All Eyes on Markelle Fultz as Washington Gets Started

SEATTLE (AP) — Markelle Fultz walked into the room Wednesday and was immediately engulfed.

Of all the eventual NBA players Washington coach Lorenzo Romar has brought into his program over the past 15 years, none came in matching the talent or hype that Fultz brings as a freshman. Romar says he thinks Fultz could be the best.

Washington's first regular-season game is still a month away, but the buzz surrounding Fultz — a 6-foot-4 guard — has been building for months. Whether it's because of his performance as part of the U.S. national team at the under-18 FIBA Americas tournament in July in Chile or during Washington's summer overseas tour of Australia and New Zealand, Fultz is the focal point for the Huskies as the season draws closer.

The Huskies lost their top three scorers from a year ago with the graduation of guard Andrew Andrews (20.9 points per game), and the early departures of first-round NBA picks Dejounte Murray (16.1) and Marquese Chriss (13.7). No returning player averaged more than Noah Dickerson's 7.5 points per game.