Huskies' Yates, Who Sat Out Season, Enters Transfer Portal

The 6-foot-4 guard from Texas should have plenty of suitors.

Wesley Yates III, as he sat on the sideline during warm-ups for most games dribbling through his legs, looked like a promising basketball player.

Yet unless he has a change of heart or returns as a visitor, University of Washington basketball fans won't know how good he is.

On Tuesday, the 6-foot-4 freshman guard from Beaumont, Texas -- who missed the entire season after breaking his foot in practice -- entered the transfer portal, the second Husky guard to go this route since Mike Hopkins was fired as coach, joining sophomore Koren Johnson.

Yates' move shouldn't totally surprise anyone because his cousin, Quincy Pondexter, was part of Hopkins' coaching staff that was let go. The guard left open the stipulation he could return to the Huskies, but he'll likely be pulled in many directions,

The UW had great hope for Yates, a 4-star recruit who is capable of scoring inside and out. The coaches remarked in the preseason that he was sometimes the best player on the floor during practice.

However, he broke his foot and took a seat on the bench until he made an effort to return to the UW team at midseason only to reinjure himself.

Coming out of Beaumont United High School, Yates was a 20.1-point scorer who had 26 scholarship offers, which included Alabama, Gonzaga, Houston, LSU and Texas. He was drawn to the Huskies by prospect of playing for Pondexter, his cousin.

Before new coach Danny Sprinkle was hired, Yates had posted on social media his desire for the Huskies to hire former assistant Will Conroy as the head coach.

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