University of Washington Official Athletic Site - Men's Basketball
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UW seeks to extend win streak vs. ASU to 5 games.
Feb. 6, 1998
Sat., Feb. 7 - UW at Arizona State, 7:30 p.m. PST/ 8:30 MST (FX TV)
University Activity Center (14,733); Tempe, Ariz.
Thurs., Feb. 12 - UW vs. Oregon State, 7:00 p.m. PST (No TV)
Edmundson Pavilion (7,900); Seattle, Wash.
The Washington Huskies (13-6, 6-4) seek to rebound from their first two-game losing streak of the season as they conclude a four-game road trip on Saturday, Feb. 7 at Arizona State (15-8, 5-5). Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time (8:30 MST). The Huskies lost road games to eighth-ranked UCLA (105-94) and No. 4 Arizona (112-81) in their last two outings, marking just the fourth time in school history they have surrendered back-to-back 100-point totals. Washington has not lost three straight games since the 1995-96 season. The UW/ASU matchup is pivotal for the postseason fate of these two teams. Washington can secure a two-game cushion in its current fourth-place position with a win while the Sun Devils would force a tie in the Pac-10 standings with a victory Saturday. A win would give the Huskies a sweep of the season series from the Sun Devils. Washington won the last four games against ASU, its longest streak since a seven-game winning skein over the Sun Devils that ended in 1987. Following Saturday's game, the Huskies return home for the first time in three weeks to host Oregon State, Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.
Road Warriors: Washington has already matched last year's total of five road victories, including three in Pac-10 play. The last time a Husky team posted more road wins was in 1986 with six Pac-10 and nine overall triumphs. In January, the Huskies registered their first three-game road winning streak since 1986. The UW won at Oregon and Oregon State in mid-January to record their first Pac-10 road sweep since 1987, dating back 41 pairs of road games.
Steady Improvement: Washington's overall and Pac-10 records have improved each of the previous four seasons under Coach Bob Bender.
Year Overall Pac-10 (Place) Non-Conf. 1994 5-22 3-15 (9th) 2-7 1995 10-17 6-12 (7th, tie) 4-5 1996 16-12 9-9 (5th, tie) 7-2 1997 17-11 10-8 (6th) 7-2
Television / Radio: The Washington game at Arizona State will be televised live on FX, Saturday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time (8:30 MST). Barry Tompkins calls the action with color commentary from Dan Belluomini. All Washington men's basketball games are broadcast live on KOMO Radio (AM 1000) and its affiliates by play-by-play announcer Bob Rondeau. The radio broadcasts can be accessed via the internet at: http://www.audionet.com/schools/washington/
Probable Husky Starting Lineup: Washington Huskies (13-6, 6-4 in Pacific-10 Conference) Pos. No. Name Hgt. Wgt. Yr. Hometown Pts. Rebs. F 22 Patrick Femerling 7-1 255 Jr. Dusseldorf, Germany 6.3 6.9 C 50 Todd MacCulloch 7-0 280 Jr. Winnipeg, Manitoba 19.1 9.9 G 4 Deon Luton 6-4 200 So. Del City, Okla. 15.7 2.5 G 5 Jan Wooten 5-10 185 Sr. Elizabeth, N.J. 5.1 1.7 G 24 Donald Watts 6-4 200 Jr. Kirkland, Wash. 17.2 3.7
Notable: Todd MacCulloch (19.1), Donald Watts (17.2) and Deon Luton (15.7) are the second trio in Husky history to average 16-points or more concurrently. They account for 65-percent of the team's offense (52.0) and are the second-highest scoring trio in Husky history, trailing only the 1972 group of Steve Hawes (21.7), Charles Dudley (16.5) and Louie Nelson (15.1) who averaged 53.3 points.
If Washington Wins . . .
A The UW wins its fifth straight game against Arizona State, Washington's longest current winning streak versus any Pac-10 opponent.
The Arizona State Series:
First-year ASU Coach Don Newman, a former assistant to Kelvin Sampson at Washington State, is 0-1 as a head coach against the Huskies. Fifth-year UW Coach Bob Bender has a 4-5 record against ASU.
