Steinbach Questionable For Southern Game With Ankle Sprain

Just when it seemed as if the University of Washington basketball team couldn't get any more gimpy, freshman sensation Hannes Steinbach is questionable with an ankle sprain for Tuesday night's game against Southern at Alaska Airlines Arena.

The 6-foot-10 Steinbach, a 14.5-point scorer and 12.8 rebounder, was injured in the first half of the Huskies' 81-69 victory over Washington State in Pullman last Friday.

One wouldn't have known it by looking at the young German play that night -- he still turned in a 14-point, 13-rebound night against the Cougars.

"He rolled it planting," UW coach Danny Sprinkle said. "It wasn't like he stepped on somebody's foot at Washington State. It's just fluke deals."

Steinbach is the latest in a continuous string of injuries that have greatly cut into Sprinkle's available manpower.

The first-year player logged 31 minutes against the Cougars, hitting 5 of 11 shots, including 1 of 2 from 3-point range, by practically limping all the way.

"I'm really proud of him battling through that last 30 minutes," his coach said. "He was hurting."

If Steinbach is unable to go against Southern (2-2), sophomore guard Wesley Yates III and freshman point guard JJ Mandaquit will become the only ones who have started every game for the UW (3-1) over five games.

Sprinkle said he would use a four-guard lineup if he had to get through this next outing.

The Huskies previously lost 6-foot-11 junior center Mady Traore to a season-ending foot injury, 6-foot-8 senior forward Jacob Ognacevic until at least January with a foot injury, 6-foot-6 senior guard Desmond Claude to a severe ankle sprain in practice and 6-foot-7 sophomore forward Bryson Tucker to an ankle sprain against Baylor.

Steinbach makes it five on the current injury list.

Besides that group of walking wounded, sophomore guard Zoom Diallo and senior guard Quimari Peterson are just rounding into shape after long injury absences.

The 6-foot-4 Diallo, just one of two UW returnees from last season, hit his head and a shoulder on the floor during practice and was in concussion protocol for a significant amount of time.

The 6-foot-1 Peterson, the reigning Southern Conference Player of the Year and an East Tennesee State transfer, missed a lot of practice time with a pulled hamstring.

"Hopefully we're getting them all out of the way in October and November," Sprinkle said. "I've never been through anything like this."

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