Husky Roster Review: Christian Nitu Didn't Last Long

It's not clear when exactly Florida State transfer Christian Nitu and the University of Washington basketball team soured on each other, but it happened fairly quickly and there was no chance of repairing this relationship.

Following a mid-October practice, the Huskies initially made the 6-foot-11 sophomore from Toronto and Romanian ancestry available to the media and he wasn't lacking for confidence as he went over his basketball travels.

"I've played all over the world," Nitu said that day. "I've played at an international level and at a FIBA leveI. I played at Florida State last year. I played my high school ball in Canada. I've traveled around to America all the time."

Yet Montlake would not easily fit into his basketball itinerary.

Christian Nitu and Jacob Ognacevic sat out the UW exhibition game against UNLV with injuries. | Dan Raley

A short time later, it become known that Nitu intended to redshirt, which seemed a little odd because injuries had begun to pile up among the UW big men. His services were needed, but he didn't join in.

The real indicator that something wasn't working between these two parties came when he didn't show up for the home games once the season began and there was an obvious disconnect.

Nitu, who was dealing with a toe injury, proved to be just a one-month Husky and was done. Or the UW was done with him.

pic.twitter.com/MgygEWzlw2
— Christian Nitu (@christiann1tu) March 17, 2026

This is the last in a series of articles about the 16 players who were on the Husky basketball roster this past season, examining what each guy did and whether he lived up to expectations.

UW coach Danny Sprinkle wasn't willing to discuss Nitu's situation on the record, but it appears two strong personalities butted heads here and this union didn't have much of a chance.

Sprinkle needed him to play. Nitu, presumably listening to outside advisors, decided that wasn't going to happen, and different directions they went.

As he looks for another place to play, Nitu no doubt will have to convince his next college coach he's not a problem child, that he's not a me-first player, that he's willing to take direction.

With guys now getting paid and having ready transfer portal access, it's not surprising that some of them feel they're calling all of the shots now.

For that matter, graduate guard Desmond Claude shut down his Husky season on his own after playing a dozen games with an ankle injury, with Sprinkle somewhat perplexed that he would no longer use the UW medical staff to keep playing.

Christian Nitu dunks in the U20 FIBA EuroBasket this past summer. | FIBA

As for Nitu, he was a left-hander who seemed a little rough around the edges while running the floor in practice, but he was mobile enough.

Sprinkle previously had gone all the way to Tallahassee, Florida, to meet with him face to face and watch him work out, and that had made an impression.

"That was the most important thing for me," Nitu said of the coach's cross country recruiting trip. "It showed he believed in me."

That's all old history now. Lately, Nitu has been posting videos of himself working out alone somewhere, maybe in Canada, waiting for someone to show interest in him again, with no ready indication where he'll play next.