“This group right here, we’re going to change the whole trajectory of this program.”
Winning culture starts now on Montlake. pic.twitter.com/Bo9PEAGntT
— Washington Men’s Basketball (@UW_MBB) July 15, 2025
Danny Sprinkle doesn’t like to lose.
This offseason, ahead of his second year at the helm of his father’s alma mater, the Washington Huskies’ leader overhauled his roster heading into year two after a disappointing 13-18 overall record that yielded just four Big Ten Conference victories in 2024-25.
Part of UW’s struggles on the hardwood stemmed from being unable to find a consistent three-point shooting threat. As a team, the Huskies shot 34.4 percent from deep, good for No. 159 in the country and tied with Oregon for eighth in the conference.
To prevent another down year from behind the arc, Sprinkle landed East Tennessee State senior guard Quimari Peterson from the transfer portal, one of the best 3-point shooters in the country last season at 42.2 percent — good for No. 18 in college basketball.
No Husky finished in the top 100 from long range, though sophomore guard Tyler Harris (49.5) and junior Mekhi Mason (40.2) shot above 40 percent while each played a more limited role than Peterson did at ETSU.
Freshman guard Zoom Diallo, one of just two returning players from last season, shot 18.2 percent from deep despite shooting 47.3 percent from the field, a sign that adding Peterson and a pair of ex-USC guards, Desmond Claude and Wesley Yates III will allow the Tacoma native to flourish without being forced to do more than necessary for the Huskies to be successful.
Claude, the Trojans’ leading scorer in 2024-25 at 15.3 points per game, shot 30.7 percent from behind the 3-point line while Yates III shot 43.9 percent, while Lipscomb transfer and ASun Conference Player of the Year Jacob Ognacevic shot 40 percent from long range, giving Sprinkle a plethora of shooters who can be the go-to option on any given night, a significant change from last season.