DOUG AND WOLF

College coach: Marquese Chriss is still developing

Jun 28, 2016, 11:57 AM

Washington coach Lorenzo Romar, left, stands with forward Marquese Chriss during the second half of...

Washington coach Lorenzo Romar, left, stands with forward Marquese Chriss during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Mount St. Mary's, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, in Seattle. Chriss had 29 points as Washington won 100-67. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

LISTEN: Lorenzo Romar, Washington men's basketball coach

Former Washington Huskies power forward Marquese Chriss has enough talent to be a first round draft pick, but he might need some more work before he’s truly NBA-ready.

In an interview with Doug & Wolf on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM on Tuesday, Huskies head coach Lorenzo Romar said the 18-year-old power forward – who began playing basketball in his freshman year of high school – must continue to develop.

“Just get experience,” Romar suggested when asked what Chriss needs to do to excel for Phoenix. “Again, I keep referencing the ninth-grade start. He was in foul trouble quite a bit for us earlier in the year. He got a lot better at it, but it was just because he hasn’t played as much basketball as a lot of other kids his age. But he’ll continue to get better in that regard.”

Playing all 34 of his team’s games in his freshman year at Washington last season, Chriss fouled out 15 times, the most on his team by a wide margin. He averaged 13.7 points per game and shot 35 percent from the arc, and tallied 69 turnovers, 55 blocks and 32 steals.

“Putting the ball on the floor and making a play, he can do it. But his decision making with that could improve. But he certainly has a lot of things that you cannot teach.”

Romar called Chriss’ playmaking abilities “eye-opening,” citing a practice in which he aggressively dunked on one of his teammates. At 6-foot-9, the former football player exhibits both toughness and finesse.

“You look at him and he’s immensely talented,” he said. “He’s so athletic. He can step outside and shoot the basketball. He plays with a lot of fluidity. One of the big selling points for the Suns had to be the upside of Marquese… You can see the marked progress he’s made each year, and if he continues to go that way, he’s going to be very special.”

With just little basketball experience before coming to Washington, Romar at first didn’t expect Chriss to be a one-and-done player. However, the NBA came calling sooner than expected.

“We knew there would be an opportunity,” Romar said. “Before the season started, we thought he would be able to do this next year – we thought he could be a top ten pick, top five pick next year. But as we began playing, he continued to develop and got better and better and was able to stay in games without going out because of foul trouble. We thought it’d be hard to turn down.”

Chriss elected to enter the draft and continue his development as an NBA prospect, rather than a Pac-12 standout. As Romar pointed out, his decision to take that NBA opportunity could come with some difficulties early on.

“My only conversation with him was, ‘Are you prepared?’” he said. “’Are you prepared for the veteran guy one day just to hit you in the Adam’s apple with the elbow?’ ‘Rook, get up at 6 a.m., go get my breakfast for me.’ You know, those types of things that you don’t realize happen when you’re in the NBA. ‘Are you ready for those things?’ He said, ‘I’m ready for whatever it is. I’m ready to do it.’”

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