Daily Dan Sports Blog

While the V-Mac in Renton resembles a Chinese fire drill, Montake won’t be pulling the emergency fire alarm.

The Seahawks continue to mold their 53-man roster, definitely proving that they are in a rebuilding frame of mind. Julius Jones must feel like the famous Mark Twain quote about the “reports of his death being greatly exaggerated,” as the reports of his dismissal from the team being erroneous. What isn’t wrong is that he’s not the main man at running back anymore as that title goes to Justin Forsett. He isn’t even the #2 guy undoubtedly, but he still has a place on the squad. #6 pick Russell Okung won’t be playing on Sunday as he is still injured. Matt Hasselbeck better have his rear view mirror working as his blindside may be in danger. The most interesting pickup for me this weekend was 337-pound offensive guard Stacy Andrews. This guy could be a real help on what has been a light offensive line that is being turned into a larger one. Andrews may be the best acquisition of the several new faces.

The Huskies didn’t snap their nearly 2 year losing streak on the road and sounded (no TV…really?) like they played an awful 2nd half. But, not to jump to conclusions. BYU is a very solid team, especially at home. This was no gimmie, in fact they were 3-point underdogs going in. This week at home against Syracuse is a different story. This is a “must-win” for a team looking to get to a bowl game again. They must hold serve at home, particularly against oponents that they are supposed to be better than. I expect a different game and a different outcome.

Shame on me for having not blogged on the Seattle Storm most of the year. As a former high school girls basketball coach, that is inexcusable. The Storm have been the best team in the league and proved it over again in the playoffs, as they reach their second WNBA Finals. Yes, I know they don’t get quite the respect they should in this town because the sport is not considered in the same breath as the NFL, NBA, and MLB. The reality is that they brought this city a professional championship a few years ago, there coach is perhaps the best in the league, and they have three of the top players in the league in Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird, and Swin Cash. As they head into the finals, I will be spending more time covering them and their quest to win their second title. Heck, I may even need to find a ticket to the Finals. That may be our only opportunity for a few years!

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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Former UCLA coach Steve Lavin recently stated what makes the difference in his mind on how teams fare in the tournament comes down to coaching, rebounding, and turnovers. Take a look at the last minute of Washington’s win against Marquette.

1 – Turnovers – With the game tied, Washington’s defense forces a turnover when a ball is errantly thrown out of bounds.

2 – Rebounds – The Huskies milk the clock and Isiah Thomas launches a three-point shot. He missed hard off the rim, but Quincy Pondexter corralled the offensive rebound. That gives the Dawgs the final shot.

3 – Coaching – At this point, no timeout is taken. This is critical because now Marquette has to play live rather than set up a defense coming out of a timeout. The Huskies have been so well coached they know exactly how to take it sown for a final shot. This isn’t osmosis. This is terrific coaching.

I watched New Mexico play the next game. Obviously, they are good. However, this is another excellent match-up for Washington. Sweet 16 anyone?

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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