ChillyDawg
New Fish
Seattle Times (click for full article) https://www.seattletimes.com/sports...r-last-season-are-doing-with-their-new-teams/
The Washington men’s basketball team has reaped great rewards from the return of hometown prep heroes that include Terrell Brown Jr., Emmitt Matthews Jr., PJ Fuller and Daejon Davis.
The Husky quartet, which has led UW to a 5-5 start, comprised the bulk of Washington’s seven newcomers and was among the 1,700 Division I players who entered the NCAA transfer portal this year.
But what about the six Huskies who left Montlake via transfers in an unprecedented mass exodus following a 5-21 finish last season?
Here’s a look at the seven Huskies who left the Washington men’s basketball team following a 5-21 finish to the 2020-21 season.
Erik Stevenson[/b], G, South Carolina (24.4 MPG, 10.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 33.6% FG, 25.7% 3FG, 12 games, 12 starts): A year ago, the former Timberline High School star was UW coach Mike Hopkins’ prized new addition who had returned to the Pacific Northwest after two years at Wichita State. However, he struggled to adjust to the Huskies’ offensive and defensive philosophies and averaged 9.3 points and 3.6 rebounds while starting 23 of 26 games. Stevenson was the first to announce he was transferring after the season. “It’s the culture, tough man-to-man defense, and rebounding is an emphasis,” Stevenson said during a July interview with The Big Spur when asked why South Carolina is a good fit. “On the offensive end, it’s a lot of movement without a whole lot of dribbling the basketball. It’s not a lot of one-on-one isolation. It’s not a knock on (Washington), but that’s not my style of basketball. I’m not much of a 2-3 (zone) guy, I’ve found out. Coming (here) and playing man-to-man and playing together offensively is refreshing.” Stevenson, who shot 29.8% on 3’s at Washington, began his Gamecocks tenure with a 2-for-25 shooting slump from behind the arc in the first three games. He’s connected on 3 of 17 three-pointers in the past four games.
Marcus Tsohonis[/b], G, Virginia Commonwealth (16.5 MPG, 5.3 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.0 APG, 36.2% FG, 34.5% 3FG, 11 games, 2 starts): A groin injury contributed to Tsohonis’ slow start this season with the Rams, as he converted just 3 of 14 shots, including 0 for 6 on three-pointers, in the first four games. He broke out of the slump with a season-high 12 points to help beat Syracuse 67-55 and has had meaningful contributions in VCU’s recent four-game winning streak. In April, Tsohonis told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he has no animosity toward Hopkins, but “I felt like I could do so much more” at Washington. Tsohonis was slated to redshirt as a freshman but played in 18 games and started nine when Quade Green became academically ineligible. When Green returned last season, Tsohonis came off the bench and averaged 10.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 20 minutes.
RaeQuan Battle[/b], G, Montana State (13.5 MPG, 5.2 PPG, 1.8 APG, 0.8 APG, 41.3% FG, 29.4% 3FG, 13 games, 0 starts): The four-star recruit from Marysville-Pilchuck High School was rated the No. 4 prospect in the state in 2019 and joined a star-studded UW class that included Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels, who were selected in the first round of the NBA draft after their freshman seasons. Battle was billed as a three-point specialist but never shot better than 27% on 3’s (33 of 137) during two seasons. He made four starts in 34 games while averaging 4.8 points and 13.9 minutes. Battle scored a career-high 19 points and canned four three-pointers during a brilliant shooting display in a 74-71 loss to Oregon on Dec. 12, 2020. However, he tallied just 26 points the rest of the season and didn’t play in the final three games. “It was just a weird situation,” Battle said in an interview with the Everett Herald. “It wasn’t really anything crazy, I just didn’t know why I wasn’t playing. I remember coming off a good game against Oregon (a team-high 19 points), and it was just weird. We had a pretty stacked team when it comes to guards, but it was a weird rotation, and the minutes just weren’t there.”
Nate Pryor[/b], G, New Mexico State (20.3 MGP, 3.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.2 APG, 73.3% FG, 100% 3FG, 6 games, 2 starts): The former West Seattle star took a long, unconventional route before joining the Huskies last season. He averaged 4.1 points, 1.6 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 17.4 minutes while starting just two of 16 games.
Hameir Wright[/b], F, North Texas (11.6 MPG, 2.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 25.0% FG, 33.3% 3FG, 5 games, 0 starts): The Albany, New York, native was a four-star recruit who was ranked No. 89 nationally in 2018 by ESPN. Wright started 81 of 122 games at UW and played a supporting role on the UW team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2019. However, his production plateaued his final two years with the Huskies, which led to frustration and regret about not transferring sooner.
J’Raan Brooks[/b], F, UC San Diego: After failing to crack the lineup at his two previous stops, Brooks secured a starting role with the Tritons and was slated to be a featured player. However, he suffered a season-ending knee injury after 17 minutes in the exhibition opener. The former Garfield High School standout, who was ranked No. 84 nationally on ESPN’s Top 100 recruiting list in 2018, returned to Seattle following an unproductive freshman year at USC when he averaged 2 points, 1.3 rebounds and 8.3 minutes. However, Brooks had difficulty getting on the floor. He appeared in 14 games and averaged 3.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 9.8 minutes.
Notes[/b]
The Washington men’s basketball team has reaped great rewards from the return of hometown prep heroes that include Terrell Brown Jr., Emmitt Matthews Jr., PJ Fuller and Daejon Davis.
