A Way Too Early Husky Basketball Starting Lineup

As Great Osobor goes about setting up a direct-deposit bank account somewhere close to Hec Edmundson Pavilion, maybe in nearby University Village, Danny Sprinkle now has nine new players signed or committed to the University of Washington basketball program as he wastes no time in remaking the program in his own vision.

Dare we say, he's made a huge splash in acquiring college talent, choosing to pick up just one Utah State player from his 28-7 NCAA Tournament team in Osobor -- yes, his first name is really Great, as in his parents inspired by "God is great" -- while assembling an all-star cast from coast to coast.

Limited to 13 scholarships, Sprinkle might be at his max, with four holdover players still listed on the roster. Or one or more could move on, not finding their place in this sudden Husky basketball reload, and there could be yet another new face or two.

At this point, the hardest thing the barely two-month UW coach might be faced with is selecting a starting lineup from all of the assembled manpower. He has so many ways he can go. Hopefully, he didn't promise a first-team role to anyone except Osobor.

Taking an initial stab at finding a first five, and going with somewhat of a physical group, Sprinkle might consider 6-foot-11, 250-pound senior Franck Kepnang at center, 6-foot-9, 221-pound senior Chris Conway from Oakland and the 6-foot-8, 250-pound senior Osobor at the forwards, and 6-foot-1 senior DJ Davis from Butler and 6-foot-5 junior Mekhi Mason from Rice at the guards.

Kepnang, when healthy, provides an explosive post presence in the middle. Last season, he started 7 of 10 games he managed to play for the Huskies before injuring a knee again, but not before impressively standing his ground in a 78-73 win over Gonzaga with 14 points and 7 rebounds in his next-to-last appearance.

Chris Conway fires up a jumper against North Carolina State. | Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports

The 6-foot-9, 221-pound Conway, whose next-to-last outing was an 80-76 upset of Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament, is a 35-game starter who averaged 10 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He's played four years of college basketball and started 66 times in his career. He has everything except a confident 3-point shot, hitting just 3 of 14 attempts last season.

Osobor, of course, is a 35-game starter with the highest scoring average from last season of anyone about to pull on a Husky uniform. He was good for 17.7 points, with a high game of 32 against Air Force, and 9 rebounds an outing, with a season best of 17 against Fresno State. Similar to Conway, he made and took just 3 of 14 3-pointers last season.

The backcourt appears to begin with Davis, who started 67 games the past two seasons for Butler and UC Irvine. He was a first-team All-Big West selection in 2023 and led the nation in free-throw shooting at 95 percent this past season (95-100). He averaged 13.5 points and 2.6 assists for Butler. He's the 3-point shooter of this bunch, making 67 of 191, or 35.1 percent, for the Bulldogs. He had a high game of 28 points against Villanova.

Mekhi Mason drives against Wichita State last season. | William Purnell/USA TODAY Sports

Going for size, we'll pair Davis with the equally long and lean Mason in the backcourt. The Rice guard averaged 14 points and 2.8 assists as a 32-game starter, with a high game of 30 points against UTSA. He'll get in his 3-point shots, as well, coming off a 49-for-143 effort for the Owls, or 34.3 percent.

In reserve, Sprinkle can go to 6-foot-3 senior guard Luis Kortright from Rhode Island who comes off a 10-point, 3.7-assist season while starting 31 games; 6-foot-8 forward sophomore Tyler Harris, who averaged 12.1 points and 7.6 rebounds as a 21-game starter for Portland; and 6-foot-10, 287-pound junior post man KC Ibekwe, who averaged 5.1 points and 4.0 rebounds as a 22-game starter for Oregon State.

Freshmen guards Zoom Diallo and Jase Butler, both 6-foot-4 and highly touted, just might be ready to play immediately, as well, push those older guys for starting spots and minutes.

Finally, the roster is filled out by holdover 6-foot-10 senior forward Wilhelm Breidenbach, a nine-game UW starter last season; 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman Chris King, the son of former Sonics center Rich King who was held out last season; and 6-foot-8 junior forward Samuel Ariyibi, the NBA Africa Academy grad from Nigeria, who's appeared in just six Husky games in three injury-filled seasons.

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