Situation normal for Thomas, Huskies
DON RUIZ; Staff writer
Isaiah Thomas will be in the Washington Huskies’ starting lineup tonight when Arizona State visits.
Normally, that wouldn’t even deserve a mention. It would be just one of those things that goes without saying: Water, wet; sky, blue; Thomas, starter.
But the usual gave way to the unusual Thursday when UW coach Lorenzo Romar sent Venoy Overton onto the court in place of Thomas to start the second half of Washington’s win over Arizona.
“I thought in the first half, offensively, it was very similar to how we play on the road offensively sometimes, where that ball just doesn’t quite get moving,” Romar said Friday. “Sometimes you can get away with it; but against a team like Arizona, USC – the teams that really play good, solid defense and pack it in – you can’t just go on the first side. You have to have some ball movement, get the ball reversed and then you can go.”
The change gave Romar what he wanted. Washington trailed 37-31 at halftime, but the newly configured Huskies opened the second half with a 15-4 run. They never trailed again on their way to an 81-75 win.
“The only thing I care about is we won, so it’s all right,” Thomas said. “... I was cheering my teammates on. I had the best attitude you could possibly have. It’s all mental, and once you get out of it and think about yourself just that little bit it messes up the whole team chemistry. It is what it is. He made a decision, and we won; so it’s OK.”
Thomas said he understands why Romar made the move.
“I gotta do a better job not just setting up my teammates but getting easy buckets, setting up plays,” he said before practice Friday. “I try to do the best job I can to do it. And if I’m not doing it right, Coach Romar is going to find the right person to do it.”
Romar made clear that he would return tonight to what has become his standard starting lineup: Thomas, Abdul Gaddy, Quincy Pondexter, Justin Holiday and Tyreese Breshers.
Overton is slated for plenty of time off the bench to resume his personal rivalry with Arizona State guard Derek Glasser.
“(Romar) doesn’t mess with the lineups very much,” Overton said. “It was just a quick change that he felt that he had to make and we won the game. ... It’s all about winning at the end of the day. (Thomas) accepted that, and he’s going to be ready to play next game. ... All I do is try to bring all positive stuff to the team.”
Bottle-thrower banished
The man who was escorted out of Hec Edmundson Pavilion on Thursday after throwing a half-filled water bottle onto the court has apologized to the university and agreed to stay away for the rest of the season.
A university spokesman described the man as a longtime holder of four season tickets. He was not arrested and his tickets have not been revoked, but he has agreed not to use them himself.
“It was a shock to me because I feel like we have an unbelievable balance here,” Romar said. “I feel like we have the best fans in the league. ... Sometimes emotions get the best of you in a situation like that – although I don’t think I could ever throw a bottle out on the floor. But at the same time, I’m sure the person that did it is very remorseful.”
blog.thenewstribune.com/uwsports
huskies gameday
ARIZONA STATE (16-7 OVERALL, 6-4 PAC-10) AT WASHINGTON (15-7, 5-5)
7:30 p.m., Hec Edmundson Pavilion
TV: FSN Radio: 950-AM
Series: Arizona State leads 36-33 overall, but UW leads 18-14 in Seattle. The Sun Devils won the Jan. 8 meeting, 68-51, in Tempe, Ariz.
Statistical leaders: For ASU – G/F Rihards Kuksiks, 12.6 ppg; C Eric Boateng, 6.7 rpg; G Derek Glasser; 5.2 apg. For UW – F Quincy Pondexter, 20.7 ppg and 8.3 rpg; G Venoy Overton, 3.5 apg.
Scouting report: Arizona State is one of four teams with a share of the Pac-10 lead, one game ahead of Washington. ... UW is 15-1 at home, ASU is 3-3 on the road. ... ASU has been starting fast lately, averaging a 10-point halftime lead over its last eight games. ... Six of the Sun Devils’ 21 opponents – including UW – have had season-low scoring outputs against them. ... The Sun Devils lead the Pac-10 in scoring margin, 3-point field goals made, 3-point field goal percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio. They are second in the conference (behind USC) in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense. ... Washington leads in scoring offense, rebounding margin, offensive rebounds and scoring margin. ... Individually, Boateng leads the Pac-10 in field goal percentage (.652), Glasser leads in assists, while Glasser and teammate Jamelle McMillan, son of former Sonics coach Nate McMillan, are tied for the lead in assist-to-turnover ratio. Pondexter is third in both scoring and rebounding.
Next: 6 p.m. Thursday, at California, Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, Calif., ESPN2.
Don Ruiz, The News Tribune
