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Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood’s team and college basketball at large:
Washington
Last year’s finish: 13-18, 4-16 Big Ten (18th)
Notable losses: Great Osobor; Tyler Harris; Mekhi Mason; DJ Davis; Wilhelm Breidenbach; Tyree Ihenacho; Luis Kortright
Returning players: Zoom Diallo, So., G; Franck Kepnang, Sr., C
Key additions: Quimari Peterson, Sr., G; Desmond Claude, Sr,. G; Hannes Steinbach, Fr., F; Wesley Yates III, R-So., G; JJ Mandaquit, Fr., G; Lathan Sommerville, So., C; Jacob Ognacevic
One extended thought: The worst part about an 18-team league? Finishing 18th, which was Washington’s distinct (dis)honor in 2024-25. It wasn’t quite a wholesale rebuild for second-year coach Danny Sprinkle, but the additions to the roster are intriguing. Enough that I’m out in front on the general consensus about how good The Huskies could be in 2025-26.
Sprinkle hit every possible recruiting avenue to build his latest roster, including a pair of returning players. Outside the program, Sprinkle added two high-major guards (USC teammates Claude and Yates), mid-major stars (Peterson and Ognacevic), some Big Ten experience (Sommerville) and a potential international star in Steinbach. The German big man is coming off a star turn at the FIBA U19 World Cup where he averaged 17.4 points and 13 rebounds in Germany’s sliver medal finish. How all the talent comes together is Sprinkle’s problem, and it won’t be an easy job.