Robert Upshaw Dismissed From UW Basketball Program

Robert Upshaw came into the Washington basketball program with high expectations.

And not only did Upshaw have high expectations, he raised the expectations of the entire team, of the entire school, of the entire fan base.

And now, it’s gone. All of it. We’re screwed. NCAA Tournament? We’ll be lucky if we make the NIT. UW sucks again.

No! Just chill the heck out for a minute.

Yeah this sucks. But as they showed early in the season, this team is more than capable of being a nationally competitive team. The question is, can they get back to playing like one? A-la the Seattle Seahawks? If you remember, they started off 3-3 and were a team on the brink of not making the playoffs.

When John Schneider first traded Percy Harvin, the initial reaction was horror. But the move got rid of a guy who was holding the team back from achieving their potential.

Now I’m not saying that’s the case here. I don’t know the first thing about Robert Upshaw as a person or as a teammate. But if he was kicked off the team, he must have been contributing to the locker room in a negative fashion in some capacity.

As for what remains of the 2014-15 Huskies, this team goes as Nigel Williams-Goss goes. With or without Upshaw. NGW is averaging five assists over the Huskies’ 3-5 stretch, compared to seven assists during UW’s 11-0 start. More than anything, NGW asserting himself in games like he was early in the year will help the Huskies right the ship.

Jernard Jarreau’s return now becomes even more of a pressing issue. Without Upshaw in the paint, UW will likely go back to man defense full-time. Jarreau’s versatility and ability to guard just about any player on the floor is badly needed.In UW’s blowout loss at Utah, the Utes just ran guys off of screens and UW couldn’t keep up. Having Jarreau and Shawn Kemp Jr. on the floor instead of Upshaw will allow UW to switch literally everything.

Did I mention Shawn Kemp Jr?

It’s your time kid. This team needs a low-post presence right now. This team needs a senior leader. Do your thing. If you can make us forget about Upshaw, and help lead this team to the Big Dance, you’ll go down in history with Jon Brockman, Detlef Schrempf and, oh yeah, Shawn Kemp Sr. as one of the greatest Seattle big men of all-time.

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