Desmond Claude’s Status Cloudy, Others Near Return as Michigan Schools Visit Huskies
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Demond Claude’s status is unclear as the Huskies prepare to take on No. 4 Michigan on Wednesday at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. [/caption]
SEATTLE, Wash. — Coming off a solid win against Ohio State, things won’t get any easier for the Huskies this week.
Fourth-ranked Michigan visits Hec Edmundson Pavilion to face the Washington men’s basketball team, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Huskies (10-6 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) host No. 12 Michigan State at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Wednesday’s game is sold out, a rare occasion in recent seasons for UW, and a number of recruits are expected to attend.
“We need Alaska Airlines Arena to be rockin’,” Huskies coach Danny Sprinkle said. “It’s got be be like back in the day.”
The status of three players remained up in the air on Tuesday. Desmond Claude, who did not play against the Buckeyes on Sunday after missing practice time for what Sprinkle deemed personal reasons, has not yet been given the green light for Wednesday’s game.
Sprinkle was noncommittal about the 6-6 senior guard’s playing status when asked if Claude would be seen at Hec Ed on Wednesday.
“Yeah, I mean, he’ll be on the team,” Sprinkle said.
Asked if he’d be playing, Sprinkle said, “We’ll see. We’ll see with all of them. We’ve still got practice [Tuesday].”
Claude, fourth on the team with a scoring average of 14.5 points in 11 games played, is also fourth in minutes played at 29.4 per game. The transfer from USC averages 2.1 assists and 1.8 turnovers per game. Though one of the better players on the team at getting to the basket, Sprinkle noted that the ball moved well against Ohio State with Claude out.
“I don’t know, obviously he wasn’t playing, and the ball did move,” Sprinkle said. “I thought we were organized. Zoom [Diallo] controlled the game. I thought he had some great passes.”
Ognacevic, Yates Reinforcements Coming
Sprinkle said Tuesday that forward Jacob Ognacevic may be able to make his season debut against Michigan, and that Wesley Yates III may also be available.
While a portion of practice is often open to the media before or after Sprinkle’s press conferences, it was closed on Tuesday. So, it was not known who was able to practice in preparation for the Wolverines.
Ognacevic, the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year last season after averaging 20.3 points for Lipscomb, suffered a foot injury during preseason practice and has not yet played for Washington. Yates has missed the past five games after injuring his hand early in the Dec. 19 loss to Seattle U.
“I don’t know if they’ll play tomorrow night — I expect them to — but it’s any day now,” Sprinkle said. “They’re both feeling better and better, and I thought there may have been a chance they could have played against Ohio State, but both of them, just mentally more than anything right now, getting back into the practice routine.”
Ognacevic, a 6-8 senior, should be able to give the Huskies some much-needed 3-point shooting, as well as a presence in the paint.
“He can stretch the floor, he’s tough, he can rebound,” Sprinkle said. “He’s a ball mover. Your offense flows better when he’s in the game, and it just gives us something different.”
Sprinkle said the team is waiting on medical results for freshman Jasir Renchir, and that sophomore big man Lathan Sommerville may be cleared soon for contact practice.
Michigan ‘Best Team in the Country’
The AP Poll voters punished the Wolverines (14-1, 4-1) for their first loss of the season, dropping them two spots after a 91-88 defeat at home to Wisconsin on Saturday. The stumble didn’t affect Sprinkle’s opinion of Wednesday’s opponent.
“In my estimation, it’s the best team in the country,” Sprinkle said. “And so we got our work cut out for us, and we’re going to need every ounce of energy from those fans.”
Six Wolverines average double-figures in scoring, led by 6-9 senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg. Seven regular members of the rotation shoot 35% or better from behind the 3-point arc for Michigan. Aday Mara, a 7-3 center from Spain, is 0-for-4 from 3 this season but is a presence down low, averaging 10 points, eight rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.
“They’re so big and athletic,” Sprinkle said. “They can shoot the basketball. But just how they play as a team is one thing I don’t think a lot of people are talking about as much. A lot of teams have talent, but just the way those guys are playing together, they create so many catch-and-shoot shots just because their ball movement is so good.”
