Huskies Happy To Be Home
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
After traveling more than 17,000 miles and spending two of the season’s first three weeks on the road, Washington is home for the remainder of 2015 and, well, as far as the program’s players are concerned, there isn’t a better way to spend the rest of the year.
“I love it,” freshman Marquese Chriss said. “I just needed to sleep in my own bed for once.”
After a season-opening trip to China and a Thanksgiving visit to the Bahamas to play in the Battle 4 Atlantis, the Huskies will play the next eight games on their home floor.
“We’re home,” freshman David Crisp said. “We’ve got our fans with us. Hopefully, we can get on a win streak, taking it one game at a time.”
In the days since Washington returned from its second international trip of the season, players have been working, while waiting for their bodies to adjust. The Huskies (4-2) have played in three time zones during an around-the-world journey.
Now that they are back in Seattle, well, “It’s different,” said Chriss, who is averaging 13.2 points per game.
Instead of cultural exchanges and study sessions abroad, the players are heading back to class. The routine of normal life is a welcome change.
“I go to sleep kind of late and then get up early, so I’m tired during the day, but I’m getting adjusted,” Chriss said. “We have a month, so I’ll be fine.”
When asked about memorable experiences created by the two trips, both Crisp and Chriss commented on the cultural diversity, the stark differences between China, the Bahamas and home.
“The experience was fun,” said Crisp, who averages 8.5 points off the bench. “Not everybody gets to travel around the world, going to China and the Bahamas, playing basketball, doing what we love.
“To see different parts of the world, how other people live and how everything is different, you start to look at things in a new way.”
But, while the trips were memorable off the floor, this young group is focused on continuing to build on the foundation established during preseason practices and a summer spent together.
“From Day 1, everyone bought in to the team concept,” Crisp said. “Everyone put their egos aside for the betterment of the team.”
Washington’s foundation is being built around defense, energy and intensity, coupled with a bond that allows this group to stick together through adverse situations.
“We all came here to bring this program back to the top, as high as we can get it,” Crisp said. “The games that we have scheduled, it doesn’t matter if they’re close or far. We’re just trying to win and represent our school.”
For the next month, the Huskies will get to represent their school on their home floor. This stretch of home games will take the program through its first pair of Pac-12 games in 2016.
“That’s pretty cool, to play at home for so long,” Chriss said. “I’ve never done that, a month straight of playing home games. It gives us something to look forward to.”
After the way the season started, a month at home is like an early Christmas present. It’s a chance for a young team to regroup, recoup and continue building on a promising start.
