Washington opens its men’s basketball season tonight with the first of three games in three nights in the Athletes in Action Classic at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

And top returning scorer Isaiah Thomas described the opening trio of opponents in a way that could send chills up the spine of any UW fan.

“These are all University of Portland kind of games,” Thomas said.

The reference was to last season’s opening opponent – the Portland Pilots – who sent the Huskies home 0-1 with an 80-74 upset in the Rose City.

The AIA Classic field is made up of UW, Wright State, Belmont and Portland State, all meeting in a round robin over three consecutive days of doubleheaders.

“They’re good teams, and they’re sneaky teams that can get you,” Thomas said. “... For these teams, it’s like their Super Bowl. They’re not as good as us as far as the rankings and whatnot, so it’s like their Super Bowl. They’re going to come in, bringing their ‘A’ game, playing hard. So we’ve got to come back and play harder than they do.”

First up for the 14th-ranked Huskies is Wright State, which had a 20-13 record last season and is picked to finish second in the Horizon League this season.

“They’re very good, and they will not give us the game,” Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. “We will have to take the game from them. If we have any aspirations of doing well in that game we will have to take it because they are a senior-dominated team, they play good, solid, strong defense; they are very organized offensively. They’re going to be a tough opener for us.”

Romar said he has reminded his team about its season-opening pratfall of a season ago. And he is expected to open with an all-veteran lineup of players who remember that trip to Portland only too well: Thomas, Venoy Overton, Quincy Pondexter, Darnell Gant and Matthew Bryan-Amaning.

Romar said he believes his team won’t take the Raiders for granted. However, he acknowledged the normal uncertainty that accompanies any season-opening game.

“I don’t know if you ever feel like you’re ready,” Romar said. “It’s like when you have that exam and you’re thinking, ‘Did I study enough? I’m not sure I’m ready.’ But we’ll definitely show up and get after it.”

This tournament has personal meaning to Romar for another reason: its affiliation with Athletes in Action, an organization founded in 1966 that uses sports as a platform for a Christian ministry.

“I spent seven years with Athletes in Action (as a player and coach),” Romar said. “It was probably seven of the most important years of my life. So, it definitely means something to me.”

On Thursday, Romar and former UW quarterback Tom Flick were breakfast speakers at a tipoff breakfast in conjunction with the AIA Classic.

“I had become a Christian in 1983, and I joined Athletes in Action in 1985,” Romar said. “And being with them in full-time ministry for seven years really, really allowed me to home in on my faith and be really grounded in my faith; so it was really good. Probably the way I coach now and the way I go about my business had a lot to do with Athletes in Action. It also gave me an opportunity to coach and make mistakes in obscurity, where no one was critiquing it.”

Don Ruiz, 253-597-8808

don.ruiz@thenewstribune.com

blog.thenewstribune.com/uwsports

HUSKIES GAMEDAY

WRIGHT STATE vs. WASHINGTON

7 p.m., Hec Edmundson Pavilion

TV: FSN. Radio: 950-AM

Series: First meeting.

Scouting report: This is the opener for both schools. … Washington returns three starters and eight lettermen from the 26-9 team of last season, which won the Pacific-10 Conference regular-season title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. … This game is expected to mark the college debut of true freshmen Abdul Gaddy and Clarence Trent, both of Tacoma, and of redshirt freshman Tyreese Breshers. … The Raiders went 20-13 last season and are picked to finish second in the Horizon League this season. Guards Todd Brown and Vaughn Duggins were named to the preseason all-league first team. However, Duggins will miss all three games in Seattle. He was suspended by coach Brad Brownell after being charged during the offseason with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. … Brownell is in his fourth year at the Dayton, Ohio, school, and has a 64-33 record there.

Game 1: The Athletes in Action Classic tips off at 4:30 p.m. when Belmont meets Portland State. One ticket is good for both games.

Saturday: 4:30 p.m., Portland State vs. Wright State; 7 p.m., Belmont vs. Washington, Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

Don Ruiz, The News Tribune