Friday, May 17, 2013 @ 1:37pm

Washington's Wilcox undergoes foot surgery

SEATTLE (AP) - Washington guard C.J. Wilcox has undergone surgery on his left foot to stabilize a stress fracture that bothered him for much of his junior season.

The school says Wilcox had the surgery on Friday. Wilcox's surgery stabilized the fifth metatarsal in his left foot. He is expected to make a full recovery in time for the start of the 2013-14 season.

Wilcox, the Huskies' leading scorer last season, considered leaving school for the NBA after his junior season but decided in late April to come back for his senior campaign. Wilcox averaged 16.8 points per game, good for sixth in the Pac-12. He was a second-team all-Pac-12 selection.

Thursday, May 16, 2013 @ 1:48pm

Chillious returns to Washington as assistant coach

SEATTLE (AP) - After a year away, Raphael Chillious is returning to work as an assistant coach under Lorenzo Romar at Washington.

Washington announced the coaching move on Thursday. Chillious is the second hire made to Romar's staff in the past two weeks after the hiring of T.J. Otzelberger from Iowa State. Chillious and Otzelberger join a staff that already includes Jim Shaw, Paul Fortier and Brad Jackson. The school said any corresponding moves on the staff would be made in the near future.

Chillious worked at Washington from 2010-12 before leaving to join the staff at Villanova for one season. Chillious says it was hard leaving Washington originally, but that his year coaching and recruiting in the Big East will help as he makes the return to the Huskies program.

Thursday, May 9, 2013 @ 2:03pm

Las Vegas Bowl set for Dec. 21 Saturday 12:30 p.m.

LAS VEGAS (AP) - The 2013 Las Vegas Bowl will be played Dec. 21 on a Saturday afternoon for the second year in a row.

ESPN Regional Television and bowl officials announced Thursday the 22nd annual bowl will kick off at Sam Boyd Stadium at 12:30 p.m. PST.

The matchup to be televised nationally by ABC will feature the top choice from the Mountain West Conference against the fifth pick from the Pac-12.

Dan Hanneke, the bowl's executive director, says they had a tremendous response to playing last year's game on a weekend day and are pleased the calendar will accommodate a similar setup this year.

A crowd of 33,217 watched No. 15 Boise State beat Washington 28-26 last year.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013 @ 2:00pm

ISU's Otzelberger leaving for Washington

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - After eight years in Ames, Iowa State assistant coach T.J. Otzelberger felt it was time for a new challenge.

Otzelberger is hoping his next move will be the last one before becoming a head coach.

Washington coach Lorenzo Romar announced Tuesday that he had hired Otzelberger as an assistant, calling him a "tenacious recruiter." Otzelberger told The Associated Press that Romar convinced him a move to Seattle would help him earn a head coaching job someday.

Romar "really said `I look at you as somebody that's on the brink of taking that next step,'" Otzelberger said.

Otzelberger's departure is the biggest blow that Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg's staff has suffered in his three seasons in Ames.

The 36-year-old Otzelberger had been with Iowa State since 2006, arriving with former head coach Greg McDermott. Otzelberger was promoted to associate head coach in 2010 under Hoiberg, who at the time cited Otzelberger's presence as critical in rebuilding the program.

Though Otzelberger's strength lied with recruiting, he was also responsible for Iowa State's game plans over the past two seasons and he helped Hoiberg lead the Cyclones to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances for the first time in 12 years.

"The way Fred approaches basketball is really creative," Otzelberger said. "Fred also showed me a lot about believing in the guys and building their confidence."

But Otzelberger was concerned that having Division I experience at only one school, Iowa State, would ultimately hurt his chances of landing a head coaching job. Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett and Seattle's Cameron Dollar were both former assistants under Romar, and Otzelberger hopes he'll soon join them as head coaches.

"I just felt like this was the next step in my progression," Otzelberger said.

The Huskies have fallen short of the NCAA tournament in each of the last two seasons, going to the NIT instead. Before that, Washington made the NCAAs three years in a row and reached the regional semifinals in 2010.

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Follow Luke Meredith on Twitter: www.twitter.com/LukeMeredithAP

Monday, May 6, 2013 @ 3:43pm

Falcons rookies pass crash course in intense camp

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) Mike Smith tested Atlanta Falcons rookies with an overload of information in a short period of time.

The coach said the first-year players survived the test during three practices at the rookie camp. The rookie class, topped by Atlanta's first two draft picks, cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford, also showed skills to impress Smith and his staff.

"We gave them a whole bunch the last three days and I think they handled it extremely well," Smith said after the final session on Sunday. "We wanted to see how they could handle the things mentally and they did a very nice job."

The draft picks were joined by undrafted rookie free agents signed by the team and first-year players invited for tryouts. It was the start of what Smith said is the "recalibration" of the Falcons roster.

Highlights included the speed of Trufant and Alford, the strength and pass-rush promise of defensive end Malliciah Goodman and the size and good hands of 6-foot-8 tight end Levine Toilolo.

Trufant, the first-round pick from Washington, and Alford, the second-round pick from Southeastern Louisiana, needed no introduction. Alford had an 88-yard kickoff return to open the Senior Bowl, and he was denied a touchdown when caught by Trufant.

"I haven't even said anything yet," Trufant said with a smile as he looked over at Alford. "I'm about to say something though. It's all good. He's a great player and we're just going to get better together."

Alford said the two developed "camaraderie" at the Senior Bowl that will be strengthened as they continue to be linked at cornerback and as the Falcons' top 2013 draft picks.

"We're always talking football," Alford said. "Anything we have questions about, we can ask each other and help each other get better."

