SEATTLE -- In Lorenzo Romar's decade at Washington, he may not have broken in a younger team than the one that will begin practice later this week.

Yes, the Huskies are exceedingly young with seven true freshmen on the roster and, as of now, only one certain to redshirt. But they're also extremely talented.

"We have an interesting blend," Romar said during Tuesday's media day for the defending Pac-10 tournament champions. "Half of this team has played in championship games and NCAA tournament games and road games, and the other half hasn't played at all. It's a unique mix."

Indoctrinating all these youngsters will be Romar's first task for the Huskies, who will begin practice on Friday.

But right up there with welcoming the cluster of true freshmen to the Huskies system will be the quick need to find replacements for do-everything point guard Isaiah Thomas and center Matthew Bryan-Amaning.

Washington does get back guard Abdul Gaddy, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, while sophomore swingman Terrence Ross is getting hyped as a potential NBA lottery pick.

But much of the focus is on the freshman class and specifically guard Tony Wroten, the most likely candidate to step into the Huskies' starting backcourt. Wroten was lauded as the top high school freshman in the country a few years back and eventually stayed home for his college career after starring at Seattle's Garfield High.