Sprinkle Meets with Former Florida State Forward in Portal

Christian Nitu is a developmental player who drew just seven minutes per game for the Seminoles.

Florida State's Christian Nitu dunks against Virginia this past season. / Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images

Danny Sprinkle is everywhere these days, looking over basketball talent coast to coast, trying to accelerate his University of Washington rebuild.

The latest dispatch had him in Florida, presumably Tallahassee, meeting last week with 6-foot-11, 220-pound Christian Nitu, a Florida State transfer who's all skinny arms and legs.

A Canadian from Whitby, Ontario, Nitu entered the portal after playing in 22 games for the Seminoles as a freshman and then having his coach Leonard Hamilton, 76, retire after 23 seasons at Florida State.

A lefty, Nitu was used sparingly by Hamilton, who gave him 7 minutes per game on the average for a 17-15 team as the big kid was deemed a developmental project.

Which prompts this question: Who will wait for him to fill out and become a force when the game demands instant results or else entire rosters transfer?

Nitu was a Canadian U18 national team player who originally signed with Indiana State before ending up in the ACC.

Brought along slowly, he appeared in just three games in which he drew more than 10 minutes per game, including his last two outings for Florida State.

Nitu played 16 minutes in a 100-65 blowout loss at Duke and a season-high 18 minutes in what would be his final game for the Seminoles, a 60-57 loss to Virginia.

Florida State forward Christian Nitu (11) shoots for two against Virginia Tech Hokies. / Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He averaged 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds per game, with a season high 6 points in a 77-64 win over Tulane in December.

He shot 40.9 percent from the field, but missed on all seven of his 3-point attempts.

While someone will take a flier on this young prospect, Sprinkle and the Huskies likely will pass because they're in need of immediate results, plus they have two incoming players in the same role who are much more advanced.

That would be 6-foot-10 Nike Budnalo from Ohio by way of California and 6-foot-10 Hannes Steinbach from Germany.

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