Hannes Steinbach backs into his defender and hits a tough fadeaway jumper from midrange to beat the shot clock.

Unreal player 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vXZ1wOfz6U

— Mike O (@coolguy551_) July 4, 2025

The Washington Huskies are getting a star in German forward Hannes Steinbach.

Coming into Friday’s quarterfinal matchup against Team Australia at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland, the 19-year-old was averaging 18.3 points and 13 rebounds per game. Then, he posted 16 points and 16 rebounds, adding a pair of steals in an 80-67 win to push Team Germany into Saturday’s semifinals.

During Washington’s first media availability of the new year, coach Danny Sprinkle raved about the acquisition, who looks like he could wind up starting as a true freshman, stating that the Huskies beat out “the elite of the elite” when earning his signature.

In an interview with Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops, Steinbach revealed why he chose the Huskies.

“I think the move to the NCAA right now for most of the players is probably the best move to do. Going from your European experience to the American lifestyle, experiencing earlier a different way of playing basketball, could prepare you better for the NBA,” Steinbach said.

Steinbach has been playing professionally with the Würzburg Baskets, and he won’t be the first German to play college hoops on Montlake, as Sprinkle also sold him on Detlef Schrempf’s time on Montlake.

“I haven’t spoken to him about Washington,” Steinbach said of Schrempf. “The staff told me he’s on campus often, and he’s always open to answering questions from students. He’s still involved with the university program, and we’ll probably meet him.”

Washington’s ties to Würzburg also run deeper than some may expect, as even though Sprinkle said that assistant coach Andy Hill deserves credit for his evaluation and recruitment of Steinbach, the Huskies also got a boost from director of player development Abdul Gaddy, who played professionally with the Baskets in 2017 and 2018.

“I spoke with the coaching staff, and all the guys I’ve met so far are really great. I also have a coach who played in Wurzburg, so that’s a cool connection,” Steinbach added.