Huskies Men’s Basketball Gets Good Injury News on Wesley Yates III
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Huskies guard Wesley Yates III drives against Southern University’s DaMariee Jones in a game at Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle, Washington on Nov. 18, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Washington Athletics) [/caption]
The Washington Huskies men’s basketball team lost one of its best players in late December when head coach Danny Sprinkle announced sophomore guard Wesley Yates III had undergone surgery on his wrist and was out indefinitely.
To that point, Yates had been the Huskies’ second-leading scorer through 11 games (14.9 points per game). UW was able to close out its non-league schedule with a pair of wins without Yates, but the team would like to have him back for a rigorous Big Ten slate that begins against the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday, Jan. 4.
Sprinkle said Yates broke a “weird bone” in his wrist, and “it can heal very, very quickly or it can take a long time to heal,” per The Seattle Times reporter Percy Allen. And while that’s an ambiguous timeline, Sprinkle did provide some positivity to the situation.
“So, we’re hoping for the best, and obviously, as soon as possible is the best thing for our team. … In the next week to two weeks, hopefully, we’re getting him back,” Sprinkle said, per Allen.
Yates’ injury is the latest in a plagued season for the Huskies that has still led to a 9-4 record entering their conference schedule. Desmond Claude and Hannes Steinbach, two of the team’s other critical pieces, have also missed three or more games. Multiple other players have been sidelined for shorter or longer stints or have already been ruled out for the season.
There are a lot of unknowns, but Sprinkle added that he doesn’t believe it will be a season-ending injury for Yates. That’s a key positive for a team that needs his production.
In some ways, it’s a miracle that the Huskies are where they are. But there’s no time for victory laps yet, as the hardest part of the schedule is still upcoming.
“This year has been hard, especially with the injuries,” Sprinkle said. “There’s a lot of excuses that we could have [used] and we haven’t. Not once have our players or our staff used any of these injuries to be an excuse. It’s the next man up. We usually don’t even talk about the guys that have been injured. It’s like, ‘No, let’s go. Let’s practice.’”
Sprinkle played a tight rotation in the Huskies’ 74-65 win over Utah on Monday, Dec. 29, even with Yates out. Outside of the starting five, only freshman guard JJ Mandaquit played more than 10 minutes.
Sophomore Bryson Tucker is expected to take on a bigger role in the UW offense despite a rough last few games. Tucker has shot 1 for 11 from the field in his last three appearances. Sprinkle is maintaining his confidence in the former Indiana transfer who will face his former team on Sunday.
“[Tucker is] a tremendous player,” Sprinkle said. “Obviously, he’s struggled the last three games, but we know what he’s capable of, and now it’s on him, and he’s got to produce on the court. But I’m not worried about him knocking down shots.”
Others who should see an increase in minutes are freshmen Jasir Rencher and Courtland Muldrew. Both have seen very limited time on the court so far this season, but they could be relied upon more heavily with Yates on the sideline.
“It’s going to be fun for Jasir and Courtland,” Sprinkle said. “We got to somehow find a couple of minutes here and there for them at certain times of the game.”
The Huskies are on the road for two consecutive games to begin their Big Ten schedule. UW first faces Indiana (10-3) at 5 p.m. on Sunday. They’ll then travel to No. 5-ranked Purdue (12-1) for a 5 p.m. game on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
