Sprinkle Handles Hannes Steinbach Situation With Humor

The subject came up concerning Hannes Steinbach's basketball future, but only light-hearted responses resulted after the University of Washington's run through the Big Ten Tournament came to an end on Thursday with an 85-82 loss to Wisconsin.

Husky coach Danny Sprinkle was asked hypothetically what he would tell NBA scouts if they inquired about the 6-foot-11 freshman power forward from Wurzburg, Germany. He had a funny answer.

"Not a good kid, not a very good player, probably needs four years of college," Sprinkle said smiling in his postgame news conference in Chicago.

The coach said this just minutes after Steinbach had registered his 22nd double-double outing with 25 points and 16 rebounds while shooting 10 for 19 from the field against Wisconsin.

Sprinkle was next quizzed about whether he had devised a plan to try and convince his standout European player to return for a sophomore season in Montlake.

"We'll do whatever we've got to do to get him to come back," the Husky coach said, throwing out a challenge. "And the whole city of Seattle better step up and make sure he comes back."

Huskies forward Hannes Steinbach (6) shoots over Wisconsin guard Braeden Carrington. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

While not asked directly what he intended to do on Thursday, it almost sounded like Steinbach was saying goodbye when he offered the following comment in past tense.

"It was a lot of fun to play for Washington," he said.

Steinbach pivoted away from questions about his future following the final Husky home game against USC, indicating he hadn't considered whether or not he was making his farewell Alaska Airlines Arena appearance.

It just doesn't seem likely the big German kid will return to the college game after averaging 18.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, and shooting 57.7 percent from the field, over 30 outings. His performance rates as the most prolific by a UW freshman basketball player in program annals.

Hannes Steinbach feels the defensive pressure of Badgers forward Aleksas Bieliauskas (32). | David Banks-Imagn Images

Increasingly, more NBA scouts have come out for a look at this 19-year-old wunderkind who, in early projections, is listed as a No. 10 to 20 draft pick in June.

No matter what sort of name, image and likeness money could be raised, the teenager seems unlikely to turn his back on such high NBA regard and riches sure to come his way.

"He's tremendous," Sprinkle said. "He has unbelievable instincts to play basketball. He's a very good passer. His instincts to rebound are elite. ... He's going to be a tremendous pro for a long time."