UW Men's Basketball Preview: vs. Pacific (Marv Harshman Classic)

UW Huskies (2-0, Pac-12) vs. Pacific University (2-1, WCC)
Washington continues its five-straight game road span away from Alaska Airlines Arena

UW Faces Pacific in Marv Harshman Classic
The Huskies continue their five-game road span this Sunday as they return to KeyArena to face Pacific as part of the Marv Harshman Classic. The game tips at 5 p.m. and will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks with Kevin Calabro and Kevin O’Neill on the call. Additionally the game will be broadcast on KOMO 1000AM and FM 97.7 with Bob Rondeau and Jason Hamilton on the call. The two squads have faced off seven times with UW owning a 6-1 record over the Tigers.

The Coach
Head Coach Lorenzo Romar, in his 13th year at Washington, has amassed a 256-144 (.640) during his time in Seattle and an overall mark of 349-232 (.601) in 19 seasons. Romar has taken the Huskies to the NCAA tournament six times including three Sweet 16 appearances.

Quick Hitters
• The Huskies are 2-0 to start the season for the first time since 2011-12.
• UW has four players averaging in double figures through the first two outings - Shawn Kemp, Jr., (14.5), Andrew Andrews (12.0), Robert Upshaw (11.5), and Nigel Williams-Goss (10.5)
• In his first two games with UW, sophomore transfer Robert Upshaw is averaging 11.5 points, 7.0 blocks and 6.5 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game ... he has also yet to record one foul.
• Over the last eight regular-season games dating back to last year’s home game against California, junior Andrew Andrews is averaging 15.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
• Sophomore Nigel Williams-Goss was three assists shy of recording UW’s first triple double with 10 points, a career-high tying 12 rebounds and seven assists against SC State
• Robert Upshaw tied the UW single-game blocks record in both of his first two games with seven against SC State and Seattle ... he currently leads the Pac-12 in both total blocks (14) and blocks average (7.0)
• UW’s bigs (Shawn Kemp, Jr., Jernard Jarreau and Robert Upshaw) combined for 37 points (48.1 percent of UW’s 77 pts) against South Carolina State ... they also contributed 19 rebounds and helped the Huskies outscore SC State 48-30 in the paint.
• Williams-Goss and Andrews combined to average 25.6 points per game last season and are one of just two returning backcourts in the Pac-12 that averaged over 25 points together a year ago (Utah’s Delon Wright and Brandon Taylor - 26.2)
• The UW front court will have a fairly new look to it with the departure of Perris Blackwell and senior Mike Anderson moving back to the guard position ... the Huskies will look to junior Jernard Jarreau (6-10), transfer Robert Upshaw (7-0) and senior Shawn Kemp, Jr., (6-9).
• The Huskies have two eligible transfers this season in sophomore center Robert Upshaw (7-0) and junior guard Quevyn Winters (6-5) ... Upshaw sat out during the 2013-14 season due to NCAA transfer rules while Winters comes to the Huskies from Indian Hills CC, so he is eligible immediately.
• Junior Jernard Jarreau and sophomore Jahmel Taylor switched numbers during the offseason ... both wanted a fresh start with Jarreau moving away from the number he wore when he tore his ACL and Taylor going back to the number he wore during high school.

Seattle U Notes
Team
• The Huskies had four players reach double-figure scoring for the second-straight game
• Seven of the nine players that saw action scored at least two points
• UW posted 15 assists on its 22 baskets
• UW opened the second-half on a 19-4 run to build a 39-25 lead
• UW’s 10 blocks were its most in a game since 10 against Jackson State, 12/15/12
•UW held Seattle’s Isaiah Umipig to 2-of-11 shooting from 3-point range ... Umipig entered the game shooting 72 percent from long distance

Individual
• Senior Shawn Kemp, Jr., led the Huskies in scoring
for the second-straight game ... he tallied 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field ... three of his FGs were dunks in the first six minutes of the second half
• Junior transfer Quevyn Winters recorded his first double-digit scoring effort for the Huskies with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point range
• Co-captains Andrew Andrews and Nigel Williams-Goss each added 11 points
• Nigel Williams-Goss has reached double-figures in 13 of his last 14 games, dating back to 32 vs. Oregon State on Jan. 25, 2014
•Robert Upshaw tied the single-game school record for blocks for the second-straight game with seven

Upshaw Ties School Record
In his first ever game at UW, 7-footer Robert Upshaw made his presence known with a school-record tying seven blocks. Only two other Huskies have notched seven blocks in a game, in David Dixon (twice; 11/24/01, 1/31/02) and Matthew Bryan-Amaning (2/19/11). Dixon was in his second year at UW when he set the record while Bryan-Amaning was a senior. Upshaw repeated the feat when he swatted seven against Seattle U (Nov. 21, 2014). Upshaw’s 14 blocks through two games leads the Pac-12 in both total blocks (14) and average (7.0 pg).

Kemp, Jr., On the Rise
Shawn Kemp, Jr., is quickly making the most of his senior year as he is leading the team in scoring averaging 14.5 points per outing. He’s also shooting 59.1 percent from the field (13-of-22) and pulling down 6.5 rebounds. 

Road Warriors
Starting with the two games at Key Arena, the Huskies are beginning a five-game streak of games away from Alaska Airlines Arena. Following this weekend’s games, the Huskies head to Anaheim for the Wooden Legacy tournament. UW doesn’t return home until Dec. 7 to face San Diego State. The last time the Dawgs only played one game at home in the month of November was the 2004-05 season.

