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Inside The Huskies

Husky Roster Review: Desmond Claude's Exit Was Painful

The UW guard lasted just 12 games before he walked away with a sprained ankle.
Dan Raley|
Desmond Claude does a Big Ten interview with Don McLean at USC.
Desmond Claude does a Big Ten interview with Don McLean at USC. | UW

Desmond Claude showed up late and exited early.

His time with the University of Washington basketball team -- 12 games, or roughly a third of a season -- will be remembered more for what didn't happen.

Formerly of USC and Xavier, the 6-foot-6 Claude joined the Huskies this past season as the most revered of their eight transfer portal pick-ups.

The veteran guard was someone who was supposed to lead them to greatness, certainly an NCAA Tournament appearance, but this union really never had a chance.

Claude suffered a severely sprained ankle before the season began, tore ligaments in the process and later says he incurred an additional knee injury, and tried to play until he no longer could stand the pain.

Desmond Claude surveys the floor in a Husky home game.
Desmond Claude surveys the floor in a Husky home game. | Dave Sizer photo

A complete disconnect between the player and the program came next, almost in an impersonal if not frosty manner.

On January 16, Claude, not the school, made the announcement on social media that he was done, which is not how it is usually done.

In response, UW coach Danny Sprinkle seemed to question out loud why the player didn't continue to pursue his rehab with the school medical staff.

Desmond Claude (1) celebrates the Huskies' 2 OT win over Southern.
Desmond Claude (1) celebrates the Huskies' 2 OT win over Southern. | Dave Sizer photo

"Everybody saw his post last night where he says he's injured," Sprinkle told media members. "At the University of Washington, we have an elite student health care. It's one of the tops in the entire world."

Asked if Claude was gone for good, the coach said, "That's all I can comment on right now."

It didn't sound like an amicable break-up.

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 16 on the Husky basketball roster -- examining what each scholarship and walk-on player did this past winter and whether he lived up to expectations.

In his written statement on social media, Claude told how his injury required a 12-week recovery process, but he and the coaching staff agreed he would attempt to come back after just five weeks.

In his 12 UW outings, he scored in double figures on eight occasions, reaching 20 or more points four times, with a high of 24 points against Seattle U.

The Huskies went 6-6 with him on the floor.

It's unclear what Claude's next move might be. He could enter his name in the NBA Draft and hope for the best.

Or he might apply for a medical waiver and see if he can play another season of college basketball to help elevate his pro prospects after his lost season. This probably wouldn't happen at the UW.

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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.

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