Huskies continue their slump in loss to California
Is Lorenzo Romar in trouble?

It seems like for the second year in a row, the Husky men's basketball program will suffer a gargantuan fade after starting out so strong to commence the season. Last year, their slide coincided with star center Robert Upshaw's dismissal from the team, and this year's collapse can maybe be attributed to the youth spread across the squad.

Lorenzo Romar's men did not do a good job of trying to right the ship with the Bay Area schools coming to Montlake, losing Thursday 78-75 against Cal, the team directly above them in the Pac-12 standings. Should Stanford come into Hec Ed and complete a season sweep of the Dawgs it may beg the question, is Lorenzo Romar done as head coach?

It is a legitimate question, as the Huskies have not made it to the NCAA tournament in four years - five if they don't make it this year. But it is tough as Romar is the one who even made perennial March appearances an expectation. Under Romar's guidance the UW has become a realistic destination for high schoolers looking to go to the NBA, as he has consistently brought top talent from up and down the West Coast to Seattle. 

This year's team is no different, with a recruiting class that was ranked as high as seventh in the country. Though Romar has always been an amazing recruiter, does that mean he should get another year or two to see how this class pans out?

It would seem fair, as it might seem as equally unfair for Romar to become a victim of his own past success. But how many heralded recruiting classes can he bring in if Washington misses out on another year of March Madness? Needless to say, it would be extremely difficult to persuade even the top Seattle area talent to stay in town if that were the case. If Terrance Williams and Peyton Siva can say no even when the Huskies were in the midst of the most successful period ever, then the future Rainier Beach and Franklin stars will find it even easier. Not to mention two-time NBA Slam Dunk champ Zach LaVine passing on an offer from Romar, even though a starting job was not on the table, or at least not guaranteed. 

If UW can at least finish this season strong, possibly with a deep run into the NIT and couple that with another strong recruiting class, then Romar should be in the clear. After all it is very hard to transition from one coach to another, especially when the predecessor casts as big a shadow on campus as Romar's will likely do.

Photo: Flickr/Dave Sizer

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