Washington returned home after a big 81-69 win over the Cougars in the Apple Cup of hoops to practice on Monday. Head coach Danny Sprinkle held his weekly presser on Monday at Alaska Airlines Arena. He talked about Friday’s game, gave an injury update, and discussed his team’s preparation for Southern on Tuesday. These are the main takeaways from Monday’s media briefing.
Washington’s head coach provides an injury update
The Huskies’ forward Hannes Steinbach suffered an ankle injury in last Friday’s game. Steinbach did not participate in Washington’s practice on Monday. He joins a list of injured Huskies, which includes forward Bryson Tucker and guard Desmond Claude. Danny Sprinkle provided an update on his team’s health going into Tuesday’s matchup against Southern:
“We’re not sure about his (Hannes Steinbach) availability tomorrow night. Obviously, Bryson’s still out. Desmond will see, you know, he did some walk-through stuff today. So hopefully we can get him back at some point. And then the rest of the guys are still as is.”
Washington has unfortunately been bitten by the injury bug early this season. They likely will be without Bryson Tucker and Desmond Claude tomorrow. If Hannes Steinbach is unable to go, the Huskies expect to have a small bench available for their game against Southern.
How Washington’s injuries have affected how they play
The Dawgs’ injuries have also had an impact on their rotation of players and their style of play early this season:
“No, it’s changed, it’s changed our offense a lot. You know, like, we’ve had to, you know, kind of just, you know, play a motion and just kind of let guys go a little bit, and that’s where I thought, you know, we’ve made some really tough shots too. You know, give Washington State credit. I thought they guarded us pretty well. I thought Zoom made some tremendous shots. Wesley made some pullup. J.J., Quimari, like, they made tough shots, you know over their defenders. But that’s what great players do. And that’s why we recruited them, to do that”, Sprinkle said.
Players have had to take on different roles and positions due to the injuries the team has faced. That has caused the Huskies to simplify their offense and run more basic sets. Fortunately, Washington has been able to shoot the ball effectively, even when shots have been tightly contested. Except for their loss to Baylor, the Huskies have scored over 81 points per game. For now, the Dawgs can handle dealing with injuries given their soft non-conference schedule. However, they will need to get healthy to compete with tougher competition as the season goes on.
Washington’s guard Zoom Diallo impresses against WSU
The Huskies were paced by sophomore guard Zoom Diallo on Friday night, who had an incredible game. He was second in points with 20, collected four rebounds, and had four assists. Diallo has now scored in double figures in each game this season. Danny Sprinkle praised Diallo for his performance after the game on Friday:
“But I thought, you know, Zoom was tremendous, and I told, I told him in front of the team, I though it was his best basketball game as a Husky. You know, and not just scoring the basketball, but the way he controlled it, the way he rebounded, the way he distributed, the way he defended. You know, there’s a lots of play, and we showed him on film yesterday”, said Sprinkle.
Diallo’s intensity was on display throughout the night as he helped guide the Huskies to a win. His competitive fire gave Washington what it needed playing shorthanded. The Dawgs will continue to rely on him to make clutch plays when they matter most.
The Huskies prepare for Southern
After beating the Cougars on Friday, Washington is (3-1) and will take on the Southern Jaguars at home on Tuesday. On Monday, Danny Sprinkle gave a preview of the Huskies’ opponent:
“Yeah they have the fifth-fastest pace in the country right now. Like they’re very good, you know, and I made sure our team knew that. That’s why we went back in after practice today, you know, and we watched, their, you know, kind of a lot of their first half against Marquette. They’re a very good team. And if you look at the last couple of years, they’ve won like three or four guarantee games. You know, like they beat Mississippi State two years ago. Last year, I think they beat La Tech and Tulsa, maybe like, they’re very well coached team. They play 13 deep. They’re point guard is a tremendous player. They’re big, like they’re athletic, and play extremely fast”, said Sprinkle.
Washington’s depth will certainly be tested on Tuesday. Dealing with multiple injuries and a light bench will be a challenge for them to overcome against Southern. The Jaguars have scored over 77 points in each game this season and play at a fast pace. When the Huskies play them on Tuesday, they must knock down shots as they did against Washington State last Friday. Expect a high-scoring game when Washington plays Southern.
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