Tag: Washington Huskies Basketball

Great Osobor named college basketball’s top senior

Great Osobor isn’t just Washington’s best player, Andy Katz sees him as the best senior in college basketball.

One of the most important parts of building a college basketball team is senior leadership, which Washington Huskies coach Danny Sprinkle made a top priority when building his roster through the transfer portal. In his first year, Sprinkle has prioritized veteran players and has seven seniors to lean on.

Headlining that group is Great Osobor, who came over from Utah State with Sprinkle after winning Mountain West Player of the Year during his only season with the Aggies.

The forward averaged 17 points and 9 rebounds and was ranked by 247Sports as one of the top 10 players in the transfer portal and is expected to be the focal point of Sprinkle’s offense this season.

On Thursday, Big Ten Network’s Andy Katz named his top 10 seniors in college basketball for the 2024-25 season and placed Osobor at the top of the list. Sprinkle has put together an impressive cast of talented prospects who will need to learn how to play together quickly.

He was able to do that at Utah State in his one year at the helm there with Osobor as the centerpiece, and with the 6-foot-8, 250-pound forward as the key cog in his offense again, the pair could bring Washington’s basketball program back to prominence rather quickly.

Andy Katz highlights two star Huskies for 2024-25 basketball season

With a new look roster, the Washington Huskies have a lot of potential heading into the 2024-25 season, headlined by two stars.

Danny Sprinkle has done an impressive job rebuilding the Washington Huskies roster ahead of the team’s first campaign as a member of the Big Ten. The Huskies were looking for key contributors as Sprinkle had to practically reassemble the roster, and according to the Big Ten Network’s Andy Katz, he found a few exciting stars.

Not only did Sprinkle bring Mountain West Player of the Year Great Osobor with him from Utah State, but he also convinced Butler guard DJ Davis to spend his final year on Montlake.

On Tuesday, Katz named both players among the top 10 on the West Coast for the 2024-25 season.

Ranking Osobor No. 1, Katz referenced his stellar 17-point, 9-rebound season with the Aggies last season and his familiarity with Sprinkle’s system. Playing alongside center Franck Kepnang, the preseason All-American could assert himself as one of the best players in the country in his final season.

Davis slotted in at No. 8 on Katz’s list after the Butler transfer averaged 13 points per game last season with the Bulldogs and was a 95 percent shooter from the free throw line.

With other exciting prospects like Mekhi Mason and Tyler Harris surrounding them, the Huskies have a promising roster that could be a threat in their new conference.

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Washington adds third top-100 recruit to women’s basketball class

Tina Langley secured a commitment from four-star Bryn Martin, who becomes the third 2025 top 100 commit to choose the Huskies.

The Washington Huskies are continuing to make noise on the women’s basketball recruiting trail.

After coach Tina Langley secured commitments from five-star forward Brynn McGaughey and four-star wing Nina Cain, Washington already looked like they’d be in good shape for the 2025-26 season.

Add a third top-100 recruit to that mix, and suddenly, the Huskies might be a Big Ten contender sooner rather than later under Langley.

That’s exactly what Washington got on Wednesday, as four-star guard Bryn Martin announced that she would commit to the Huskies out of Springboro High School in Ohio.

Martin visited Montlake in June, her first official visit after a slew of interest from primarily ACC and Big Ten teams came flooding over the summer. She chose the Huskies over local options: Ohio State and Dayton, as well as Louisville, Miami, and Virginia Tech, among others.

A 6-foot-guard, Martin averaged 20.8 points per game on 41.1 percent shooting from three-point range, adding 4.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.1 steals in her junior season at Springboro.

With starting guard Elle Ladine set for her senior year in 2025 when Martin, Cain, and McGaughey arrive, the Ohioan may not be under the same pressure as her classmates to start and excel right away. Ladine was an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention last season for the Huskies.

Washington also has All-Pac-12 Freshman Team honoree Sayvia Sellers returning in the backcourt, who will have two seasons with the incoming 2025 class.

Put that all together, and the Huskies may be poised for a deep run in March Madness in the next couple years.

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Great Osobor named Preseason All-American by Blue Ribbon Yearbook

Ahead of his final year of college basketball, Great Osobor is taking home plenty of preseason accolades.

After finishing the 2023-24 season as an AP All-America Honorable Mention, Washington Huskies star forward Great Osobor has found his name on Blue Ribbon Yearbook’s Preseason All-Big Ten and All-America teams ahead of his final season of college basketball.

Osobor has been with coach Danny Sprinkle throughout his career, following him from Montana State to Utah State and then again to Washington, and has thrived in his offensive system. During his one year with the Aggies, Osobor evolved into a star, averaging 17.7 points and 9 rebounds per game on his way to winning Mountain West Player of the Year.

