Husky Roster Review: Mandaquit Pays His Dues

As much as anyone, JJ Mandaquit had to deal with the great unknown after he joined the University of Washington basketball team as a freshman point guard.

Five games into the season, he went from starter to a reserve player, as coach Danny Sprinkle opted to go with a veteran backcourt and use him off the bench.

Chances are, the 6-foot-1 playmaker from Hilo, Hawaii, a national team player in multiple instances, had never been a sub before.

The season didn't finish any better than it began for Mandaquit either. He injured a foot prior to the season, had a reoccurrence well into it, underwent surgery and was done before the schedule ever reached February.

It was such an ordeal that he flew to New York City to have his private physician put his foot back together, again a first for him.

"It's not only devastating for him, it's devastating to our team," Sprinkle said of Mandaquit's absence.

JJ Mandaquit sets up a play for the Huskies. | Dave Sizer photo

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.

What made everything so counterproductive for Mandaquit with his injury was he seemed to have gotten over the hump with the demands of Big Ten basketball, with positive signs coming in a career-best 15 points against Michigan and another start against Oregon.

"I think the hurdle was he finally like just said, 'Screw it, I'm just going to play,' " Sprinkle said.

JJ Mandaquit works his way through traffic against Michigan. | Dave Sizer photo

No sooner than that happened, Mandaquit showed up for a game out of uniform, looking visibly upset and needing to be consoled by an assistant coach while his teammates went through warm-ups without him. Surgery was coming and he was done.

After his foot was repaired, he began coming to Husky games on crutches while wearing a protective boot. It was extremely hard for him. He'd never had to just sit and watch before.

"He's struggling because it's so important to him," Sprinkle said.

Mandaquit's final season tally as a UW freshman was this: 22 games played, 5.3 scoring and 3.1 assist averages, and a season high 8 assists in his very first game.

As highly advertised as he was in coming to Montlake, with a gold medal draped around his neck from winning the U19 FIBA World Cup, he wasn't exempt by any means from having to pay some dues as a college basketball newcomer.

"He's going to continue to get better," Sprinkle said, "through these lessons he's learned as a freshman."