Husky Basketball Remains in Running for Elite Combo Guard

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 3:39 PM ET

In year two of Danny Sprinkle, what's changed about the University of Washington basketball program is the expectations are higher than ever.

Whether or not the Huskies have a chance of signing the elite of the elite recruits, Sprinkle's recruiters are making sure the UW brand name is out there and they're acting like its totally possible to get some of these heavyweight guys to come to Montlake.

Case in point is 5-star combination guard Ikenna Alozie, who this week revealed the eight schools he's still considering.

While eight is hardly narrowing it down -- he has 26 overall offers -- the fact that Washington is lumped with Alabama, Arizona, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Kentucky and Louisville is a victory in itself for college basketball-starved Seattle.

After years of the school neglecting Husky basketball, leading to each of the previous six coaches getting fired and one NCAA berth in 14 seasons, Sprinkle seems be determined to overcome all of those obstacles and make his presence known.

If he's among the contenders for a 5-star guard, it means he has the financial means available to him to be a player for top-line talent. It's that simple.

NEWS: 5⭐️ Ikenna Alozie is down to eight schools, he tells @On3Recruits.

The 6-2 point guard is a top-10 overall player in the 2026 class. https://t.co/8HWuZci9Sb pic.twitter.com/4mm7TKjDpH
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) June 24, 2025

Sprinkle has acknowledged he knew his first year at the UW would be an almost insurmountable challenge and it was -- a last-place Big Ten finish -- because he arrived so late after leading Utah State into the NCAA Tournament.

Now he and his Husky program are everywhere, with two of his incoming freshmen players in JJ Mandaquit and Hannes Steinback figuring prominently in the U19 FIBA World Cup that begins on Saturday in Laussane, Switzerland.

Also, the various basketball websites have rated the UW anywhere from third to 13th in their transfer portal efforts.

Meantime, Sprinkle's guys will try to keep the conversation going with Alozie, who is Nigerian born and has lived in New Jersey and Arizona while building a sterling basketball reputation.

The Huskies had him into Seattle for a visit and it was attractive to him rather than ho-hum. Had he gone to a Big Ten game last season, he would have seen Alaska Airlines Arena full of people who want to immerse themselves in college basketball games, even if the local team was a last-place conference finisher.

“The program is great," Alozie told Kansas Jayhawks on SI. "They have different alumni come out of their program. I watched how they used [Zoom] Diallo and I’m looking forward to seeing how they perform this year.”

That a guy such as Alozie is name-dropping UW players says a lot in how far the program has come in just the past three months.

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

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