Last Meeting: Washington 92, Arizona State 70 (Jan. 8, 1998; Seattle) -- Todd MacCulloch erupted for 10 of his 30 points inside the final six minutes of the first half and hauled down a career-high 21 rebounds in Washington's 92-70 triumph over Arizona State at Edmundson Pavilion. Washington won its fourth straight game over ASU for the first time since 1987. MacCulloch hit 14-of-22 field goals. The 7-foot junior center registered the second 20-rebound outing of his career, one of only three Huskies to accomplish that feat during their careers. The score was tied 24-24 before MacCulloch scored on a put back with 5:41 left in the half that ignited a 23-8 Washington run. MacCulloch's 10 points during the run helped the Huskies to a commanding 47-32 halftime advantage. The Sun Devils drew within 68-58 on a layin by Eddie House with 8:37 remaining, but Washington responded with a 13-2 surge to secure the outcome. Patrick Femerling posted his first career double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Huskies who had a 56-37 advantage on the boards. Deon Luton added 17 points for Washington which also got 10 from Donald Watts. The Sun Devils were led by the 16 points of Mike Batiste. Jeremy Veal was limited to 14 points, six below his average, and Eddie House had 11 points. Ahlon Lewis distributed nine assists for Arizona State.
Last Meeting in Tempe: Washington 72, Arizona State 69 (Feb. 27, 1997; Tempe, Ariz.) -- Jamie Booker scored 10 of his 13 points inside the final five minutes and made the decisive play with a steal and three-point play that lifted Washington to a 72-69 victory over Arizona State at the University Activity Center. It was the first Husky win in Tempe since 1988, halting a nine-game losing skid at ASU. Washington trailed 69-67 before Booker stole an inbounds pass near the Husky basket and was fouled by Mike Batiste while making a layup. The subsequent free throw put the Huskies ahead 70-69 with eight seconds left in the game. Patrick Femerling rebounded an ASU miss and converted two free throws with one second remaining for the final margin. The Sun Devils, who trailed 38-34 at halftime, scored eight unanswered points to go ahead 57-54 with 5:23 remaining. Booker started the late Husky surge with two free throws at 5:00 and later hit a 3-pointer with 1:47 left to trim the deficit to 65-64. Deon Luton scored 17 points, including 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, to lead Washington which also got 14 points from Todd MacCulloch. Mark Sanford scored 13 points and led a 43-25 Husky rebound advantage with 14 caroms. Jeremy Veal poured in a career-high 31 points for ASU, eclipsing his previous best of 30 established in Seattle during the first meeting with Washington. Rodger Farrington added 12 points and Batiste had 11.
Court Report: The Huskies have a 12-0 record this season in games when they post a better field goal percentage than the opposition. Last year's Washington team was 15-0 when outshooting opponents. The Huskies won the last 29 games in which their field goal percentage was superior, dating to a loss at Stanford on Feb. 24, 1996 . . . The Huskies have not lost a game this season in which they led at halftime, winning all 10 such contests . . . Washington's current 79.5-point scoring pace is the school's highest since the 1976 squad averaged 80.2 points per game . . . The Huskies are shooting 49.4 percent, the best figure by a UW team since the 1985 squad set a school record of 51.7 percent . . . Donald Watts, who never had a 20-point game in two previous seasons, leads the Huskies in scoring during Pac-10 games with a 19.9-point average. Watts has nine 20-point outings . . . Fifth-year Coach Bob Bender is tied in fourth-place with Andy Ruso (1986-89) on the all-time Washington coaching victories list with 61 . . . Deon Luton averages 18.5 points on 47 percent shooting in 10 Pac-10 games, improving from 12.7 points and 31 percent in nine non-conference games . . . Todd MacCulloch is averaging 21.5 points on 70-percent shooting in Washington wins, and 14.0 and 58 percent in defeats . . . Deon Luton has accounted for nearly half of the team's 3-pointers, hitting 51 of Washington's 104 treys . . . Arizona has dealt four of the top-five scoring totals against the Huskies, including Thursday's 112-point total that was the third most every yielded by a UW team . . . Arizona, which tallied 110 points against Washington in Seattle, isonly the second opponent to register two 100-point games during the same season against the UW. UCLA twice reached the century mark during 1972.