Backcourt Duo
The Huskies return one of the top backcourt duos in the Pac-12 this year in co-captains Andrew Andrews and Nigel Williams-Goss. The pair combined to average 25.6 points a year ago, which ranks second amongst returning backcourt combos in the league. Only Delon Wright and Brandon Taylor of Utah averaged more (26.2). Andrews and NWG are the only two returning that started in every game last year for their respective team and they also combined to dish out 6.9 assists per game.

What’s Back
The Huskies return three of their five starters from a year ago in Andrew Andrews, Nigel Williams-Goss and Mike Anderson. Both Andrews and NWG started in all 32 games while Anderson was in the starting rotation for 18 contests. UW returns 56.7 percent of its scoring and 50.8 percent of its rebounding from a year ago.

6-9 and Up
The Huskies roster is a little taller this year as it boasts four eligible student-athletes that are 6-9 and taller, marking the tallest roster coach Lorenzo Romar has had since his first season in Seattle (2002-03). UW had four that were 6-9 or taller a year ago but that went away quickly as Jernard Jarreau missed the season due to an ACL tear and Shawn Kemp, Jr., was limited due to his Graves Disease diagnosis. This year Fresno State transfer Robert Upshaw (7-0), senior Shawn Kemp, Jr. (6-9), junior Jernard Jarreau (6-11) and FIU transfer Gilles Dierickx (7-0) will all see action for the Dawgs. During Romar’s first year in Seattle, he also had four guys players above 6-9 but two of them were true freshman and didn’t have major college-game experience yet.

The Williams-Goss File
-Set the UW freshman single game scoring record with 32 points against Oregon State last season (1/25/14)
-Set the UW freshman single season assists record with 140
-His 140 assists rank tied for eighth on UW’s all-time single-season list
-NWG’s 4.45 assist average currently ranks first on UW’s career average list
-Led all Pac-12 freshmen a year ago in scoring (13.8) and assists (4.4)
-Named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team a year ago
-Was one of four UW athletes across all sports to post over a 3.75 GPA last year
-Is double majoring in Psychology and Communications
-Is a co-captain alongside Andrew Andrews

The Andrew Andrews File
-Averaged 12.3 points a year ago but put up 16.4 points and 6.2 rebounds over the final six games of the season
-Has played in all but three games since arriving at UW for a career total of 63 games played (34 starts)
-Spent part of the summer as a member of the Pac-12 All-Stars Team that went to China ... averaged 9.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in three wins
-Is a co-captain alongside NWG

EXH: Saint Martin’s Recap
The Huskies posted an 88-65 victory over Saint Martin’s led by senior Shawn Kemp Jr.,’s 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field. Including Kemp, six Huskies reached double figure scoring in Andrew Andrews (13), Darin Johnson (11), Donaven Dorsey (11), Nigel Williams-Goss (10) and Quevyn Winters (10). UW outrebounded SMU 52-33 and posted 19 assists on their 29 baskets made.

Newcomers/Transfers
UW’s roster this season features some new faces in junior college transfer Quevyn Winters, transfer Robert Upshaw and freshman Donovan Dorsey. Winters joins UW from Indian Hills CC where he led the team to the NJCAA National Championship game last season. Upshaw, who joined the Huskies a year ago but sat out due to transfer rules, is now eligible and will see action at the center position. Dorsey comes to Seattle from Lacey, just an hour south on I-5. The true freshman averaged18.6 points as a senior at Timberline HS and was the 56th ranked small forward in the country according to ESPN.

Class of 2015
The Huskies signed their highest rated class under head coach Lorenzo Romar on Nov. 12 with six agreeing to join UW in 2015-15. The class, which features three from the state of Washington, is ranked sixth nationally by Scout.com, seventh by Rivals.com and 10th by ESPN.com. It features top-50 recruit SG Dejounte Murray (Rainier Beach, Wash./#37), PF Marquese Chriss (Elk Grove, Calif./#47), SF Matisse Thybulle (Samammish, Wash./#73), PG David Crisp (Seattle, Wash./#97), PF Malik Dime (Columbus, Ohio/Indian Hills CC), PF Devenir Duruisseau (Palmdale, Calif./Fishburne Military School). - all rankings not labeled are from Scout.com.

Summer Strength Program
For the first time since Lorenzo Romar arrived at UW, the entire team stayed for the whole summer to take part in strength coach Daniel Shapiro’s eight-week strength and conditioning program. The summer workout schedule was five days a week and took place while the team was taking summer classes. Following the conclusion of the program, the guys had three weeks to go home and visit family before returning to start preseason workouts.

Putting on the LBs
In conjunction with the summer workout program, a few guys bumped up their weight prior to the season starting. Junior Jernard Jarreau is now at 245, which is 25 pounds bigger than he was a year ago and 50 pounds up from when he joined UW in 2011. Also up on the weight scale is senior Mike Anderson who jumped from 195 to 205 during the offseason.

Huskies in the NBA
The Huskies have continually produced top level NBA talent as evidenced by the eight players that are currently playing in the league. Head coach Lorenzo Romar has had seven first round draft picks since arriving at UW and most recently saw 2013-14 senior C.J. Wilcox get taken 28th by the Los Angeles Clippers. UW’s eight active league players tied for the ninth-most in Division I and rank third in the Pac-12.

Home Court Face Lift
The winningest home court in Division I will look slightly different this year as a baseline-to-baseline silhouette of Seattle’s iconic skyline featuring the Space Needle right near center court was added. The floor also features a filled-in three-point area matching the wood tint of the skyline silhouette and updated word marks along the baselines. Washington, which started playing in their arena on Dec. 27, 1927, has 946 wins inside of Alaska Airlines Arena, the most by any Division I team at its current home arena.