UW's Nitu Shows What He Can Do with Double-Double in Greece

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Jul 18, 2025 6:24 PM ET

The word used to describe Christian Nitu is potential.

He's a 6-foot-11, 220-pound basketball player from Canada, currently playing for the U20 Romanian basketball team in Greece and soon to be headed to the University of Washington.

On Thursday, Nitu showed what he can do at the EuroBasket event when he's at his best by turning in a 20-point, 16-rebound and 4-block performance in a 72-57 victory over Iceland.

This marked the first win for the 19-year-old big man and the Romanians following four double-digit losses to begin the week-long international competition.

Washington transfer Christian Nitu (@christiann1tu) was INCREDIBLE in Romania’s CRUCIAL 72-57 win over Iceland this morning.

20 Points (9/19 FG)
17 Rebounds
4 Blocks
2 Assists
27 Efficiency @UW_MBB pic.twitter.com/S9HrtIbA0C
— Hoops HQ (@hhqsports) July 17, 2025

Playing 38 minutes, Nitu connected on 9 of 19 shots, including 2 of 6 from 3-point range, against Iceland.

A young player still figuring things out, he's now averaging 9.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game with two to play.

On Saturday, the Romanians will face the Czech Republic for a second time in the tournament after opening against that team and losing 75-65.

After the event concludes on Sunday, Nitu will travel to Seattle and join a Husky basketball team that has been near completely rebuilt by coach Danny Sprinkle, now in his second season, who recently had everyone else going through offseason practices.

Nitu is one of three UW players who has played internationally this summer, joining 6-foot-9 Hannes Steinbach and 6-foot-1 JJ Mandaquit, who played in the U19 FIBA World Cup for Germany and the United States, respectively.

Hannes and Mandaquit are incoming freshman, while Nitu, who played last season for Florida State, will be a sophomore.

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

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