Tag: Washington Huskies Basketball

Washington set to hire Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle

Just one day after Utah State lost in the NCAA Tournament, head coach Danny Sprinkle is reportedly on the move to Washington.

It has been a tumultuous few months on Montlake for the Washington Huskies, with coaching changes in both football and men’s basketball, as well as looking for its second athletic director in six months. However, there is now just one opening to fill.

It has long been rumored that Utah State head coach Danny Sprinkle was the Washington’s top target to replace Mike Hopkins. First reported by Inside the Huskies’ Dan Raley, Sprinkle and the Huskies have agreed to terms to bring him to Seattle, which was confirmed by multiple outlets on Monday morning.

The former Montana State basketball standout and later head coach has had a lot of success with both the Bobcats and Aggies, leading his teams to three consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament.

Sprinkle started his coaching career in 2000 as an assistant coach at Cal State Northridge, spending six years with the Matadors. He then returned to his alma mater, Montana State, as an assistant to head coach Brad Huse for two seasons before returning to CSUN for the next five.

In 2013 he joined the staff at Cal State Fullerton until once again returning to Montana State as the head coach in 2019 replacing Brian Fish. During his four years in Bozeman, he led the Bobcats to an 81-43 record and brought his team to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history.

In 2023, he left for the head coaching job at Utah State and found great success with the Aggies, going 28-7 on the season and claiming the top spot in the Mountain West Conference, earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament before losing to top-seeded Purdue 106-67 in the second round.

Sprinkle also has roots in Washington, as he was born in Pullman and his father, Bill, played safety on Montlake from 1964-68.

Social media reacts to Troy Dannen’s departure for Nebraska

After Washington athletic director Troy Dannen’s departure for Nebraska after five months on the job, social media reacted accordingly.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel broke some surprise news on Wednesday morning, reporting that Washington Huskies athletic director Troy Dannen would be departing to assume the same role with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. This announcement came less than six months after Dannen took over for Jen Cohen, who left for USC’s open athletic director position.

During Dannen’s brief stint with Washington, he saw the Huskies make the national championship game and lose to Michigan before losing head coach Kalen DeBoer to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the same week.

He made big promises when it came to investing in the football program and after failing to get DeBoer to sign a contract extension, Dannen went out and hired Jedd Fisch away from Arizona. Then, he fired basketball coach Mike Hopkins and leaves Washington, and more specifically interim athletic director Erin O’Connell, in the middle of a search for the school’s next men’s basketball coach.

“This is deeply disappointing. But as a University committed to the welfare of the entire individual, we understand the need to make choices based on what’s best for one’s family. We wish Troy well,” UW president Ana Marie Cauce said in a statement.

“Leading this program is one of the greatest opportunities in the country. We’ve seen time and again how Huskies compete and win on the national stage and we are grateful for the strong support of Husky Nation, who have positioned us so well for the future. And with coach Fisch joining our group of talented coaches, who are leading teams of incredible student-athletes, our future is bright.”

While Cauce took the diplomatic route, social media had a different approach.

Many offered suggestions on who the next athletic director should be, with basketball legend Isaiah Thomas offering to throw his hat in the ring.

John Canzano added an interesting twist to the story, claiming Dannen’s family never moved to Washington.

Others took Dannen’s a different approach to Dannen’s quick departure.

 

Washington athletic director Troy Dannen departs for Nebraska

The Washington Huskies are on the hunt for a new athletic director just five months after hiring Troy Dannen.

“I’m not going to move again, God willing and president [Ana Marie Cauce] willing, this is going to be my last job,” athletic director Troy Dannen told University of Washington staff and members of the media at his introductory press conference in October after coming over from Tulane University.

After less than six months on the job, Dannen has decided to move again to take the athletic director position at the University of Nebraska according to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Nebraska lost athletic director Trev Alberts to Texas A&M last week, and Dannen’s departure for Lincoln is just as sudden after he was in Palm Springs, California on Monday at a fundraising event with football coach Jedd Fisch.

During his brief stint at Washington, Dannen was unable to get a contract extension done with Kalen DeBoer, who departed for Alabama shortly after the national championship. However, he moved quickly and made what was considered to be the best possible hire in Fisch and appeared to make good on one of his primary goals, investing heavily in the football program as the school moves into the Big Ten.

Dannen also fired basketball coach Mike Hopkins and leaves the athletic department in an extremely unfortunate position right as the coaching carousel starts to pick up.

Washington is rumored to be the favorite to land Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle as the next head coach, one of the fastest-rising coaches in the country, but without an athletic director, that could throw off the school’s plans to revitalize the basketball program.