Hot Shots: The Huskies are shooting 49.4 percent as a team with three starters hitting around 50-percent of their shots. Todd MacCulloch, who led the nation last season at 67.6 percent, leads the current squad at 66.8 percent while Patrick Femerling is shooting 53.2 percent and Donald Watts 49.8. The UW is shooting 50.8 percent in Pac-10 play and 42 percent on 3-pointers while scoring 85.0 points per game in conference outings. Washington was the nation's seventh-most improved field goal shooting squad in 1997, converting 48.3-percent of its shots as a unit to rank second in the Pac-10. That figure was a 4.72% improvement from the 1996 season. The 1996 Huskies ranked seventh among Pac-10 teams (43.6 percent) after ranking last in 1995 (41.7) and 1994 (40.8). Last year's team shot better than any UW unit since 1989 (49.2%). The Huskies shot better than 50 percent during 11 games last year, one more than in Bob Bender's first three UW seasons combined. Washington won nine of 10 games this season when shooting better than 50 percent from the field.
Wonderful Watts: Junior Donald Watts has drastically raised his level of play, ranking second on the team with 17.2 points per game. That figure is an 8.3-point improvement from last season's average of 8.9 points. He has nine 20-point games to his credit after entering the season with a career-high of 19 points. Watts is shooting 51 percent from the field (103-of-207) after hitting 22- and 36-percent, respectively during his first two years. Watts leads all Washington scorers during Pac-10 play with a 19.9-point average. He averages 9.3 free throw attempts per game in Pac-10 outings. Watts electrified Husky home crowds this season with his late-game heroics. He swished a 3-pointer at the buzzer with two opponents closely guarding him to force overtime against Saint Mary's. In the extra session, Watts hit the game-winning trey from the top of the key with 28.3 seconds remaining in the regular-season opener. He has twice tallied a career-high 28 points, against Arizona and California. In the exhibition opener against Brewster Packing, Watts lifted Washington to an 88-87 victory with a 3-pointer as time expired. Watts leads the team with 66 assists. His 326 total points are two more than the 324 he scored in his first two seasons combined.
Shootin' Luton: Sophomore Deon Luton has accounted for nearly half (51-of-104) of Washington's 3-pointers, including 39 treys over the last 12 games. Luton hit a school single-game record seven 3-pointers at USC on Jan. 29, eclipsing the standard of six established by Greg Hill in 1986. He already ranks third among all-time Huskies with 77 career 3-pointers. He has heated up recently, averaging 19.1 points per game in the last 11 outings with six 20-point performances and a career-high 31-point outburst at USC. In those 11 games, Luton is shooting 49 percent from the field (80-of-165) and 43 percent (35-of-82) from 3-point range. Prior to the last 11 games, Luton shot 27 percent (28-104) from the field and 30 percent (16-53) on 3-pointers. Luton ranks third on the team with 53 assists, already surpassing his total of 31 assists from last season. He has 15 double-figure games and led all Washington scorers during five games this season.
Mistaken Identity: Todd MacCulloch worked as a volunteer at the Final Four in Seattle in April of 1995 and had autograph requests from spectators who mistook him for former 7-foot Oklahoma State center Bryant "Big Country" Reeves. "I'd take it as a compliment if my game is ever compared to his," MacCulloch remarked during the 1995 Final Four.
Century Club: Todd MacCulloch has 1007 career points. On Thursday at Arizona, he scored his 1000th point to become the 25th player in Washington history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Climbing the Charts: Todd MacCulloch recorded his fifth career 30-point game on Jan. 15 with 31 points against Oregon. Only three other players have had as many as five 30-point performances during a Washington career. Following is the list of all-time Husky 30-point leaders: 1-Bob Houbregs (1951-53) 13; 2-Steve Hawes (1970-72) 6; 3 (tie)-Todd MacCulloch and Louie Nelson (1971-73) 5.
