Second-Year Transfer Could Still Factor Into Washington Huskies Plans

SEATTLE — The Washington Huskies men's basketball team were unsuccessful in either of its exhibition games and lost 109-91 to the Boise State Broncos on Oct. 17 and 84-80 to the Washington State Cougars on Oct. 24.

The team has nine newcomers and six returners from last season. Many of the players in the latter category missed time due to injury last year. One returner, fifth-year forward Mady Traore, has played just one minute due to knee swelling. A newcomer, fourth-year point guard Ryan Beasley, has missed both games due to a concussion.

As a result of the injuries and retooled roster, both exhibition games have featured different starters and rotations, which head coach Danny Sprinkle said wasn't indicative of what the status quo will be in the regular season.

"It's the middle of October," Sprinkle said in a news conference Wednesday at Alaska Airlines Arena. "It's going to change."

One of the players who has gotten seldom minutes through the first two exhibition games was one of the last additions of the offseason, second-year guard Harun Zrno.

Zrno transferred to UW after spending his freshman season with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in Piscataway, N.J., an entire country away. He was recruited out of Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, fitting the international mold that Sprinkle has build over the last several seasons.

The second-year international features a unique size for a guard and is listed at 6-foot-7, 220 pounds. He received significant playing time with Rutgers, albeit didn't post the most efficient numbers.

In his lone year with the Scarlet Knights, Zrno averaged 6.5 points across 34 games (15 starts) on 35.6% shooting from the floor (33.8% from 3-point range). He also pulled in 1.6 rebounds per game across his 19.1 minutes of action per contest.

Zrno was an efficient shooting overseason, averaging over 50% from the floor and more than 40% from beyond the arc, and can operate as a traditional shooting guard who can draw fouls while driving to the post.

Through two exhibition games, Zrno has been limited to just six minutes of action against Boise State, where he scored two points on one attempt from the field and pulled in two rebounds.

Beasley will likely be recovered from his concussion and available in the team's season opener against the Colgate Red Raiders at 7 p.m. PT on Nov. 2 at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, whereas Traore's knee will be a persistent condition the team will treat as-needed.

Guard Tristan Devers, an international recruit out of Austaralia, is also currently dealing with a foot issue.

The rotation gets murky with fourth-year guards Wesley Yates III and Parker Friedrichsen both natural fits at shooting guard or at the wing, which would be Zrno's position with eighth-year player Steele Venters also in the fold.

However, Sprinkle hasn't forgotten about Zrno and will be looking for a way to get him more playing time with the roster still far from set.

"Harun Zrno, he's a good player," Sprinkle said. "We have to find minutes for him, especially if our guards are shooting the way they did the other night (against Washington State). I got to give somebody else a chance. We have to and the one thing he can (do), he can defend and rebound. ... There's not gonna be a set roster until somebody comes and takes that spot."