The Washington Huskies men's basketball team didn't have the amount of improvement last year it likely anticipated from the program's first season under head coach Danny Sprinkle.

The program improved from last in the 18-team Big Ten conference in Sprinkle's first season in 2024-25 to 12th in 2025-26. However, the team still finished 16-17 and is still looking for its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2019.

This season, the Huskies had six returners to the roster compared to two last season.

One of those returned is junior guard Wesley Yates III, who seems positioned to take over as the No. 1 option for Washington next season.

Yates transferred to Washington last offseason after spending one year with the Southern California (USC) Trojans in '24-25.

This current stint on Montlake is the Beaumont, Texas, native's second. He originally committed to the Huskies out of high school under previous head coach Mike Hopkins but missed all of 2023-24 with an injury.

Yates was slotted into a starting role upon his return to the Pacific Northwest. But his injury troubles persisted. The 6-foot-4 guard was limited to just 27 games (25 starts).

Yates missed time due to a broken bone in his wrist he suffered in a game against Seattle University on Dec. 19. He underwent surgery and returned a month later on Jan. 14 for a game against the Michigan Wolverines.

After his return, the redshirt junior sported a cast on his shooting hand and he wasn't able to regain the form he had before the injury. He finished the season having averaged 12.7 points per game on 37.1% from the floor in addition to 2.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 assists per contest.

Yates opted to run it back and attempt his first full year with UW in three seasons with the team. With leading scorers Hannes Steinbach (NBA Draft) and Zoom Diallo (transferred to Kentucky) both gone, and long-time veteran Franck Kepnang also no longer with the program (transferred to Kentucky), the onus is on Yates to take over as the top player on Montlake.

Luckily for the Texas native, the Huskies current roster seems tailor-made for him.

Last offseason, Sprinkle was tasked with finding 13 new players to fill out the roster. That baker's dozen of new additions was comprised of transfer portal acquisitions, Class of 2025 graduates and international recruits.

From the get-go, it was unclear how several of the players would fit, such as the equally ball-dominant Diallo and since-departed guard Desmond Claude (transfer portal). The mountain of injuries Washington suffered, which saw the team down to seven-to-eight scholarship players for several different games last season, also didn't help the team mesh.

Yates is a shooting guard capable of playing on the wing. Although his 3-point percentage last year fell after his injury (31.2% from beyond the arc), he's a three-level scorer capable of running a play if he needs to.

As a No. 1 option, a player like that is best suited with spot-up shooters around him, a point guard to manage primary ball-handling responsibilities and bigs who can clear out space in the post or take their own shots from mid-range in if need be.

Luckily for Yates, that's exactly the kind of roster Sprinkle and the coaching staff has put together.

Via the transfer portal, UW has acquired point guard Ryan Beasley (San Francisco), shooting guard Parker Friedrichsen (Davidson), wing Steele Venters (Gonzaga) and power forward LeJuan Watts (Texas Tech).

Sprinkle also dipped into international waters again for 6-foot-9, 21-year-old power forward Wini Braga (Brazil) and 20-year-old 6-foot-4 point guard Tristan Devers (Australia).

Friedrichsen and Venters are both capable 3-point shooters capable of spacing the floor, with Venters also capable of getting to the rim.

Watts can play on the wing if need be and is capable of hitting a wide-open triple, but his best work is done in the mid-range surrounded by shooters who draw the attention away from the defense while he gets to the elbow. He's also capable in the paint if the defense carries him underneath the hoop.

Braga's role is still unclear whether he'll be a power forward or undersized center (it's also not certain if he or Devers will be eligible to play in the NCAA).

However, Braga excels in the pick-and-roll. Which not only makes him a perfect partner for Beasley (who averaged four assists across 31 games for the Dons last season), but a perfect player who can draw the defense in to kick out to Yates for wide-open looks.

Returners Nikola Dzepina and Lathan Sommerville will also bring back a familiarity with Yates as fellow returners from last year's squad. Dzepina is another player capable of spacing the floor with his 3-point shooting ability and Sommerville could be another big man who draws the defense in on the pick-and-roll.

Friedrichsen will likely be Yates' back-up, but excels in spot-up shooting and will be another player who can space the floor. Devers or returning sophomore BJ Roy (son of Huskies legend Brandon Roy) will likely be tasked with backing up Beasley.

Washington's 2026-27 squad isn't one littered with "big names." But it's one that, at least on paper, fits. And if Yates is able to stay healthy and lead the show, as he seems positioned to do, he could be the biggest beneficiary from the gelling of the "new" Dawgs.

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