Time is relative. <\/p>\n
How it\u2019s perceived depends on the observing party. Most of the fourth quarters during Husky football\u2019s recent journey to the National Championship Game: Agonizingly slow. The second half of the championship bout with Michigan: Too quick for comfort.<\/p>\n
This past men\u2019s basketball season was a long one. Painfully slow for Husky fans who yearn for quality hoops. There was a mix of disappointment, but overall, it was the familiar feeling of mediocrity \u2014a level of low expectations that transcends mere disappointment.<\/p>\n
But we can\u2019t say head coach Danny Sprinkle didn\u2019t warn us.<\/p>\n
On July 1, 2024, college hoops insider Jon Rothstein published a podcast episode with Sprinkle. In it, he candidly explained why he had recently opted out of the annual regular season series with Gonzaga.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere our program was when we first got the job, we had just three players,\u201d Sprinkle told Rothstein on College Hoops Today. \u201cI didn\u2019t think that was the best thing for our program. This year, [the Zags] might have one of the best teams they\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here at UW Dawg Pound, canceling the series was compared to a manager and\/or promoter protecting their fighter in boxing<\/strong><\/a>, saving the big fights for when the prospect is ready, and not trading punches with giants merely to say they did it.<\/p>\n Exactly one year later, Rothstein reported that Sprinkle and Co. will battle Baylor in a two-year home-and-home series this season, sending the Huskies to Waco during the upcoming campaign, followed by the Bears in Seattle in the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n Time is a progress monitor. <\/p>\n Particularly in sports, where being in better shape than a year ago is paramount, especially for rebuilding programs. Sports are very much \u201cwhat have you done for me lately,\u201d so it feels like head coaches go from a boiling-hot seat to \u201cbe on the lookout for this team.\u201d Look no further than Clemson\u2019s Dabo Swinney.<\/p>\n Well, kind of.<\/p>\n His seat wasn\u2019t hot, but his reputation sank nationwide as well. Part of that was his traditionalist, controversial, anti-transfer portal views. The other was Clemson\u2019s slip from a budding dynasty. You probably haven\u2019t noticed, but there have been fewer Swinney quotes going viral, fewer hot takes surrounding his future at Clemson, and fewer of, well, Swinney in general. Why? Last season, Clemson returned to the College Football Playoff.<\/p>\n He isn\u2019t the only one. Compare the perception of Ohio State football\u2019s Ryan Day this summer with last. In the regular season, not much changed. Again, he lost to Michigan. Again, he became the hottest topic in the sport after the loss. Again, he sat on a podium with the facial expression of a man who just knew social media was actively putting him in a pressure cooker. Unlike last summer, no one cares. Regarding the \u201cWhat have you done for me lately\u201d game, Day is the big winner because in response to the loss to Michigan, Ohio State walked through Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame to become the national champion.<\/p>\n Enter: Sprinkle. <\/p>\n Notably, sitting on a seat that was far from hot following his first season at the helm, where he navigated his new program through an inaugural Big Ten season. Instead, the focus was on how he could turn the Huskies into a winner amid a modern era of college hoops where transcending or free-falling can happen in the span of a summer. <\/p>\n Many were disappointed watching UW last season. However, overlooked was that Washington managed to go 13-18 with a first-year head coach, in a notoriously tough conference that now featured cross-country trips, all with a roster assembled during the offseason. Chemistry and continuity are essential for a basketball team to succeed, regardless of era. So while retaining the commitment of five-star Zoom Diallo and landing a million-dollar man in Great Osobor made headlines, the Huskies were doomed from the start. <\/p>\n Still, Sprinkle managed to lay a foundation, and he\u2019s been building on it ever since. <\/p>\n Remember time being a progress monitor? A year ago, he didn\u2019t feel that battling