March 7-13, 2011
- Good Week — Lorenzo Romar reaches the NCAA Tournament for a UW record sixth time, and guard Isaiah Thomas plays three of the most memorable games in Pac-10 tournament history as the Huskies capture the event for the second consecutive year. Thomas becomes just the second player named Tournament MVP twice in a career.
- Bad Week –Part 1: Venoy Overton, suspended for reasons already cited, sits on the UW bench for three games of the Pac-10 tournament as TV types prattle on about his suspension and the impact it is having on the WU team. Part 2: UW running back Johri Fogerson is formally charged with resisting arrest and possession of pot.
- Sunday, March 13 –The NCAA Selection Committee slots Pac-10 tournament winner Washington, assigned a No. 7 seed, in the East Region opposite No. 10 Georgia, in Charlotte, NC. Huskies have never faced Georgia, and haven’t won an NCAA Tournament game on the east coast since 1998, when they defeated Xavier and Richmond in Washington, D.C., before falling to Connecticut.
- Saturday, March 12 — Isaiah Thomas knocks down one of the most audacious shots in Pac-10 tournament history, a 3-pointer with no time left in overtime, to give the Huskies a 77-75 win over Arizona and the Pac-10 tournament title. Thomas makes the Husky Hall of Fame with that one shot.
- Friday, March 11 — Isaiah Thomas finishes with a double-double (12 assists, 10 points) as Washington vexes Oregon 69-51 in the second round of the Pac-10 tournament in Los Angeles. “That boy put in work tonight”, says former Sonic Gary Payton. “Mark my words, he’s going to be special”. Thomas’ 12 assists tie the Pac-10 tournament record.
- Thursday, March 10— UW withstands an amazing 43-point effort by Washington State’s Klay Thompson and defeats the Cougars 89-87 in the opening round of the Pac-10 Tournament in Los Angeles. UW had lost both regular-season games to the Cougars. Thompson’s tournament-record performance not enough to combat UW’s balanced scoring.
- Wednesday, March 9 — The offensively challenged Mariners erupt for nine runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Sounders tally three goals against the Colorado Rapids, a total of 12 combined runs/goals. The song “We May Never Walk This Way Again,” pops immediately to mind.
- Tuesday, March 8— University of Washington guard Venoy Overton is suspended by Lorenzo Romar for the Pac-10 tournament after he is charged with a misdemeanor, supplying hootch to a pair of 16-year-old girls. Overton avoids the more serious charge of sexual assault, but forever ruins his reputation, ending an otherwise fine career in utter embarrassment
- Monday, March 7 — Following UW basketball players honored by the Pac-10: Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Most Improved and first-team all-conference; Isaiah Thomas, first-team All-Pac-10 for the third consecutive year; C.J. Wilcox, All-Freshman Team; Justin Holiday, honorable mention All-Defensive Team; Terrence Ross, honorable mention, All-Freshman. Thomas had a nice shot at Pac-10 Player of the Year until the Huskies faded down the stretch.
“That Was The Week That Was (TW3)” is published every Monday as part of Sportspress Northwests package of home-page features collectively titled, The Rotation.
The Rotations weekly schedule:
- Monday: That Was The Week That Was (TW3) A snarky, day-by-day review of the week just ended.
- Tuesday: Wayback Machine — Sports historian David Eskenazi’s deep dive into local sports history, replete with photo eye candy.
- Wednesday: Nobody Asks But Us — We ask, and answer, fun and quirky questions nobody else is asking.
- Thursday: Water Cooler Cool — Art Thiel takes on the weekend for the benefit of the more casual fan.
- Friday: Top 5 List — The alpha and omega of Northwest sports, at least as far as we’re concerned.
17 Comments
Have to admit I hadn’t watched a game yet because I don’t get too excited about the preseason, but I did tune in for a couple of quarters last night. VERY impressive. I’d thought the Seahawks might’ve gotten a third-round steal in Wilson because of what he did in one year at Wisconsin on and off the field (I don’t listen to the “too small” worries…a player is a player), but I never expected Wilson to do this well this soon. It IS the preseason so a lot of this might be taken with a grain of salt, but Wilson surely does look like the real deal.
A side note: Would he become the first QB ever to tell Terrell Owens to shut the hell up if/when TO starts shooting his mouth off about him? I don’t get the impression Wilson is the kind of guy who’ll put up with that. even from a Hall of Fame WR. Wilson showed very soon after arriving as a transfer in Madison last year that he can make a team “his team” in short order.
Those who’ve followed him closely will say they’re not surprised. He’s had “it” since grade school. He seems to have won over the locker room to the point where other vets would get in Owens face before Wilson had to speak. But I don’t think Wilson will have to worry about TO after next week.
Art, after watching Wilson’s post-game press conference, I think you should sit him down and show him the classic Hank Stram “keep matriculating the ball down the field” clip from NFL Films. It was pretty funny to see him use the line (in a Kansas City Chiefs post-game, no less) but it’s clear he has no idea where it comes from (or what ‘matriculate’ means).
These kids today.
http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/videos/Press-Conference-Russell-Wilson-Preseason-Week-3/f56c3beb-989f-4846-9233-ad1e92652944
If that’s his only flaw, I’ll see you in New Orleans for the Seahawks’ second Super Bowl.
Excited but trying not to get too excited :) Wilson looked d**n good last night. I want to see more!
Carroll will see to that.
Jackson and Flynn will have to flip a coin to see who rides tge bench this year.
Yeah, Flynn might’ve Wally Pipped himself out of a starting job by sitting out last night.
Marshawn Lynch better get over his back problems or he’ll find himself Wilsonned by Robert Turbin.
Then again, why not trade Flynn? Just sayin’.
Wilson has such awesome footwork! Like a boxer or really good point guard in bball, he is always setting him self up for his next move. Not sure how he sees defenders so well without seemingly moving his head around like other QB’s do.
Best part of all this: here it is late August and the term “game manager” hasn’t been used in weeks!!!!
Not only are his feet fast, he has a quick release. That’s how he compensates for shortness. The only time height is a factor is when the bodies back up into his face. If Wilson gets the ball off a half-second faster, the crowding becomes less of an impediment. Notice how he doesn’t have to set himself before h throws. He has big hands and big arms that make for a fast trigger.
Art, in light of all the post-orgasmic glow from Seattle fans over Wilson’s performance last night, I have to ask you as an insider, Do you see a weakness in Wilson’s game? The only reason why I ask is because you mentioned in your last Seahawk’s related post that you thought Wilson would struggle against the ones. Are we justified in going completely gaga over him, or do people in the know think he has weakness to address before he can become a legitimate NFL QB?
I think I wrote that the Seahawks need to find out if he will struggle against ones. But to your point: Carroll was worried that Wilson would tend to run before a pass play gets fully developed. He’s a good runner, but NFL defenses will account for it if he bails too often. Wilson came through. He ran only twice, and the 59 yards proved the wisdom of his choices.
The other concern is reading sophisticated defenses. KC ran a lot of stuff, and the entire offense handled it well. Inevitably, he will misread things he’s never seen, but Carroll is so impressed with his quick uptakes that they will live with the mistakes, knowing it will happen once and Wilson will have solved for it.
Jackson deserves Seattle’s respect for putting up with an awkward, post-lockout transition where he knew he was a placeholder. Good dude.
For the sprint draw to work, you need a QB who can sprint out…oh, wait. :)
I’m with you–always liked that play, and it tends to be effective. Not sure how well it works in the West Coast set though.