Scouting Notebook: UW vs. USC and Gonzaga vs. Kentucky
Rowan Kent traversed the Emerald City to catch two games chock full of 2025 NBA Draft prospects! Read his thoughts on Jaxson Robinson, Saint Thomas, Great Osobor, Michael Ajayi, and many others!
As much fun as it is to binge a slate of marquee games while splayed out on my couch, there’s nothing quite like going to watch a game. It’s even more sublime to watch more than one game, where early MTE tournaments, high school sessions like Peach Jam, and March Madness get their appeal.
A unique possibility exists in a bigger city like Seattle, which tragically doesn’t have an NBA team but is brimming with basketball otherwise. If the scheduling stars and bus schedules align, it’s possible to watch two games in a day outside of the aforementioned event. It’s rare but not impossible, given the presence of both the University of Washington and Seattle University alongside the recently constructed Climate Pledge Arena.
Although I’m not watching a Seattle U game just yet (that’ll come later in the season), lightning did strike with the Battle in Seattle event at Climate Pledge. Gonzaga rules the roost across the state in Spokane, but it’s only an hour flight or three-hour drive to the Emerald City. That, alongside the booking of a premiere non-conference opponent like the Kentucky Wildcats, set up an unexpected opening to watch two games in one day.
The other game, between USC and UW, is an appetizer as tasty as the main course. The Trojans and Huskies hired new coaches, Eric Musselman and Danny Sprinkle, who raided the transfer portal to rebuild their new Big Ten (still getting used to that) teams. While neither is ranked in the most recent AP poll, each features a host of intriguing draft prospects for this year and next.
So, I could catch both games in a day with a love for the game in my heart and an Orca Card in my hand! Just like I did in my past Scouting Notebooks for March Madness and a pair of Colorado State games, I did my best to focus on the likeliest pro prospects on each team while digging into some of my favorites who might not be in the public sphere yet.
Washington vs. USC
Washington Huskies
Great Osobor
As one of college basketball’s $2 million dollar men this season, Great Osobor came to Washington alongside Danny Sprinkle with great expectations. He started his career as an effective bench weapon for Montana State before transferring to play for Sprinkle at Utah State last season. There, Osobor emerged as an offensive monster, scoring with ferocity in the paint, hoovering in rebounds, using his hands well on defense, and even flexing some passing chops.
It hasn’t been the same type of banner year so far for Osobor, but it’s hard to know exactly why. He doesn’t have prototypical height, but that hasn’t bothered him at past levels. Osobor was the thickest player on the floor in terms of functional size, as other players bounced off him on drives, but that was a double-edged sword. For all of the mass that Osobor used to push others around, that same weight seemed to hold him back from sliding vertically on both ends.
Osobor had many issues against USC, which turned out to be more of a showcase of his weaknesses than strengths. Osobor missed both shots from deep, turned the ball over four times with clumsy plays, and missed a dunk. Against Rashaun Agee, who had his best game of the season, Osobor wilted and had minimal impact at the rim. He certainly wasn’t the only issue the Huskies had on offense, but he did little to help.