Provincial Playboy: A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada, Todd MacCulloch probably never dreamed his travels in the United States would take him to Playboy magazine headquarters in Chicago. He was selected as a 1998 Playboy All-American and joined nine other players and Coach Lute Olson in a photo shoot for the December 1997 issue. The other Playboy All-Americans are: Mike Bibby (Arizona), Zendon Hamilton (St. John's), Drew Hansen (Utah, scholar/athlete), Raef LaFrentz (Kansas), B.J. McKie (South Carolina), Paul Pierce (Kansas), Miles Simon (Arizona), Kenny Thomas (New Mexico) and Robert Traylor (Michigan). "It's kind of scary. You don't buy that magazine to look at someone like me," MacCulloch exclaimed of his apperance in Playboy. Featured on the cover was another Canuck, the 1995 Miss Canada.
Big Mac: Junior 7-foot center Todd MacCulloch led the nation in field goal shooting last season at 67.6 percent (163-241). He is currently shooting 66.8 percent (151-of-226) from the field to rank No. 2 nationally. MacCulloch outplayed Brad "Big Continent" Millard of Saint Mary's in the season opener, amassing 20 points and 14 rebounds to 11 points and six boards for Millard. MacCulloch scored a career-best 38 points last year at James Madison, a figure that was the eighth-highest scoring game in Husky history and the most since Chris Welp had 40 against UCLA in 1986. He hit the game-winning layup as time expired at Portland this year to cap a 33-point performance. Against Arizona State, MacCulloch amassed 30 points and a career-high 21 rebounds. He had 31 points and 15 rebounds at Oregon on Jan. 15. That was MacCulloch's third 30-point outing this season. He is one of only three players to register two 20-rebound performances during a Washington career. He has 19 career double-doubles with 10 of them coming this season. MacCulloch was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week on Dec. 1 and Jan. 19. He is the fourth Husky to earn multiple Pac-10 weekly honors. MacCulloch joins Chris Welp as the only Huskies honored twice in the same season by the conference. Welp, who garnered three career Pac-10 weekly awards, won twice in 1986.
Dan the Man: Freshman point guard Dan Dickau is the third point guard in the Washington rotation. Lately, he has been bidding for more playing time. Dickau tallied 22 of his 71 points in the last two games with 10 against eighth-ranked UCLA and a career-high 12 at No. 4 Arizona. He had 11 points in the Huskies' first meeting with Arizona. All three of Dickau's double-figure scoring games came against top-10 ranked opponents. He hit 4-of-6 shots from 3-point range Thursday at Arizona after entering the game shooting 5-of-12 on treys. He is averaging 6.4 points on 48-percent shooting in conference play, improving from 2.2 points on 36-percent shooting in non-conference games.
Last Game: #5 Arizona 112, Washington 81 (Feb. 5, 1998; Tucson, Ariz.) -- Seattle native Michael Dickerson sparked a second-half surge, scoring 25 of his 30 points after halftime of fourth-ranked Arizona's 112-81 win over Washington at McKale Center. It was the third-highest point total ever surrendered by the Huskies who lost to Arizona 110-91 earlier in the season. Washington drew within 45-42 before the Wildcats scored the final five points of the first half, to take a 50-43 advantage, and opened the second half with a 24-5 run. Dickerson, who hit all 11 of his shots after intermission, tallied 18 points during the opening 5:40 of the second half to help Arizona go ahead 74-48. That lead grew to as many as 34 points. Mike Bibby contributed 22 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals for Arizona which shot 63 percent from the field, including 73 percent in the second half. Todd MacCulloch, who was limited to four points in the first meeting, amassed 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Huskies. Reserve guard Dan Dickau helped keep Washington close early, hitting all four of his first-half 3-point attempts for a career-high 12 points. Donald Watts had 10 points and eight assists for the UW.
