With the past three seasons ending in NCAA tournament appearances, the 2006-2007 version of the Washington basketball team was instantly burdened by the weight of expectations.

Despite a fast start, those expectations would not be met, as the Huskies (19-13, 8-10 Pac-10) faltered at the start of the Pac-10 season and lost any hope of reaching the NCAA's, by losing to Washington State in the first round of the conference tournament.

Looking Back

The hype preceding the season was due largely to the fact that fifth year coach Lorenzo Romar had assembled one of the most highly touted recruiting class in the nation (No. 3 in the country according to Scout.com).

"This is the beginning of a new era," Romar said. "There will be growing pains, but we are going to do our best to get it done."

Headlining that class was local product Spencer Hawes — the 7'0" freshman from Seattle Prep. Joining him, though, were Quincy Pondexter, Phil Nelson and Adrian Oliver. The first two were both ranked in the top 100 (by Scout.com), while Oliver was an elite scorer who had won a state title for Modesto Christian High School in Modesto, Calif.

The Huskies could not match the expectations.

What Went Wrong

As with many programs — college or professional — the fate of any given season relies heavily on the number of healthy bodies a team has on its bench. For Washington, that would be an ever-growing problem.

The team was down a player from the outset when red shirt freshman Joe Wolfinger was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right foot and was projected to miss the season.

The body count continued to mount throughout the season, with Joel Smith being forced to the sidelines by two separate occasions of breaking his foot. Smith, like Wolfinger, would miss the entirety of the season.

An unexpected exit from the program also came when Harvey Perry decided to transfer after fall quarter.

With those three out, and Hawes fighting the illness and injury bug for the majority of the Pac-10 season, the Huskies lacked a deep enough bench to contend.

The injuries and defection also came in what would be determined as one of the strongest years for the conference in recent history.

Six teams made it to the NCAA tournament including UCLA, which is currently playing in the Final Four in Atlanta.

With the inexperience and stiff competition that awaited them, the Huskies struggled to find the winning edge.

The road was especially unkind to the team, as Washington compiled a 2-11 record away from Hec Edmundson Pavilion. That included losses to Pac-10 bottom feeders California and Oregon State.

That also led to less than competitive losses to the likes of Gonzaga, UCLA, WSU, Arizona and Pittsburgh—all of which ended with margins of greater than 20 points.

What Went Right

Ask any coach that played against Washington and all would say the same thing: the combination of Hawes and sophomore Jon Brockman in the post was scary good this past season. The center-forward tandem led the Huskies in points per game (14.9 and 14.2, respectively).

Brockman also led the conference in double-doubles (16) and averaged 9.6 rebounds per game. His performance as the Husky captain in just his second season did not go unnoticed and earned him first team honors in the Pac-10.

Hawes also received recognition from the conference being named to the freshman team. After spending much of the Pac-10 season recovering from a stomach virus and an ankle injury that caused him to lose his starting job, Hawes came on strong for the Huskies. His efforts helped give them wins over Stanford, USC and UCLA at the end of the season.

The team also began to play much better defense at the end of the season, which was part of the puzzle Romar had been trying to figure out for most of the season.

"I'm really proud of the way we played defensively [down the stretch]," he said. "I wish there was another four weeks left on the season, but it is what it is."

Outlook

While there may not be another four weeks left on this season, there is plenty to look forward to going into next season.

The biggest thing is that only two current Huskies will be leaving the team for sure. Hawes still has to decide whether to stay for a second year or go on to the NBA. If he stays, though, that will limit the loss to Brandon Burmeister and Hans Gasser.

The rest of the team will be back, but this time with a year's worth of on-the-court experience. Things can only get better for Washington as the players continue to grow together as a unit.

In addition to that, the team will receive one other player with plenty of Pac-10 experience on his resume: Tim Morris. After spending this season in limbo due to NCAA transfer rules, Morris — a transfer from Stanford — will be with the team next year, adding one more senior to the roster.

The team will also be obtaining the services of incoming freshmen Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Justin Holiday, Darnell Gant and Venoy Overton. All could push for playing time as freshmen, despite the talented group coming back.

The result should be a team ready to rebound. Only a year removed from March Madness, the expectations should once again be great for the Huskies. This time though, they should be ready to meet the challenge.

Reach reporter Justin Chartrey at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.