The Huskies will begin spring football practice on April 9, and of course there’s no better time for optimism. And while the schedule projects as a killer, there does seem to be optimism around the UW coaches office that this will be an improved football team.

A few things I’ve heard recently:

* The prime reason for high hopes come in the form of redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Locker, and all indications are that he is up to the expectations. From all I’ve heard, this is a really special player. And there also is every indication that the

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The Long Beach Press Telegram is reporting that UW assistant Cameron Dollar has interviewed for the head coaching job available there.

Dollar just completed his fifth season as a UW assistant. He previously served as an assistant at St. Louis, UC Irvine and Georgia, at age 22 spent one season as head coach at Southern California College and played as a memeber of the UCLA 1995 national champions.

Former UW star Brandon Roy left the Portland Trail Blazers tonight to return to Seattle to be present for the birth of his first child, the Blazers report today.

I had my first post-season conversation with UW basketball coach Lorenzo Romar since the day his team was snubbed by the NIT.

I’ll have a story in the Thursday paper, but here are a few of his interesting quotes:

IF HE’S WATCHING THE NCAA TOURNAMENT:

You can’t help but watch and wonder what-if and want to be a part of it. We’ve been a part of it the last three years and have gone beyond the first week in the last two. It’s difficult to watch, but the more I watch the more I get over it

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No sooner does the basketball news ease, when the football news begins with the release of the Pac-10 football schedule for 2007.

This release arrived today from UW:

Former University of Washington track and field All-America and two-time Olympian Aretha Thurmond has been named the executive director of the Big "W" Club, an organization that creates ongoing community and relationship opportunities for all former Husky student-athletes.

Thurmond replaces former Husky All-America running back Greg Lewis, who resigned to accept a position as director of development for diversity in the university’s office of development and alumni relations.

The Huskies have decided to release women’s basketball coach June Daugherty.

Here is the release from the university:

The University of Washington has decided not to renew the contract of head women’s basketball coach June Daugherty and her staff and will immediately conduct a national search for her replacement, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Todd Turner announced today.

The contracts of Daugherty and the women’s basketball coaching staff, which consists of her husband, Mike, as well as Janet Soderberg and Kellie Lewis-Jay, expire on March 31. Turner and Sr. Associate Athletic Director Marie Tuite have begun the process

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The sudden end to the UW basketball season also will likely bring a lull in my posts on this blog.

I’ll certainly continue to post any UW news I get here, it’s just that news should be less now that we are between seasons. At least until things pick up again with the start of spring football practice in about three weeks.

(I’ll also be writing from the Final Four, but those posts will likely go directly to The News Tribune’s new Tourney Time blog.)

Meanwhile, if you hear any UW news, or have

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