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.