University of Washington Athletics

UW (1-0) vs. Eastern Wash. (1-0)
UW continues its two-game homestand to open the season as it hosts Eastern Washington on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 5 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena. The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks with Aaron Goldsmith and Eldridge Recasner on the call. Additionally, fans can tune into KOMO 1000AM / FM 97.7 to hear the action from Tony Castricone and Jason Hamilton. Washington owns the series record 13-1 with the last victory coming in Seattle on Dec. 14, 2014 (81-77).
 
The Coach
Head Coach Mike Hopkins is starting his first year at Washington, and first as a head coach becoming the 19th head coach in UW history. After spending 22 years as an assistant at Syracuse, Hopkins oversaw teams that reached the NCAA Tournament 16 times including the 2003 National Championship, four Final Fours, five Elite Eights and 10 Sweet 16s along with four NIT berths. Syracuse never dipped below a 55.0 percent record while Hopkins was on staff.
 
Quick Hitters
• Freshman Jaylen Nowell recorded 32 points in his Husky debut, the most points by any UW freshman in their first outing ... it is also the second-straight year a freshman has scored 30 or more in their debut as Markelle Fultz had 30 a year ago
• Every Husky that played at least two minutes against Belmont recorded at least one rebound (10 of 11 players that saw action)
• Washington made it to the free throw line 36 times against Belmont, its most FT attempts since 38 against Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 17, 2016)
• Washington returns 66.5 percent of its scoring and 65.7 percent of its rebounding from a year ago
• Junior Matisse Thybulle has started in 66-straight games, which ties the longest streak since by a Husky since started 66-straight over his final 66 games (2013-14, 12-13) ... Abdul Gaddy is next on the list, starting 69-straight games over the 2011-12, 2012-13 season.
• Thybulle ended the 2016-17 regular season as the Pac-12's steals leader finishing with 2.1 per game to become the first Husky to lead the league in that category since Jason Hamilton in 1995-96 ... he currently sits at 109 career steals, 12 away from cracking UW's career top 10 list
• Junior Matisse Thybulle's 65 steals were the most by a sophomore in UW history and are third on the UW single-season top 10 list, two shy of the single-season UW record of 67 set by Bryant Boston (1994-95)... he has had five or more steals five times in his career
• Washington signed three to National Letters of Intent this week adding point guard Elijah Hardy (Oakland, Calif.), wing Jamal Bey (Las Vegas, Nev.) and forward Nate Roberts (Englewood, Maryland) to the class of 2018.
• The Huskies new coaching staff features two former head coaches in Dave Rice (UNLV) and Cameron Dollar (Seattle U) while returning assistant coach Will Conroy who started with UW in 2015
• Junior Noah Dickerson is the Huskies' returning leading rebounder with 8.2 per game and the second leading returning scorer with 12.5 per game last season ... over the final 11 games, averaged 16.2 points and 8.2 rebounds
• Junior David Crisp is the Huskies' returning leading scorer with 13.8 per game
• Washington welcomed four freshmen this season in guard Michael Carter III (Seattle, Wash.), Nahziah Carter (Rochester, N.Y.), Jaylen Nowell (Seattle, Wash.) and Hameir Wright (Albany, N.Y.)
 • Sophomore Carlos Johnson has dropped over 20 lbs and is down to 215 ... over his last seven games dating last season, four of which he started he is averaging 9.4 ppg and 4.0 rebounds

Pac-12 Steals Leader
Junior Matisse Thybulle finished the 2016-17 regular season as the Pac-12 Conference leader in steals finishing with 2.1 over 31 games ... he is the first Husky since Jason Hamilton in 1994-95 to finish atop the league in steals ... his 109 career steals are just 12 away from cracking the UW all-time career list ... he also holds the UW sophomore record after posting 65 a year ago, which is third on the UW single-season list.

Nowell's Freshman Debut
Freshman Jaylen Nowell made his presence known during his Husky debut as he led the team in points (32) and tied for the team lead in rebounding (5).His 32 points are also the most this early in the season by any Dawg - Isaiah Thomas had 30 as a sophomore on Nov. 13, 2009 and Markelle Fultz had 30 as a freshman on Nov. 13, 2016.

Nowell's Efficiency
Nowell was also extremely efficient in his first outing, and despite missing his first two shots, went on to connect on the following 12 of 16 en route to his 32 points.

Thybulle's Streak
Junior Matisse Thybulle has started every game of his UW career which now spans 66 games. C.J. Wilcox started the final 66 games of his UW career from 2012-14 and the next longest streak is Abdul Gaddy, who started 69-straight from 2011-13.

Johnson's Last 7
Sophomore Carlos Johnson picked up right where he left off last season as he posted 10 points and five rebounds in 15 minutes against Belmont .. he is averaging 9.4 points and 4.0 rebounds over his last seven outings dating back to last season. He also connected on two key buckets with under four minutes remaining against Belmont to help UW's comeback.

Length, Length, Length
Washington's roster is quite lengthy and not because of quantity. Out of the 15 on the roster, four of the key players have wingspans that are at least four inches longer than their actual height. Junior guard Matisse Thybulle's wingspan is seven inches bigger than his 6-5 frame at 7-0 while freshman Hameir Wright brings a 7-2 wingspan on his 6-9 body. Take a look:
Player   Height  Wingspan                          
Matisse Thybulle              6-5          7-0 (+7)
Hameir Wright   6-9          7-2 (5)
Dominic Green 6-6          6-11 (+5)
Bitumba Baruti  6-6          6-10.5  (+4.5)

Coaching Updates
Along with the addition of head coach Mike Hopkins, Washington welcomed two former head coaches to its staff in Dave Rice (UNLV) and Cameron Dollar (Seattle U). Joining them is third-year assistant coach Will Conroy. Washington also added Jerry Hobbie (SMU) as a Special Assistant to the Head Coach.

Huskies in the NBA
UW's presence in the NBA remains strong as the Dawgs boast eight former players holding spots on rosters this season -  No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz (Philadelphia 76ers), Marquese Chriss (Phoenix Suns), Justin Holiday (Chicago Bulls), Dejounte Murray (San Antonio Spurs), Quincy Pondexter (Chicago Bulls), Terrence Ross (Orlando Magic), Isaiah Thomas (Cleveland Cavaliers) and C.J. Wilcox (Portland Trailblazers).

Class of 2018
Mike Hopkins signed his first official recruiting class, inking three to Letters of Intent on Nov. 9. The class features players from Maryland, Nevada and California. Take a look at the new signees:
Jamal Bey
Jamal Bey comes to Seattle after spending his high school time at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas. The 6-7 wing averaged 18 points per game as a junior at Bishop Gorman while shooting at a 46.2 percent clip. He also added 5.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per outing.
Elijah Hardy
Elijah Hardy, a four-star 6-2 guard from Oakland, Calif., will also join the class. Hardy is spending his high school career at the prosperous Bishop O'Dowd High School and has been involved with USA Basketball during his early career. He was one of 17 finalists for the 2015 USA U16 Team and named to the 2015-16 USA Junior National Team in 2015. As a sophomore he averaged 12 ppg, 9.0 rpg  and 7.0 apg while receiving all-conference honors
Nate Roberts
Nate Roberts will join the Huskies after spending this season at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, where fellow teammate David Crisp went before attending UW. Roberts, a 6-11 forward, has a 7-6 wingspan and is originally from Edgewood, Maryland.