He helped lead the Aggies to a 28-7 record and a win in the NCAA Tournament before they were trounced by the runners-up for the national championship and one of Washington’s new Big Ten foes, the Purdue Boilermakers.

Since arriving at Washington, Osobor has vaulted from star to superstar, signing a reported $2 million NIL deal, making him the highest-paid known college basketball player. But that hasn’t stopped him from improving his game, and he has spent the offseason developing an improved three-point jumpshot.

“He’s beginning to shoot the basketball with a lot more confidence, which will translate next year because he’s going to have to knock down a lot more threes in the Big Ten with its size and physicality,” Sprinkle said on the Locked On Huskies podcast.

If Osobor can show increased effectiveness from distance throughout the season, he could also find his name on some of these All-Big Ten and All-America lists at the end of the season.

Danny Sprinkle adds former Hawaii head coach to Washington staff

Danny Sprinkle has reportedly added former Mountain West head coach Gib Arnold to the staff on Thursday.

Danny Sprinkle continues to add coaching experience to his inaugural Washington Huskies staff.

Former Hawaii head coach Gib Arnold announced on social media Thursday that he will be the Director of Mental Performance for Washington’s program, rejoining Sprinkle after working with him as a sports psychologist while the new Huskies coach was at Utah State for the 2023-24 season.

Arnold brings an impressive resume as a coach, having been named one of the top 25 recruiters in the country by Rivals while an assistant at USC. He helped the Trojans bring in future NBA talents DeMar DeRozan, Taj Gibson, OJ Mayo, and Nikola Vucevic, among others, while in Los Angeles from 2005-10.

As the head coach at Hawaii,  Arnold was the fastest coach to reach 50 wins in program history before being fired during an NCAA investigation into improper benefits from a booster.

Arnold moved to the NBA, where he spent five seasons as a scout with the Boston Celtics before spending a few years seemingly away from the game before joining Sprinkle and new Huskies star Great Osobor at Utah State.

A native of Eugene, Oregon, Arnold’s father, Frank, was the head coach at BYU from 1975-83 and Hawaii from 1985-87. He coached current Jazz CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge at BYU, who later was the younger Arnold’s executive director of basketball operations in Boston.

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Washington adds top 100 women’s basketball recruit Nina Cain

Washington secured their second top 100 recruit in women’s basketball on Monday with the addition of Sacramento forward Nina Cain.

It’s been a great three months for Washington’s women’s basketball program.

The Huskies added five-star forward Brynn McGaughy in May, then added two Olympic medals in Paris thanks to alums Kelsey Plum and Sami Whitcomb. To cap that run, coach Tina Langley’s program added its second 2025 recruit on Monday, earning a commitment from four-star wing Nina Cain out of Sacramento, California.

Cain visited Montlake on August 9, the day Plum and Whitcomb faced off in the Olympic semifinal between the US and Australia, and then canceled her remaining scheduled visits, committing to Washington over Cal, Arizona, and Northwestern.

A 6-foot-1 forward, Cain will form a formidable frontcourt duo with McGaughy, who stands at 6-foot-2 and is expected to play on the wing for the Huskies as well. The McClatchy High School star averaged 23.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game on over 50 percent shooting as a junior last season.

Cain and McGaughy will also enter the program at a fortuitous time, as the Huskies are set to lose three forwards after the 2024-25 season. Yale transfer Brenna McDonald, Eastern Michigan transfer Tayra Eke, and returning scoring leader Dalayah Daniels are all set to graduate.

Cain is also the niece of Denver Broncos defensive line coach Jamar Cain, who was at Arizona State in 2019, while Huskies running backs coach Scottie Graham was an associate athletic director.

Washington basketball will have one of the nation’s best frontcourts in 2024

The Washington Huskies have assembled their best frontcourt in a long time.

Coach Danny Sprinkle and the Washington Huskies have assembled an exciting frontcourt ahead of their first season in the Big Ten. Not only did he bring in one of the nation’s top transfers, forward Great Osobor.

The Sleepers Media podcast agrees, ranking the Huskies as the nation’s No. 17 frontcourt ahead of the 2024-25 season, mainly due to the acquisition of Osobor, but Sprinkle has also put together a very solid group around Osobor.

Sprinkle was able to retain the services of one of the nation’s best shot blockers, center Franck Kepnang, and also bring back forward Wilhelm Breidenbach while adding another promising defender at the position in Oregon State transfer KC Ibekwe.

If Oakland transfer Chris Conway, who played center with the Golden Grizzlies and will probably play more forward than center, can contribute as he did for one of the darlings of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, he could be a promising backup. He averaged 10 points and 4.1 rebounds last season and could end up posting similar numbers in a reserve role.

Washington’s renewed roster will have its work cut out for it in the Big Ten, where there are plenty of talented frontcourts, but with the supporting cast around Osobor, the Huskies could be one of the conference’s surprise teams.

