Mailbag: Who Will Have A Better Season, Gonzaga Or Washington?

Written by Kevin Cacabelos | 09 November 2011

Every Tuesday, Brian Elsner (Wait For It Seattle) and I will be answering questions from readers. These questions will vary from sports specific to awesome specific. Keep them coming. If you have a question for us, go to the Facebook page of Wait For It Seattle or SeaTown Sports. Or leave us a comment here.

Who finishes the season better, the Huskies or Gonzaga? --Alex W.

Brian: Let me start by stating that I do not like Gonzaga. I dislike them for no valid reasons whatsoever. I went to Santa Clara so it is not part of who I am. I personally really like Chris Sarbaugh as a person and player. I hope he gets some playing time this year as a walk on. But I still don’t like Gonzaga. They are a rival.

Ok, with that out of the way….these teams are both going to be very good. People are underestimating the Huskies at this point. Seth Davis of CBS Sports predicts the Dawgs to win the Pac-12, but they will have a tough go of it with UCLA, Arizona, Oregon, Stanford, and Cal all vying for that spot as well. The Huskies weakness is the Zags strength. Washington will be looking all year long for consistent production out of their posts. I am not sure Darnell Gant or Aziz N’Diaye can get the job done consistently from a scoring standpoint. Yet the Dawgs are as talented as anyone on the perimeter with the playmaking of Wroten and Abdul Gaddy, mixed with the shooting of C.J. Wilcox and Scott Suggs (when healthy). This doesn’t even mention the ridiculous upside of Terrence Ross. Not many teams in the country have that kind of talent on the perimeter.

Gonzaga has a great advantage in the post with the return of WCC studs Robert Sacre and Elias Harris. In many ways, not many teams around the country can match those two either. The Zags will rely on them a lot as they look at freshman Gary Bell, Jr to make an impact on the perimeter. He will join David Stockton and Marquise Carter in the starting line up most of the time. When it comes down to it, I think UW will make the tournament, as will Gonzaga. I think that Washington will surprise some people and make it to the Sweet 16. I think Gonzaga will be too young at the guard spots, and since the postseason comes down to guard play, they will bow out in the second round. Of course, that prediction comes with the understanding that Santa Clara will win the WCC and advance to the Elite 8. Obviously.

Kevin: Oregon and Stanford? I don’t think they have the impact players to compete with UCLA, Arizona, California and Washington. Those two teams won’t win the Pac-12 this season. I love the Huskies perimeter, but I don’t see this team winning the tough road games in northern and southern California and at Arizona. The lack of experience on this team will bite them on the road. Ideally, this team will learn and grow from their non-conference slate of games. Scoring in the post won’t be too much of a concern if Terrence Ross becomes a dependable go-to offensive option and if the rest of the Husky perimeter stays healthy.  Opposing teams will have a tough time dealing with Wroten, Gaddy and Ross in the backcourt.

Though I think the Huskies are the better team in terms of talent and athleticism,  I think Gonzaga will make it further in the NCAA Tournament. I disagree with Brian and think Gonzaga’s guards are better than he gives them credit for. Most coaches would kill to have David Stockton running their offense, Marquise Carter is an above-average scorer and Gary Bell Jr. will emerge as one of the better scoring point guards in the nation. Add these three guards with Robert Sacre and Elias Harris and you have a complete starting lineup. If Gonzaga’s offense runs through Sacre and the big guy can stay out of foul trouble, this team has the potential to go past the Sweet 16.

Discussing Suck For Luck, comparing Seattle, Cleveland and San Diego sports, Tony Wroten and UW Football recruiting after the jump.

Back on Suck For Luck bandwagon?  - Luis A.

Kevin: Do I want Andrew Luck to be a Seahawk next year? Absolutely. Do I think the Seahawks should lose games on purpose for a high draft pick? No. Do the Seahawks even have a chance to lose all their games and get the No. 1 pick? Probably not. The Suck For Luck campaign ended a couple of weeks ago.

Brian: I am fully and completely on the Suck for Barkley bandwagon. If we end up with a bad enough record to get Andrew Luck, I will be elated. As I mentioned in earlier mailbags, I believe he is the best college QB in the past 20-30 years. With that said, I am starting to believe more and more in Matt Barkley. He is putting up great numbers and still has another year of school, which means he will probably continue to get better. Tarvaris Jackson is not the quarterback of the future, but he also isn’t as bad as we all thought. He can be the stop gap for another year until Barkley starts in year two.

Seattle currently would pick No. 5 overall which could allow for a pretty good quarterback. Unfortunately Indianapolis is #1 and Miami is #2. Both Luck and Barkley could be gone. I am not sold on Landry Jones or other QBs right now, so we may need to trade up.  I will continue to root for the Hawks once the game starts, but I will not care about losses this year. I know that I must suffer a poor season in order to get a chance at a championship in the future.

Worst sports history — Cleveland, San Diego or Seattle?

Kevin: Based on winning major league sports championships, San Diego last tasted victory when the Chargers won the AFL championship in 1963. For Cleveland, the Browns won the NFL championship in 1964. Since then, Cleveland and San Diego have not won a major league sports championship. Seattle on the other hand has its 1979 Sonics Championship team to remember. While the Chargers and Padres have stunk it up for the majority of the past 50 years, I'd say the Browns and the Indians have stunk it up even more.

