Danny Sprinkle and the Washington Huskies may be off to a slow start on the court, but the coaching staff is out to a big lead on the recruiting trail.
Four-star point guard JJ Mandaquit, who announced a top nine on Monday, chose Washington over Tennessee, Creighton, BYU, Virginia, USC, Louisville, Cal, and Hawaii on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Mandaquit is rated as the No. 6 point guard and No. 49 overall player by the 247Sports Composite rankings. 247Sports analyst Travis Branham had previously crystal-balled the point guard to the Huskies when he announced his top nine.
What ultimately won out were his deep ties to the area.
“I’ve always been a Washington fan because my grandma was from the area and we would always visit the campus when we would visit family in Seattle. Coach Sprinkle has been successful everywhere he’s coached and I believe in his plan for the program going forward,” Mandaquit told On3’s Joe Tipton. “I also believe in his vision for me within the program and his plan for me to develop individually. I feel like Coach Sprinkle and the staff can help me achieve my goals as a player while in college and in the future to one day play professionally.”
With DJ Davis, Tyree Ihenacho, and Luis Kortright all out of eligibility after the season, Washington needed to add more guards next to freshman Zoom Diallo, who will take over the keys to the Huskies offense in 2025.
A two-time FIBA gold medalist for Team USA on the youth circuit, Mandaquit started every game for USA Basketball and averaged 6.1 assists per game en route to a gold medal win in the U17 FIBA World Cup. That traditional point guard style should mesh well with Diallo, who is more of a playmaker and shot creator offensively.
Mandaquit does not profile as a player who can carry an offense, but his ability to distribute the ball and set the table for a team should be a perfect fit in Sprinkle’s system. His international experience is also a welcome presence for a Washington squad looking to end a five year NCAA tournament drought.