The Curious Case of Matthew Bryan-Amaning
Big things were expected of Matthew Bryan-Amaning this season. Washington’s sophomore power forward was expected to play key minutes for a Husky ballclub with little frontcourt depth. The 6’9″ low-post presence would utilize his jump hook and leaping ability to produce a heavy dose of scoring on offense, and a 7’4″ wingspan with a knack for blocking shots to disrupt opponents on defense. Instead, the 20-year-old Bryan-Amaning saw his stats remain stagnant and his production regress over the course of the 2008-2009 season. With two years of inconsistency under his belt, MBA is the biggest area of concern for Dawg fans looking ahead to the 2009-2010 campaign.
Where did he go wrong? The soon-to-be upperclassman began the season in ominous fashion, missing the first three games of the year due to injury. Once Bryan-Amaning found the floor, the results were anything but pretty. In his first four games, MBA averaged 3.75 PPG while logging just under 13 minutes of playing time in those contests. Following that miserable stretch, the forward put together his best games of the season, albeit against weaker competition. In back-to-back contests against Texas Southern and Portland State, MBA recorded a combined 41 points and 17 rebounds. Two games later, against Montana, he chipped in 10 points while hauling in a season-high 15 boards, one of only two double-doubles on the year. Over his next seven ballgames, Matthew was up and down. At his highest during that stretch, Bryan-Amaning went for 17 points and six rebounds against Stanford; at his lowest he went scoreless against Washington State in 18 minutes, and notched just four points and collected zero boards in 36 minutes against California.
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