Isaiah Thomas wants to join Washington basketball’s coaching staff

Washington basketball legend Isaiah Thomas has set a goal to join UW’s coaching staff.

If Danny Sprinkle is looking for an addition to his coaching staff over the next few seasons, he might not need to look very far. On Tuesday afternoon, Washington Huskies legend Isaiah Thomas set a goal for the next step in his basketball career, as a coach at his alma mater.

In an X (formerly Twitter) post, Thomas called his alma mater the “best school in the world” and went on to say that within the next five years, he’ll be on staff at the university.

Sprinkle has already shown his willingness to add former players to his coaching staff, hiring former UW guard Abdul Gaddy as his director of player development. Thomas, who seems destined for a role on the bench at some point in his future, would be an exciting addition to the staff as both a coach and recruiter.

Thomas is one of three players who have had his number retired by the program when his iconic No. 2 was raised to the rafters in 2018, joining Brandon Roy and Bob Houbregs.

Over his three years on Montlake, he averaged 16.4 points, 4 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game while winning Pac-10 Freshman of the Year along with being named a Freshman All-American in 2009. He also earned a spot on the All-Pac-10 First Team for the next two seasons, as well as an AP All-America Honorable Mention in 2011. He’s also one of just four Huskies to earn all-conference honors three times.

As a recruiter, the Tacoma native is a local legend who has spent 14 seasons in the NBA and might not have much trouble convincing recruits to learn from him at Washington. Over his impressive career after being the very last pick in the 2011 NBA draft, he has averaged 17.5 points and 4.8 assists per game while playing for 10 teams.

He had his most success with the Boston Celtics, where he was honored as an All-Star in both 2016 and 2017. During the 2017 season, he was also named to the All-NBA second team.

If Thomas ends up back at Washington at any point down the line, he could become a vital part of Sprinkle’s staff.

Washington basketball releases its 2024-25 nonconference schedule

Washington basketball’s nonconference schedule is set.

There’s a lot to be excited about around coach Danny Sprinkle’s first season at the helm with the Washington Huskies. From the acquisition of players like Great Osobor to the move to the Big Ten, Sprinkle seems to have the basketball program moving in the right direction.

On Friday, the Huskies released their nonconference schedule for the 2024-25 season, which will give Sprinkle’s team an opportunity to make a name for itself early with eight home games, one true road game, and two neutral site games in Palm Springs at the Acrisure Invitational.

Following an exhibition game against Western Oregon, the Huskies will open the season against UC Davis on November 5, before traveling to Nevada on November 9 for their one road game against the Wolfpack.

Then, Sprinkle’s team will have to face two quality opponents in Nicholls State (Nov. 13) and UMass Lowell (Nov. 17) after both schools played in their respective conference championship games last season. Following a matchup with Alcorn State on November 22, the Huskies will travel to Palm Springs to face Colorado State on November 28 and will battle either Santa Clara or TCU the next day, depending on the outcome of both games.

Then, the Huskies have three straight games against in-state opponents, with Eastern Washington coming to town on December 10 and Washington State will arrive for the Apple Cup on December 18 before a December 23 matchup with Seattle University.

The Huskies will finish off nonconference play with a matchup against the New Jersey Institute of Technology on December 29 before Big Ten play begins.

Sami Whitcomb, Australia win bronze medal at Paris Olympics

Washington Huskies alum Sami Whitcomb helped Australia to a bronze medal in women’s basketball on Sunday.

Sami Whitcomb is coming back to Seattle with a bronze medal.

The Husky alum and current Seattle Storm guard helped Australia to an 85-81 win over Belgium in the third-place match at the Paris Olympics early Sunday morning. Whitcomb, who is from California but became a naturalized Australian citizen in 2018, had 14 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in 31 minutes.

Australia was led by Whitcomb’s Storm teammate, center Ezi Magbegor, who had 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks in a dominant effort against Belgian center Emma Meesseman.

The former Huskies star shot 5 of 17 from the field, including 3 of 13 from three. She was the Opals’ second-leading scorer, followed by Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith with 13 and guard Tess Madgen with 10.

Belgium was led by point guard Julie Vanloo of the Washington Mystics, who finished the game with 26 points and 11 assists. Meesseman added 23 points and Antonia Delaere chipped in 15, including three from beyond the arc.

Australia went into the fourth quarter down 61-60, a deficit that quickly stretched to four on a Vanloo three ten seconds into the quarter. A Whitcomb assist to Smith followed by a three from Whitcomb gave Australia a 65-64 lead with just under eight minutes remaining.

The teams traded baskets for the next few minutes, but Australia went on an 8-0 run that Belgium ultimately never recovered from.

It’s the country’s sixth medal in women’s basketball and third bronze. The Opals also won bronze in 1996 and 2012 and have three silver medals from 2000, 2004, and 2008.