After seven seasons, Mike Hopkins is out, and Danny Sprinkle steps in looking to take Washington basketball to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six seasons
The tradition continues! CBB Review is again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the new college basketball season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Washington basketball.
When Mike Hopkins took over in 2017, the Washington basketball team was filled with hope after a 9-22 season the previous year. Unfortunately, Hopkins was never able to deliver, making the tournament once in his time with Washington and finished with a 118-106 record. Now, it’s Danny Sprinkle time. The former Utah State head coach has made three straight NCAA Tournaments and hopes to make it a 4th with this Washington program.
They lost a lot from last season, most notably Keion Brooks, who averaged over 20 a game last year and has been the team’s MVP ever since joining the program two seasons prior. They also lose Sahvir Wheeler, the crafty point guard. Five of the top six scorers from last season are gone, but they had no issue replacing that production through the portal.
The big fish is Great Osobor. Osobor is rumored to be one of the highest NIL earners in the country heading into next season and for a good reason. Osobor averaged nearly 18 points and 9 rebounds for Utah State last season and is considered to be one of the top players in college basketball. They also bring in DJ Davis, who is coming off a nice season at Butler, and two mid-major scorers in Mekhi Mason and Tyler Harris.
This also marks the first year in the Big Ten for this Huskies program. It will certainly be a step up from the Pac-12, but with Zach Edey gone, the league is wide open. They’ll need a lot of guys to step up if they want any chance to compete at the top, but Sprinkle has a nose for making the tournament, and he can certainly find a way once again.
Click here to learn more about our preseason top 100 teams heading into the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Head coach: Danny Sprinkle (1st season at Washington, 6th season overall)
2023-24 record: 17-15 (9-11)
2024 postseason finish:Â No Postseason
Notable departures:Â
- Keion Brooks (21.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.4 APG)
- Sahvir Wheeler (14.3 PPG, 6.1 APG, 3.5 APG)
- Moses Wood (11.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 0.8 APG)
- Koren Johnson (11.1 PPG, 2.7 APG, 2.2 RPG)
- Paul Mulcahey (5.5 PPG, 3.4 APG, 3.0 RPG)
- Braxton Meah (5.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 0.3 APG)
Notable non-conference games:Â
- at Nevada (Nov. 9)
- vs. Colorado State (Nov. 28)
- vs. TCU OR Santa Clara (Nov. 29)
- vs. Washington State (Dec.18)
Projected Rotation
PG: DJ Davis (6-1, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 13.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 35.1 3P%, 95.0 FT% (Butler)
SG: Mekhi Mason (6-5, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 14.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.8 APG, 34.3 3P% (Rice)
SF: Tyler Harris (6-8, So.)
2023-24 stats: 12.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, 46.0 FG%, 35.8 3P% (Portland)
PF: Great Osobor (6-8, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 17.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.4 BPG, 1.3 SPG, 57.7 FG% (Utah State)
C: Franck Kepnang (6-11, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 8.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 0.2 APG, 1.7 BPG, 59.0 FG%
6: Luis Kortright (6-3, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 10.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.7 APG (Rhode Island)
7: Tyree Ihenacho (6-4, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 14.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.4 SPG (North Dakota)
8: Chris Conway (6-9, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 10.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.3 APG, 54.2 FG% (Oakland)
9: Wilhelm Breidenbach (6-10, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 5.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.2 APG, 56.5 FG%
10: Zoom Diallo (6-4, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #53 ranked recruit
Washington Basketball Team MVP: Great Osobor
As we mentioned earlier, Osobor is one of the top players in college basketball. He took a massive leap last year after limited production at Montana State, and following Sprinkle to Washington will be extremely beneficial to him. He was the Mountain West Player of the Year last year and might be one of the favorites for Big Ten player of the year.
At 6-8, he has a really soft touch at the rim and great post skills. He shot 57.7% from the field last season and was incredible when it mattered most. In the conference tournament, he shot 14-18 (77%), from the field, and averaged 22 rebounds over the two-game span. Those numbers did dwindle during the NCAA Tournament but were impressive regardless.
Defensively, he’s great as well. He averaged of a steal and block per game, and is an underrated passer as well, dishing out seven assists twice last season. He can do it all and is an easy pick for Washington basketball MVP.
Washington Basketball make-or-break player: Tyler Harris
Tyler Harris was a pleasant surprise for both Portland and WCC, exploding onto the scene as a freshman. He averaged 12.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG, and did so on respectable shooting splits. At 6-8, he is a mismatch on offense, which allows him to get these buckets and rebound at a high rate. He’ll have to put on some muscle, but the potential is certainly there.
He didn’t just beat up on bad teams to get these stats either. He had 17 points and 12 rebounds against Long Beach State, who made the tournament. He went for 19 and 7 on 7-10 shooting against Nevada. Against Grand Canyon, he had 15 and 10. Finally, against Gonzaga, he scored 12 points with 5 rebounds. So, the talent is there, and he’s shown he can do it against good teams, but he’ll need to do it consistently to shine in the Big Ten for this Washington basketball team.
Key analytic: Luck
Luck is subjective, but KenPom has a metric to determine which teams were “lucky” last season and which ones were not. This is the deviation in winning percentage between a team’s actual record and their expected record. Washington finished 340th in luck, while Utah State finished 8th. The year prior, Sprinkle’s Montana State team finished 34th.
So, whatever Sprinkle is doing, he better keep doing. College basketball seasons can come down to a few plays, thanks to the overall selection process, and if they tend to go Washington’s way, then that can flip the season. If luck isn’t on the Huskies’ side, it could be yet another season of disappointment for the program.
Washington Basketball 2024-25 projections
Projected conference finish: 15th in the Big Ten
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Round of 64 Exit
DJ Davis is not a PG in any way, shape, or form. He’s a shooter. To maximize this team’s ceiling, Zoom Diallo will be the unquestioned starting PG. If he fails, Luis Kortright and Tyree Ihenacho will fight for the job. Come on guy. SMH