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Washington will need a big season from C.J. Wilcox to return to the Big Dance

C.J. Wilcox; Maurice Jones

University of Washington’s C.J. Wilcox, left, shoots over Maurice Jones of USC during play in a Pac-12 game at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle Saturday Feb. 4, 2012.

AP

While the Washington Huskies aren’t being mentioned with the likes of Arizona, Stanford and UCLA when it comes to favorites to win the Pac-12, Lorenzo Romar’s team has the capability of being a factor.

With Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten Jr. both moving on to the NBA however, redshirt junior shooting guard C.J. Wilcox will have to be a major contributor if they’re to do so.

Wilcox, who averaged 14.2 points per game as a redshirt sophomore last season, has recovered from the stress fracture in his leg that plagued him for much of the year.

From a health standpoint Wilcox is ready to go; all he needs to do now is go out and produce.

He has to be a leader. He has to make shots under pressure. He has to make his teammates better, and he has to take a Washington team that woefully underachieved last season to expected heights.

“This is a big year for sure, but I’m ready for it to start,” Wilcox said. “I think we have the chance to have a really good team. I just want to win. That’s my first goal. Everything else is secondary.”


The Huskies relied a great deal on Ross and Wroten Jr. for their offense, with the latter playing a role in 32% of their possessions according to Ken Pomeroy’s numbers (subscription required).

Wilcox finished the season with a possession percentage of 20%, but his offensive rating was the team’s best (120.5 per statsheet.com).

He’s been an efficient factor for the Huskies, and the return of Abdul Gaddy at the point will certainly help that continue, but he’ll need to be more aggressive in looking for his own offense.

“I thought the Kevin Durant camp was very good. It gave me a chance to test myself against some of the best players in the country. It’s given me a lot of confidence that I can play with and compete against anyone.”

In addition to his experience at the Kevin Durant camp Wilcox will have the Huskies’ preseason trip to Europe and Senegal at his disposal when it comes to getting used to a different role.

Aziz N’Diaye leads the returnees inside and redshirt freshman Andrew Andrews will help on the perimeter.

But if the Huskies are to return to the NCAA tournament after missing in 2011-12 Wilcox will have to be the leading option.

And it sounds as if he’s ready for that responsibility.

Raphielle is also the assistant editor at CollegeHoops.net and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.