Parker Friedrichsen Gets His Shot at UW

He's part of the Huskies' 3-point shooting upgrade this season.

Parker Friedrichsen is a long-range shooter brought in from Davidson to play for the Huskies. | Dave Sizer

A little on the short side, there's no telling how successful Danny Sprinkle's third University of Washington basketball team might be.

Yet following Monday night's 77-64 victory over Mississippi Valley State, it's clear these guys are going to have a lot of leeway and fun in finding out.

This Huskies' team could be a shooter's dream, with players such as transfers Parker Friedrichsen and Steele Venters coming in and encouraged to let the ball fly from wherever and whenever they want.

In its second outing this season, the UW (2-0) launched a school-record 50 3-point shots and made 17, which tied a school standard.

The 6-foot-4 Friedrichsen, who previously played for Wake Forest and Davidson, entered the Mississippi Valley State match-up just three minutes and 18 seconds after it began. It took him 30 seconds to put up and make his first 3-pointer.

He finished with a team-high 17 points and was good on 5 of 11 attempts from behind the line with Sprinkle's full approval.

"He believes in us to take those kind of shots," Friedrichsen said. "Our teammates believe in us to take those kind of shots. We have the freedom. We have the green light."

Not coincidentally, he played for Steph Curry's alma mater, attended Curry's basketball camp and knows the man on a first-name basis.

"[With] Steph obviously we had a little bit of a relationship previous to me going there and I ended up going to Davidson," he said. "We would text here and there and throughout the year. He came to a game or two."

Friedrichsen started 33 of 34 games last season at Davidson and averaged 10.8 points per game while shooting 40.5 from 3-point range for a 20-14 team. He had a high of 27 points against Loyola Chicago on 6-for-8 shooting behind the line.

Wake Forest's Parker Friedrichsen (7), now with the UW, shoots against North Carolina. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With two seasons of eligibility remaining, he came to Washington for a couple of reasons. He already knew Sprinkle, who had tried to recruit him to Montana State when Friedrichsen was averaging 30.1 points per game for Bixby High School in Bixby, Oklahoma.

After playing in the ACC and the Atlantic-10, the shooting guard was drawn to putting his skills on display in the Big Ten.

"It was just time to get back to the highest level," Friedrichsen said.

Davidson guard Parker Friedrichsen (5), now with the UW, heads up the floor after hitting a 3 against Oklahoma State in the NIT. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Huskies, usually lacking potent 3-point shooters through the years, now have two guys who can bring it from long range in Venters, the 6-foot-7 Gonzaga transfer, and him. On Monday night, Venters finished with 15 points on 5-for-13 3-point accuracy.

"If we're on the court together at the same time, it's going to be hard to defend," Friedrichsen said. "Because we're here to make shots."