Danny Sprinkle could still fill a few open spots on his University of Washington basketball roster, but that might have to wait -- he and his staff lately have been a little busy planning for the future.
The very distant future.
This past Friday, the Huskies made a scholarship offer to 6-foot-7, 180-pound Laron Mack Jr. from Riviera Preparatory School in Miami, according to Recruits Zone.
He just completed his freshman basketball season. He's from the Class of 2028, which is so far down the line the country will be holding its next presidential election at that time.
Sprinkle, however, has maintained that he's in it for the long run as the UW coach, especially with all of his longstanding connections to it, among them his father Bill being a former Husky football player.
Mack could grow into something truly mesmerizing by then, though he's already got a lot of explosiveness with a 36-inch vertical leap on his tall frame.
INFO: Top-55 2028 prospect Laron Mack Jr. tells me that he has received offers from Florida State and Washington.
— Recruits Zone (Blake Smith) (@recruitszone) May 7, 2025
Lengthy wing that is at his best when he’s attacking the rim. Has a quick twitch as well. Can stretch the floor too. pic.twitter.com/KgOGOdZDmT
For a 21-10 Riviera Prep team, he averaged just 5.1 points and 2.9 rebounds an outing with a veteran and previously highly successful group, but he seemed to exert himself as the season wound down.
In a 2A state tournament game, Mack put up 19 points on 9-for-11 shooting in a 76-75 win over Westminster Academy.
He seems to understand the basketball possibilities for himself -- he wears No. 23, which was Michael Jordan's trademark jersey number.
WOOO!!! Very blessed to receive my 4th
— Laron mack jr (@stp_laron1) May 3, 2025
D1 offer from "University of Washington". I would like to thank the staff and Riviera Prep for believing in me. pic.twitter.com/CNSiDIrLah
Since then, he recently dazzled the recruiting scouts and experts at the Atlanta Classic by dunking, shooting around the perimeter and showing good footwork for his club team, in an event where no doubt the Huskies saw him in action.
He currently holds four offers: Florida State, Albany State, Jacksonville and the UW.
Most likely, Mack will hear from a lot of schools before he decides on where to play his college basketball. Yet Sprinkle and his recruiters can remind him how they got in on him early in the process.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Dick Crews, Pioneering UW Basketball Player, Dies at 95
John Tuft, a Husky Basketball Rebel, Dies at 90
Explosive UW Dunker Dion Brown Dead at 57
More must-reads:
On Saturday night, surf royalty heir Kolby Aipa was involved in a tragic accident in Huntington Beach, CA. The 20-year-old grandson of iconic and innovative Hawaiian surfboard shaper, Ben Aipa, was put on life support; on Tuesday, he passed away. According to reports, Aipa was towing behind a car of friends on his e-bike when the accident happened. He was struck by the same vehicle that was towing him. Since the news of his untimely passing, an outpouring of mourning from the surf community – from Hawaii to Huntington Beach – has been flooding in. “This is the hardest post we will ever make,” began the tribute from the official Aipa Surf Company account. “We are completely heartbroken. We wanted to thank all the visitors, supporters, food deliveries, donations, flowers, cards, countless stories and photos his friends have shared with us, Drs and nurses that have taken care of our sweet boy. The HB community and everyone around the world have touched our hearts in an unimaginable way. Thank you for loving our boy.” Following in his strong surfing lineage, Kolby was an up-and-coming surfer himself. He was sponsored by the clothing brand AVVA, Dakine, Cobian footwear, and others. He was a member of the Huntington Beach Board Riders club. The Aipa Surf Co. post announcing his passing continued, speaking to Kolby as a human: “Kolby always had a way with touching the lives of whoever he met. His acts of kindness and caring was his gift of Aloha to friends and strangers alike. To everyone that reads this... pass his Aloha on. So, how Kolby treated you, treat others in that same way...In this you are continuing his legacy of Aloha. And you too can be like Kolby.” A memorial paddle-out for Kolby is being planned; stay tuned for more information. Rest in peace, Kolby Aipa. To donate to the GoFundMe, see here.
