Huskies Trying to Get Steinbach Back for UCLA

Two days before his team opens Big Ten play against UCLA, Washington freshman forward sensation Hannes Steinbach was a practice participant on Monday after missing three consecutive games with an ankle sprain.

Yet having him ready to play against the Bruins (5-2) remains questionable as the young German tries to regain his ability to cut and run the floor.

"He has a chance," UW coach Danny Sprinkle said.

The Huskies (5-2) clearly are a better basketball team when the 6-foot-11 Steinbach is in the lineup. He stands as the Huskies' second-leading scorer at 14.5 points per game and their leading rebounder at 12.8, plus he's a 56.1 percent shooter.

Sprinkle's guys were at a noticeable disadvantage inside while losing to a bigger Colorado team 81-68 last Friday in the title game of the Acrisure Holiday Classic in Palm Desert, California. Seven-footer Bangot Dak had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Buffaloes and was named tourney most valuable player.

"Hopefully we can get Hannes back at some point this week because we need not just his size, we need his IQ more than anything," Sprinkle said. "His IQ and his passing ability and his rebounding."

The coach noted how Steinbach is a pinpoint passer who helps keep the offense moving, plus he tends to rescue the Huskies by rebounding at lot of his teammates' missed shots.

"His basketball IQ, we need it bad," Sprinkle said. "Everybody needs somebody like that. He cleans up so much mess."

Wearing a purple shirt, Steinbach took part during the practice session on Monday that was open to the media and he looked like he was moving around fairly comfortably.

On November 14, he got hurt during an 81-69 victory over Washington State in Pullman, spraining an ankle that he continued to play on during the entire second half.

He next sat out a 99-93 double-overtime victory over Southern and an 83-66 win over Nevada in the Acrisure tourney, plus the Colorado loss.

Steinbach was so impressive early on this season that NBA draft analysts noticed and were including hm as a first-rounder in their mock drafts.

Following the UCLA game, the Huskies travel to Los Angeles to face unbeaten USC (7-0), which will be a reunion for UW guards Wesley Yates III and Desmond Claude, who played for the Trojans last season.

To take on the L.A. schools, Sprinkle is hoping to have Steinbach, with all of his many attributes, available to support these guards in what promises to be a highly competitive first two conference games of the season. He can't stress enough all that the first-year player provides.

"Obviously it's the little things that make him a great player," the coach said of the big man's talents.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: