Big Ten Rewards Steinbach Second Time for His Steady Play

While his University of Washington basketball team might be a little inconsistent these days, freshman forward Hannes Steinbach comes ready to play each time out -- and the Big Ten Conference continues to reward him.

On Monday, the league selected the 6-foot-11 German player as the Co-Freshman of the Week, his second such honor. On Dec. 8, after breakout performances against UCLA and USC, he had the freshman accolade all to himself.

Steinbach shared the honor this time with 6-foot-6 swingman Keaton Wagler of lllinois.

The UW first-year player was rewarded for his past three outings against San Diego, Utah and Indiana, all double-double performances over 15 days.

Hannes Steinbach takes a moment to regroup against Utah. | Dave Sizer photo

On Sunday, he came up with 21 points and 10 rebounds in a 90-80 loss to the Hoosiers in Bloomington, Indiana, for his Big Ten-best ninth double-double, a number that ranks fifth nationally.

On Dec. 29, Steinbach supplied the Huskies with 20 points and 11 rebounds in a 74-65 victory over Utah at Alaska Airlines Arena.

On Dec. 22, he provided 21 points and 14 rebounds in the Huskies' 86-56 rout of San Diego, also at home.

Nearly two-dozen pro basketball scouts showed up at Indiana to get a concentrated look at Steinbach, whose reputation continues to gain traction. A lot of draft analysts consider him a first-round pick, if not a lottery selection.

Which means he's more than likely to be a one-and-done player for the Huskies, similar to Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels back in 2020.

Steinbach currently averages 18.3 points and 11.8 rebounds per game for the Huskies, who are off to a 9-5 start, 1-2 in conference play.

He's shooting a sizzling 59.2 percent from the floor, 40 percent from 3-point range.

A complete player, Steinbach averages 2 assists per outing.

Hannes Steinbach shows his displeasure to an officiating call. | Dave Sizer photo

Yet even with the freshman's amazing production, the Huskies haven't been able to take full advantage of his talents and have dropped two of their past four games.

Teams exclusively double-team Steinbach on defense and force the other UW players to step up and their response to this has been fairly inconsistent.

This road trip doesn't get any easier either, with the Huskies next taking on No. 5 Purdue at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana, on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. PT and the Big Ten Network will televise the game.

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