Washington basketball could return to March Madness soon

With the right head coaching hire the Huskies could find themselves back in the NCAA Tournament sooner rather than later.

The Washington Huskies haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2019, but with the right hire, the program might not have to wait much longer for its next appearance. It appears athletic director Troy Dannen is doing everything in his power to secure Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle as the next head coach.

In his first season with the Aggies, Sprinkle has been one of the best coaches in the country. He led his team to a 28-5 record, a shocking improvement for a team that had gone 26-7 and also found their way into the big dance during the prior year, while Sprinkle’s roster didn’t have a single person who scored a point on the 2022-23 team.

Washington’s basketball program has shown that it can be one of the best in the nation when it has a quality coach and a strong backing from the fans, something Dannen noted in an interview with 93.3 KJR’s Dave Mahler.

“We have to get people caring again,” Dannen said. He also noted Seattle’s long history of passion for basketball in his introductory press conference in October.

“This is a basketball city,” UW’s athletic director said at the time. “There’s great basketball here. There’s a great history of basketball here. We will share the same motivations to get it back going again.”

Sprinkle could be the perfect hire to inject life into the program as it moves into the Big Ten. He has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons and has proven he can rebuild a roster in short order.

If he is indeed the hire, Washington could hear its name called on Selection Sunday next season.

Isaiah Thomas returns to the Phoenix Suns

Isaiah Thomas is headed back to the Phoenix Suns by way of a 10-day contract.

It has been over two years since Isaiah Thomas last suited up for an NBA game and almost 10 years since he last donned a Phoenix Suns jersey. On Saturday, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Suns offered Thomas a chance to officially return to the professional ranks after the former Washington Huskies star played four games with the Salt Lake City Stars.

During his brief stint with the Utah Jazz G-League affiliate, Thomas averaged 33 points and 5.7 assists per game while shooting 94 percent from the free throw line. Now he will have a chance to provide a spark off the bench on a Phoenix team that could certainly use a boost.

The Suns are sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference, just on the outside of a guaranteed playoff spot and should turn to Thomas for some instant offense off the bench. During his first stint with Phoenix, Thomas averaged 15.2 points per game as one of the team’s top bench options before being dealt to the Boston Celtics at the trade deadline in 2015.

Thomas went on to be selected as an All-Star twice during his time with the Celtics while blossoming into a star. In his second stint with the Suns, he has a chance to help bring their star-studded roster back to the postseason.

Washington guard Koren Johnson enters transfer portal

Washington’s star sophomore guard Koren Johnson will enter the transfer portal in search of a new home.

As the Washington Huskies look for a new basketball coach, it appears they’re also going to be looking for a new cornerstone guard. On Friday, sophomore Koren Johnson told On3’s Joe Tipton that he is planning on entering the transfer portal when it opens on March 18.

Johnson was honored as the Pac-12’s Sixth Player of the Year this season and was expected to move into a starting role after averaging a career high 11.1 points per game during his second season.

The former four-star recruit from Garfield High School in Seattle should be one of the most sought after players looking for a new home.

While athletic director Troy Dannen searches for Washington’s next head coach, it appeared that Johnson was going to be one of the team’s biggest stars in the 2024-25 season, along with five-star commit Zoom Diallo. He played in 31 games, starting 5 and while dishing out 83 assists and shooting 37.1 percent from behind the three-point line.

If Johnson decides to officially take his talents elsewhere, the Huskies still have an exciting amount of talent in the backcourt assuming they can keep Diallo on board. Between him, former top recruit Wesley Yates, Nate Calmese, and Casmir Chavis, the Huskies still some promising depth for next season, but the loss of Johnson would still be significant.

Washington falls to USC in the Pac-12 Tournament in Hopkins’ final game

The Huskies ended the Mike Hopkins era with a loss to USC in the Pac-12 Tournament.

The Washington Huskies made 69 percent of their shots from three-point range in the first half, but it still wasn’t enough to overcome the USC Trojans, who opened the Pac-12 Tournament with an 80-74 victory.

Since the Huskies won’t make the NCAA Tournament and most likely will not be invited to any other postseason play, that makes Wednesday’s matchup in Las Vegas the final game of Mike Hopkins’ seven year stint at Washington.

The majority of the second half looked like a movie Husky fans had seen too many times during Hopkins’ tenure. Washington turned the ball over 15 times and struggled to muster any sort of consistent offensive attack late in the game.

