Kentucky fell in the NCAA Tournament, at the hands of Oakland (the university, not the A’s) and all of college basketball felt the shake.
Nothing stays the same after a game like that, with people punished and rewarded when a 14th-seeded underdog like the Golden Grizzlies emerges with the biggest win in program history by stunning the No. 3 power in the SEC 80 -76 in the first round in Pittsburg.
Kentucky coach John Calipari knew he couldn’t easily survive that outcome and moved on, ending up at Arkansas, while former Husky and Kentucky forward Mark Pope left BYU to take his job, creating a domino effect.
Forwards Chris Conway and Trey Townsend, two of the architects of Oakland’s historic moment, decided to turn their sudden success into an opportunity and headed West, with the 6-foot-9, 221-pound Conway transferring to Washington, while the 6-foot-9, 221-pounder transferred to Washington. Townsend, 6 years old and 228 pounds, ended up in Arizona.
“In Chris Conway, we have an experienced forward coming off a career year in Oakland,” Husky coach Danny Sprinkle confirmed. “He was part of an NCAA Tournament team that posted one of the biggest upsets this year.”
On that magical March night, Conway took on the blue bloods inside and did all the little things necessary to pull off a gigantic upset. He put together a very elaborate statistic: 33 minutes played, 3 of 6 shots scored, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. In the heat of battle, he put on a brave face, similar to former UW guard and assistant coach Will Conroy.
He comes to the Huskies as one of 10 newcomers, four of whom play close to the basket in the 6-foot-8, 250-pound Great Osobor, a former Utah State player; 6-foot-10, 287-pound KC Ibekwe, who previously played for Oregon State; Tyler Harris, 6-foot-8, 190 pounds, former Portland player; and Conway, the giant killer.
Oakland’s Chris Conway celebrates a season-ending victory over the Milwaukee Panthers. / Robert Goddin-KeynoteUSA Sports
Conway, a starter in 35 games last season for a 24-12 Oakland team that hails from the Detroit metro area, averaged 10 points and 4.3 rebounds and shot 54.2 percent, typically scoring on jumpers and other close shots. .
“Chris is a very good athlete and very fast for his size and will give us versatility on both ends of the floor,” Sprinkle said.
In his Oakland career, Conway started 66 of 109 games played, serving as a full-time starter in his second and fourth seasons as his teams finished 20-12 and 24-12. UW hasn’t had a 20-win record in five seasons.
Conway is a winner, both in full seasons and in 40 glorious minutes against Kentucky, and the Huskies hope that rubs off.
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