Husky Happenings: Washington defeated four teams that played in last year's NCAA Tournament with wins over Saint Mary's, Old Dominion, California and USC . . . The Huskies have used only two different starting lineups all season and the current lineup has started the last 13 games . . . Todd MacCulloch (8), Donald Watts (6) and Deon Luton (5) are the only players to lead the Huskies in scoring during a game this season . . . Deon Luton had seven 3-pointers at USC to break the Washington single-game record of six established by Greg Hill in 1986 . . . The Huskies hit 14 treys at USC, eclipsing the previous school single-game standard of 12 set at Washington State in 1996 . . . Todd MacCulloch moved into second place last week on the Washington career blocked shots list. His total of 82 career blocks is well shy of the school standard of 186 established by Chris Welp (1984-87) . . . Patrick Femerling is tied for fifth with Mark Sanford (1995-97) with 66 blocks . . . Femerling averages 7.6 rebounds in Pac-10 games with three double-digit efforts.
Femerling Returns: Junior forward Patrick Femerling rejoined the team Dec. 7 and scored 13 points with five rebounds at Brigham Young on Dec. 9. He missed the previous four games while playing with the German National Team. Femerling was supposed to return for the Dec. 6 game at Oklahoma State, but a concussion suffered in the final game for Germany prevented him from making his scheduled flight from Europe. The 7-foot-1 center/forward registered eight points, six rebounds and four blocks in the opener against Saint Mary's before immediately leaving en route to Dusseldorf, Germany. He participated for the Germans in three qualifying games for the 1999 European Championships. The European Championhips are a critical part of Germany's process to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympic Games. Femerling previously participated with the German Nationals in exhibition games during the summer of 1996 against Lithuania and Yugoslavia. He was joined on the German National Team by 7-foot center Chris Welp who played at Washington from 1984 to 1987 and amassed a school-record 2,073 career points. The German nationals defeated Bulgaria and Belgium, but lost to Slovenia. Femerling averages 6.3 points per game on 53-percent shooting for the Huskies. He ranks second on the team with 6.9 rebounds per game, including three double-digit performances.
This is the Army Mr. Femerling: During the summer of 1996, Patrick Femerling performed his mandatory military service as a German citizen. He spent a 10-week tour of duty with the German Army. Part of that time, Fermerling went through manuevers in his sneakers because no size-16 army boots were available.
Successful in Seattle: The Huskies have an 8-2 home record and have won 20 of their last 25 games in Seattle. Their only home defeats came against Arizona and Stanford, both ranked No. 5 at the time of the game. Washington has a 5-3 road record. The UW averages 81.3 points at Edmundson Pavilion, 3.7more than their 77.6-point road production. The UW outshoots opponents 49.3-percent to 46.5 at home.
The Oregon State Series:
Last Meeting: Washington 70, Oregon State 55 (Jan. 17, 1988; Corvallis, Ore.) -- Three Washington players combined to score 59 points, led by the 22 of Deon Luton in a 70-55 victory over Oregon State at Gill Coliseum. Washington won its fourth straight game against OSU, its longest streak over the Beavers since 1961. The win, paired with a decison at Oregon two days earlier, gave the Huskies their first sweep of a Pac-10 road series since 1987. It was the first road sweep in Oregon since 1986. Luton scored 15 second-half points, helping the Huskies stretch a 29-26 halftime edge. Donald Watts scored 15 of his 19 points after intermission and Todd MacCulloch finished with 18 points. The Beavers drew within 49-46 on a jumper by Ron Grady with 9:15 left in the game. Washington responded with an 11-4 run over the next five minutes. MacCulloch tallied the first six points during the surge that resulted in a commanding 60-50 Husky margin. Grady and John-Blair Bickerstaff led Oregon State with 11 points each. Corey Benjamin added 10 points and seven rebounds. The Huskies shot 52 percent (12-23) in the second half, pushing their game total to 45 pecent (23-51). They limited Oregon State to 33-percent shooting (20-61), including 2-of-16 from 3-point range. The Beavers missed all 10 of their second-half 3-pointers.