After Moses Wood hit a buzzer beating three-pointer to end the first half, the Huskies took a five point lead into the locker room but couldn’t stop the Trojans and the game’s leading scorer Boogie Ellis, who had 25 points and 3 steals.

Wood led the Huskies with 14 points and 4 three-pointers in the first half, the team only made two threes in the second, one courtesy of Wood who ended the game with 17 points.

The conference’s leading scorer, Keion Brooks Jr. was the focal point of USC’s defense, who held him to just 4 made shots on 16 attempts, going 1-10 from the floor in the second half. Sahvir Wheeler led the Huskies with 20 points and he was aided by another big day by the Pac-12’s Sixth Player of the Year, Koren Johnson who had 17.

Now that the Hopkins era is officially over, it appears there could be brighter days on the horizon for Washington basketball who are considered the favorites to land the up and coming Danny Sprinkle from Utah State as the team’s next head coach.

Washington’s Koren Johnson honored as Pac-12 Sixth Player of the Year

Guard Koren Johnson took a major step forward in his sophomore season and was honored as the Pac-12’s Sixth Player of the Year.

Sophomore guard Koren Johnson was an integral part of the Washington Huskies in 2023 and has been named the Pac-12’s Sixth Player of the Year for his efforts.

In his second year under coach Mike Hopkins, Johnson took a big step forward in his development, averaging 10.9 points per game while shooting 43.7 percent from the field. He started four games this season while scoring 15+ points eight times, including a career-high 30-point output against the Stanford Cardinal.

The product of Garfield High School in Seattle has become a key figure with the Huskies over his two seasons on Montlake and if he decides to return to play for Washington’s next head coach in 2024, he could be the focal point of the offense.

With the honor, Johnson becomes the first Husky to win a major conference award since the 2018-19 season, when Jaylen Nowell was honored as the Pac-12 Player of the Year and Matisse Thybulle won the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

As the Huskies prepare for a matchup with the USC Trojans on Wednesday in the Pac-12 Tournament, Johnson could be a key factor if Hopkins’ team can find some success in Las Vegas.

Washington’s Keion Brooks Jr. named to All-Pac-12 First Team

Washington’s star player earned All-Pac-12 First Team honors in his final season on Montlake.

On Tuesday morning, star Washington Huskies forward Keion Brooks Jr. found his name on the All-Pac-12 First Team. Brooks has been one of the best players in the conference this season and although he lost out on the Pac-12 Player of the Year award to Arizona’s Caleb Love, he was a dominant force and established his place in UW history.

Brooks led the conference in scoring at 21.3 points per game, the No. 13 mark nationally, and had a career-best season from behind the three-point line, shooting 37 percent from deep.

His 6.8 rebounds per game are also top 10 in the conference, ranking No. 8, and his overall offensive rating of 115.3 greatly improved from last season when he posted a 96.5 in the category.

The senior has been the most reliable member of coach Mike Hopkins’ team this season and was aptly named to the All-America Watch List. He is also among the five finalists for the Julius Erving Award, which is given annually to the nation’s best small forward.

Brooks could take the floor for the final time in a Husky jersey on Wednesday when Washington takes on USC in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament, but he has cemented his legacy on Montlake, scoring 1,192 points in just two seasons.

Washington’s new basketball coach could have a great backcourt

If they can be retained, Washington’s next head coach could have an exciting amount of guard depth.

The heavy favorite to be the next head coach of the Washington Huskies is Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle, but no matter who takes the job, they will have an impressive arsenal of depth in the backcourt to work with.

While some of that might be contingent on retaining Washington’s top assistant Will Conroy, the next head coach could have one of the nation’s best backcourts at the start of next season.

If Koren Johnson decides to return, the product of nearby Garfield High School could be one of the best guards in the Big Ten. Averaging nearly 11 points per game this season off the bench, a move to the starting lineup could greatly benefit his output and NBA draft stock.

Behind Johnson, former four-star recruit Wesley Yates has missed his entire first season due to injury but has a promising ceiling and could be asked to move into the starting lineup in his second year.

After surprising as one of the best young scorers in the country during his freshman season at Lamar, Nate Calmese has been asked to take a step back during his first year with the Huskies, but could take over as one of UW’s top bench options next season.

Washington is also bringing in two top-tier high school prospects in five-star Zoom Diallo and three-star Casmir Chavis who can provide extra depth. Diallo has the potential to slot in as a starter while Chavis can fill in off the bench.

After five seasons of struggles with not much hope on the horizon, the Huskies have some promising building blocks to get back on track under new leadership.