Nov./Dec. 2018
IN THIS ISSUE From the Athletic Director’s Desk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Mike Hopkins' Husky men have high hopes in 2018-19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 10 Questions With ... Sharp-shooter Amber Melgoza. . 15 Husky women's hoopsters are young, scrappy and hungry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 A Night to Remember: Husky Hall of Fame 2018 . . . 22 A UW alum's long, winding road to a WNBA title. . . 26 The Shot: Indelible images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
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GOHUSKIES VOLUME 12 / ISSUE 4 / NOV./DEC. 2018
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FROM THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR’S DESK
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s the calendar flips to November, our attention begins to turn to Alaska Airlines Arena. Last year, we welcomed a pair of new coaching staffs to Montlake as we launched a new era of Husky Hoops. I was so impressed with the way that the staffs invested in our community and student-athletes. The positive energy created a contagious buzz in our department. Coach Hopkins led his program to its first 20win season since 2011-12 en route to being named Pac-12 Coach of the Year. We can’t wait to see what Coach Hop and company do this winter on the hardwood. Our coaches and players play with such a passion for greatness and I hope you will join us as we embark on Year Two. We also invite you to come out and support our GymDawgs, under third-year head coach Elise Ray-Statz. Elise has done an incredible job with this program in her short time on campus, leading the GymDawgs to back-to-back appearances at NCAA Nationals and a No. 8 ranking in 2018. I’m continually amazed by your steadfast support of our programs. The first-class experience we are able to provide to our student-athletes
Jennifer Cohen
would not be possible without your unwavering commitment to Husky Athletics. THANK YOU for believing in us. I look forward to seeing you fill the seats inside Alaska Airlines Arena as we all push to become Tougher Together. GO DAWGS!
EDITOR Brian Beaky WRITERS Mason Kelley, Mark Moschetti PHOTOGRAPHERS Matthew Lipsen (cover), Don Jedlovec, Jonathan Moore, Red Box Photography, UW Athletics ADVERTISING
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SENIOR DAVID CRISP
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MOMENT In The MAKING BY MASON KELLEY
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With a talented group of returners and a strong non-conference schedule, Mike Hopkins has the Huskies focused squarely on success this season
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his could be the rebirth. When Mike Hopkins looks at his Washington men’s basketball team, he points to the seniors. They didn’t have to stay after Lorenzo Romar was let go. Matisse Thybulle, David Crisp, Noah Dickerson and Dominic Green could have scattered to other schools. They could have gone in search of a fresh start. But, they stayed. “That’s blind faith,” says Hopkins, Washington’s second-year head coach. “They believed in the vision.” Consider last season the trial run. And, if that was only the beginning ... well, that’s a pretty good start, with 21 wins and programbuilding milestones like the Huskies’ victory at Kansas. With the Huskies more than doubling their win total from the previous year, the first season under Hopkins was equal parts impressive and ahead of schedule. Heading into a new campaign, this year is for the seniors. “They can be the rebirth team of Washington basketball, leaving and creating their own legacy,” Hopkins says. “That’s really, really exciting.” While the seniors set the standard, they will have plenty of help — from junior big man Sam Timmins, to the trio of sophomores (Jaylen Nowell, Hamier Wright and Nahziah Carter) who learned so much in their debut campaigns, to the incoming freshmen who have the skill set to come in and contribute right away. “We’re, obviously, in a good place,” Hopkins says. “It makes you sleep better at night.” Last season was all about stages. First, Hopkins and his staff had to get the Huskies to believe in the program. Second, the players had to learn the system. Then, they had to buy into each other and create the culture that would pave the way for this second season. “This is what it takes to win,” Hopkins says. “You never knew how fast it was going to be, but we did it. We didn’t get to the level we envisioned, but there was a lot of improvement.” After flirting with the NCAA Tournament — and seeing their coach take home Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors — the expectations have been elevated. “We’ve embraced it,” Hopkins says when asked about expectations. “Our expectations are what championship programs have every year. This will be a new learning curve, but they’ve worked really hard in practice. They know what we do.
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SPIRIT IN THE STANDS SUPPORT ACROSS THE STATE When Boeing supports what our employees are passionate about, it builds strong partnerships and stronger ties throughout our communities. That’s why we’re proud to be the title sponsor of the 2018 Boeing Apple Cup Series and celebrate two historic Washington universities.
