This was a big day for UW forward Jon Brockman.

For the final time, he had to pass the team's pre-season mile conditioning run at Dempsey Indoor.

"I got 'er done,'' Brockman said with a smile after the workout today. "It's tough to get 255 pounds around that track that many times. It's the last one I'll ever do.''

Brockman ran a 5:21, bettering the necessary time of 5:35 for the team's big men (guards have to run it in 5:30).

UW coach Lorenzo Romar said later that this was one of the team's best group efforts ever in the mile run.

True freshman Scott Suggs had the best time of 5:06, the best for any player during the Romar era, one second better than the previous record set by Artem Wallace. The old record was also tied today by Quincy Pondexter.

"The guys did a good job,'' Romar said.

Three players didn't take part in the run --- Tyreese Breshers, still recovering from recent shin surgery; Joe Wolfinger, whom coaches decided didn't need the pounding on his feet; and Darnell Gant, recovering from sports hernia surgery about two weeks ago.

Romar said Breshers and Wallace should be ready to go when practice begins Oct. 17, which is particularly noteworthy for Wallace, who tore his ACL in the season finale last March against Valaparaiso. Romar said Wallace may be limited slightly for conditioning reasons, but that the knee has recovered to the point that he will be able to participate in every drill.

Wallace showed the lengths of his recovery today by finishing the mile run in 5:22. "Which is pretty good on half an ACL,'' Brockman said with a laugh.

Gant will be limited a bit when practice begins but should be ready within a few weeks, possibly 100 percent by the start of the regular season Nov. 15 at Portland. The injury apparently began bothering Gant last season and it took a while to be diagnosed, leading eventually to the surgery.

Brockman said the overall times were the best of his years at UW, which he said "was just a real testament to how guys have worked this summer and this fall, doing our morning conditioning stuff to get in the best shape we can.''

And for Brockman, it's the latest sign that this season may turn out a lot better than the previous two.

He said he continues to be impressed by the way the four freshmen are integrating themselves into the team.

"Moreso than the last two groups we've had in here, they understand what they can do on the court and what they can do to help the team,'' he said. "And they know what not to do, as well, and sometimes it's better to know what not to do because you can take what you do really well in open gym and then suddenly roles are determined and guys know what to do instead of 10 guys playing one-on-one.

"They really understand how to play basketball and that's something you can't teach. You have to have a feel for it and our freshmen have shown that.''