The Husky quartet, which has led UW to a 5-5 start, comprised the bulk of Washington’s seven newcomers and was among the 1,700 Division I players who entered the NCAA transfer portal this year.
But what about the six Huskies who left Montlake via transfers in an unprecedented mass exodus following a 5-21 finish last season?
Here’s a look at the seven Huskies who left the Washington men’s basketball team following a 5-21 finish to the 2020-21 season.
Erik Stevenson[/b], G, South Carolina (24.4 MPG, 10.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 33.6% FG, 25.7% 3FG, 12 games, 12 starts): A year ago, the former Timberline High School star was UW coach Mike Hopkins’ prized new addition who had returned to the Pacific Northwest after two years at Wichita State. However, he struggled to adjust to the Huskies’ offensive and defensive philosophies and averaged 9.3 points and 3.6 rebounds while starting 23 of 26 games. Stevenson was the first to announce he was transferring after the season. “It’s the culture, tough man-to-man defense, and rebounding is an emphasis,” Stevenson said during a July interview with The Big Spur when asked why South Carolina is a good fit. “On the offensive end, it’s a lot of movement without a whole lot of dribbling the basketball. It’s not a lot of one-on-one isolation. It’s not a knock on (Washington), but that’s not my style of basketball. I’m not much of a 2-3 (zone) guy, I’ve found out. Coming (here) and playing man-to-man and playing together offensively is refreshing.” Stevenson, who shot 29.8% on 3’s at Washington, began his Gamecocks tenure with a 2-for-25 shooting slump from behind the arc in the first three games. He’s connected on 3 of 17 three-pointers in the past four games.
Marcus Tsohonis[/b], G, Virginia Commonwealth (16.5 MPG, 5.3 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.0 APG, 36.2% FG, 34.5% 3FG, 11 games, 2 starts): A groin injury contributed to Tsohonis’ slow start this season with the Rams, as he converted just 3 of 14 shots, including 0 for 6 on three-pointers, in the first four games. He broke out of the slump with a season-high 12 points to help beat Syracuse 67-55 and has had meaningful contributions in VCU’s recent four-game winning streak. In April, Tsohonis told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he has no animosity toward Hopkins, but “I felt like I could do so much more” at Washington. Tsohonis was slated to redshirt as a freshman but played in 18 games and started nine when Quade Green became academically ineligible. When Green returned last season, Tsohonis came off the bench and averaged 10.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 20 minutes.
RaeQuan Battle[/b], G, Montana State (13.5 MPG, 5.2 PPG, 1.8 APG, 0.8 APG, 41.3% FG, 29.4% 3FG, 13 games, 0 starts): The four-star recruit from Marysville-Pilchuck High School was rated the No. 4 prospect in the state in 2019 and joined a star-studded UW class that included Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels, who were selected in the first round of the NBA draft after their freshman seasons. Battle was billed as a three-point specialist but never shot better than 27% on 3’s (33 of 137) during two seasons. He made four starts in 34 games while averaging 4.8 points and 13.9 minutes. Battle scored a career-high 19 points and canned four three-pointers during a brilliant shooting display in a 74-71 loss to Oregon on Dec. 12, 2020. However, he tallied just 26 points the rest of the season and didn’t play in the final three games. “It was just a weird situation,” Battle said in an interview with the Everett Herald. “It wasn’t really anything crazy, I just didn’t know why I wasn’t playing. I remember coming off a good game against Oregon (a team-high 19 points), and it was just weird. We had a pretty stacked team when it comes to guards, but it was a weird rotation, and the minutes just weren’t there.”
Nate Pryor[/b], G, New Mexico State (20.3 MGP, 3.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.2 APG, 73.3% FG, 100% 3FG, 6 games, 2 starts): The former West Seattle star took a long, unconventional route before joining the Huskies last season. He averaged 4.1 points, 1.6 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 17.4 minutes while starting just two of 16 games.
Hameir Wright[/b], F, North Texas (11.6 MPG, 2.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 25.0% FG, 33.3% 3FG, 5 games, 0 starts): The Albany, New York, native was a four-star recruit who was ranked No. 89 nationally in 2018 by ESPN. Wright started 81 of 122 games at UW and played a supporting role on the UW team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2019. However, his production plateaued his final two years with the Huskies, which led to frustration and regret about not transferring sooner.
J’Raan Brooks[/b], F, UC San Diego: After failing to crack the lineup at his two previous stops, Brooks secured a starting role with the Tritons and was slated to be a featured player. However, he suffered a season-ending knee injury after 17 minutes in the exhibition opener. The former Garfield High School standout, who was ranked No. 84 nationally on ESPN’s Top 100 recruiting list in 2018, returned to Seattle following an unproductive freshman year at USC when he averaged 2 points, 1.3 rebounds and 8.3 minutes. However, Brooks had difficulty getting on the floor. He appeared in 14 games and averaged 3.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 9.8 minutes.
Notes[/b]
- Former Husky Quade Green could have returned to Washington but opted to turn pro and is playing in the NBA G League. The 6-foot guard has played two games with the Lakeland Magic, which is the Orlando Magic affiliate, after starting with the Maine Celtics. He’s averaging 6.3 points, 1.5 assists and 15.1 minutes as a reserve in four games.
- UW announced Friday that its rescheduled game at Arizona, which had been postponed from Dec. 2 to Jan. 25, will now be played at 5 p.m. Jan. 3.