Inside The Huskies

With Good Health, Rencher Has Reason to Celebrate Birthday

The freshman Husky basketball player recently underwent a heart procedure.
Dan Raley|
Jasir Rencher shows his leaping ability as he goes after a rebound.
Jasir Rencher shows his leaping ability as he goes after a rebound. | Dave Sizer photo

It's been a good week for Jasir Rencher.

On Thursday, the University of Washington freshman swingman turned 19.

Two days before his birthday his coach offered an encouraging update on Rencher's health, which had been put in question by a cardiac issue, which involved an accelerated heartbeat.

Last week, the 6-foot-5 player from Oakland had a medical procedure to correct it in Seattle, the same day that fellow freshman JJ Mandaquit underwent foot surgery with a personal physician in New York.

"Both of them went really well," UW coach Danny Sprinkle said. " They're just at home healing."

Rencher is one of four very capable freshman on this Husky basketball team and someone with future star quality.

He's more athletic than his first-year peers and highly agreeable to doing whatever Sprinkle and his coaching staff ask of him.

Jasir Rencher runs the fast break for the Huskies.
Jasir Rencher runs the fast break for the Huskies. | Dave Sizer photo

This heart thing first caught Rencher by surprise once before the season began and then again at Indiana in January.

Mention heart condition involving a basketball player and images of Hank Gaithers come to mind, the Loyola Marymount standout who played on with an abnormal heart rate, took medication, but collapsed and died during the 1990 WCC Tournament. He was just 23.

Before Rencher's recent procedure, Sprinkle even acknowledged this player's career could have been in jeopardy.

Rencher was one of the Huskies' big recruiting wins last season. He initially passed on the UW and committed to Texas A&M, but made himself available again once Aggies coach Buzz Williams took the Maryland job.

In Montlake, he had showed great leaping ability and impressed his coaches with a willingness to try and become a defensive stopper. He already had plenty of offensive skills.

Playing in just eight UW games this season, he was just beginning to draw more minutes when his health obstacle got in the way.

He had a season-high 8 points against Southern and a season-best 5 rebounds against Nevada. He had explosive blocks against Washington State and San Diego.

Jasir Rencher tries to stop a Soutnern player in December.
Jasir Rencher tries to stop a Soutnern player in December. | Dave Sizer photo

Rencher likely won't play in Saturday's game against Maryland -- and the former Texas A&M coach in Williams -- or any of the remaining five regular-season outings on the UW schedule.

Yet he has every reason to celebrate his last teenaged birthday because he not only plays with plenty of heart but he has that cardiac irregularity apparently under control.

As a basketball player, Rencher stands to be a starter and a focal player some day, so he has to be pleased with his week.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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