an in-state foe was a good thing for the program. A year later, he and Baylor have declared a two-year war on one another. If you aren\u2019t grasping the big picture yet, let\u2019s dive deeper. <\/p>\n Several things must go your way when rebuilding a program; steady growth isn\u2019t enough. You need to have great showings in nationally televised games, perform well against your common opponents, and eventually win those big games on the schedule. But perhaps more than anything else, you can\u2019t afford to get embarrassed because recruits and recruiting rivals are always watching. If Washington were to get throttled by Baylor, struggle in the Big Ten, and miss the NCAA Tournament, Sprinkle\u2019s seat won\u2019t heat any; still, it increases the difficulty of selling the program to immediate-impact high schoolers and transfers. <\/p>\n At its core, Baylor represents an opportunity for Sprinkle to send a message to the college basketball world: <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re here.\u201d <\/p>\n It\u2019s a game you schedule when you are confident in how your team will perform and the growth the program has made as a whole. Typically, confidence like that is hard to find after a season like the previous one. But Sprinkle isn\u2019t having a typical offseason.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t just take it from UW Dawg Pound. 247Sports ranks Washington\u2019s transfer portal haul No. 13 in the nation. <\/p>\n ESPN\u2019s Jeff Borzello sees it differently<\/strong><\/a>, ranking UW\u2019s haul No. 6, trailing St. John\u2019s, Kentucky, Michigan, Louisville, and Florida.<\/p>\n The headliners are ex-USC duo Wesley Yates III and Desmond Claude. Yates previously attended UW before departing to Southern Cal, while Claude is a first-time Dawg. Last season, Yates averaged 14.1 points per game, trailing Claude\u2019s 15.8 per game. Bound to make plenty of noise is Quimari Peterson, who won SoCon Player of the Year last season at East Tennessee State. Also new to the Huskies is Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Jacob Ognacevic, a transfer from Lipscomb. UW added a pair of intra-conference transfers, with Lathan Sommerville making his way to Montlake from Rutgers and Bryson Tucker by way of Indiana. Sprinkle also added an ex-Seminole in Christian Nitu.<\/p>\n Wesley Yates III, USC, 14.1 PPG <\/strong><\/p>\n Desmond Claude, USC, 15.8 PPG<\/strong><\/p>\n Quimari Peterson, East Tennessee State, 19.5 PPG <\/strong><\/p>\n Jacob Ognacevic, Lipscomb, 20.0 PPG<\/strong><\/p>\n Lathan Sommerville, Rutgers, 8.2 PPG <\/strong><\/p>\n Bryson Tucker, Indiana, 5.4 PPG<\/strong><\/p>\n Christian Nitu, Florida State, 1.9 PPG <\/strong><\/p>\n That group alone is enough to get excited about the upcoming campaign. Especially paired with returners like Diallo and rim protector Franck Kepnang. <\/p>\n Then you factor in four-star Utah Prep point guard JJ Mandaquit, whose stock grows by the day. Four-star small forward Jasir Rancher out of Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco, Calif.), Oak Hill Academy four-star shooting guard Courtland Muldrew, and highly ranked JUCO transfer Mady Traore. <\/p>\n Suddenly, the main attraction appears to be German big man Hannes Steinbach, who has captivated Husky fans online. Last Saturday, he showcased his immense potential by helping his fellow countrymen topple Slovenia 75-68 in FIBA U19 World Cup group play. He poured in 19 points and 19 rebounds. His latest performance was a continuation of that, adding 16 points and 16 rebounds against Australia. <\/p>\n Hannes Steinbach had another dominant game for Germany in the blowout win over Australia in the FIBA U19 QFs<\/p>\n 16 points Has been incredibly impactful on all facets of the game, helping Germany secure an undefeated record so far pic.twitter.com\/N13skMQMfb<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 nbadraftpoint (@nbadraftpoint) July 4, 2025<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Hannes Steinbach has looked nothing short of extraordinary at the U19 FIBA World Cup for Germany.<\/p>\n Strong blend of interior scoring, rim protection + rebounding on display game-after-game. This is the makings of a tournament MVP & \u201826 lottery talent. One to watch for next season.<\/p>\n\n
16 boards
2 blocks
5-11 FG
6-8 FT<\/p>\n\n