The Huskies will have several different combinations available to them among their big men.
The Washington Huskies men's basketball team still could make one more addition before the 2026-27 season begins.
The Huskies are pursuing 20-year-old, 6-foot-6 Slovenian guard Urban Kroflic, who would take the 15th and final spot available on the roster if he were to commit.
Head coach Danny Sprinkle is currently in Slovenia trying to make the final push for the combo guard. However, Washington's frontcourt seems to be locked in place for the upcoming season.
The Huskies have center Lathan Sommerville and forwards Mady Traore, Jasir Rencher and Nikola Dzepina set to return from last season. They'll be joined by international recruits, Brazilian forward Wini Braga and Croatian forward Boris Tisma and transfer portal additions, LeJuan Watts and Steele Venters. Watts is capable of playing on the wing and Venters is more likely to be the team's starting small forward rather than playing the four or the five.
Quantity won't be a problem for Washington this season when it comes to its frontcourt. However, there's still a question over who the team's starting power forward and center will be, and any combination presents its own questions.
The Huskies starting frontcourt from last season, forward Hannes Steinbach (drafted by Charlotte Hornets) and center Franck Kepnang (transferred to Kentucky), are both gone from the team, and the team hasn't had an extensive look at what any of the three returning bigs from last year look like in a starting lineup.
Sommerville missed a third of last season due to a knee injury. He played in 22 games and started seven.
Rencher missed most of his freshman season last year with a heart condition that he underwent surgery for. Rencher's been practicing and appears ready for next season, but he went down before he was truly able to show what he was capable of. He played in eight games and averaged 8.1 minutes per contest.
Traore, who was one of the top junior college (juco) recruits last offseason, missed the entire year with a foot injury.
Dzepina joined the team in December and was in-and-out of the lineup while still learning the playbook. He played in 14 games without making a start.
There's also the question marks surrounding Tisma and Braga, who will come into the program as complete blank slates due to their international tenures.
With the exception of Watts, who projects to be a starter after playing in 33 games and starting 28 while averaging double-digit points for the Texas Tech Red Raiders last season, none of the big men on the roster have proven track records as starters for Power Four programs.
If the Huskies wish to have Watts start at small forward, the starting frontcourt combination that could most likely replicate what Steinbach and Kepnang provided last season would be Braga at the four and Sommerville at the five. But Braga, at 6-foot-9, provides less size in the post than Steinbach and Sommerville. Between that and Sommerville being an inch shorter than Kepnang, the downtick in rebounding could be substantial.
If Sprinkle and the staff wish to continue to be forces on the boards for potential second-chance opportunities, Traore's length (6-foot-11 with a 7-foot, six-inch wingspan) would be the best option to take over at center. He could also be the most legitimate post-scoring option Washington has due to his height and length.
A recent video shared on "X" by the team's official account also showed Traore hitting a 3-pointer in practice. If he's able to hit that shot consistently, he could also space the floor in a way that works with the rest of the roster. A common thread across the majority of the team's additions this offseason was 3-point shooting.
Due to the quantity of frontcourt players UW has on the roster, there's also a chance that it could be a "by-committee" approach, with Sprinkle and the staff giving minutes on a game-by-game basis based on matchup advantages and recent performances.
A lot of the team's questions will be answered in practice and during the non-conference schedule. But it will likely remain a persistent topic until Sprinkle and the coaching staff find a starting four and five that are able to perform consistently.
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