After a disastrous start to his time in the Bronx, the New York Yankees have seen enough of reliever Jake Bird. Acquired in a trade-deadline deal with the Colorado Rockies, Bird was sent to Triple-A after giving up a game-winning three-run home run against the Texas Rangers on Monday night. The long ball continued what has been a head-shaking start for the 29-year-old right-hander with the Yankees, as he has given up seven runs (six earned) and four hits in just 2.0 innings worked over three games. His recent outings extend what has been a downward spiral for Bird. While with the Rockies, Bird allowed runs in 10 of his last 17 games before being traded, equaling a 13.20 ERA during that stretch. Before that, Bird was one of the most dominant relievers in baseball, posting a 1.41 ERA through his first 28 outings of the season. Bird's collapse in the Bronx goes along with the overall struggles of the Yankees bullpen. Devin Williams, another trade that was supposed to be an answer in the late innings for New York, served up the game-tying homer on Monday night in Texas. Over his last seven appearances, he has a 7.71 ERA, and a potential change at closer could be in the air after manager Aaron Boone's comments after Monday's loss. The Yankees made deals at the deadline to boost the bullpen, bringing in Bird from Colorado, David Bednar from Pittsburgh and Camilo Doval from San Francisco. However, those moves have mostly hurt the Yankees, who also saw leads evaporate in a three-game road sweep at the hands of the Miami Marlins. While it's still too early to say the Rockies won the trade by acquiring two prospects for Bird, the early results for the Yankees certainly point in that direction. If Bird isn't able to regain the confidence that was such a big part of his demeanor while in Colorado, the trade will be a decision that New York could regret for the rest of the season and beyond.
The Boston Celtics got under the second luxury-tax apron by trading Georges Niang to the Utah Jazz Tuesday. The move also gives them a huge incentive to deal their most expensive new player. The Celtics have dramatically reduced their payroll in the wake of Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury. With their superstar unlikely to play in 2025-26, the Celtics traded away starters Jrue Holiday ($94.4M for three years, plus a $37.2M player option in 2027-28) and Kristaps Porzingis ($30.7M next season). They also let Luke Kornet ($2.8M) leave as a free agent, and Al Horford ($9.5M) is almost certainly gone as well. They received Georges Niang ($8.2M) in the Porzingis deal, but traded him Tuesday for undrafted R.J. Luis Jr., a rookie on a two-way deal. That effectively takes Niang's full salary of their books and gets them under the second luxury-tax apron, freeing them from the penalties and restrictions that go along with second-apron status. According to cap expert Yossi Gozlan, the Celtics have saved a whopping $286M in salary and taxes with their moves. Still, the team can reap a larger long-term reward by dropping below the luxury tax entirely, which requires reducing their payroll by just over $12M more. The Celtics don't seem inclined to trade Jaylen Brown, Derrick White or Payton Pritchard, wanting to keep some core members of their 2024 title team together for Tatum's return. Sam Hauser is on an affordable four-year, $45M deal, but losing his $10M salary wouldn't get them under the tax line. That's why Anfernee Simons, acquired in the Holiday trade, is likely not long for Boston. The 26-year-old guard makes $27.7M in the last year of his contract, making him the perfect trade piece to get Boston under the luxury tax. Not only would getting under the tax line free the Celtics of their tax obligations and save them as much as $40M, but it would make them eligible to share in the money from tax-paying teams. The Celtics would also be able to avoid the dreaded repeater tax penalties, which make every dollar over the luxury-tax number progressively more expensive every year a team stays over the tax line. This doesn't mean Simons is going to be traded this summer. Boston has until the Feb. 5 trade deadline to move Simons, since luxury tax is calculated on the team's total payroll the last day of the season. But given the massive savings they'd get back from losing Simons' salary, it seems inevitable. The Celtics have lost a lot of talent this summer, but they've saved a tremendous amount of money in the process. They might have to attach draft capital to get off Simons' deal, but if he plays well in Boston, he might even bring back something in a trade next season. Tatum's injury threw a huge wrench in the Celtics' plans. If they can use this season to get under the luxury tax, they'll have the flexibility to reload and contend again when their star is back in a year.
The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders an incredible opportunity just weeks after he was throwing passes to the equipment staff as the No. 4 quarterback. Despite being QB4 on the depth chart released this week, Sanders was named the starting quarterback for the Browns' preseason opener on the road against the Carolina Panthers, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. "Sanders, the Browns fourth-team quarterback who has yet to take a snap with the first-team offense, is expected to start the game, a league source tells cleveland.com," Cabot wrote. "He’ll get the nod because Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel are both nursing hamstring injuries, and the Browns don’t want Joe Flacco, 40, playing in the preseason opener." With the addition of Tyler Huntley on Monday, Cleveland now has six quarterbacks on the preseason roster, as Deshaun Watson sits on the physically unable to perform list. Sanders has wanted an opportunity to prove to the Browns that he can be a full-time starter in the league after an embarrassing spring. The projected first-round pick fell to Cleveland in the fifth round, two rounds after the team chose Dillon Gabriel from Oregon. The Browns are now giving Sanders a chance to show the coaching staff what he can do as the starter on Friday. The Colorado Buffaloes product will face the ultimate pressure to play well against Carolina, or he may not receive another golden opportunity with the first team on a roster that has a CVS receipt full of quarterbacks. Sanders faces an uphill battle to perform well after receiving a lack of reps during OTAs and the beginning of training camp. But Sanders knew he wasn't going to have an easy path to move up the depth chart. Friday is Sanders' best shot.
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!