Skip to main content
Inside The Huskies

Huskies Find Point Guard Replacement for Mandaquit

Ryan Beasley from USF will become the UW's new playmaker.
Dan Raley|
San Francisco guard Ryan Beasley (0) drives past Gonzaga guard Tyon Grant-Foster (7) in Spokane.
San Francisco guard Ryan Beasley (0) drives past Gonzaga guard Tyon Grant-Foster (7) in Spokane. | James Snook-Imagn Images

The University of Washington basketball team has dipped into the WCC ranks for yet another player, this time finding a replacement for the departed JJ Mandaquit to run things.

On Monday, the Huskies added former San Francisco point guard Ryan Beasley, their third transfer portal pick-up following one-time Gonzaga forward and WCC opponent Steele Venters and ex-Davidson shooting guard Parker Friedrichsen.

Unlike the others, who were added for their 3-point shooting skills, the 5-foot-11 Beasley -- a second-team All-WCC selection -- will be entrusted with running the floor after averaging 4 assists per game last season, with a high of 11 against Pacific.

He'll take the spot of Mandaquit, who left after his freshman season to join Arizona.

A San Ramon, California, native, Beasley will be a senior who brings a veteran presence to the Huskies after appearing in 90 games for the Dons.

He can score, too.

At least against Loyola Marymount.

This past season, Beasley had 32- and 30-point games with the Lions.

At LMU in early January, he came up with his career-high 32 by connecting on 11 of 25 shots, 4 of 10 from 3-point range, in an 84-82 double-overtime loss.

A month later at home, Beasley provided 30 points in a most pinpoint manner by sinking 21 of 24 free throws in an 84-75 setback to LMU.

He had seven games of 20 points or more.

Former USF guard Ryan Beasley (0) will give the Huskies another shooter.
Former USF guard Ryan Beasley (0) will give the Huskies another shooter. | James Snook-Imagn Images

For the season, Beasley averaged 13.6 points per game, shooting 40.7 from the field and 32.7 from 3-point range. More impressively, he led the Dons in minutes played with 1,031, averaging 33.3 per outing.

While he began his USF career largely as a reserve player for his first two seasons, Beasley was a significant contributor from the outset and was named 2024 WCC Freshman of the Year after averaging 7.8 points and 1.6 assists.

Ryan Beasley (0) walks off the court in Spokane after losing 68-66 to Gonzaga in January.
Ryan Beasley (0) walks off the court in Spokane after losing 68-66 to Gonzaga in January. | James Snook-Imagn Images

The big thing for him is whether he can get comfortable while playing a much more physical brand of basketball in the Big Ten.

For a night in December, Beasley showed that this was possible by scoring 24 points against Minnesota in a 77-65 victory at a neutral site in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Beasley also did something the Huskies couldn't pull off this past season -- he came into Climate Pledge Arena and left with a win over Seattle University.

Nine days after the UW was upset by the Redhawks 70-66 downtown, USF traveled to the city and edged Seattle U 67-59 with Beasley scoring 13 points, grabbing 6 rebounds and handing out 4 assists.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

Home/Basketball