From Montlake to the NBA: Hannes Steinbach Looking to Make Mark With Hornets
After a dominant freshman year wearing the purple and gold, Hannes Steinbach heard his name called early in the 2026 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. Drafted 14th overall, the German standout will take his talents to the East Coast and push for a rotation spot. The lottery pick continues the tradition of Washington Huskies getting drafted in the first round, joining the likes of program legends Brandon Roy and Markelle Fultz.
Charlotte had significant roster changes this week, both in the draft and in the days thereafter. A play-in team last year, Hannes will have plenty of opportunity to prove himself as there are no surefire frontcourt starters in the Queen City after trading Lamelo Ball to the Timberwolves.
With many recent UW draftees becoming integral role-players in their NBA careers, Steinbach will attempt to go one step further and achieve all-star status in Charlotte.
Huskies Forward Hannes Steinbach Readies for Jump to NBA
A couple of years ago, Hannes Steinbach realized he might be pretty good at basketball.
Since then, his game has taken him from professional ball in Würzburg, Germany, to the Washington Huskies and, soon, to a yet-to-be-determined NBA city. The experience playing for the Würzburg Baskets of the German Bundesliga made him realize his stop in Montlake could be brief. In his one-and-done season, Steinbach established himself as one of the top freshmen in the NCAA by leading the country with 22 double-doubles with averages of 18.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.
Speaking to the media Thursday after a pre-draft workout with the Golden State Warriors, Steinbach talked about his whirlwind college career and preparing for Tuesday’s NBA Draft.
Danny Sprinkle, Huskies Back to Drawing Board for Another Rebuild
It looks like Danny Sprinkle and his Washington Huskies men’s basketball will be starting over.
Again.
As Sprinkle heads into his third season at UW, it would appear that another massive roster shakeup is coming after Zoom Diallo, JJ Mandaquit and Courtland Muldrew all have announced intentions to enter the transfer portal when it opens on Tuesday.
The Montlake Report: Huskies’ 2027 Recruiting Class Showing Promise
While it's early, Jedd Fisch and his Washington Huskies football staff are making strong connections with top 2027 recruits.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Aaron Coe breaks down why a promising class appears to be taking shape for Fisch and company, as well as UW's new deal with Alaska Airlines and weighing star basketball player Hannes Steinbach's future with a leap to the NBA potentially in sight.
Washington’s Comeback Falls Short in Big Ten Tournament Exit
A valiant comeback by the Washington men’s basketball team fell just short, and the Huskies were eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament after an 85-82 loss to Wisconsin.
A year of promise turned into a regular season of limping came to an end Thursday. Trailing by 18 in the second half, the injury-riddled, 12th-seeded Huskies (16-17 overall) had a chance late, but Zoom Diallo’s game-tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer rattled out.
“Our mindset was that we were not out of it,” Diallo said. “Our whole mindset is that it’s not over until it’s triple zeroes. We just played a game yesterday when we were down 13, and you know, 18 is not that much. I would say when we started pressing them a little bit, we started to see that they were starting to get a little bit worried.”
Washington Beats USC in OT to Stay Alive in Big Ten Basketball Tournament
The Washington Huskies season may seem like a broken record, but it will spin another day.
Overcoming a long injury list, early shooting woes and travel across multiple time zones, UW rallied in the second half to force overtime before beating USC 83-79 to stay alive in the Big Ten tournament. The Huskies, missing half of their 14 scholarship players, used a 13-0 run to tie the score at 58-all in the middle of the second half and played the Trojans even the rest of regulation.
Huskies Men’s Basketball Erases 21-Point Deficit, Still Falls to Oregon in Regular Season Finale
Hannes Steinbach’s 20-point double-double in the second half alone helped erase a 21-point Oregon lead, but the Ducks’ late-game heroics sealed the Huskies’ fate in an 85-79 loss in the final game of the regular season on Saturday, March 7, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene.
The defeat sealed UW men’s basketball’s fate as the No. 12 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, setting them up for a game against No. 13 USC in the third round on Wednesday, March 11.
UW finished the regular season 15-16 overall (7-13 B10). The Huskies have shown their potential at times throughout the campaign, but have consistently fallen short of their ceiling amid injuries and defensive lapses.
The Montlake Report: Several Washington Huskies Impress at NFL Scouting Combine
Taking their next steps towards being NFL players, Denzel Boston and several Washington Huskies teammates put their best foot forward auditioning at the annual combine in Indianapolis.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Aaron Coe dives into the performances from Boston, Ephesians Prysock, and other ex-Huskies who looked to bolster their draft stock this past week, discusses Detlef Schrempf's jersey retirement ceremony, and analyzes the continued struggles for the Huskies' men's basketball team heading towards the Big Ten tournament.
Washington an Offensive No Show on Detlef Schrempf Jersey Retirement Night
Shortly after seeing his No. 22 jersey revealed in the Hec Edmundson Pavilion rafters during halftime of a Huskies 90-73 loss to Wisconsin, University of Washington legendary men’s basketball player Detlef Schrempf was asked to give a statement to the media.
“About the game?” he quipped, after watching his alma mater fall behind 36-21.
After the second half resumed, as the native of Germany got up to head back out to the court to join his family and former Washington and Seattle SuperSonics teammates, he said, “Let’s get a win. How ‘bout it?”
Former Sonic Gary “The Glove” Payton, Shawn “Reign Man” Kemp and Sam “Big Smooth” Perkins all showed up to see their former teammate honored. The 2025-26 Huskies never quite made it, though.
The Montlake Report: Could Huskies’ Road Win at Rutgers Start Late Season Run in Big Ten?
While the NCAA tournament remains unlikely, if near impossible at this point, the Huskies did themselves a major favor by winning at Rutgers on Tuesday, jumping into a bye slot for the Big Ten tournament.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Aaron Coe breaks down how Washington held off a late Rutgers rally to pick up a much-needed road win, why building positive momentum for next season should be the top priority for Danny Sprinkle given all the injuries that have derailed the team in 2025-26, and takes a look at Jedd Fisch's 2027 recruiting class on the gridiron, examining which incoming prospects have a chance to be game changers for UW in the future.
Huskies Avoid Big Ten Cellar with Hannes Steinbach’s Big Game at Rutgers
It’s “celebrate the little wins” season for the Washington men’s basketball team.
Behind Hannes Steinbach’s 17th double-double, the Huskies put themselves in a strong position to earn a Big Ten Tournament bye heading into the final three games of a disappointing, injury-riddled season with a 79-72 win at Rutgers.
Huskies Men’s Basketball Can’t Close Out Terrapins On the Road
The Washington Huskies men’s basketball team missed a trio of opportunities to tie or win the game before Maryland’s Andre Mills threw down an alley-oop dagger in a 64-60 loss on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Xfinity Center.
UW (13-14, 5-11 Big Ten) ended up on the wrong side of a nail-biter, as its struggling defense rose to the surface as a critical issue once again. Maryland (11-16, 4-12 Big Ten) continued its recent success, winning three out of its last five games.
Huskies Men’s Basketball Snaps 3-Game Skid vs. Minnesota
The Washington Huskies men’s basketball team finally got back on track, snapping a three-game skid with a dominant 69-57 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday, Feb. 14.
It was the Huskies’ hot shooting (63% FG) that fueled the victory, but their defense was much improved from the embarrassing loss to a flailing Penn State team just three days earlier.
The Montlake Report: R.I.P. to Huskies' NCAA Hopes With Ugly Home Loss to Penn State
Continuing to slide down the Big Ten standings and disappoint after entering the season with high expectations, the Washington Huskies suffered a dreadful home loss to the lowly Penn State Nittany Lions on Wednesday, all but destroying any slim hopes of competing for an NCAA Tournament spot.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Aaron Coe examines UW's latest deflating defeat, discusses how much blame should fall on coach Danny Sprinkle and how much belongs to the players themselves, and dives into rotational question marks that continue to perplex with the Huskies' lineup.
Huskies Humiliated at Hec Ed by Penn State in 63-60 Loss
RIP, University of Washington men’s basketball tournament hopes.
November 3, 2025 - February 11, 2026.
The Huskies’ Big Dance dreams spent the last few weeks on life support. Though there’s still the option of winning the Big Ten tournament to steal an automatic bid, that seems less likely than the New England Patriots rebounding from a 29-7 Super Bowl deficit with 4 minutes remaining against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.
One may not know for certain it’s over, while being pretty darned sure it is.
Washington Lets Another Lead Slip Away With Loss at UCLA
Another first-half lead slipped away for the Washington men’s basketball team, and virtually any thoughts of an NCAA Tournament berth all but disappeared with a 77-73 loss to UCLA.
UW had its chances at a coveted — and much-needed — Quad 1 win. Instead, the Huskies lost for the third time in four games to fall to 12-12 overall and 4-9 in the Big Ten. Though the schedule eases up for the final seven games, opportunities for committee-impressing wins are dwindling. The Huskies would likely need to win all seven, plus a few in the Big Ten tournament.
A team that’s seen nine players miss a combined 77 games due to injury simply hasn’t had enough to beat good teams.
Huskies Men’s Basketball Crumbles in Second Half, Falls to Iowa at Home
Despite Hannes Steinbach’s best efforts, the Washington Huskies men’s basketball team couldn’t overcome stout Iowa defense in the second half in an 84-74 home loss.
Solid Shooting, Tough Defense Propel Huskies to Win at Northwestern
The Washington Huskies got a much-needed Big Ten road win at Northwestern on Saturday. Which players starred on each end of the floor for UW?
Washington’s Shooting Woes Lead to 75-66 loss at No. 9 Illinois
The Washington men’s basketball team’s 3-point shooting struggles showed up again in a loss at No. 9 Illinois as the Huskies lost their fifth straight to a ranked opponent. What else went wrong for the Huskies in Champaign?
Shooting Woes Plague Washington Men Yet Again at Nebraska
The Washington Men’s Basketball team continued its Big Ten struggles at No. 7 Nebraska on Wednesday. What issues repeated themselves for the Huskies in Lincoln?
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