NCAA Basketball: Will Gonzaga or Washington have a better 2019-20 season?
By Andy Patton
Will inexperience haunt the Huskies?
The Huskies no doubt suffered a crushing blow when sophomore guard Jaylen Nowell, the only remaining member of an elite recruiting class from former coach Lorenzo Romar, announced he was declaring for the NBA draft. Nowell averaged 16.2 points per game in his final year at Montlake, and ended up getting selected 43rd overall by the Timberwolves.
The Huskies are now left without their four best players from last season after also losing Matisse Thybulle, Noah Dickerson and David Crisp to graduation.
Thybulle was arguably the best defensive player in the NCAA last year, and he ended up getting selected 30th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. He averaged 9.1 points and 3.1 rebounds, along with an NCAA-leading 3.5 steals as well as 2.3 blocks per game his senior year.
Dickerson is playing in the Israeli Premier League after averaging 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds his senior season. Finally, Crisp averaged 12.2 points and over three assists per game as a starter.
So yeah, UW has a lot of talent to replace on their roster.
Fortunately, UW’s recruiting class last season was star-studded, with four four-star recruits coming in according to ESPN.
Elijah Hardy only played 11 games last year, but he figures to be a big part of the team’s offense this season. Nate Roberts is a 6’10 big man with a 7’6 wingspan who could replace Dickerson down low – although he’ll compete with fellow four-star recruit Bryan Penn-Johnson, who has a 7’7 wingspan.
Finally, Bishop Gorman’s Jamal Bey will no doubt step into a prominent role in the offense after appearing in 30 games last year as a reserve.
UW’s Recruiting Class
As if that wasn’t enough, UW is bringing in the No. 10 recruiting class in the nation this year, headlined by center Isaiah Stewart and forward Jaden McDaniels. UW has a history of bringing in high-profile recruits, including Nowell, Markelle Fultz and Brandon Roy.
Factoring in UW’s high-level recruits, the addition of Kentucky transfer Quade Green, and a solid coach in Mike Hopkins, and UW should make plenty of noise this year even after losing so much talent last season.