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“(Last season) They went out there and executed and had some really good wins, but now there’s a target on their back. They know that and that’s the great thing.” Hopkins is quick to point out, though, that despite having so much continuity from last season, the returners only have 34 games under their belts as members of the current iteration of the program. That isn’t meant to temper expectations, it is simply to point out there is still a lot of learning going on from top to bottom. “We use the idea of always moving forward,” Hopkins says. “When you raise standards, there are still some uncomfortable feelings. We’re not where we want to be.” The Huskies are using elevated expectations as motivation. “They understand this is an opportunity for a special year,” Hopkins says. With Nowell returning as the team’s leading scorer (16 points per game), the Huskies have just the fourth player in the one-and-done era to return for a second season after taking more than 28 percent of his team’s shots and converting 49 percent of his field goals for a power-conference program that won more than 20 games. Essentially, if you're a dominant freshman on a good power-five team, you don't come back. This one did.
SENIOR NOAH DICKERSON
“They understand this is an opportunity for a special year.”
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SENIOR MATISSE THYBULLE
And, best of all, he won’t have to go it alone. There is plenty of talent on the roster, making each practice a battle. “Our practices have been good,” Hopkins says. “Iron sharpens iron. Bottom line. The freshmen we have are all going to be major players in what we do here. They’re perfect fits. They’re high-character kids. They’re learning on a day-to-day basis. They’ve amped up the practices with competition.” The practice competition will help Washington prepare for a nonconference schedule that Hopkins describes as “unbelievable.” As the Huskies work to build their program, Hopkins says he likes to maintain the team’s temperature. He wants his players to be able to manage both the highs and lows so they are prepared for everything they’ll face throughout the season. “You’re trying to keep the room at 72 degrees," he says. "If they get too high, you’ve got to bring them down to 72, but if they get too low, you’ve got to pull them up." With elevated expectations in the preseason, there have been a few times Hopkins has had to bring the Huskies back down to 72 degrees, but so far, so good. “The hardest thing in sport today is getting them all to believe that they all need each other and they’re playing for something greater than themselves,” Hopkins says. “For the most part, I’m very proud of the way they’ve approached that.”
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SOPHOMORE JAYLEN NOWELL
“We want to give them that moment. That memory. That picture they can hang on their wall and remember forever. I think we’re moving in that direction.”
The Huskies have been able to believe in each other and the program, because Hopkins made a point of recruiting high-caliber kids. Hopkins’ coaching counterpart over in the university’s football offices, Chris Petersen, has made a point to focus his recruiting efforts on the right fits for his program, instead of concentrating on stars or rankings. When Hopkins first arrived at Washington, he talked to Petersen about his philosophy. “I wanted to love the guys I coached,” Petersen told Hopkins. “If you’re going to go down, then you’re going to go down happy, doing it your way.” That message resonates with Hopkins. “That’s what we’re trying to build,” he says. “We’re trying to get the right fit, not the ranking.” The goal is to find players who want to be a part of something “greater than themselves.” It’s a key piece of building a championship-caliber program. Hopkins wants fans, alumni and the greater Seattle community to see the Huskies as “a team they can be proud of watching and rooting for.” Washington is well on its way. And, this season, as the Huskies embark to conquer great expectations, the journey starts with the seniors. They believed in the vision last season. This year is set up to be their reward for staying. “As a coaching staff, we want to give them that year,” Hopkins says. “We want to give them that moment. That memory. That picture they can hang on their wall and remember forever. I think we’re moving in that direction.” GoHUSKIES
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10 QUESTIONS WITH... JUNIOR GUARD AMBER MELGOZA
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ven the biggest Husky women's basketball fan can be forgiven for not knowing much about Amber Melgoza entering the 201718 season. As a freshman in 2016-17, the Santa Barbara native took a backseat to a senior-laden group led by Kelsey Plum, playing fewer than eight minutes per game and only scoring in double digits once. As a sophomore, however, Mendoza picked up right where Plum left off — no, really, scoring 19.0 points per game (less than two points shy of Plum's total in her first full season) and racking up 570 points in all, a mark bettered by just six players in Washington basketball history. Melgoza finished the year as the Pac-12's leading scorer in conference games and its second-leading scorer overall, earning AllPac-12 honors and giving the Huskies a secure foundation on which to build entering 2018-19.
