SEATTLE — There wasn't much for the Washington Huskies men's basketball team to be happy about in a 90-73 loss against the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday.

One positive for fans in attendance, who watched the Huskies fall behind the Badgers by nearly 30 at one point, was the jersey retirement of Detlef Schrempf.

The former Washington and Seattle SuperSonics power forward saw his No. 22 hoisted to the rafters during halftime of the game between UW and Wisconsin on Saturday. He joined late teammate Christian Welp, who's No. 40 was retired earlier this season.

Schrempf has become an iconic figure in not just Huskies basketball history, but Seattle basketball history at large.

The German native played four years with Washington from 1981-85. During that time, he helped lead the Huskies to two NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet Sixteen berth in '84.

Schrepmf, who also came stateside to play one year of high school ball with Centralia High School in Centralia, Wash., before attending UW, spent a large part of his speech recognizing others. Whether it was his youth coaches, his teammates, or the pick-up games he played around Seattle that occasionally featured NBA players, he spent his time highlighting the connections that made him a beloved Seattle sports figure.

Schrempf's affinity with the Emerald City continued into his professional career. He spent six of his 16-season NBA career with the Seattle SuperSonics from '93-99 and returned to the franchise as an assistant coach from 2005-07.

Schrempf helped lead the Sonics to their last NBA Finals appearance before the team relocated and rebranded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008.

Several of Schrempf's teammates from his stint with the SuperSonics, including Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Sam Perkins.

"We live in a pretty special place," Schrempf said during halftime of Washington's game against Wisconsin. "We have to make an effort to keep it that way. Husky Nation is strong. We care about each other. ... When you look at the people that were here today, that are Huskies that played — my age and after, or even some before — a lot of them are very successful. And they will open a door for you. But you have to make (that) commitment."

When Schrempf made the NBA Finals with the Sonics, he became the first German-born player to do so. Just three other German-born players since then, Dirk Nowitzki, Maxi Kleber and Daniel Theis, have reached the same feat.

The NBA has gone more international since Schrempf's playing career and a large part of that is due to the impact he had. That impact stretches to the current Huskies squad and one of their best players.

"He's really helped me found my way here, when I first got here," Washington freshman forward Hannes Steinbach said in a postgame interview Saturday. "Always shot me a text, always checked in on me after almost every game. ... He's been really great to me and made it really easy for me."

Schrempf's career represents both a great an impactful representation of international and Seattle basketball. And it's fitting that a player with that much of an impact will now have his jersey in the rafters with other Husky greats.

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