he was a corner, so he's got those corner skills. He hits, he plays in the box, he covers a lot of range. It's a huge pickup."

Thompson and other recruits can begin signing their letters of intent on Wednesday.

Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 6:04pm

Video: Lakes OT Zach Banner picks USC

Lakes offensive tackle Zach Banner said during a news conference Monday that he will attend USC, picking the Trojans over Washington and Oklahoma.

Here is video of Banner's announcement, which was shot by 710 ESPN Seattle's James Osborn: