Huskies get ready for talented Cleveland State
SEATTLE (AP) - Lorenzo Romar knew Washington's stunning, season-opening loss at Portland wasn't going to be overlooked.
At least he was able to joke about the situation, even though there's been no enjoyment for the Huskies following the 80-74 loss to the Pilots on Saturday.
"I thought we could zip right past that," Romar said Monday as he playfully pounded his hand on the table.
This one wasn't likely to be ignored, not when the hope of something positive happening in Seattle sports this year now lies with Romar's team.
And the task doesn't get any easier with Cleveland State, the preseason favorite to win the Horizon League, coming into town on Tuesday night for the CBE Classic. The Huskies will also host Florida International on Thursday as part of the early season event, then face Kansas next Monday in Kansas City, Mo.
Romar wasn't caught completely off guard by his team's struggle in Portland.
"When you say 'Was I shocked?' I can't totally say I was shocked. I was shocked a little bit in some of the things we did ... We need to understand what level of competitiveness it takes to go out on the road and win ball games."
The loss overshadowed a huge performance by star forward Jon Brockman, who opened his senior season with a 30-point, 14-rebound effort against the Pilots.
He just didn't get enough help from his supporting cast.
Freshman star Isaiah Thomas struggled with early foul trouble and struggled to score 15 points in only 15 minutes. The Huskies were without expected starter Matthew Bryan-Amaning, who injured his left leg in practice last week and likely won't play until the game against Kansas.
And Quincy Pondexter, expected to take off as a star on the wing this season after two up-and-down seasons, went scoreless in 25 minutes, missing all six of his shots and failing to get to the free-throw line.
"I think our guys are really focused. I think our attention right now to what is really important is at a very high level," Romar said. "We need to learn how to play through adversity and we didn't do a very good job in that game."
If there was a bright spot for Washington, it was the play of Brockman. The bruising forward dominated for stretches of the first half, scoring 12 consecutive points at one time. But his job now is making sure the young contributors on the Huskies' roster don't let Saturday's loss linger for too long.
"I think the guys on this team are pretty resilient. They bounced back (Sunday) and had a pretty good practice and we just need to learn from this," Brockman said. "It was our first game, it's not 10 games in a row, we're going to be at our 10th game before we know it and if we continue to let that happen we're going to be in trouble. We've got to turn this around and change it right now."
Thomas said that message of making sure Saturday's loss doesn't linger was emphasized at practice on Sunday. He chuckled when asked if it was the toughest practice he's had to endure yet. Thomas said it wasn't, but it wasn't easy either.
"It was definitely a wake-up call losing that first game. ... We're going to look a lot better (Tuesday)," Thomas said.
At least he was able to joke about the situation, even though there's been no enjoyment for the Huskies following the 80-74 loss to the Pilots on Saturday.
"I thought we could zip right past that," Romar said Monday as he playfully pounded his hand on the table.
This one wasn't likely to be ignored, not when the hope of something positive happening in Seattle sports this year now lies with Romar's team.
And the task doesn't get any easier with Cleveland State, the preseason favorite to win the Horizon League, coming into town on Tuesday night for the CBE Classic. The Huskies will also host Florida International on Thursday as part of the early season event, then face Kansas next Monday in Kansas City, Mo.
Romar wasn't caught completely off guard by his team's struggle in Portland.
"When you say 'Was I shocked?' I can't totally say I was shocked. I was shocked a little bit in some of the things we did ... We need to understand what level of competitiveness it takes to go out on the road and win ball games."
The loss overshadowed a huge performance by star forward Jon Brockman, who opened his senior season with a 30-point, 14-rebound effort against the Pilots.
He just didn't get enough help from his supporting cast.
Freshman star Isaiah Thomas struggled with early foul trouble and struggled to score 15 points in only 15 minutes. The Huskies were without expected starter Matthew Bryan-Amaning, who injured his left leg in practice last week and likely won't play until the game against Kansas.
And Quincy Pondexter, expected to take off as a star on the wing this season after two up-and-down seasons, went scoreless in 25 minutes, missing all six of his shots and failing to get to the free-throw line.
"I think our guys are really focused. I think our attention right now to what is really important is at a very high level," Romar said. "We need to learn how to play through adversity and we didn't do a very good job in that game."
If there was a bright spot for Washington, it was the play of Brockman. The bruising forward dominated for stretches of the first half, scoring 12 consecutive points at one time. But his job now is making sure the young contributors on the Huskies' roster don't let Saturday's loss linger for too long.
"I think the guys on this team are pretty resilient. They bounced back (Sunday) and had a pretty good practice and we just need to learn from this," Brockman said. "It was our first game, it's not 10 games in a row, we're going to be at our 10th game before we know it and if we continue to let that happen we're going to be in trouble. We've got to turn this around and change it right now."
Thomas said that message of making sure Saturday's loss doesn't linger was emphasized at practice on Sunday. He chuckled when asked if it was the toughest practice he's had to endure yet. Thomas said it wasn't, but it wasn't easy either.
"It was definitely a wake-up call losing that first game. ... We're going to look a lot better (Tuesday)," Thomas said.