Huskies Add Gonzaga’s Steele Venters to Men’s Basketball Team as Departures Mount
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="7158"]
Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Steele Venters (2) shoots the ball during Numerica Kraziness in the Kennel at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Credit: James Snook/Imagn Images [/caption]
For now, we’ll assume the University of Washington will field a men’s basketball team for 2026-27.
Who will play on that team remains very much in question. Next season’s roster no longer appears on the Washington Athletics website, but as of Wednesday, we believe the Huskies have seven scholarship players — including two additions from the transfer portal as of Wednesday — on the roster, plus walk-on guard BJ Roy.
College basketball, with reports of well over 2,000 players in the transfer portal, appears to be in chaos. The Huskies are a prime example of roster upheaval.
Senior guard Quimari Peterson and senior forward Jacob Ognacevic, both out of eligibility, were two of three seniors to walk on senior day.
An additional eight players have reportedly entered the portal or announced an intention to enter the NBA Draft, so far, from Danny Sprinkle’s 2025-26 team. The portal opened April 7, and closes to entries April 21. Players in the portal can still sign with teams after the closure date.
It is difficult to ascertain who Washington might be able to add to the roster, as the team’s budget is not public. There are rumblings that some basketball donor fatigue exists for a program that hasn’t played in the NCAA Tournament since 2019. Washington has made just one Big Dance appearance since Lorenzo Romar’s 2011 squad.
A list of transfer players believed to have drawn interest from Washington is at the end of this story.
Portal Additions
Parker Friedrichsen, Davidson, shooting guard
Listed at 6-4, 185 pounds on last year’s Davidson roster, Friedrichsen averaged 10.8 points in 25.3 minutes per game as a junior last season, shooting 40.5% from 3-point range. He spent his first two seasons at Wake Forest, where he came off the bench, averaging 5.1 points and 3.2 rebounds two seasons ago. He was a four-star recruit out of Bixby (Okla.) High School.
Steele Venters, Gonzaga, guard
Venters played in 27 of 35 games for Gonzaga last season after missing one season with an Achilles tear and another with an ACL tear. He averaged five points, playing 15 minutes per game last season. A career 39.7% shooter from 3-point range, Venters was the Big Sky MVP for the 2022-23 season after averaging 15.3 points. Lightly recruited after averaging 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game as a senior at Ellensburg H.S. in 2019, Venters walked on at Eastern and redshirted. Two years later, he averaged a team-best 16.7 points per game to earn second-team Big Sky honors.
Departures
Hannes Steinbach, forward
Destination: NBA Draft
The All-Big Ten Freshman Team member from Germany led the nation in rebounding at 11.8 per game in addition to leading the Huskies with 18.5 points per contest.
He will likely join a list of UW one-and-done NBA first-round picks to play for Washington teams that failed to make it to the NCAA Tournament in the past 20 seasons: Jaden McDaniels (2020, Pick 28), Isaiah Stewart (2020, 16), Markelle Fultz (2017, 1), Marquese Chriss (2016, 8) Dejounte Murray (2016, 29), Tony Wroten Jr. (2012, 25) and Spencer Hawes (2007, 10).
Zoom Diallo, point guard
Destination: Kentucky
The local point guard leaves Washington for Kentucky, where he’ll play for Mark Pope, who once left Washington to play for Kentucky. Diallo, from Tacoma, showed loyalty to the school he grew up watching, but departs after a strong season in which he averaged 15.7 points, 4.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds as one of just two players to play in all 33 games.
JJ Mandaquit, point guard
Destination: Arizona
Once considered by Sprinkle as the future of Washington basketball before his freshman season began, Mandaquit won a third gold medal with Team USA at the 2025 U19 FIBA World Cup last July.
He began the season as a starter, but struggled in his first six college starts. He came off the bench for 16 games and began playing more effectively in January before being sidelined the remainder of the season with a foot injury.
Courtland Muldrew, guard
Destination: TBD
Muldrew played sparingly earlier in the season, but took advantage of a larger role late in the season as UW injuries mounted. The 6-3 guard, who was part of Sprinkle’s 15th-ranked 2025 recruiting class, averaged 8.8 points, five assists and four rebounds during Washington’s final four games.
Franck Kepnang, center
Destination: TBD
Kepnang also walked on senior day, but has entered the portal with the intention of extending his injury-riddled career for a seventh season. He mentioned returning to Washington as a possibility in his social media announcement. Kepnang averaged 6.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 27 games this season.
Bryson Tucker, forward
Destination: NBA Draft
The sophomore transfer from Indiana, where he entered as a 5-star recruit, announced that he will enter the NBA draft. Tucker averaged 5.7 points in 21 games, but did not play in the team’s final few games for what Sprinkle deemed a personal issue.
Desmond Claude, guard
Destination: TBD
After three years at USC, Claude suffered an ankle injury prior to the UW season. He returned to play 12 games, averaging 13.3 points per game before posting on social media that he was leaving the Huskies due to the ankle needing time to heal. He’s seeking a medical redshirt.
Christian Nitu, forward
Destination: TBD
A sophomore transfer from Florida State, Nitu departed before the season began. Sprinkle said he was told Nitu had decided to redshirt, and that he did not know the reason for the decision.
Returners
Wesley Yates, guard
The starting guard redshirted at Washington in 2024-24, played for USC in 2024-25 and returned to UW for 2025-26. He required a second hand surgery during the offseason after missing nearly a month after the initial surgery. Yates averaged 12.7 points per game.
Mady Traore, forward
A 6-11 junior transfer forward from New Mexico State who missed the past season with injury.
Jasir Rencher, guard
The freshman last played Dec. 22 due to a heart issue. His status has not been updated by UW.
Lathan Sommerville, center
The sophomore center transfer from Rutgers averaged 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds while missing 13 games with a knee injury.
Nikola Dzepina, forward
The native of Serbia joined the team in December and averaged 2.6 points per game. He could be in line for a much bigger role next season when he has a full offseason of practice in the US.
Transfer Portal Targets
Visitors
Transfers believed to have taken visits, or will be visiting soon.
Drew Fielder, Boise State (per Jack McCauley, dawgman.com)
Mikey Lewis, St. Mary’s (per Jon Rothstein, CBS Sports)
Jaylen Petty, Texas Tech (per Jack McCauley, dawgman.com)
Braeden Smith, Gonzaga (per Jack McCauley, dawgman.com)
LeJuan Watts, Texas Tech (per Jack McCauley, dawgman.com)
Interest from Washington
TJ Burch, Wright State (per @recruitszone)
Isaiah Elohim, FAU (per @kayserhoops)
Ice Emery, Cleveland State (per @Dushawn London)
Daniel Freitag (per @dylan_lutely)
Tyler Mrus, BYI (per @seatowkev)
