Pac-12 preview: Washington

This is the sixth in an annual 12-part series previewing the Pac-12 teams for the upcoming season.

by Joe Veyera

Any program tasked with replacing both its all-time leading scorer and rebounder is in for an uphill battle.

That’s exactly the situation the Washington Huskies have been saddled with heading into this season, with the losses of both guard Jazmine Davis and forward Aminah Williams to graduation.

But for the UW and head coach Mike Neighbors, the hope is the team’s three returning starters can pick up where the historic duo left off, and push the Huskies to greater heights than last season’s first-round NCAA Tournament exit.

There was a lot to like about last year’s 23-win campaign. A 21-point shellacking of then No. 5 Texas A&M last December was the program’s first over a ranked non-conference opponent in nearly two decades, while a 76-67 victory against another top-10 team in Oregon State in February cemented its status as a top Pac-12 contender.

And though an average of 25 points and 12 rebounds a night disappears with the departures of Davis and Williams, the team returns one of the most prolific scorers in Division I in junior guard Kelsey Plum.

Plum, who spent her summer on the world stage with Team USA at the Pan American Games, was the Pac-12 scoring leader with nearly 23 points a night last season and should be back at full-strength after knee surgery in April.

Sharp-shooting senior forward Talia Walton is the only other returnee to average double-digits in scoring last season, and was named an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention for her efforts. She’ll also be expected to shoulder some of the rebounding burden alongside sophomore forward Chantel Osahor, after both hauled in about six boards per game.

One of the most-efficient sixth men in the league last year — averaging five points and six rebounds in 21 minutes a night — Osahor will likely slot into Williams’ spot in the starting lineup.

But the biggest presence in the post for the Huskies in 2015 may just be the team’s lone freshman: 6-foot-5 McDonald’s All-American Deja Strother. The center out of Kenmore, Wash. will be relied upon heavily in her first college season to provide rebounding, defense, and post-scoring.

Strother is third McDonald’s All-American on the roster, alongside Plum and redshirt junior forward Katie Collier. Now two years removed from an ACL injury, Collier will try to live up to lofty expectations that had her as one of the top-25 recruits in the nation coming out of high school.

Sophomore guard Brianna Ruiz made 28 starts last year, and will likely be tasked with pulling up from 3-point range often. Behind Plum and Ruiz, the Huskies will turn to sophomores Kelli Kingma and Khalia Lark, and senior Alexus Atchley to provide consistency off the bench at the guard spot.

Senior post Mathilde Gilling and sophomore guard Mackenzie Wieburg also return for the Huskies, though neither should be expected to see much playing time.

It likely won’t be until Pac-12 play until fans see how competitive the Huskies are against top-flight competition. The biggest non-conference tests comes in a neutral-site matchup with Syracuse on Nov. 27, and at home against Oklahoma on Dec. 6, while the Pac-12 season starts on the road against rival Washington State on Dec. 29.

Joe Veyera is a Seattle writer and editor for Pacific Publishing Company.