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Washington signed a stellar class during the early signing period (Nov. 12-19). The most recent was 6-7 forward Doug Wrenn from Seattle's O'Dea High School who was rated among the nation's top-20 high school players by numerous publications. Wrenn announced on Dec. 5 that he had inked a letter of intent during signing week. Wrenn guided O'Dea to the 1997 Washington Class AA state championship. He averaged 17 points per game as a junior and was listed No. 4 in the Best in the West poll of coaches produced by the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Bay Area guard Senque Carey and Grant Leep, one of the premier prep players from the state of Washington, signed Washington letters of intent Nov. 12. A native of Redwood City, Calif., Carey averaged 26 points, 12.7 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game his junior year. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard led St. Francis High School of Mountain View, Calif. to a 26-3 record in 1997. Carey was a first-team selection in the Best in the West ratings, ranking No. 13. He was ranked 96th nationally and No. 20 among point guards in the Top-100 list of high school prospects published by Clark Francis in Hoop Scoop. Leep averaged 18.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game his junior campaign, helping Mount Vernon to a 28-1 record. Mount Vernon's lone loss was a 57-51 setback to Mercer Island in the 1997 Washington state Class AAA championship game. The 6-7, 205-pound forward was a high honorable mention prep All-America selection by Street & Smith's college basketball magazine. Leep hails from the same high school that produced Mark Hendrickson, a two-time All-Pacific-10 Conference performer (1995, 1996) at Washington State who was picked in the second round of the 1996 NBA Draft by Philadelphia.
Husky Talk: Tune in to KOMO (1000 AM) every Tuesday night at 6 p.m. for "Husky Talk," a half-hour call-in and interview show featuring head coach Bob Bender and KOMO's Bob Rondeau.
Meet the Press: Bob Bender conducts weekly media gatherings every Tuesday at 10 a.m. in the basketball meeting area (room 221) located on the second floor of the Graves Building which is directly north of Edmundson Pavilion.
Husky Tickets: Good seats are available for all Washington home games on a season and invidual game basis. Reserved seats for men's basketball games are $14 (except UCLA which are $16). General admission tickets, which go on sale the Monday preceding each game, are $6 with high school, senior citizen and child tickets available for $3. The first 500 UW students are allowed in free. Also offered is a family plan ticket (1 adult, 4 children or 2 adults, 3 children) for $13. Call or visit the Husky Ticket Office, located in room 101 of the Graves Building or by telephone at (206) 543-2200 for information. Individual game reserved tickets will also be available for sale through all TicketMaster outlets and phone centers. Fans will have access to purchase Husky tickets at 90 locations throughout Washington. Seattle-area locations include Tower Records, The Wherehouse and Payless Drugs. Tickets may also be purchased over the phone by calling TicketMaster at (206) 628-0888 or via the internet at www.ticketmaster.com.
Washington Player Briefs (As of Feb. 6, 1998):
#32 Bryan Brown 6-3, 225, Freshman, Mercer Island, Wash.
Walk-on; Played 9 games; Mercer Island HS team won 1997 state AAA title; MVP of state tourney; Father, "Downtown" Fred Brown, was a Seattle Sonic (1972-84); Brother, Terik, plays at Oregon
#3 Greg Clark 6-6, 220, Sophomore, La Mesa, Calif.
Transfer from Long Beach State who will red-shirt; Injured and did not play as a freshman for the 49ers; Brother of Detroit Tigers 1B Tony Clark; A first-team 1996 Best in the West recruit
#12 Dan Dickau 6-0, 170, Freshman, Vancouver, Wash.
Had career-high 12 points at Arizona; No. 11 Best in West recruit; Prairie HS team lost in state AAA semifinals to Brown's Mercer Island team; Collects Pete Maravich memorabilia
#22 Patrick Femerling 7-1, 255, Junior, Dusseldorf, Germany
Double-double (11/12) vs. ASU; Missed 4 games playing with German Nationals; Had 13 points at BYU in his return; Toured with Germany in 1996, played vs. Arvydas Sabonis & Vlade Divac
#42 Thalo Green 6-6, 215, RS-Freshman, Salem, Ore.
