Post-Draft Quotes
CENTER SPENCER HAWES
On getting picked 10th
"I had a pretty good idea that I wasn't going to go past Philadelphia (12th). Sacramento, I knew there was a good chance that I was going to go there, but there was no guarantee until they called my name."
On going to Sacramento?
"I'm extremely excited. Brad Miller is one of the guys I've watched growing up. I've taken notice of how they incorporate him into the offense and the things that he is able to do out there. It's the closest NBA city other than Portland. It's only about an hour and a half flight, so that's going to be nice for my family.
"It's definitely going to be a good fit for me. The style that they play is the style that I play. We'll mesh very effectively. With the personnel that they have in there, I think I'll be able to make a good transition to the next level."
On the environment at Madison Square Garden in New York
"It's a ridiculous atmosphere out here with the fans. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I'm just trying to soak it all up."
On the wait before being drafted
"It's extremely nerve-wracking. Five minutes seems like about 50 when you are sitting there just watching the clock tick away. I'm lucky that I didn't have to wait too long."
On realizing his dream of getting drafted
"I've been waiting ever since I started playing basketball. To finally hear my name called as the 10th pick in the 2007 draft, it was unbelievable. It's a great culmination to the hard work that I've put in. But, at the same time it's just the beginning of my pro career."
On being UW's third consecutive first-round pick
"It just shows how far the program has come and what Coach Romar has meant to it. It's a trend that is only going to continue."
On the high level of talent in the Northwest
"People are finally staring to recognize it. The more and more first-round picks, second-round picks that we put out every year, we're finally starting to get the notoriety that we deserve up in the Pacific Northwest."
On new Sacramento coach Reggie Theus
"I'm really looking forward to playing for him. He came up to school (Seattle Prep) to recruit Martell (Webster) before I kind of got things going. I've watched how he coaches and his demeanor and I just think he is a first-class guy. It's going to be an honor to be able to play for him at the next level."
On the difficulty in choosing to leave college
"It was extremely difficult, especially considering my expectations going in of what we were going to be able to do as a team, and not fulfilling those. But, at the end of the day I made the best decision and I couldn't be happier right now."
On the impact of his father (Jeff) and uncle (Steve), both former UW players
"They've been great to me on and off the court, whenever I've needed anything growing up. My dad was my coach when I played in the little catholic school league and he always stressed the fundamentals. My uncle always told me about how effective the hook shot is. So, all those things that I've taken from them, on and off the court, and the values that they've instilled have been extremely valuable."
WASHINGTON HEAD COACH Lorenzo Romar
"Our staff and everyone involved is very excited for Spencer. He was selected as the 10th pick in the draft. Actually out of the choices that he had talked about, that was a place that he was excited about if he were able to be chosen by them. It's the West Coast and he's familiar with them. I know that he's really pleased to be going to Sacramento. We just pumped. We're fired up for him.
"Spencer is very analytical. He studied all the teams quite a bit in depth that he thought he may have a chance to go to. Sacramento was one of those that he thought, in regard to location and how they've played in the past and what kind of bigs had been successful with them, it was a place he thought he could do well in. So he's excited.
On Spencer's work ethic
"He wants to be the best and he's very, very coachable. You teach him something and he's all eyes and he's really trying to pick up and learn what you tell him. He'll do fine that way. He's in a situation where he knows that he's going to work his way up. Even though he was the 10th pick in the draft, he knows that he is going to have to get stronger and bigger and better. He has that drive that it will take to make him a better basketball player."
On the comments that Spencer is not athletic enough
"When people say that someone is not athletic enough and that's the reason they may not be successful, I think that's true if someone can't do anything else. That means you are going to look at Larry Bird when he came out and say he probably won't be that successful, he's not real athletic. I just don't think that that's true. That statement is over-rated in Spencer's case.
"There is not a big player in the draft that is more skilled than Spencer Hawes. He can pass the ball with his left hand, his right hand. He can shoot the ball with his left hand, right hand. He can step outside and knock the shot down. Whatever athlete you choose, who you feel possesses a lot of athleticism, I wonder if they can do all those things. I think Spencer will do just fine."
On Spencer's rebounding
"That's something that he needs to improve upon. If you want to critique his game, that's an area that he can get better at. He needs to rebound the ball better. I will say toward the end of our season he started doing that and he was getting double-doubles and doing a good job on the glass."
On Spencer leaving early to enter the draft
"Early people questioned why he would do it. You hear people say that he's not ready. You know what, physically he may not be ready at this point. He's got some things that he has to learn. But, as I continue to say, the NBA felt that he was going to help them. They believed that and they backed that up by picking him 10th. He can definitely play in the NBA, I just think we haven't seen the finished product at all from Spencer Hawes, that's what I mean by maybe not ready yet. But he can definitely play in the NBA and the Sacramento Kings certainly think so."
On having a first-round draft pick in the last three NBA Drafts
"I don't think coming to the University of Washington will hurt your cause in terms of trying to play at the next level. With Spencer now, in five years we now have put five players in the NBA. The last three years, first round draft choices and two lottery choices. So, playing at Washington, if you look at this school, it is something that is not going to hurt your chances at all in going to the next level."
