Husky Newcomer Nitu Has Productive Debut in Greece

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Jul 12, 2025 6:05 PM ET

Christian Nitu can't say how he'll respond when he visits someplace such as Michigan or Indiana for the first time, but the new University of Washington big man feels comfortable enough playing in Greece.

On Saturday, the 6-foot-11, 220-pound Nitu had a 7-point, 9-rebound, 3-assist and 3-block outing for his Romanian national team in his U20 EuroBasket opener against the Czech Republic.

However, his efforts weren't quite enough to prevent a 75-65 loss at the University of Crete Hall in Heraklion.

Nitu, who will join the Huskies once he's done with this week-long international event, came off the bench for Romania to sink 3 of 9 shots from the floor, which included missing a pair of 3-point attempts.

Solid EuroBasket opener for @christiann1tu

7 pts, 9 reb, 3 blk, 3 ast pic.twitter.com/7zn9eXZdfX
— Washington Men's Basketball (@UW_MBB) July 12, 2025

He's a Canadian resident with dual citizenship who spent his freshman season at Florida State and entered the transfer portal after his coach Leonard Hamilton retired.

Nitu, 19, is one of a dozen new UW players for Danny Sprinkle's second team in Montlake, and the third to take part in international competition this summer.

Last Sunday, 6-foot-9 forward Hannes Steinbach from Germany and 6-foot-1 point guard JJ Mandaquit for the United States met in the FIBA U19 World Cup championship game, with the American side winning 109-76 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

They've since joined the Huskies who are going through summer workouts.

6'11 F Christian Nitu has been HOOPING for Romania during the FIBA U20 friendlies!! The University of Washington commit has been playing at a high level as Romania's U20 National Team prepares for the FIBA U20 EuroBasket Tournament in Greece, showcasing his impressive… pic.twitter.com/dYuSKanGte
— Workin It Hoops (@workinithoops) July 3, 2025