Former college and NFL assistant Charlie Baggett has joined Tyrone Willingham’s staff as new receivers coach. His primary geographic recruiting responsibilities will be the Tacoma area and Los Angeles.
He replaces Eric Yarber, who left after last season to join Dennis Erickson’s new staff at Arizona State.
Here is the UW release.
Unless the Huskies somehow sweep four games in four days at the Pac-10 tournament next week, they appear bound for the National Invitation Tournament.
One of the interesting quotes of today’s Pac-10 coaches’ conference call was an enthusiastic defense of the NIT from Arizona State coach Herb Sendek: "I think the NIT is year-in, year-out filled with really good basketball teams, teams good enough that if they would have gotten a bid to the NCAA tournament are more than capable of advancing in that field. Unfortunately, I think there’s been a stigma attached over the years where that tournament
…Coach Lorenzo Romar just popped his head in the UW media room – smile on his face – and shared the news that former Husky Will Conroy has been picked up by the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Sonics play the Clippers in LA tomorrow and then the Clippers make a return visit to Seattle on Thursday.
Earlier this year, he had signed a 10-day contract with Memphis and appeared in three games.
News Tribune reporter Todd Milles will report in tomorrow’s newspaper that Franklin High School point guard Venoy Overton has reversed his decision to play for USC and instead is giving an oral commitment to the Washington Huskies.
Overton is a 6-foot-1 senior, the likely consensus Class 4A state player of the year and is considered one of the top point guards on the West Coast.This season he averaged 21.7 points and 5.7 assists per game as a senior for the reigning 4A state champions. He is expected to sign his national letter of intent in the spring signing period
…The Huskies end their regular season this week against the same LA schools they opened the Pac-10 season against back in December.
First up is Southern California, who beat the Huskies in double-overtime in the conference opener. There are a lot of what-ifs in this season of UW disappointment, but none more so than that game. Might a 1-0 conference start have multiplied down the road, easing some of the doubt that might have crept in during what became a 1-6 start to conference play? Might a win — instead of double-overtime loss — have paid off in
…Pretty good game, really.
Naturally, much of the talk after involved the games by Aaron Brooks and Ryan Appleby, and Appleby’s decision not to shake Brooks’ hand. But beyond that, the Huskies now seem to understand that they are NIT bound unless they win the Pac-10 tournament. Meanwhile, the Ducks now seem to be NCAA locks just playing for seeding.
Star of the game: Oregon guard Aaron Brooks won his personal duel against Washington’s Ryan Appleby, scoring 30 points including 20 in the decisive second half.
Key stats: Oregon shot 54.3 percent from the field and
…Very intense arena. Appleby is getting the A-Rod-at-Safeco treatment … boos at every touch.
However, he had a nice answer:17 points including five three-pointers.
UW led by 11 then gave up a long Oregon run.
Brockman picked up two quick fouls and sat out most of the half.
Just before the opening tip, Oregon guard Aaron Brooks slapped hands with all of the Huskies, but when he got to Ryan Appleby, the UW guard refused. Appleby had said yesterday that whether he accepted such a gesture of not would be “a gametime decision.”