The list of newcomers is short and sweet for Lorenzo Romar in 2012-13, but that doesn’t mean the pair of redshirt freshmen and junior college transfer won’t make an impact. Thanks to Tony Wroten, Jr., and Terrence Ross departing early for NBA, a pair of Northwestern kids will be big parts of the Husky offense next season at both the one and two. Darnell Gant is also leaving his post due to graduation, so Romar will turn to another redshirt to provide depth down low. Below, we’ll introduce you to each of those three newcomers, roughly in the order of impact that they’ll have on their new team.
- Andrew Andrews, Freshman, Point Guard, 6’2” 195 lbs, Benson Polytechnic High School, Portland, Oregon – Andrews established himself as a quick, tough, and fearless point guard throughout last season in practice. With the departure of Wroten, he will be second in line to get playing time at the one, but if he can show coaches early in the season that he has the same good scoring ability that he had in high school, he could earn much more playing time as a combo-guard. After all, there’s always room for guards with athletic, scoring ability in Romar’s offense. Andrews underwent hip surgery in late March, but that shouldn’t have any effect on his game come October.
- Andrews Is The Type Of Slashing Point Guard That Can Score When Needed, Perfect For Coach Romar’s Offense (credit: Steven Gibbons)
- Mark McLaughlin, Junior, Shooting Guard, 6’6” 205 lbs, Tacoma Community College – McLaughlin’s lights-out shooting ability has him heading into the season as the backup two guard. He is transferring in from nearby Tacoma Community College, where he led all junior college scorers with 28.4 PPG in 2011-12. Before transferring there, McLaughlin played under Cameron Dollar at Seattle U in 2010-11. He didn’t have a bad season by any means, averaging 7.2 PPG and 3.6 RPG, but he only saw action in just over half of the Redhawks’ games, so he decided to move south to Tacoma. The guy has tremendous upside, but you have to wonder if playing at his third college in three years, and fifth school in seven years, is problematic. Regardless, if he can shoot the ball like he did last season, he will find his way onto the floor in no time.
- Jernard Jarreau, Freshman, Forward, 6’10” 195 lbs, McDonogh No. 35 Senior High School, New Orleans, Louisiana – Weighing in at just 195 pounds (and that includes putting on 25 in his redshirt year), Jarreau is as lanky as they come at the forward position. This means that he also has the skill set and athletic ability of a guard, making him a great fit for Washington. The kid could even be Anthony Davis lite, as he blocked three shots in just 11 minutes in an exhibition against Seattle Pacific, the only action he’s seen in a Husky uniform. While Jarreau can become a great player in a couple of years, the sad truth is that the Huskies are already deep with raw talent in the post. Gant may be gone, but Desmond Simmons, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, and Shawn Kemp, Jr., all appear to be more Division I-ready at this point. With that said, there is always a need for length and wingspan in the middle in late-game situations, and Jarreau could see significant action then.