Washington Huskies
Overall Rank: #38
Conference Rank# 5 Pac-12 Conference
Washington Team Page
The Washington Huskies women's basketball program moves forward into the 2013-14 season with longtime assistant, Mike Neighbors at the helm. Kevin McGuff left after two seasons to take the Ohio State job. The elevation of Neighbors is a move that resonated very well with the players and should build on the momentum of the last two seasons of vastly improved Husky women’s basketball.
2012-13 Record: 21-12, 11-7
2012-13 Postseason: WNIT
Coach: Mike Neighbors
Coach Record: 0-0 at Washington, 0-0 overall
Strengths:
The Huskies were one of the nation's best teams in taking care of the basketball in 2012-13. They turned the ball over just under 12 times per game. They also were lethal from behind the three-point line as they led the conference with 7.9 three points shots made per game last season. The returning scoring duo of junior guard Jazmine Davis and Talia Walton, who combined for 30 points per game, will lay the foundation for what potentially can be a very explosive team this season. Also, look for a huge contribution from incoming freshman Kelsey Plum. Plum was a 2013 McDonalds All-American and was a part of the 2013 USA Basketball U19 World Championship team. Plum is an excellent distributor of the basketball and she should be able to make players like Davis and Walton even more effective offensively, as those two would be able to focus even more on scoring the basketball for the Huskies.
Weaknesses:
The injury bug and lack of depth down in the post caused the Huskies problems on multiple fronts last season. Teams were able to wear them down, especially on the boards, as the Huskies had a rebound margin of -8.3 against their opposition. The return of Katie Collier from a knee injury last season should help address the rebounding issue a lot. Washington shot just 35 percent from the field in 2012-13, which needs to improve. The development of offensive play down low should help keep the Huskies from having to rely as much on the three point shot. The Huskies also need to pick up the leadership void left by the graduation of Kristi Kingma. Senior guard Mercedes Wetmore should be the frontrunner to pick up that slack for Washington this season.
Final Projection:
The Huskies have a huge test early in the season on December 7th with a road trip to College Station, Texas to take on an always-tough Texas A&M team. With such an experienced team returning for Coach Neighbors, the rest of the schedule should allow the Huskies to get out of the blocks to a fast start. The conference slate is also home friendly early on, as the Huskies should start fast heading into late January when they go to UCLA on January 31st. The depth and experience should be enough for this Washington team to be in the NCAA conversation all season. Moreover, Washington also has the Pac-12Conference tournament in its back yard at Key Arena in March. If this team plays up to its potential, and with the way the Seattle area supports women's basketball, it would not be surprising if Washington made a deep run in the conference tourney and threatened to win it.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting Five:
Jazmine Davis, Junior, Guard, 19.3 points per game
Mercedes Wetmore, Senior, Guard, 6.8 points per game
Aminah Williams, Junior, Forward, 9.2 points per game
Talia Walton, Sophomore, Forward, 13.6 points per game
Katie Collier, Redshirt Freshman, Forward/Center, DNP last season
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 65.3 (103rd nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.9 (229, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 35.3 (301, 11)
Field-Goal Defense: 37.6 (112, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.9 (13, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 31.7 (103, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.1 (205, 8)
Rebound Margin: -8.3 (332, 12)
Assists Per Game: 11.0 (272, 10)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.9 (7, 2)
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