Had 8 rebounds at USC; Scored 10 points at Oklahoma State, BYU and UCLA; Injury red-shirt in 1997 played 1 game; 1996 Oregon Prep Player of the Year from state champ South Salem HS
#23 Michael Johnson 6-4, 195, Freshman, Seattle, Wash.
Had 10 points vs. Boise State; Grabbed 7 boards against WSU; All-time top state prep scorer for large schools with 2,271 career points; No. 14 Best in the West recruit; Scored 27.1 ppg as a senior
#4 Deon Luton 6-4, 200, Sophomore, Del City, Okla.
Career-hi 31 points at USC; Had 20-plus points 6 of last 11 games; Has 51 of team's 104 treys; Distributed 53 assists after having 31 all last year; Had UW record 22 points last year in debut
#50 Todd MacCulloch 7-0, 280, Junior, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Has 5 career 30-point games; Had 30 pts./21 rebs. vs. ASU; Playboy All-American; Led NCAA in shooting (67.6 %); 38 points in 1997 game were 8th most in UW history; Had 76 points in prep game
#11 Andrew Moritz 6-1, 165, Sophomore, Seattle, Wash.
Played 6 games; Scored 2 points vs. Old Dominion; Played 5 games in 1996; Earned roster spot at walk-on tryouts in 1996; Prep teammate of Arizona's Jason Terry at Seattle's Franklin HS
#14 Chris Thompson 6-1, 185, Senior, Edmonds, Wash.
Career-hi 6 rebounds at Oregon State; Had 10 assists vs. WSU in 1997, the sixth double-digit effort by a UW player in the 1990s; Started first 15 games in 1997; Second on 1997 team with 95 assists
#20 David Verschueren 6-4, 220, Junior, Issaquah, Wash.
Played 2 games; Earned roster spot during walk-on tryouts on Oct. 20; Memboer of Husky baseball team last year as a left-handed pitcher; Lettered in prep baseball, basketball, football and tennis
#33 Chris Walcott 6-7, 210, Sophomore, Bellevue, Wash.
Had double-double vs. Boise State in starting debut; Averaged 7.4 boards in 5 starts; Earned scholarship after walking on in 1996; Led Sammamish to 1995 Wash. state prep title game
#24 Donald Watts 6-4, 200, Junior, Kirkland, Wash.
Has nine 20-point games; Career-hi 28 points vs. Arizona & Cal; Hit winning trey vs. St. Mary's; The 1995 Washington prep player of the year; Son of NBA star Slick Watts (Sonics 1973-78)
#5 Jan Wooten 5-10, 185, Senior, Elizabeth, N.J.
Averaged 6.3 assists over last 3 games; Amassed 12 points, 8 assists and 0 turnovers against #5 Stanford; Played with Brevin Knight on AAU team and vs. Stephon Marbury in high school
Bender Bio: Bob Bender, 40, begins his fifth season as head coach at Washington after starting his career with a four-year stint at Illinois State (1990-93). He has a 61-68 record at Washington, including a 17-11 record in 1997 capped by the Huskies' second straight National Invitation Tournament appearance. Washington's record has improved each season under Bender, including a 16-12 mark in 1996 after which he was voted the Pac-10 Coach of the Year by his peers. The UW was 5-22 in 1994 and 10-17 in 1995. Bender's nine-year career record stands at 121-125. Illinois State was 61-57 under Bender, earning two Missouri Valley Conference championships, one conference tournament title and an NCAA Tournament berth in 1990. Prior to his head coaching debut, Bender served as an assistant on Mike Krzyzewski's Duke staff from 1983 through 1989. The Blue Devils qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of Bender's six seasons on the staff, including four trips to the Final Four. Bender is the only individual to play on two different teams in the NCAA Championship game. He was a freshman on Bobby Knight's undefeated 1976 Indiana championship team and played point guard at Duke from 1977-80, including an appearance in the 1978 title game against Kentucky.