Seattle fans think they have it rough? The Indians have suffered from The Catch (Willie Mays), The Curse of Rocky Colavito, Red Right 88, The Drive (John Elway), The Fumble (Earnest Byner), Michael Jordan (1989, 1994), the 1997 World Series and most recently The Decision (LeBron James). THAT SUCKS.

Brian: I thought for many reasons, Cleveland would top the list. This is fueled mostly by bad teams recently and LeBron leaving town. But the race is a close one it turns out. Let’s take a look sport by sport as a comparative analysis. The Browns were really good long ago (like in the 1940s and 1950s). They have nine playoff appearances since 1976 (when the Seahawks came into the league), 11 winning seasons (only two since 1999 when they formed a team again). Meanwhile, the Chargers have put up 13 winning seasons including seven years in a row now of .500 or better, and 12 playoff appearances since 1976. They also played in four AFC Championships and one Super Bowl. Before 1976, the Chargers won the AFL Championship as Kevin stated and played in four more. The Seahawks have 11 playoff appearances, 15 winning seasons and one Super Bowl appearance. So Cleveland takes the lead as most miserable.

Now to baseball. The Seattle Mariners are awful, as well all know, and have recorded five seasons of 90 or more wins. They have four playoff appearances and none in the World Series. They also feature 13 seasons of 90 or more losses, five of which were over 100 losses. No seasons of 90+ wins since 2003. In comparison, the San Diego Padres have five playoff appearances, eight seasons of 90 or more losses (only one over 100) and four seasons of 90+ wins. They also played in the World Series in 1984 and 1998. Cleveland has done much better with seven seasons of 90+ wins, nine of 90+ losses (three over 100) and seven playoff appearances. This includes playing in the World Series in 1995 and 1997. Seattle gaining some momentum.

And finally basketball. The Sonics HAD a rich history of 22 playoff appearances, one NBA championship and two other trips to the NBA finals since coming into the league in 1967. The San Diego Clippers existed for six seasons, never winning over 43 games. The Cavs have 17 playoff appearances and one NBA championship. While the Clippers moved to Los Angeles, that was years and years ago now. The Sonics moved four years ago. So we don’t have a team. SO WE WIN! Or we lose. However you choose to look at it. Our most successful sports franchise no longer exists. Sorry Cleveland and San Diego – we suck more.

What can we expect to see out of top recruit Tony Wroten this season? - Simon M.

Kevin: After watching highlights from the UW/SPU exhibition last Friday, we can expect to see a lot of jaw-dropping passes coming out of Wroten's hands. See: 1:52, 3:41, 4:33, 5:05, 5:33 in the above video for some examples. Wroten was incredible in high school, but I always wondered what type of player he'd be like when he is playing 100%. Romar will have to help Wroten cut down on turnovers, but that's the least of my worries. He'll be a key asset to this team's success this season.

Brian: Kevin summarizes Wroten’s impact very well. He will wow people with his passing ability and with his highlight plays. Yet for the team to be successful and Wroten to truly make an impact, he will need to work on making simple plays well. He often tried to do too much in high school and this could lead to poor shots and turnovers. That can’t happen at the collegiate level. Luckily for Wroten, he has the best coach possible for him in Lorenzo Romar. Also, he is playing with great talent which will allow for him to be himself on the court more. As teams scout him more, they will allow him to shoot the 3 which he will either need to improve in accuracy or hunt shots inside the line. If he tries to prove he can hit it now, we will be disappointed. He is very streaky from out there, meaning he will hit his first two and then go 0 for the next 5. Overall, his biggest impact will be in distributing the ball and in passing lanes defensively (as long as he commits to that end of the floor). I do not see him being a big scorer with Terrence Ross, Abdul Gaddy, and others filling it up.

Brian: I love recruiting questions. Josh Garnett is ranked as the 38^th best player in the nation and Zach Banner is ranked 39^th. More importantly, they are both giants. Garnett is listed as 6-7 and Banner at 6-9. While Banner is the ninth best offensive tackle in the country, Garnett is the second best guard. Those type of rankings usually mean the player is going to Oklahoma, Ohio State, Alabama, LSU or Texas. Players rated that high don’t end up at Washington. At least not in the past ten years or so. That needs to change if Sark wants to take the next step and be a legitimate Pac-12 title contender and National Championship contender. It must start with in-state recruits and the offensive and defensive lines. So in many ways, Sark HAS to get both of them. He may not, but to be one of the big boys it is a necessity.

Kevin: Yes, it is a failure. Taking a college football program to the next level requires a wall to be put up around the state. If anyone breaks through that wall, you’re not recruiting good enough.  Garnett projects as a solid prospect because of his versatility; he can play both guard and offensive tackle and he has no preference for either. Along with being the in-state school, UW also has an edge with Garnett as because Josh’s father Scott played football at the University of Washington. Banner has UW in his final five along with Notre Dame, Michigan, Oklahoma and USC. Most experts say it’s Sark’s battle to lose.

--Kevin Cacabelos ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )