By Andrew Bailie Posted on

Washington Men’s Basketball is coming together at the right time

With their season barely underway, the Washington Huskies have shown a knack for resilience by overcoming injuries to several key players. Despite playing shorthanded and a roster of 10 new players, the Huskies look to be finding some cohesion. The return of two key players, F Hannes Steinbach and G Desmond Claude, from the training room to the court is helping Washington gel as a team. While head coach Danny Sprinkle and the players anxiously await more reinforcements, the team is confident with the healthy players on hand.

Washington’s freshman F Hannes Steinbach leads the charge

After missing three games due to an ankle injury, Steinbach has been outstanding since his return to the lineup . The German international has been a force for the Huskies in the six games he has participated in, averaging 18.5 points and 12.8 rebounds a game, and has recorded a double-double in five of those games, and has been a menace for opposing defenses to handle down low. Against UCLA, Steinbach had 29 points and 10 rebounds, while shooting an impressive 11/12 from the field. In the Huskies’ next game against USC, Steinbach led the Huskies’ comeback, scoring 24 points and pulling down 18 rebounds. His performances last week earned him Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. Sprinkle spoke this week about how unstoppable Steinbach has been for opposing teams:

“He’s (Steinbach) got such a great feel for the game and his size and just how fluid he is. He’s really hard to take out of a game. He’s hard to double. You know, he can handle the ball on the perimeter. And obviously making two big threes. You know, last week was huge, but you know, his ability to like offensive rebound and just his knack to get it. Like he literally is like Dennis Rodman. Like, he knows where the ball is coming off. And he makes the effort every time. You know, I think that’s the one thing a lot of people don’t want to talk about. It’s like, yeah, he’s a great rebounder, he’s making the effort to go there. And you know he’s really hard to guard without fouling. You know, and he makes his teammates better because he does, he draws a crowd and we know he’s going to get double-teamed and there’s a bunch of stuff that now that we’re starting to get a lot of our players back, and we can actually practice, you know, there’s a lot of stuff that we can clean up to make the game easier for him to” said Sprinkle.

Washington’s G Desmond Claude is coming into form

Claude started the season on the injured list, dealing with a leg injury and missed the first four games of the season before returning to the lineup against Southern. The senior from Putnam Science Academy in New Haven, Connecticut, made an immediate impact in his first game back, scoring 20 points to help Washington stave off an upset bid by the Jaguars, playing 35 minutes. In his next three games, Claude averaged 27 minutes of game action with varied results as he works his way back into game shape. Claude scored two points against Nevada, 14 against Colorado, and five points in the Huskies’ loss to UCLA.

Claude gets revenge against his former team

Against the Trojans, Claude appeared to be back to 100% physically, but had to fight new mental challenges. Playing USC (his former team) was an emotional game for him, and he struggled early in the contest. Claude shot 2/8 from the field and scored just four points in the first 20 minutes of the game. At halftime, Claude was able to refocus and shake off the nerves he was dealing with in the first half and finished the game strong:

“You know, I think the first half, he just missed a couple shots that he usually makes, you know, and I think it just took him a little bit to get into a rhythm. And I’m sure him and Wesley, were, you know, a little anxious. You know, we knew that was going to happen, but I didn’t care as long as they were both aggressive. And you know, once he got into the flow, he was he’s unstoppable to guard”, said Sprinkle.

Claude eventually made sure to make the most of his return to USC, finishing with 22 points and four assists. He helped spearhead an 18-point second-half comeback for the Huskies by scoring 18 points in the final 20 minutes of the game. Claude’s performance against the Trojans will be a big boost to his confidence, as he continues to push through mental and physical challenges this season.

The Huskies look to continue to become more complete as a team

Washington expects to have more players return and become eligible to play before conference play begins again in January. The Huskies expect F Bryson Tucker to return soon, within the next one to two weeks. F Jacob Ognacevic has been out since the start of the season, but has a chance to be back by January. Another late addition to the roster will be 6’9 Serbian F Nikola Dzepina, who will enroll in the winter quarter. Dzepina is going to be eligible to participate in team activities as early as December 13th.

Washington looks to get right before facing a tough schedule in January

The Huskies will close out non-conference play in December with four games against Southern Utah, Seattle U, San Diego, and Utah. Head coach Danny Sprinkle will be looking to use the non-conference schedule as an opportunity to create a team identity on both ends of the court.

In January, Washington will return to Big Ten play, with a brutal schedule awaiting. The Huskies will first go on an Indiana road trip to face the Hoosiers and the No. 6-ranked Boilermakers. Then Washington returns home to face Ohio State, No. 2-ranked Michigan, and No. 9-ranked Michigan State. With three games against top 10 teams in January, the Huskies are looking to come together at the right time.

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