The Washington Huskies? Though the regional sounds like it should be a home game, they had the longest trip of all: 2,800 miles aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 2. But at the end in Reagan National’s main concourse was a pleasant surprise.
Six Washington alumni, all currently in the D.C. area, greeted the team as it filed out of the terminal. They all wore the Huskies’ gold and purple colors, and each paired off to hold up a Washington banner. The team showed their appreciation by shaking hands and exchanging high-fives - a sentiment they reiterated on Thursday.
“I’m thinking, we’re in Washington, D.C., our parents are coming, and none of them are here yet. When we got off the plane, we seen a lot of people out there with signs, cheering, and we’re shaking their hands. That was pretty cool,” said Washington guard Brandon Roy, the Pac 10 Player of the Year and a first-team All-American by the United States Basketball Writers Association. “Even walking around D.C. and doing some sightseeing, people were like, ‘Hey, Washington Huskies! We like you guys!’ It just makes us feel better about being in Washington, D.C., being so far away from home.”
“I was pleasantly surprised this far away from the West Coast we had someone greeting us, but it was a nice touch,” said Huskies coach Lorenzo Romar.
The six in attendance at National included three from UW’s DC Alumni Club Cabinet, but the plan was hatched by former Husky swimmer Ken Van Pool.
“Being a former athlete, you’ve got to come out for your boys,” said Van Pool, a second-team pick on the Pac 10 All-Academic team in 1998 who now works for Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.).
“We had people come out when we swam in the Pac 10 meet in Long Beach [Calif.]. It was just former swimmers that came out, but it was kind of nice to have some old people there. So it’s just returning the favor more than anything else.”
“[Van Pool] mentioned that if they make it to D.C., we should try to go to the airport, and I thought that was a pretty cool idea,” said Rick Melrose, a Kent, Wash. native who now works for the federal government. “I talked it over with Alexis [Babcock, the Cabinet chair] ... checked with the athletic department to make sure they wouldn’t object to us meeting the team at the airport, got all the information [and] sent out the e-mail to everybody.”
• HUSKY CONNECTION: Despite the distance between them, both Husky teams at the Washington regional have something in common: Washington guard Harvey Perry and Connecticut forward Jeff Adrien both played at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.
Perry has not played in a game for Washington this season. He was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower back in late November. Adrien has played in all but one game for UConn with one start. He’s averaging 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds.
• GAY, BOONE COME HOME: Connecticut standouts Rudy Gay and Josh Boone spend most of their time in Storrs, Conn., but the trip to D.C. is as close as they get to being home.
Gay, a Baltimore native, was one of the top high school players in the country as a senior. Boone is from Mt. Airy, Md., 10 miles east of Frederick and was a second-team All-Big East selection this year.
Despite the familiar surroundings, Gay said this is a business trip.
“Of course I’m home, and I go to Connecticut which is far away from my house, but it’s all about business,” Gay said. “We’re coming here hoping to advance further in the tournament and right now that’s the only thing that’s on my mind.”
• EXPERIENCE HELPS: Wichita State may get the same label as George Mason - mid-major - but the Shockers have one player who has played with an unquestioned major.
Junior forward Kyle Wilson spent his freshman season at Illinois, where he played in 18 games and averaged 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds. But after that season, he decided to transfer to Wichita State.
“It was an unknown for me,” Wilson said. “I had some good conversations with Coach [Mark] Turgeon and he assured me that the program was going in the right direction and I would be a key part in helping the program keep moving in the right direction.
“But at the same time, I didn’t know. You know, right now, sitting here in the Sweet 16 it kind of makes me feel really good about this decision. I always felt very comfortable with Wichita and being part of the program but it’s even more of a plus now that we’re here.”
The Illini were the No. 4 seed in the Washington region, but were knocked out in the second round by Washington.
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To get to the Verizon Center and this weekend’s Washington regional, George Mason made the standard D.C.-area commute. UConn took a trip down the coast, while Wichita State made a trip halfway across the country.