When Washington plays host to Colgate in its season opener next Monday in Seattle, the Huskies will have almost an entirely new look.
Of the 11 players to start a game for Washington (16-17) last season, only guard Wesley Yates III and center Lathan Sommerville return.
Forward Hannes Steinbach was selected No. 14 overall by Charlotte in the NBA draft after scoring 18.5 points as a freshman, leading Division I with 11.8 rebounds per game and tying for first with 22 double-doubles.
Guard Zoom Diallo and center Franck Kepnang transferred to Kentucky and guard JJ Mandaquit left for Arizona.
“There’s some factors that limit us, but I’ve said it last year, nobody cares,” third-year Huskies coach Danny Sprinkle said.
Among those factors is the school’s limited name, image and likeness (NIL) funding for the program.
A recent CBS Sports report listed the Huskies last in the Big Ten Conference with $5-7 million spent on players. By comparison, Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. reportedly makes between $4-5 million.
“Oh, it’s brutal. It changes everything,” Sprinkle told CBS Sports. “That’s all it is nowadays. In order to retain players — you see who we lost — and then to bring players in, you have to have it, or you have no chance, especially in the Big Ten. It’s the elite of the elite. You have to get the top players, and there’s a cost to it.”
The Huskies will rely this season on several transfers: guard LeJuan Watts (Texas Tech), who previously spent time at both Eastern Washington and Washington State; wing Steele Venters (Gonzaga), who started his injury-disrupted career as a walk-on at Eastern Washington in the 2019-20 season; and guards Ryan Beasley (San Francisco) and Parker Friedrichsen (Davidson).
Colgate, a perennial Patriot League powerhouse, went 18-15 last season.
The Raiders are led by Andrew Alekseyenko, the league’s reigning rookie of the year in 2025-26 when he averaged 14.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
Senior Parker Jones returns after missing all of last season with an injury, guard Isaiah Skinn transferred in from George Mason and the Raiders have a pair of first-year guards in Kingston McCoy and Jayden Harrington.
“We do have some pieces that have been successful,” Colgate coach Matt Langel told the Field of 68. “I like our group.”
The Raiders weren’t immune to losing players to the transfer portal, as Jalen Cox returned home to Los Angeles to play for Southern California.
“The reality is … we can’t replace those players,” Langel said in the interview. “We’re not spending millions and millions on our contracts.”
–Field Level Media
