Washington's Quincy Pondexter Calls Out KJR's Dave Mahler For Lack of Support (2024)

The University of Washington Huskies have arrived in Las Vegas for the start of the Pac-12 Tournament and despite a difficult season filled with injuries, a COVID-19 disruption, and inconsistent play, the team is finding its chemistry just at the right time to make a run for a championship.

Head Coach Mike Hopkins is reportedly on the hot seat as his team, seeded sixth in the tournament, is set to take on the No. 11 Utah Utes from T-Mobile Arena. Joining Hopkins on the coaching staff for his first season is former NBA forward and All-Pac-10 selection at Washington, Quincy Pondexter. The former first-round pick played in the Association from 2010 to 2019 and had stints with five different teams, including the New Orleans Pelicans and Chicago Bulls.

Now, though, he is focused on helping elevate the program to be “respectable” on a consistent basis, and that starts with confronting members of the media who speak negatively about the team.

On Tuesday morning, Pondexter was a guest with Chuck and Buck on Seattle Sports Radio 950 KJR, and called out another on-air host on the station for hurting the development of the team and the culture around it.

“I preach positivity, especially from the people in media powers like your guy over there who could really change things around for us,” Pondexter said referring to on-air host Dave “Softy” Mahler, who very much has a love-hate relationship with the team. “If he’s more positive and has our back more than anything, I think we’ll have more fans in the crowd; we’ll have more support, and our guys will feed off of that and play even better.”

Both Chuck Powell and Bucky Jacobsen were able to figure out prior to Pondexter speaking about him who the on-air host was by asking him if the accused’s name rhymed with “Lofty Faller.” Pondexter confirmed that is who he was talking about, leading to Powell declaring that “the word is out now.”

Pondexter addressed Mahler on Twitter before coming on the air after Mahler sent out a Tweet saying, “Before the Pac 12 Tournament starts, how would you grade Mike Hopkins performance this year?” In reply, Pondexter said, “It’s ok for you to show us some love Softy.” He elaborated on his answer on the air when asked by Jacobsen what it was like to turn the season around.

“It’s all about building things, and I think Mike Hopkins is an extremely great coach, and you have two… former [Huskie] players on your staff, and so there is no way to go besides up,” said Pondexter. “Me and Will Conry – we leave it all out there because we love this school; this university; the city more than anything. It’s only going to go up.”

Optimism is surrounding the University of Washington Huskies as they enter the tournament, and Pondexter knows that his experience from both the perspective of a player and a coach will help him be a leader among his players in the quest for a championship. Additionally, it affords him the unique perspective of looking at media criticism in a different scope, seeing what it will do to the entire team rather than how it may affect one player; that is, a part of the whole.

“I’ve been on both sides of this,” said Pondexter. “I’ve won this conference tournament and lasted until the end. The other side is you get eliminated early. You have to have intense focus, take care of business one possession at a time, and leave it all out there on the floor to give yourself the best opportunity… The guys are loving each other, and we don’t want this dance to end.”

Powell encouraged Pondexter, who had evidently perceived a lack of support for his team from certain members of the media, not to take the criticism too seriously ahead of the tournament.

“That guy loves Huskies more than anything,” said Powell in reference to Mahler. “I think more than life itself. Maybe you just caught him [in] a sour mood there.”