A Husky Basketball Starting 5 To Consider For Season Opener

Five days from the University of Washington basketball season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, it's anyone's outside guess to what a possible starting lineup might look like.

From the exhibition game held two weeks ago against UNLV, it would be hard to imagine Danny Sprinkle sending out an opening five that doesn't include his super freshmen in 6-foot-11 Hannes Steinbach and 6-foot-1JJ Mandaquit in it.

So we'll start with those two. Steinbach and Mandaquit appear to be the only ones guaranteed to have their names bellowed out over the public-address system and flashed across the overhead scoreboard next Monday night.

While Steinbach probably has the most NBA upside of any of the 14 players on the UW roster, Madaquit likely is the most important player to this rebuilt Husky team because he is that rare pass-first player in a college game full of shooters.

JJ Mandaquit and Courtland Muldrew go at it in UW practice. | UW

He controls the tempo. He puts everyone in their spot. He's probably the biggest difference between this team and last year's often rudderless last-place Big Ten finisher.

"JJ is probably the best point guard I've ever played with," said guard Wesley Yates III, who's spent season each at the UW and USC.

Key stat: Mandaquit's 12 assists in the exhibition against UNLV.

"Our team executes best when he's on the floor, that's the best way to put it," Sprinkle said. "Our team functions when he's on the floor. He's got such an elite feel in passing ability coming off ball screens, he makes the right read. In turns, it makes our other players look better."

The 20 names on the Jerry West Award preseason watch list, given annually to the nation’s best shooting guard: pic.twitter.com/8lTCBCzqbw
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) October 28, 2025

From Wurzburg, Germany, Steinbach already is being touted as an NBA lottery pick in 2026. He has the total game. An inside and outside shot. Instinctive rebounder. More passing skills.

His exhibition game numbers: 22 points, 16 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals, an assist.

"Hannes does what he does," Sprinkle said.

Hannes Steinbach should be a no-brainer as a UW starter. | UW

That's the easy part. Now which three players do you pair with these freshmen building blocks? Nothing is automatic. Nothing is obvious.

An easy move is to put a big man, a bigger man than Steinbach, up front in 6-foot-11, 250-pound senior Franck Kepnang.

The Huskies don't have anyone else nearly as physical or explosive around the basket as Kepnang, who appears as healthy as he's ever been in now his fourth season in Montlake.

For the Huskies, he's not played in more than 14 games in a season after getting hurt in each of the past three years. Keep him on the floor, and opposing teams will have to take their shots from around the perimeter.

Wesley Yates III was part of the UW's 2023-24 team, but a foot injury prevented him from playing. | Dan Raley

While current injuries will weigh heavily in filling out the rest of the lineup, we think Yates, a 6-foot-4 guard, will draw his first career Husky start against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in his return.

He sat out all 32 UW games in 2023-24 with a foot injury before transferring to USC and back, averaging 14.2 points and shooting 47 percent for the Trojans.

Yates has been named to the 20-player watch list for the Jerry West Award -- which goes to the nation's top shooting guard -- so he's already being rewarded for being the effective player that he is.

Now for the fifth spot.

Consider that Quimari Peterson, Desmond Claude and Zoom Diallo have each have high-level credentials, high scoring averages and are more than worthy as potential starters.

Peterson was the Southland Conference Player of the Year and a 19.9 scorer for East Tennessee State.

Claude was named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and a 15.8 scorer, which was 12th in the conference, while playing next to Yates at USC

Diallo is the UW's highest returning scorer at 11.1 points per game as a freshman.

Then consider that probably none of them is in optimum condition for the beginning of the season with Peterson dealing with a hamstring issue, Claude coming off an ankle sprain and Diallo going through concussion protocols.

For maximum impact up front, we'll go with 6-foot-10 sophomore Lathan Sommerville, the Rutgers transfer who appears to have a full complement of basketball skills, including from behind the line.

Rutgers center Lathan Sommerville (24) stretches before a game against the Purdue Boilermakers. | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"When we really get his motor ramped up, he's really hard to guard on the block," Sprinkle said. "He's got great touch, he knows how to seal. He's a big wide, body down there. He's been shooting the 3 pretty well, too."

The rest of the talent pool consists of 6-foot-7 Indiana transfer and shooter Bryson Tucker, touted freshmen guards Courtland Muldew and Jasir Rencher, and 6-foot-11 Florida State transfer Christian Nitu, the latter dealing with a toe injury.

Out for the season is 6-foot-11 center Mady Traore, the former Maryland and New Mexico State player, with a foot injury and out until January is 6-foot-8 forward Jacob Ognasevic, the Lipscomb transfer, also with a foot injury.

Sprinkle has a lot to choose from.

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