Husky Basketball Among Final 5 Choices for Utah's Top 2026 Player

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 5:06 PM ET

One hundred and twenty-five miles separated Dean Rueckert and Danny Sprinkle when both were in Utah for the 2023-24 basketball season, but they've never been far apart.

One is the No. 1 Utah recruit for 2026 and the other a former Utah State basketball coach.

On Friday, the 6-foot-8, 185-pound Rueckert, a long-range shooting forward from Timpview High School in Provo, revealed to On3 that he has five choices: BYU, Clemson, Stanford, Utah and Washington.

Two months after taking the UW job, Sprinkle offered this tall, bleach-blond kid. The coach sat through one of his games in December. He's hosted him on an unofficial visit in Montlake.

"I like where their program is headed," Rueckert told Zagsblog. "They have a bright future I think. It would be a cool school to go to.”

Rueckert and incoming UW freshman guard JJ Mandaquit, who played for Utah Prep in Hurricane, Utah, last winter, appear to know each other well.

NEWS: 4⭐️ Dean Rueckert (@dean_rueckert) is down to five schools, he tells @On3Recruits.

The 6-7 wing has scheduled an official visit to BYU and breaks down his finalists (On3+): https://t.co/FxCj5BgoTY pic.twitter.com/Dd7oVdUgh4
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) June 26, 2025

This past season, Rueckert averaged 18.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game for a 20-6 Timpview team. He averaged 19.4 points and 4.9 rebounds as a sophomore and 12.5 points and 4 rebounds as a freshman. So he's been good for a long time.

His connection to the Huskies actually extends well beyond Sprinkle's time in Montake.

In October 2023, Mike Hopkins' UW staff made a scholarship offer to this guy when he was a sophomore at Timpview.

The attraction to him is he's a fairly accurate 3-point shooter and moves well around the basket.

“I think my physicality is my best trait, but I need to improve my on-ball defense and lateral quickness and make more big plays on defense,” Rueckert told Zagsblog candidly.

Dean Rueckert at EYBL Session 1 with the Utah Prospects! @dean_rueckert @NikeEYB pic.twitter.com/saYD2cn6dm
— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) April 30, 2025

The UW, of course, will have to work it hard to pull Rueckert away from the local schools, BYU and Utah, who have made him a recruiting priority. Plus he has athletic roots in his home state.

His older sister Brielle currently is a Weber State volleyball player, a 6-foot-2 senior who has won a Big Sky championship and played in the NCAA Tournament for her Utah school. Rueckert’s father Chris Rueckert was a BYU lacrosse player.

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This article first appeared on Washington Huskies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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