Huskies Reportedly In Pursuit Of Slovenian Shooting Guard

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Jul 15, 2026 1:56 PM ET

In remaking the University of Washington basketball team, Danny Sprinkle's staff continues to take a United Nations approach with five international players currently on the roster and possibly one more on the way.

On Wednesday, scouting service LayUp Hoops reported that Sprinkle is in Slovenia for the FIBA U20 Eurobasket tournament, which involves watching one of his returning players in 6-foot-10 Serbian forward Nikola Dzepina.

More to the point, the Huskies appear to be making a concentrated bid for a local player in 6-foot-6 Slovenian shooting guard Urban Kroflic, who has scored 11, 17 and 12 points in his first three Eurobasket outings in his country.

With the UW seeking 3-point scorers, the left-handed Kroflic, 20, fits that bill, too. He's shot 7 for 18 behind the line so far in the week-long event in Ljubljana.

In his second outing, he had a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double performance in a 90-77 victory over Israel.

"I can run, I can pass and I can score," he said in a dated YouTube video. "I play for the team."

The race for Urban Kroflic is heating up!

The Slovenian guard is putting up huge numbers at the U20 Eurobasket, averaging 13.3 PTS, 6.7 REB, 3.7 AST, and 2.0 STL per game.

According to sources, Coach Danny Sprinkle is in Ljubljana, making Washington the current frontrunner… https://t.co/WCPOHAWNm7 pic.twitter.com/rBC416OW06
— LayUp Hoops (@Layup_Scouting) July 15, 2026

Layup Hoops suggests that Washington, Iowa and Rutgers are the most heavily involved in recruiting Kroflic, with the Huskies possibly the front-runner because of Sprinkle's presence in Central Europe.

DePaul, Louisville and Mississippi State could be after him, as well.

Kroflic said he has tried to pattern his game after guard Goran Dragic, a Slovenian who enjoyed a 20-year NBA career that ended with his retirement in 2023.

Why Dragic?

"We're both left-handed," Kroflic said.

In a series of game-day photos and videos taken this week and before, the big guard is shown both firing up shots from around the perimeter and driving to the hoop in a fairly confident manner.

Similarly, Kroflic shows up in an image getting a post-game kiss.

The Huskies currently have offseason commitments from 6-foot-9 Brazilian forward Wini Braga-Silva, 6-foot-9 Croatian forward Boris Tisman and 6-foot-4 Australian guard Tristan Devers, to go with returnees in 6-foot-11 center Mady Traore from France and Dzepina with their overseas connections.

Last season, Sprinkle brought in five freshman to buiild his program around and only two remain in guard Jasir Rencher and Dzepina.

So the coach changed up his recruiting approach to seek older and more veteran players even if it meant going all over the world to find them.

With the way things are going now, Alaska Airlines Arena will be filled with plenty of different accents and foreign languages on game night.

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

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