Is Washington Huskies Basketball Coach Lorenzo Romar On Hot Seat?
After a devastating loss at home to the Utah Utes, 94-72, Washington Huskies Basketball Coach Lorenzo Romar Could Be On The Hot Seat
The Washington Huskies are now sub-.500 for the fourth time this season, with a 9-10 record. They fell to the Utah Utes at home by the score of 94-27. This is the same team with top NBA prospect Markelle Fultz, a versatile guard who projects to come off the board as high as number one.
Heading into the game, the Huskies knew that they needed to deliver one of their best games to win the game. On one hand, the team lost their place on defensive assignments. On the other hand, players got into foul trouble at key moments in the game.
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In the end, the Washington Huskies basketball team is a long shot to land an invitation to the NCAA tournament. Again.
University of NBA Huskies
But the University of Washington has been getting great basketball players through the program. If you list them, it’s nearly a who’s who of the NBA:
| Player | Yrs at UW | NBA Team | Yrs in NBA | NBA Debut |
| Marquese Chriss | 2015-2016 | Phoenix Suns | 2016 | 10/26/2016 |
| Spencer Hawes | 2006-2007 | Charlotte Hornets | 2007-2016 | 11/10/2007 |
| Justin Holiday | 2007-2011 | New York Knicks | 2012-2016 | 4/3/2013 |
| Dejounte Murray | 2015-2016 | San Antonio Spurs | 2016 | TBA |
| Quincy Pondexter | 2006-2010 | New Orleans Pelicans | 2010-2016 | 11/6/2010 |
| Terrence Ross | 2010-2012 | Toronto Raptors | 2012-2016 | 10/31/2012 |
| Isaiah Thomas | 2008-2011 | Boston Celtics | 2011-2016 | 12/26/2011 |
| C.J. Wilcox | 2010-2014 | Orlando Magic | 2014-2016 | 12/3/2014 |
| Tony Wroten | 2011-2012 | Memphis Grizzlies | 2012-2016 | 11/17/2012 |
NBA Ready Recruiting
The program maintains an incredible pipeline of NBA ready talent.
While guard Markelle Fultz is the star of 2016, the team has 5-star small forward Michael Poerter Jr., 4-star shooting guard Daejon Davis, 4-star shooting guard Jaylen Nowell, 4-star point guard Blake Harris, and 3-star power forward Mamoudou Diarra commiting to the 2017 recruiting class.
That recruiting is one of the gifts of head coach Lorenzo Romar. That, and winning. Well, the winning happened earlier in his career with the Huskies.
Romar gets players to the University of Washington Basketball program, and then ships them off to the NBA lickity-split. It’s not uncommon. The one and done rule is plaguing the NCAA basketball programs throughout the nation.
But other programs win. Duke University, the University of Kentucky, even Gonzaga maintain a level of success despite the constant siphoning of talent from the NCAA school into the NBA.
Why not Washington?
Dec 11, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies guard Markelle Fultz (20) talks with head coach Lorenzo Romar during a first half break in play against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavili. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Schemeless transition
The answer may lie in the scheme of the Huskies basketball team. Per Mark Titus in an expose on September 30, 2016, he summed up the Huskies scheme in this way:
“Romar’s system can be summed up as: Play fast on offense and switch everything on defense. That’s pretty much the laziest approach to basketball strategy that exists. If you don’t know much about the sport and want to see athletic guys fly around a court for two hours, Washington games can be incredibly fun to watch.”
That’s both an endorsement and a charge. In fact, the entire article by Titus explores the “Is this the last stand for Lorenzon Romar?” subject.
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In the end, Titus agrees that the team will likely miss the NCAA tournament again, will have a player drafted in the top five in the 2017 NBA Draft, and Lorenzo Romar will be back to coach again next year.
