UWDP Roundtable: A Sprinkling of Ennui
Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Danny Sprinkle gestures to his team against the Southern California Trojans during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images Three weeks have passed since the UW Men’s Basketball team lost a tight contest to Wisconsin to bow out of the Big 10 Conference Tournament. The Dawgs finished 16-17, a disappointing record given the NCAA Tournament aspirations the team had to start the year.
There were green shoots, including Hannes Steinbach’s brilliant year and a respectable KenPom net rating that was 52nd best in the country. But with Steinbach destined for the pros, the Dawgs were destined for an off-season with more turnover. Optimistically, one could point to a settled backcourt with Zoom Diallo, Wesley Yates, and JJ Mandaquit.
Roster building lessons from the last two years might help build a more balanced roster. Instead, Mandaquit and Diallo have already jumped into the transfer portal and the Dawgs are back at square one. What comes next for the program?
Our staff discussed it, and we had a lot to say: Kirk DeGrasse: It’s too early to say what the roster looks like for next season (and in general under Sprinkle), but it does seem like the general idea of trying to build a “talented” roster and hope it’s enough isn’t going to work at the UW in this new college sports environment. Doesn’t seem like we can land enough talent, and/or Sprinkle isn’t a good enough coach to get the most out of what he has. It may be that for UW MBB to have any chance of getting good, they have to approach it like a mid-major: find a coach with a clear, proven system that doesn’t require the most talented players, but mid-tier players that fit the system that can be developed and (hopefully) retained through a B1G budget.
The Bennetts didn’t require the most talented players to succeed at Wisky and WSU, they had a clear system that worked. Would it still work in today’s free agency market? I don’t know, maybe not.
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