What is it like to play in the Pac-12 Conference? “It’s the best conference, and each team has so much heart and passion for this game. Everybody wants to COMPETE.”
What does it feel like to play at Alaska Airlines Arena? “It’s an amazing experience to be a part of. When I was little, this was always my dream, to play here in front of a big crowd. I can’t wait to play another year.”
What is your favorite thing about living in Seattle? “You get all four seasons and everybody in the community is so nice.”
What is something important any coach has taught you off the court? “One important aspect that especially Coach Jody has taught me is to be the best possible version of yourself and respect one another.”
What are your favorite things to do in the summer in Seattle? “Go to Montlake Cut with teammates and explore the city.”
What are some of your earliest memories playing basketball? “Being the one to always dive on the loose balls and being that little aggressive girl.”
Who is your biggest inspiration(s) in why you play basketball? Please explain. “My dad (Jaime Melgoza)! Growing up, he always taught me to be the fighter and get after it. You believe in yourself and anything can happen.”
Who were your favorite basketball players growing up? “Kobe Bryant and Diana Taurasi.”
What do you love most about playing basketball? “The connections and friendships you make with people.”
Can you talk about some of the experiences that have been opened up to you through the sport and how they have changed your life? “Basketball has always been my No. 1 thing to do. It has helped me realize so much in life and allows me to be myself on the court.”
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GAME ON JUNIOR MAI-LONI HENSON
SPECIAL TO GOHUSKIES
Graduation and injuries forced the Huskies to hit the reset button in 2017-18 — but with a young, hungry roster and second-year coach putting her system into place, it's “ ” this season
game on
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ebuilding a perennial power in the best conference in the country is never easy. It is especially challenging when the team returns just 11 percent of its scoring and rebounding from the previous season and starts the season with just 10 healthy players. Oh, and let's go ahead and wipe out three of those 10 to injuries while we're at it, and then add in a schedule ranked the 26th most difficult of the 349 NCAA Division-I programs, just to make it interesting. That confluence of challenges would be enough to test Pat Summit herself. Yet, it's the precise situation University of Washington women's basketball head coach Jody Wynn found herself in as she took over the Huskies' program last season. Washington had just five returning players on the roster, to go along with five freshmen. Only one had ever started a college game. None stood taller than 6-foot-1. And, by season's end, three of those 10 would be lost to injury, leaving Wynn with just seven players with which to attempt to run her high-pressure defense. Despite those challenges, however, Washington proved to be a gritty, gutty team that gave many of its opponents as much as they could handle. Washington led the Pac-12 in turnovers forced at 17.8 per game and finished third in steals with 279 (9.3 per game). "In our system, we rely on playing 10 players consistently," Wynn said. "By the end of the year, when we had seven, we really weren't able to play the defensive system we were able to build up over the course of the preseason and the beginning of conference play. That really changed a lot of our possessions and strategy in terms of figuring out ways to compete." Wynn should have a full complement of 12 players available entering her second season, led by junior Amber Melgoza. A littleused reserve as a freshman on the 2016-17 UW team led by Kelsey Plum (Melgoza played just eight minutes a game, averaging just 2.1 points), Melgoza exploded in 2017-18, finishing second in the Pac-12 in scoring and earning All-Pac-12 honors. Melgoza averaged 19.0 points per game in her breakout year, including a conference-best scoring average of 20.6 ppg in Pac-12 competition. She scored 20 or more points in 14 games (including a 40-point ef-
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fort against Stanford) and finished the season with 570 total points— the 11th-highest single-season total in program history, and one bettered by just six other UW players all-time. "Amber had a phenomenal sophomore season, one in which she showed that she can be one of the best players in this conference and among the best players in the country in years to come," Wynn said. "She spent so much extra time on the court and in the film room, her basketball IQ really improved over the course of the season as she worked tirelessly both on and off the court to get better every day." “This year, though, she’s got a target on her back. People know who she is,” Wynn added. "[But] she wants to be great and so she's up for the challenge." With defenses targeting Melgoza, the Huskies will count on other contributors to step up and lighten the scoring load. That effort will start with both of the team's starting forwards from the 2017-18 campaign, including junior Mai-Loni Henson and fifth-year senior Hannah Johnson. Neither player let their lack of height (each stands just 6-foot-1) hold them back last season — Henson was the team's second-leading scorer, averaging 9.4 points per game, while Johnson added 8.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game during the Pac-12 schedule. Both players grew into their newfound roles as go-to players as the season wore on — Henson racking up double figures in 14 games, and Johnson becoming just the third player in program history to rack up at least 33 rebounds over two consecutive games, doing so in back-to-back games against Washington State. "Mai-Loni played her best basketball towards the end of the year," Wynn said. "As the season progressed, she learned how to attack when necessary, how to move without the ball and become one of our better defenders. "[And] Hannah worked hard on her versatility, like consistently shooting well from threepoint range, and her perimeter decision-making ability," Wynn added. "Those were totally new to her game and she did well to embrace them. Overall, we were really pleased with her reliability on the floor and her understanding of what we needed from her."
