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.