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Published By: Sports Desk
Last Updated: March 26, 2024, 12:30 AM IST
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Washington hired Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle as its men’s basketball coach on Monday, hoping his success at smaller schools and his varsity pedigree can revitalize the program as it moves into the Big Ten starting the season. next.
Washington hired Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle as its men’s basketball coach on Monday, hoping his success at smaller schools and his varsity pedigree can revitalize the program as it moves into the Big Ten starting the season. next.
Sprinkle’s hiring came one day after Utah State was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament with a second-round loss to Purdue.
“It was going to take something special for me to leave Logan, and it was the University of Washington,” Sprinkle said in a statement. “The university means a lot to our family and I’m excited to return to my home country.”
Sprinkle, 47, spent just one season at Utah State but it was a highly successful year. The Aggies went 28-7 and won the Mountain West regular season title after being picked to finish ninth in the qualifier poll. Utah State reached the semifinals of the Mountain West tournament and won its first NCAA Tournament game since 2001 when it topped TCU in the first round.
Leaving Utah State after just one season probably wasn’t in the plans for Sprinkle, but it probably wouldn’t be possible to turn down a chance to take over in Washington, especially given his family connection. Sprinkle’s father, Bill, played football for the Huskies in the 1960s.
“A coach is exactly what our program needs right now and we are thrilled to have him take the reigns of our men’s basketball program,” Washington interim athletic director Erin O’Connell said.
Sprinkle will replace Mike Hopkins, who was let go with one year remaining on his contract. Hopkins spent seven seasons at Washington and made the NCAA Tournament just once.
Hopkins’ tenure was defined by a frustrating stretch of mediocre results, an inability to return Washington to the Pac-12’s elite and with the Huskies moving to the Big Ten starting next season. Washington went 17-14 overall this season and finished 9-11 in Pac-12 play. Hopkins was 118-106 overall, but just 62-72 in conference play during his time in Washington.
Sprinkle will walk into an odd situation without a permanent athletic director. Troy Dannen unexpectedly left Washington to take over at Nebraska last week, leaving a void as the Huskies try to complete the hiring for one of its most prominent positions.
Dannen conducted interviews and put together an offer that awaited Sprinkle once Utah State’s season ended. The uncertainty was whether Sprinkle would accept it and take the job without knowing who his boss would be.
But the draw of coaching in a power conference was too much to turn down. Sprinkle spent four seasons as the head coach of his alma mater at Montana State before taking the head job at Logan. Sprinkle has coached in the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons, earning back-to-back bids his final two seasons at Montana State before leading Utah State to a surprise bid this season.
Sprinkle also has significant connections in southern California after spending a decade as an assistant at Cal State Northridge and Cal State Fullerton.
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AP March Madness Bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)
