Washington Basketball: Huskies’ freshman duo is absolutely special

The Washington basketball squad stunned No. 16 Baylor in Alaska, with the Huskies’ Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels demonstrating tremendous poise.

The Washington basketball team entered the 2019-20 campaign with high aspirations, but a lot of new faces preparing to possess extended minutes in the rotation. Head coach Mike Hopkins witnessed four seniors graduate following the 2018-19 term, and sophomore guard Jaylen Nowell decided to leave early for the professional ranks.

So when Huskies went toe to toe with No. 16 Baylor, a veteran crew, on late Friday evening as part of the 2019 Armed Forces Classic in Anchorage, Alaska, I figured that Washington could face some early stanza struggles, due to a revamped line-up that includes two touted freshmen, center Isaiah Stewart and power forward Jaden McDaniels, who are both five-star recruits coming out of the 2019 cycle.

The Huskies, understandably, did exhibit some growing pains. Washington collected 20 turnovers, allowed a dozen offensive rebounds, and the Bears held an advantage in this thrilling tilt for virtually the entire 40 minutes. Except, of course, right at the end.

Stewart, McDaniels and the rest of their teammates suffocated Baylor down the stretch in this contest, as the Huskies began to gel and managed to erase a 13-point hole. In the final 90 seconds or so, Washington (1-0) tied things up, then the Huskies got ahead for the inaugural instance in what seemed like an eternity via a short bucket from Stewart. Ultimately, Washington emerged victorious, 67-64, in a terrific come-from-behind performance versus the Bears (1-1).

In the 2019 March Madness, Baylor connected on 47 percent from long-range against Syracuse’s vaunted 2-3 zone, as the Bears hit 16 shots from beyond the arc in conquering the Orange. Hopkins, a former long-time Syracuse assistant, put forth a similar zone defense, and the Huskies limited Baylor to eight makes, on 38 percent.

Washington’s length, from Stewart, McDaniels and others on the Huskies’ roster, did a credible job in not letting the Bears crush them from 3-point land. Toward the affair’s conclusion, Stewart anchored the zone quite well, and it proved challenging for Baylor to get off decent attempts from the field. Washington finished with 10 blocks, I might add.

Furthermore, McDaniels is undeniably impressive with his ball-handling skills and his prowess in driving the lane. He calmly knocked down 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Not bad for a newbie.

Though the Huskies lost about 80 percent of their scoring production from 2018-19, with McDaniels and Stewart helping to lead the way, there’s no reason to think that Washington won’t strongly contend for a Pac-12 Conference crown.