With the start of college basketball season in early November, we’ll examine the conference as a whole and Indiana’s roster over the coming weeks.
Today, our team previews continue with Washington.
Previously: Penn State
After seven primarily lackluster seasons under Mike Hopkins, Washington dismissed Hopkins last spring and hired Danny Sprinkle away from Utah State.
Sprinkle, 47, led Montana State to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023 before taking Utah State to the tournament in 2024.
A native of Washington, Sprinkle has a tall task ahead of him in his first season in Seattle. As is typically the case in the NIL era after a coaching change, the Huskies have a revamped roster and many new pieces as Sprinkle molds his first Washington team.
Bart Torvik’s preseason rankings currently have the Huskies at No. 74 nationally, just one spot ahead of Penn State with just a few weeks until practice begins.
Fortunately for Washington, Sprinkle was able to lure his best player from his stops at Montana State and Utah State to his new school. Forward Great Osobor, who reportedly received an NIL package worth up to $2 million, is coming off a tremendous season at Utah State.
The 6-foot-8 forward, a native of England, averaged 17.7 points, nine rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals in 33.6 minutes last season. Osobor will have to navigate the challenges of moving up a level that includes dealing with more size and athleticism in the paint, but he looks the part of Washington’s go-to guy from day one.
The rest of the frontcourt rotation has question marks with two returnees – graduate student Franck Kepnang and senior Wilhelm Breidenbach – and several newcomers in the mix for potential roles.
Kepnang, a 6-foot-11 center, averaged 8.3 points and 5.9 rebounds last season but only played in 10 games. Kepnang suffered a knee injury in December and missed the season’s final three months. If he’s healthy, he figures to get the first shot at starting alongside Osobor. Kepnang blocked 1.7 shots per game last season and would give Washington a legitimate shot-blocking presence.
Breidenbach began his career at Nebraska. He is a 6-foot-10 forward who finishes efficiently, can step outside and hit the occasional 3-pointer. He made 67.1 percent of his 2s last season and 12 3s, averaging 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.5 minutes.
KC Ibekwe, an Oregon State transfer, and Chris Conway, who arrives from Oakland, should also be in the mix for rotation roles up front. The 6-foot-10 Ibekwe, a junior, is a capable shot blocker who started 22 games last season at Oregon State and averaged 5.1 points, four rebounds and 1.8 blocks. Conway is a 6-foot-9 senior and starter last season on the Oakland team that knocked off Kentucky in the NCAA tournament. In the shocking win, he had eight points, four rebounds, and three assists in 33 minutes.
Sprinkle has many guards and wings to sort through on his first roster with a mix of freshmen and portal additions. The Huskies were able to retain top-40 recruit Zoom Diallo, who committed to the previous coaching staff and could be the starting point guard as a freshman. Washington also added 6-foot-4 Jase Butler, the No. 114 player in the 2024 class, after he parted ways with Illinois.
Washington welcomes DJ Davis (Butler), Mekhi Mason (Rice), Tyler Harris (Portland), Luis Kortright (Rhode Island) and Tyree Ihenacho (North Dakota) from the transfer portal.
Davis, a 6-foot-1 senior, averaged 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 35 percent on 3s for the Bulldogs. Mason is a 6-foot-5 junior who can play multiple positions and could start at the three. At Rice, he averaged 14 points, four rebounds and 2.8 assists last season in 30.6 minutes per game.
Harris is a long wing who is 6-foot-8 who battled ankle issues last season at Portland and started 21 games. Harris, a sophomore, averaged 12.1 points and 7.3 rebounds and shot close to 36 percent on 3s. He’ll be one of the first players off the bench if he doesn’t start.
Kortright and Ihenacho are both seniors who provide experience and quality depth. The 6-foot-3 Kortright is a physical guard who doesn’t shoot it particularly well from the perimeter (29.7 percent). He did, however, average double figures last season in the A10. Ihenacho is an athletic guard who excels in transition and has good size at 6-foot-4.
Sprinkle’s teams at Utah State and Montana State heavily emphasized drawing fouls and getting to the line. In his five seasons as a head coach, Sprinkle’s teams have finished in the top 50 nationally in free throw rate. With a large contingent of guards and Osobor, look for the Huskies to prioritize getting to the line.
Bottom line: With three straight NCAA tournament appearances as a head coach, Sprinkle is no stranger to success. He’s a west coast guy who has grinded his way through the profession and finally has his chance at the high-major level at 47 years old. Having Osobor is a great place to start with his first roster, but it will take time for this Washington team to come together and gel. The Huskies need reliable post-play next to Osobor and must settle into a guard rotation by the time Big Ten play arrives. An NCAA tournament appearance in year one seems unlikely.
Quotable: “(I think we’ll look) like typical Big Ten teams. I want to play fast, like we did at Utah State on misses and on turnovers, but also I want to have a physical mindset, too. I want to have a toughness, a defensive mindset, kind of that culture where even when you’re not making shots you still have a chance to win whether it’s at home or on the road. That’s how my teams have been in my five years as a head coach.” – Sprinkle to Rick Pizzo of BTN this offseason on his expectations for Washington’s style of play.
Filed to: 2024-25 Big Ten preview, Washington Huskies
