It has been a whirlwind 24 hours for four-star point guard JJ Mandaquit, who committed to coach Danny Sprinkle and the Washington Huskies on Tuesday afternoon and signed with them on Wednesday. After growing up a Washington fan, it’s a full-circle moment for Mandaquit, who is originally from Hilo, Hawaii, but plays for Utah Prep Academy in Hurricane, Utah.
“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,” he told On3’s Joe Tipton when he committed.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound point guard is ranked as the 2025 class’ No. 49 player and No. 6 player at his position and brings a floor general presence to Sprinkle’s backcourt. The Huskies are set to lose three guards after the season, which should open up a lot of playing time for Mandaquit in his first season.
“The entire staff has done a great job watching me play throughout the recruiting process, and they’ve also spent time with me and my family outside of basketball, so they have a really good feel for me as a player and a person,” he said to 247Sports’ Eric Bossi.
“They believe they can build a successful program around me. One of my strongest attributes is the ability to make the game easier for my teammates, which makes them better and more efficient. I’ll have a lot of one-on-one time with Coach Sprinkle. I can break down video with him, and he can help me be an extension of him on the court. The plan is to also create a program where I can improve my three-point shooting so defenses will have to really respect my ability to shoot, which will open up the court for my pick-and-roll game.”