SEATTLE β Not surprisingly, the return of Arizona associate head coach Lorenzo Romar to Hec Edmundson Pavilion is generating a lot of interest here.
The Seattle Times dedicated the top half of its sports section cover to the former Washington head coach, with columnist Larry Stone saying Husky fans should give him a standing ovation for everything he accomplished over his 15 years running the program.
"This year's Huskies, against all odds, now have a shot at making the NCAA Tournament," Stone wrote. "It was Romar who made that a realistic expectation... in the Romar years, Husky fans learned how to raise their intensity to the next level."
The Times also listed 15 moments that defined the Romar era -- with No. 1 being Isaiah Thomas' buzzer-beater against Arizona in the 2011 Pac-10 championship game, and what happened after that. Romar also told the Times it hurt to be fired but that he's not bitter.
The Tacoma News-Tribune recounted how Romar's core players stuck together and stayed (though his recruiting class was blown up, except for Jaylen Nowell).
Washington coach Mike Hopkins says he isnβt going to make a big deal out of Saturdayβs game β because it already is.
βItβs all about how can we win that next game and give the kids defensive responsibilities and offensive responsibilities,β Hopkins said on Thursday, after Washington beat ASU. βI hate to say it, but itβs just another game. Sometimes I downplay it and sometimes you try to pick βem up for it. They donβt need to be picked up for Saturday.β
Our full advance coverage is attached to this post.
