Huskies' young backcourt has high hopes for UW turnaround
SEATTLE — The University of Washington men's basketball team has steadily improved since a rough campaign during the pandemic year of 2020-2021.
The Huskies jumped 12 wins last year and are on the cusp of matching and potentially passing that number again.
But there's reason to believe the best is yet to come for Mike Hopkins' team.
There's a ton of talent on a very young team. But specifically, I'm looking at the backcourt.
Two freshman, two electric athletes, two consummate teammates.
Keyon Menifield and Koren Johnson come from opposite sides of the country. Menifield is from Flint, Mich., while Johnson grew up watching the Huskies and graduated from Seattle prep power Garfield last season.
It's not hard to see their skills, but you have to look at how much each player has grown this season. Then you'll begin to see what's ahead for them and in turn, the UW men's basketball program.
"We were in the locker room just yesterday and coach (Will) Conroy came up and said, 'You guys just stay on your stuff and you and Meni can be the best backcourt since me and Nate (Robinson),' so that would be very special to fulfill," Johnson said.
To be clear, that's been the plan since day one. Before that, really. The two met on the recruiting circuit and hit it off right away.
"The first day we started playing together we were like glued together perfectly," Menifield said. "Our games just fit well with each other. When we're out there together, we just bond and make our team way better."
Menifield is lightning quick and often makes defenders look silly. He's averaging 10 points and three assists per game.
Johnson can do it all, and really shines on defense. He's a menace at the top of the Huskies' 2-3 zone while averaging six points per contest.
"It's a very special partner I have on the team," Johnson said. "I feel like we mesh good together. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses so we get to build off each other and go off each other."
The duo knew they had a job to do, and they know they will turn the program around.
"We got a lot of talent, and the freshman that are coming in are very good — Wesley Yates and Christian King are very good," Johnson said. "We're going to mesh together and become something great."
"Every time we're on the court, we just make it special," Menifield added. "Every time we're on the court, we're a great duo."
A great duo with years to improve and take this program to new heights.