Another Husky Freshman Emerges, Looking For Steady Game Time

There used to be a lot of guys on the University of Washington basketball team who couldn't play.

Walk-ons four to five deep. Recruiting mistakes. Scholarship recipients limited in their skill set.

That's not the case now for Danny Sprinkle's second team in Montlake. He's been using everyone out of need because of a rash of injuries and he's overly intrigued by his freshmen talent.

With the Huskies (8-4 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) closing out their non-conference schedule against Utah (8-4) on Monday night at Alaska Airlines Arena, they'll show up against the Utes with a dozen scholarship players who have pulled meaningful minutes, including nine who have started games.

And while 6-foot-11 freshman forward Hannes Steinbach is one of the nation's top newcomers and freshman point guard JJ Mandaquit can pass with the best of them, freshman wing Jasir Rencher has made a move, as well.

Jaris Rencher chases down a rebound for the UW. | Dave Sizer photo

Sprinkle wants to reward him for buying into everything the UW coaching staff is selling right now, beginning with defense and rebounding.

"He's gotten lost in the details of winning," the coach said. "He's not thinking about scoring. He's not hunting his shot."

The 6-foot-5 Rencher from Oakland, California, originally was a Texas A&M commit, but he redirected to Montlake once former Aggies coach Buzz Williams left for Maryland.

He's one of those guys who needs a coach who will inspire him on the basketball floor and he's shown Sprinkle that he's a willing participant to play the coach's way.

"He's like Hannes -- he chases rebounds," the coach said. " He goes and rebounds out of his area, which is uncommon for a freshman, and we've got two of them doing it."

Rencher has appeared in seven games so far, averaging just under 10 minutes per outing, all numbers that should jump significantly as the season plays out.

He's impressed everyone with his athleticism, which includes his shot-blocking ability and an interest in cutting to the basket and dunking on others. He's been very selective in shooting, launching a dozen attempts and hitting half of them.

"It's a matter of time before he really breaks out and we really get the ball moving and find him," Sprinkle said. "He's going to be a terrific player.

"I'm really proud of him and how he's bought into his role, and it's really going to help us -- and he's going to get a lot more minutes because of it."

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