Huskies find life after football season

SEATTLE — All of Washington’s season tickets are sold out. The campus is abuzz over a potential Pac-10 title. The Huskies are nationally ranked, with a star who probably will jump to the pros after this season.

No, we’re not talking about the once-proud football program.

It’s basketball season in Husky Land, where fans are giddy about a squad that has all five starters returning from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, including dazzling guard Nate Robinson.

“We’re all ecstatic around here,” point guard Will Conroy said.

In his third season since returning to coach at his alma mater, Lorenzo Romar has Washington riding a wave of high expectations after a Pac-10 runner-up finish and NCAA Tournament appearance last spring.

The Huskies are No. 22 in the preseason rankings — three spots higher than cross-state rival Gonzaga, whom they play on Dec. 1 in Spokane.

Washington went 19-12 last season, finishing with an exhausting 102-100 loss to Alabama-Birmingham in the NCAA Tournament. Asked if there’s extra pressure this season, Romar laughed.

“I don’t see where having expectations to do well is a burden,” he said. “It’s a good thing. It’s a compliment to our program. We know there were other times when there weren’t any expectations — as recently as last year.”

Has it only been a year? The Huskies were just another team at this point last season. They didn’t look exceptional after starting 0-5 in Pac-10 play, but things changed in a hurry.

Washington became the league’s hottest team, beating Arizona twice during a 13-2 run down the stretch. Their finish included an upset of top-ranked Stanford in the regular season finale.

“We’re ready to pick up where we left off,” forward Brandon Roy said. “This team is well-oiled right now. We can’t wait to strap up our laces and play.”

There are several reasons to expect plenty from the Huskies.

Start with Robinson, one of the nation’s most exciting players. It’s impossible to predict what you’ll see from the 5-foot-9 guard. He can dunk, block shots, hit 3-pointers, make steals — just about anything.

“The things he does, there’s no words for it,” Conroy said.

Robinson starred at pre-NBA Draft workouts before deciding — as a projected second-round pick — to return to Washington for his junior year. One good season, and he should vault into the first round.

“People called me from the pre-draft camp in Chicago and said, ‘You wouldn’t believe what he’s doing. He’s lighting the place up,”’ Romar said. “I told them that I bet I would. Nothing surprises me with Nate.”

Robinson was one of five Huskies who averaged double figures in scoring. His 13.2-point average led the team, followed by Roy (12.9), Conroy (12.3), defensive specialist Bobby Jones (11.2) and Tre Simmons (10.8).

After the Huskies averaged 82 points a game last season, don’t expect Romar to slow things down.

“We like to push it. We like to apply pressure. We like to attack,” he said.

Hakeem Rollins, who led the Huskies with 38 blocked shots, is back. Transfer Jamaal Williams, who averaged 11.3 points and 5.1 rebounds at New Mexico in 2002-03, joins the lineup this season.

Reporters who cover the Pac-10 picked Washington second in preseason forecasts, behind perennial heavyweight Arizona.