Alford's long return was part of his strong Senior Bowl performance that impressed Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff. Alford, who returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown in his senior season, said he had to give Trufant credit for keeping him out of the end zone on the long kickoff return.

"It was just a play that happened," Alford said. "He got me. I got a little tired on the long run and he got me."

By drafting the two cornerbacks, the Falcons established a determination to fill needs in the draft. Dimitroff picked two defensive ends – Goodman and Stansly Maponga – and added more help at defensive back with safeties Zeke Motta and Ishmael Kemal.

Toilolo, meanwhile, towered over the class. He showed good hands in the rookie camp, disproving any thought he is just a big blocking tight end.

Toilolo had 50 catches, including 10 for touchdowns, at Stanford. He will have a year to take notes while playing behind Tony Gonzalez, who plans to retire after the 2013 season.

Toilolo looks like a basketball power forward in football pads.

"He's hard to miss out there," Smith said. "He did a nice job improving in his understanding and his route running. I thought he caught the ball well. It's going to be fun to watch him be mentored by Tony Gonzalez."

Toilolo, listed at 265 pounds, saw much of his action as a receiver in red-zone situations at Stanford. He said he also spent time as a blocker.

"I think when you're that size everyone wants to categorize you as a good blocker," Smith said. "Obviously his efficiency in the red zone is well-documented. When you throw the ball to a guy in the red zone, you want to make sure he's going to catch the ball. So I think that kind of says what kind of hands he has."

The Falcons released defensive end John Abraham after the season and signed free agent Osi Umenyiora from the Giants. Goodman has a chance to start with Umenyiora.

Maponga, recovering from a left foot injury, was only an observer during the rookie camp.

Quarterback Sean Renfree, a seventh-round pick from Duke, is recovering from a shoulder injury and couldn't throw during the camp. Renfree took snaps and made handoffs.

All the passing was handled by undrafted rookie Seth Doege of Texas Tech, and Graham Wilbert, in camp on a tryout from Florida Atlantic.

The Falcons will begin offseason team activities on May 28-30, followed by more work June 4-6 and June 11-14. The team's mandatory minicamp is June 18-20.

Thursday, April 25, 2013 @ 7:16pm

UW's Desmond Trufant drafted 22nd by Falcons

First, Desmond Trufant turned heads at the Senior Bowl, where analysts said he had one of the best weeks of any prospect. Then he opened more eyes with a blazing fast 40-yard dash at the scouting combine.

Trufant's ascension culminated Thursday during the first round of the NFL Draft when the Falcons traded up to take the former Washington cornerback with the 22nd overall pick.

So much for the notion that Trufant didn't show enough play-making ability during his four seasons at Washington for a team to consider him a first-round talent. Trufant was the third cornerback off the board after the Jets chose Dee Milliner of Alabama at No. 9 and and the Raiders took Houston's D.J. Hayden three picks later. Minnesota later took Xavier Rhodes from Florida State at No. 25.

Trufant, a Tacoma native, becomes the 20th player from the University of Washington to be taken in the first round, according to the school, and he'll join brothers Marcus and Isaiah in the NFL. Marcus, the longtime Seahawk, is an unrestricted free agent, while Isaiah plays for the Jets.

"Congrats to Desmond Trufant, it runs in the family," Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor tweeted.

The Seahawks play the Falcons in Atlanta in Week 10.

St. Louis originally owned the 22nd pick before trading it to Atlanta for the 30th, 92nd and 198th overall selections.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013 @ 11:59am

Draft guru thinks Trufant could sneak into first round

Coming off a senior season where Washington cornerback Desmond Trufant was named first-team All-Pac-12, the Tacoma native is the Huskies' clear top prospect in this week's NFL Draft. The question is, just how soon will he be taken?

UW's Desmond Trufant was a first-team All-Pac-12 cornerback last season. (AP)

Russ Lande of the National Football Post told "Bob and Groz" Tuesday that he thinks Trufant won't have to wait long to be drafted, though there are a few hurdles in his way.

"He's a guy that's probably gonna go between 20 and 35," Lande said. "He's a really athletic corner. He's willing to put his hands on guys and play physical. He's got loose hips. He can change directions. There's a lot to like about him."

There's a lot to like about several other cornerback prospects, though. Alabama's Dee Milliner and Florida State's Xavier Rhodes have emerged at the top options at the position, and Lande expects Trufant to be lumped into a second tier with Houston's D.J. Hayden, Boise State's Jamar Taylor and Georgia's Sanders Commings.

"I think the problem (Trufant) is gonna have is, when you get beyond some of the elite guys, whether it's Dee Milliner and Xavier Rhodes, you have a bunch of intriguing guys like D.J. Hayden, Trufant, Sanders Commings and Jamar Taylor. All four are generally bunched in a lot of teams' rooms very similarly.

"It all depends which one of those four the team that's picking a cornerback (first) likes the most. So he's in a good spot to be drafted early, it's just a matter of how early. ... Trufant could go 15-20, he could go 40 or 45."

Friday, April 19, 2013 @ 7:33pm

Washington promotes Neighbors as new women's coach

Washington made the announcement of Neighbors' promotion on Friday night. Neighbors agreed to a five-year deal that will pay him $350,000 in the first season and increase by $20,000 each year thereafter.

Neighbors, 44, spent the last two seasons as an assistant to McGuff. He's never been a head coach at the college level, serving as an assistant at Xavier, Arkansas, Colorado and Tulsa before coming to Washington.

Neighbors will inherit a team that is coming off consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time since the mid-1990s. The Huskies should be very good in 2013-14 with two McDonald All-American's – Katie Collier and Kelsey Plum – joining all-Pac-12 selection Jazmine Davis.