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SENIOR HANNAH JOHNSON
JUNIOR AMBER MELGOZA
SENIOR JENNA MOSER PAGE 17
GAME ON The Huskies also return senior Jenna Moser, who will use her final year of eligibility while pursuing a graduate degree in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership. Moser's is one of the best stories in college basketball — originally brought in as a practice player in the 2014-15 season, Moser put in all the same work as her Husky basketball teammates, grinding out practice after practice and giving her teammates the looks they needed to succeed, without getting so much as her name on the team's roster, or a seat on the bench on game day. The following year, she was placed on the roster as a walk-on, and was a part of the team that reached the Final Four in 2017, appearing in nine total games. Finally offered a scholarship by Wynn entering the 2017-18 season, Moser made the most of her opportunity, finishing third on the team in scoring at 8.7 points per game and leading all Huskies with 78 assists and 55 steals. Perhaps most importantly for a team riddled with injuries, she was the only Husky to start every game, and led the team in minutes. With so many young players on the roster, her decision to return for one more year gives Wynn an important veteran leader in the team's locker room. "Jenna is a consummate team player," Wynn said. "We are thrilled to have [her] back for another year in our program. She epitomizes everything we want in a student-athlete and has been a terrific role model for our young team." Wynn will also return sophomores Missy Petersen, Alexis Griggsby and Khayla Rooks, though Griggsby was the only one of the three to finish the 2017-18 season in uniform. Peterson led the team in field goal percentage before a season-ending knee injury against Washington State, while Rooks found herself in and out of the lineup all year with injuries. Griggsby was the only freshman to play all 30 games last season, averaging 5.0 points per game and adding 29 steals and 21 assists. And ... that's it. Senior-to-be Natalie Romeo and junior Deja Strother, each of whom missed the entire 2017-18 season with injuries, have both been medically retired (but will remain on scholarship and active with the team as they complete their degrees), while promising freshman Kierra Collier transferred to Drake University to be closer to her Kansas City home. That means that for the second-straight year, Wynn will be reloading with a young team — though one loaded with an impressive crop of freshman talent. Tops among the newcomers — literally — is Australian Darcy Rees, a 6-foot-4 forward who will give the Huskies much-needed size inside. A member of Australia's U-17 National Team, Rees led the squad to the 2017 FIBA Oceania Championship last summer, and will be expected to contribute immediately at UW. PAGE 18
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"We're excited to welcome Darcy to our Husky family," said Wynn. "Darcy is a mobile post player who runs the floor very well. She has a nice shooting touch and will be able to stretch the floor and shoot the three in our system." Rees will be joined by freshman guard T.T. Watkins and forward Haley Van Dyke, both from California. Watkins was ranked among the top-20 wing players in the nation by multiple recruiting services, and averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as a senior, competing in one of the toughest leagues in the state. Van Dyke, meanwhile, was a dominant presence inside at Moraga's Camplindo High School, averaging a career double-double (20.6 points and 13.2 rebounds per game over her four years) including 29.8 points and 17.3 rebounds her senior year. That included a career-best 60-point outing in a sectional playoff game, adding 16 rebounds and eight blocks en route to a the CIF NorCal Championship and second-team All-State honors. "Haley is a versatile player that can score from the perimeter as well as make plays around the basket. She is an instinctive rebounder and can defend multiple positions," Wynn said. "TT is another versatile player we're excited to have. Her length and athleticism are a special combination. They are both versatile players that will fit into our offensive and defensive system and will make immediate impacts to our program." Six-foot-two forward Gigi Garcia, who missed the last two years with injuries following an honorable mention All-State season as a senior at Sacramento's CK McClatchey High School, is also expected to return and bolster the Huskies' presence inside, while three-time All-KingCo guard Montana Hagstrom joins the team after a year at Bellevue College.
