If anyone understands immaturity, it would be Washington's Abdul Gaddy.
That's not to say Gaddy, a sophomore guard for the Huskies is immature. But Gaddy was just 17 when his freshman season began. He has the perspective to say with conviction that his team wasn't ready to be so highly regarded when a top-15 ranking was placed on the Huskies to begin last season.
So how will it be when the same type of expectations fall on this version of the Huskies as practice begins later this week as preseason Pac-10 favorites?
''I think we'll handle it well. I think we'll handle it better than we did last year because we were young last year,'' Gaddy said Wednesday. ''We're a much more veteran team, lot more juniors and seniors. We know what to expect.''
Washington begins practice Friday with the understanding that last year's sluggish start that dropped them from the rankings and eventually made earning an NCAA tournament berth a difficult process can't be duplicated.
With nine starters back, including first-team all-Pac-10 guard Isaiah Thomas, from a team that won the Pac-10 Conference tournament and made a run to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament, the Huskies understand they are going to be targeted from the start.
''You're going to hear everything,'' Thomas said. ''But we know as a team if we play hard and play together and gel, we can beat anybody. The main goal is to win the national championship, that's what everyone's goal is, but we've got to go off what we really need to do. We're not going to make any predictions or say we're going to win the Pac-10 or things like that, but we feel like we're as good as anybody in the country.''
Coach Lorenzo Romar said Wednesday he'll begin practices with only three starting spots settled: Thomas at guard, and senior forwards Justin Holiday and Matthew Bryan-Amaning. The other two spots could be changed frequently, depending on if Romar wanted to go with a bigger lineup and insert 7-foot transfer Aziz N'Diaye or go smaller with a backcourt of Thomas, Gaddy and Venoy Overton.
Ultimately, Washington will need to find a replacement for do-everything forward Quincy Pondexter, who averaged 19.3 points and 7.4 rebounds last season, but Romar believes that'll be a collective effort. Filling a major void is nothing new for Romar's team. Last year, the Huskies had to figure out how to make up for the loss of Jon Brockman, the school's career rebounding leader and No. 2 in scoring.
''Hopefully you develop your program to where you lose someone you get it done with someone else or you do it another way. ... Other guys will just have bigger roles this year,'' Romar said. ''In order to sustain the program you would like to have guys that when your big guns leave, there is someone in there who will take their place.''
Along with the loss of Pondexter, Washington also is without swingman Elston Turner, who was a key contributor during the Huskies' Pac-10 and NCAA tournament runs. Turner transferred to Texas A&M, while reserve forward Clarence Trent transferred to Seattle University.
The Huskies will get nearly a month to figure things out. Their first game isn't until Nov. 13 against McNeese State, but a big challenge arrives in late November at the Maui Invitational.
''That's kind of the granddaddy of all tournaments. Everyone gets to watch it and we get to participate this year,'' Romar said. ''Whenever we've been in situations like this, the NCAA tournament ... conference tournament championship, our guys really seem to enjoy that.''
