Down went Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament, at the hands of Oakland — the university, not the A’s — and all of college basketball felt the tremor.
Nothing stays the same after a game like that, with people punished and rewarded when a 14th-seeded underdog such as the Golden Grizzlies emerges with the biggest win in program history by shocking the No. 3 SEC powerhouse 80-76 in the opening round in Pittsburgh.
Kentucky coach John Calipari knew he couldn’t readily 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 milestone moment, chose to turn their sudden success into opportunity and headed out West, with the 6-foot-9, 221-pound Conway transferring to Washington while the 6-foot-6, 228-pound Townsend ended up at Arizona.
“In Chris Conway, we are getting an experienced forward who is coming off a career year at Oakland,” Husky coach Danny Sprinkle confirmed. “He was part of an NCAA Tournament team that recorded one of the biggest upsets this year.”
On that magical March evening, Conway stood in there against the blueblood players inside and did all of the little things necessary to pull off a gargantuan upset. He put together a workmanlike stat line: 33 minutes played, 3 of 6 shots made, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. In the heat of the battle, he was gritty 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 6-foot-8, 250-pound Great Osobor, formerly of Utah State; 6-foot-10, 287-pound KC Ibekwe, who previously played for Oregon State; 6-foot-8, 190-pound Tyler Harris, formerly of Portland; and Conway the giant-killer.
A 35-game starter this past season for a 24-12 Oakland team that hails from the Greater Detroit area, Conway averaged 10 points and 4.3 rebounds, and shot 54.2 percent, typically scoring on turnaround jumpers and other close-in shots.
“Chris is a very good athlete and very quick for his size and will provide versatility on both ends of the court for us,” 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 when his teams finished 20-12 and 24-12. The UW hasn’t had a 20-win record in five seasons.
Conway is a winner, both over full seasons and 40 glorious minutes against Kentucky, and the Huskies are hoping it rubs off.
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