Huskies basketball make first appearance of 2025-26 season in exhibition win vs UNLV

The leaves starting to turn colors is a sign that basketball season is right around the corner. Hoops in Seattle is a staple, but the University of Washington's men's team has been a tad irrelevant for the past several years now. The Huskies haven't appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2019, but the 2025-26 season could be the most promising opportunity for that to change.

College basketball fans got a glimpse of that Sunday afternoon at Alaska Airlines Arena in an exhibition between Washington and UNLV. Major contributions from freshmen and transfers led to a dominant 77-62 win to kick off the season.

Although this game won't count towards record and both teams missed key players with injury, the matchup still brought great intensity that will be a necessary tune-up for the start of the regular season -- coach Danny Sprinkle's second in Seattle.

Huskies fans got to see highly-touted freshmen Hannes Steinbach and JJ Mandaquit wearing the purple and gold for the first time, and they did not disappoint. Steinbach, a 6-foot-11 forward from Germany, stuffed that stat sheet with 22 points and 16 rebounds, both highs for the game. Half of those rebounds were on the offensive end, as Steinbach displayed a commanding presence on the court.

Meanwhile Mandaquit, a four-star recruit from Hawaii who played with No.1-ranked high schooler AJ Dybantsa at Utah Prep, put on a show from the point guard position. He finished with a game-high 12 assists (no other player had more than three), commanding the game's pace and looking like a prime John Stockton, despite being just 18 years old. He was a step ahead of the Rebels all day.

The duo earned high praise from college basketball analysts on social media, as Mandaquit and Steinbach can become the high-impact building blocks that the program has lacked for years, with the potential to be NBA pros, as well.

The Huskies were helped out by some veteran transfers and holdovers from previous years. Bryson Tucker, a forward who transferred to UW from Indiana, started and poured in 14 points, the second most behind Steinbach, on an efficient 6-of-9 field-goal percentage.

Wesley Yates III started at shooting guard and scored 11 points, although struggled with efficiency. Yates was a four-star recruit in 2023 who initially enrolled to Washington, but transferred to USC last season where he started 24 games and averaged 14.1 points. He is easily one of the most talented players on the Huskies' roster, and will be a driving force this season.

Franck Kepnang rounded out the starting lineup at center, totaling six points and five rebounds with some great defense in about 18 minutes of play. Kepnang is the longest-tenured Husky on the roster, as he's been with the program since 2022 after transferring from Oregon, but has endured multiple season-ending injuries. At 6-foot-11 with an insanely strong frame and infectious energy, he will be a fantastic leader for the young team, while also setting a physical tone on court.

The Huskies were missing transfer guards Desmond Claude (from USC) and Quimari Peterson (from East Tennessee State), as well as sophomore guard Zoom Diallo, Washington's top recruit in the class of 2024. All three project to be rotational players this season, with Claude and Diallo possibly being in the starting backcourt with Yates.

Freshman guard Brandon Roy Jr., the son of Huskies legend Brandon Roy, played in the game for one minute, but didn't record any stats, as it appears he will look to be developed and possibly redshirted before given a meaningful role with the team.

Overall, the exhibition served as a promising preview of a deeper, more versatile group. The roster is the most talented and balanced of any Washington team in years. It features a great mix of experienced upperclassmen and game-ready underclassmen, while also being tall, long, and powerful.

This is the year to pay close attention to Huskies hoops if you haven't been as of late. Washington will be able to contend in a very strong Big Ten conference and will have a very realistic chance of going dancing in March. The regular season begins Nov. 3 at home against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.