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GAME ON
MAI-LONI HENSON
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All in all, it's a roster that is deeper — and, most importanlty, healthier — than the one Wynn inherited in 2017-18, and one custom-built to run Wynn's up-tempo, high-pressure style. With one of the nation's toughest non-conference schedules on tap once again in the coming year — including home games against Mississippi State (back-to-back NCAA runners-up) and Ohio State (led by former UW coach Kevin McGuff); a trip to the Gulf Coast Showcase to potentially face Duke, Texas and/or Michigan; a cross-town battle with NCAA Tournament qualifiers Seattle University in December; and the much-anticipated return of the four-team Husky Classic — Wynn will have her young Huskies battle-tested by the time Pac-12 Conference play begins. "Overall, we are pleased with our competitiveness against teams in the most difficult conferences in the country," Wynn said. "We definitely showed [last year] how hard we play at UW and that our effort matters on every possession. "We got a great taste of where we want to be and we are excited to work on turning weaknesses into strength." At the team's media day in the fall, Moser said that she can already see that transition occurring. "Last year, we couldn’t implement too much because it was so game-to-game. It was like drinking out of a fire hose," she said. “But, this year we’re able to add different elements to our read-and-react (offense) that we wouldn’t have been able to put in last year because we weren’t all on the same page. That has been huge.” A star returning scorer. Good depth on the bench. A tremendously talented group of freshmen. Rebuilding is hard, sure, but Wynn is like a construction foreman on the eve of a big job. The pieces are all in place — now, it's time to start laying the bricks.
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CARVE THEIR NAMES This year’s HUSKY
HALL OF FAME
ceremony welcomed seven individuals and two outstanding teams to the annals of Washington athletics
BY BRIAN BEAKY
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he Masters has its green jacket. The NFL Hall of Fame has its yellow jacket. Washington has the purple jacket. Those who wear it are the finest examples of Washington coaches, staff and studentathletes ever to grace the shores of Montlake — a literal who's who of national champions, conference champions, All-Americans and professional Hall of Famers. And, in October, a new class joined the ranks. Seven individuals — Mark Brunell, Chris Gobrecht, Danielle Lawrie, Brock Mackenzie, Brandon Roy, Courtney Thompson and Chad Ward — plus the 1984 and 1985 women’s eight-oared crews were officially inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame at the bi-annual banquet held at Alaska Airlines Arena. Hundreds of family, friends, teammates and Husky devotees from across the country gathered to browse the Hall of Fame, mingle with Husky legends, and honor their heroes. Jim Lambright — a Hall of Famer in his own right — was there. So was former offensive coordinator and head coach Keith Gilbertson,
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The Masters has its green jacket. The NFL Hall of Fame has its yellow jacket. Washington has the purple jacket.
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each in support of quarterback Mark Brunell (the 1991 Rose Bowl MVP) and offensive tackle Chad Ward (a first-team All-American on the 2000 Rose Bowl team). Multiple members of Washington's 2005 National Champion volleyball team (already inducted as a team in 2010) turned out to see three-time All-American Courtney Thompson don her second purple jacket, just as the 2009 National Champion Husky softball team (also inducted, in 2014) sent several individuals to help honor their star pitcher, Danielle Lawrie. More than a dozen Husky basketball alumni kept their coach, Chris Gobrecht (who led the Huskies to nine NCAA Tournaments in 11 years), busy all night giving hugs and sharing greetings. The same was true for women's crew, which turned out in droves to celebrate two of Washington's most accomplished women's crews, winners of back-to-back Pac10 and national championships. Of all of the speeches given throughout the night, few were more animated than men's golf All-American Brock Mackenzie and basketball star Brandon Roy, each of whom spoke about what their time at Washington meant to them, and the coaches, teammates and others who helped them reach their goals. Additionally, Dick Crews was presented with the Don H. Palmer Award, which was established in 1994 to recognize those who have exemplified a special commitment to the UW Athletic Department. Crews was the first African-American man to play basketball at UW, the first African-American officer elected to the ASUW, a board member of the UW's Educational Opportunity Program and served two years each as president of the Quarterback Club and the Husky Hoop club. "I'm just grateful," Thompson said in a recent interview with KOMO Radio's Bill Swartz. "This community that I grew up watching, and then got to be a part of, and now forever get to be a part of, is so important to my life and my family and it's just a huge honor." Trust us, Courtney — and all of this year's outstanding honorees — the honor has been entirely ours.
