A tumultuous season for the Washington Huskies men's basketball team has taken another bad turn.

Senior guard Desmond Claude announced from his account on "X" on Jan. 16 that he was stepping away from the Huskies and on-court activities due to a lingering injury.

Claude shared the following message on "X":

"Dear Husky Nation,
As previously reported, during (preseason) practice I suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain resulting in two completely torn ligaments in my ankle as well as identifying a third partially torn ligament.
After meeting with multiple doctors for a diagnosis and recovery timeline, I was informed that it would be at least a (12-week) timeline to a potential full recovery.
However, after (five) weeks of aggressive physical therapy, due to my desire to help the team impact winning, the basketball staff and I collaboratively decided to allow me to attempt to come back after (five) weeks, which was before the medically recommended 12 weeks of recovery.
While my recovery initially seemed to exceed expectations, over the past several weeks, I've been playing through unbearable pain, swelling and have also suffered a subsequent additional injury to my knee.
Therefore today I've met with my coaching staff to inform them that due to ongoing complications from that injury, I must step away from all on-court activities and prioritize my health.
Thank you for your understanding during this tough time as I prioritize my road to a full recovery.
Desmond Claude"

Claude transferred to Washington this season after one year at Southern California (USC). He spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Xavier before joining the Trojans.

Claude missed the Huskies' first four games of the season due to his aforementioned ankle injury. He made his Washington debut in the team's 99-93 double-overtime win against Southern University on Nov. 18.

Claude also missed the team's 81-74 win against Ohio State on Jan. 11 due to a "team decision" after he was away from the program due to what head coach Danny Sprinkle described at the time as "personal reasons."

Claude returned for UW's 82-72 loss against the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines on Jan. 14 but played just eight minutes and attempted one shot.

In 12 games with the Huskies this season, Claude averaged 13.3 points per game on 42.6% shooting from the floor and has averaged 2.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

Claude put up 22 points on 8-for-16 shooting against his former team on Dec. 6 in an 84-76 Washington win against the then-No. 24 Trojans, his former squad.

The Huskies have been plagued with injuries and a thin bench the entire season.

Including Claude, freshman forward Hannes Steinbach, sophomore forward Bryson Tucker, sophomore guard Wesley Yates, sophomore center Lathan Sommerville and senior forward Jacob Ogancevic have all missed multiple games this season. Junior forward Mady Traore will be out the entire year with a foot injury he suffered before the season.

Washington, which stands at 10-7 this season and 2-4 in the Big Ten, will next be in action against No. 12 Michigan State at 3 p.m. PT on Jan. 17 at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.

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