Cole Bajema is coming back to Washington. Braxton Meah, too.
“I still have one more year, so I’ll definitely use that here,” said Bajema, a UW senior guard after the Huskies’ first-round loss in the Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday. “Right now, I’m focused on these guys in this room and the end of the season.
“But, I don’t see why I wouldn’t come back here.”
On Friday, Meah announced he’s returning to UW with a Twitter post that read: “Can’t wait to run it back with my brothers next year! @uw_mbb next season we are coming for it all!!!”
That’s two down and 10 to go for Mike Hopkins, who plans to launch a recruiting campaign targeted at the Huskies that could be labeled “Run it back.”
It remains to be seen if the embattled UW coach, who has two years remaining on his contract, will return, but here’s an offseason to-do list for the Huskies.
1. Freshmen must build their bodies and their games
It’s often said in college sports that the biggest improvement for athletes occurs between their freshman and sophomore years.
If that’s the case, then guards Keyon Menifield and Koren Johnson, who each had several impressive outings during their first collegiate year, just might be budding stars at UW.
Menifield isn’t likely to grow any taller this summer, but the 6-foot-1 point guard wants to get bigger.
“I got to get stronger to be able to go through contact more,” Menifield said. “I plan on staying in the weight room and eat right to get my body right. I’m at 150 (pounds) and I need to get to about 170 then I’ll be good.”
The same is true for Johnson, a 6-2 and 175-pound guard, who needs to bulk up a bit to provide stiffer defensive resistance when paired against bigger opponents.
When asked about the freshman guards, Hopkins said he’s looking for them to “just add more to the tool box.”
And it’s way too early to give up on freshman wing Tyler Linhardt, even though in hindsight the four-star recruit and No. 2 prospect in the state last year should have redshirted considering he appeared in just three games and tallied just six points in 15 minutes.
2. A leader might need to emerge
We chronicled in this space the big decision senior Keion Brooks Jr. has about whether to return to UW or turn pro.
It’s highly advantageous for the Huskies if the 6-7 forward comes back considering he led the team in scoring (17.7 points per game) and minutes (35.4).
The Kentucky transfer also assumed some of the leadership responsibilities alongside senior guards Jamal Bey, Noah Williams and PJ Fuller II.
Bey has exhausted his eligibility and it’s uncertain whether Williams or Fuller will come back — though they did not participate in Senior Night activities, which led to speculation that their collegiate careers are not over.
Often, Brooks was the de-facto spokesperson for UW basketball because of his scoring prowess and his ability to display candor, humor and insightful commentary at difficult times during the 16-16 season.
If Brooks leaves, the Huskies will need to find a veteran who can galvanize and command a team in need of leadership.
3. Add one more big
It would be a derelict of duty if Hopkins doesn’t learn from Franck Kepnang’s season-ending knee injury and neglects to add another rebound-gobbling post player to provide depth along the front line.
The Huskies can’t go into the 2023-24 season with just two big men again.
This season, Langston Wilson, a high-flying 6-9 forward, and Jackson Grant, a plodding 6-10 forward, had difficulty cracking the rotation in part because at 215 and 205 pounds, respectively, they were often overpowered inside by bigger opponents.
Washington could have as many as four 6-foot-7 forwards (Bajema, Brooks, Lindhart and incoming freshman Christian King) who have similar thin frames.
Meanwhile, Meah and Kepnang, who both tip the scales at 250 pounds, are the only rim protectors on the roster.
Adding a young post player would also be prudent considering Meah and Kepnang, who are both juniors, are likely to leave next year.