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Rookie
UW’s Sami Whitcomb waited seven years to make her WNBA debut, then made sure that her impact wouldn't soon be forgotten
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ami Whitcomb says she sometimes has to remind herself that she’s actually playing in the WNBA. Since the middle of September, the former University of Washington women’s basketball star has to keep reminding herself of one other thing, too: She is now a WNBA champion. “Just in sort of going from one season to the next, I haven’t really had the right chance to let it sink in,” says Whitcomb, the former University of Washington star who in September helped the Seattle Storm win the team’s third title, then almost immediately afterward departed for France for the overseas season. "It’s still sort of a process." “But, it’s also something that doesn’t fade too quickly,” she adds. “It was a great accomplishment for our group. It’s going to continue to sink in for a while.” This past summer, Whitcomb was one of the Storm’s regular reserves, providing a boost off the bench in 31 of 34 regular-season games and six of eight playoff games. She averaged just 8.5 minutes and 0.6 points during the regular season, but increased to 12.5 minutes and 2.0 points per game in the playoffs, including a clutch performance in the door-die WNBA semi-final Game 5 against the Phoenix Mercury. Inserted in the second half with Seattle trailing by eight and its season on the brink, Whitcomb tallied four assists, three rebounds and 11 points to spark the PAGE 26
BY MARK MOSCHETTI FOR GOHUSKIES MAGAZINE Storm to an 87-81 win — all while defending future Hall of Famer Diana Taurasi. “You just inject Sami and she’s like the Tasmanian devil out there,” said Storm All-Star Sue Bird after the game. “We needed that. It really raised all of our energy levels. On top of that, she hit some shots, got some big loose balls and really was huge for us. It takes players like that – that’s what makes championship teams.” “She’s the most annoying player to practice against,” Bird added with a laugh. “I’m not kidding, top three in my career, because she just never stops. It’s constant movement; she’s a gnat on defense.” More than a WNBA title, it's those moments on the court with Bird, or Taurasi — players she has always admired — that mean the most to Whitcomb. “I’ve watched the WNBA since high school, and I’m getting to play with and against some of the greats,” says Whitcomb, who has won three titles and three MVP awards while playing for two teams in Australia (the Rockingham Flames and Perth Lynx). “You meet Diana (Taurasi) or play someone you’ve looked up to for a long time – it’s hard not to get excited.” During her Husky career (2007-10), Whitcomb put together the kind of resume that screamed of professional potential. She was the team MVP as a junior in 2009, averaging 12.8 points per game and leading the thenPacific-10 Conference in steals at 2.3 per game. She finished her career ranked No. 15 on
UW’s all-time scoring list (1,205 points) and No. 4 in three-point makes. She also got it done at the other end of the court (three-time Pac10 All-Defensive team) and in the classroom (three-time conference All-Academic honoree). Whitcomb had a training camp contract with the Chicago Sky in 2010, but was waived prior to the season and returned to the UW as the team’s video coordinator. She then played in Germany from 2011-13 before making the move to Australia for five seasons. Whitcomb signed with the Storm as a free agent in February 2017 — essentially making her a WNBA rookie at age 28. “It was amazing. I had dreamed about it for a really long time,” Whitcomb says. “I wasn’t really sure, being that I was 28, that I was going to see that dream come true. “I felt like a kid.” With a spot on the roster and a WNBA championship ring being made for her finger, it would be easy for Whitcomb to say she has made it. Except … she doesn’t think that way. “You have to feel you belong there,” Whitcomb says. “I wanted to make sure I was still working hard, really hard, to make sure I belonged there. “I know I can’t be the best player all the time, but I try to be the hardest-working one,” Whitcomb adds. “That can get you a long way.” It's safe to say that Sami Whitcomb never has to remind herself about that. GoHUSKIES
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Photographs by RED BOX PICTURES
SENIOR STRONG
Seniors Matisse Thybulle, David Crisp, Noah Dickerson and Dominic Green all return for their fourth season with the Huskies.
To purchase Husky Athletics photography, visit www.HUSKIESPHOTOSTORE.com
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