The Washington Huskies men's and women's basketball teams are both entering the seasons in different places.

The men's team needs to find players for roughly half of the remaining roster spots and just saw a well-respected veteran leave, its best player from a season ago officially announce his intentions for the future and one of its top recruiting targets reopen his recruitment.

The women's team also saw a former women's player get a potential shot at the WNBA.

Here's a roundup of recent news for the Huskies men's and women's basketball teams:

There were seven players listed for the 2026-27 MBB roster earlier this offseason. Given the fact the transfer portal window is currently open for men's basketball teams across the country, that initial roster wasn't secured barring players having already signed contracts

UW was able to bolster the roster Sunday night with the addition of senior shooting guard Parker Friedrichsen, who entered the portal from Davidson.

Just two days after the team landed the sharpshooter, Washington lost one the longest-tenured on the roster.

Graduate senior center Franck Kepnang opted to enter the transfer portal Tuesday.

Kepnang shared a statement in his personal "X" account announcing his decision to enter the portal.

"To the fans at University of Washington: thank you for making Alaska Airlines Arena feel like home. The lessons I've learned and the bonds built with my brothers will stay with me forever. However, after much reflection, I believe it is time to take the next step in my journey. I have officially entered the transfer portal with (one) year of eligibility remaining. I look forward to seeing what the future holds, including the possibility of wearing the Purple and Gold one last time. Thank you for everything, Husky Nation."

Kepnang, who's received several additional years of eligibility due to a series of injuries throughout his career, played 27 games (started 25) this past season. He hadn't played more than 35 games in a season since 2021-22 when he was with Oregon.

Kepnang averaged 6.2 points per game on 51.5% shooting this past season in addition to 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks.

After months of speculation, the Huskies best player from this past season officially made a decision regarding his next steps.

Hannes Steinbach will be entering the 2026 NBA Draft, per a report on "X" from Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.

Steinbach instantly became Washington's No. 1 target this past season, his first in college ball.

The German native averaged 18.5 points per game on 57.7% from the floor across 30 games (all starts) in addition to 11.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. His 22 double-doubles led all freshmen at the NCAA Division I Level.

Steinbach is expected to be a late lottery pick but could raise his stock in the upcoming combines and offseason workouts.

One of the top players in the Class of 2026, Dylan Mingo recently reopened his recruitment, per a report from Andrew Jones of the 247Sports network.

The five-star, fifth-ranked player in the country (per 247Sports), originally committed to North Carolina under Hubert Davis.

Davis was fired this offseason, which has led to speculation that the Huskies could resume their pursuit of the Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) graduate.

Mingo originally named North Carolina, Baylor, Washington and Penn State as his finalists.

One of the most intriguing players in the transfer portal is senior guard Mason Williams (Iowa State).

The 6-foot-5, 200 pound Seattle native played two seasons at Eastern Washington from 2023-25 before transferring to Iowa State. He didn't suit up for the Cyclones this past season due to rehabbing from surgery.

Williams took a redshirt season and will have two years of eligibility remaining. In his last full season on the court with Eastern Washington, he averaged 13.9 points per game on 42.7% shooting in addition to 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while battling a hip injury.

Williams has reportedly received interest from the Huskies, Gonzaga, Seattle University, New Mexico State, Portland, Boston College and Sam Houston.

One of Washington's best players over the course of the last four years and a member of the first recruiting class under head coach Tina Langley, guard Elle Ladine, played her final year of college ball this past season.

In '25-26, Ladine missed the first six games of the year due to an undisclosed injury. She averaged 9.9 points per game on 39.6% from the floor, five rebounds and 2.1 assists across 27 games (26 starts).

In '24-25, Ladine was named second-team All-Big Ten. She averaged 17 points per game that year on 47.3% from the floor across 33 games (all starts). She also added 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals.

Ladine wasn't one of the players to hear her name called in the 2026 WNBA draft. However, she did receive a training camp invite from the Seattle Storm.

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