Washington Basketball 2025–2026 Season Preview: Projected starting lineup, impact players and rotation

Washington had a rough 2024-25 season with Danny Sprinkle, posting a 13-18 mark. But Sprinkle has turned over the roster and brought in an impressive crop of transfer portal standouts. Fitting them together will be a challenge, but Washington should be both better and interesting. Here's an early look at the Huskies ahead of 2025-26.

Washington basketball season preview for 2025-26

Danny Sprinkle had a rough first year at Washington, but has overhauled his squad moving forward. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

Starting Lineup

Guard: Desmond Claude

The 6-foot-5 Claude was an impressive lead guard last year at USC. He averaged 15.8 points and 4.2 assists per game. His perimeter shot is improving as Claude made 30.7% of his 3-point tries last year. He's a solid bet to lead the Huskies' offense, although there are a variety of other talented possibilities if he's not up for the job.

Guard: Wesley Yates III

Another USC import, Yates averaged 14.1 points per game for the Trojans as a freshman. He shot 43.9% from 3-point range and has a very high ceiling. The 6-foot-4 Yates could well be an All-Big Ten type of player in the upcoming season. His ability on the wing and at the basket on the open floor makes him a primary scoring threat for this team.

Guard: Zoom Diallo

The 6-foot-4 Diallo was a rare bright spot on last season's UW team. As a freshman, he averaged 11.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Diallo had a rough year with his perimeter shooting, but his athleticism should help him fare better with other talented guards to pick up some perimeter slack. He's a player to watch in the year ahead.

Forward: Jacob Ognacevic

In four college seasons, Ognacevic has scored 1,816 points. Sure, he's scored them at Valparaiso and Lipscomb. But he's a scorer. He averaged 20.0 ppg last year and the 6-foot-9 forward is a career 40.5% 3-point shooter. It's fair to wonder about his defense, but his scoring acumen should translate to just about any level.

Center: Franck Kepnang

The oft-injured Cameroonian is back for a sixth year of college basketball. He has played just 84 games over the first five. But if he's healthy, the 6-foot-11 Kepnang has a high ceiling. In 14 games last year, he averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He's also one of the Big Ten's best returning shot blockers. The only question is whether he's (ever) healthy.

Rotation Players

The backcourt depth is just insane. East Tennessee State guard Quimari Peterson should see plenty of time off the bench, if he doesn't snag a starting job instead. 6-foot-10 big Lathan Sommerville could unseat Kepnang if he's hurt or if Sprinkle wants to push toward the future. Indiana wing Bryson Tucker is another standout candidate for a big role.

Impact Players

That potential backcourt of Claude and Yates is hard to ignore. Yes, they couldn't turn around USC a year ago, but it was never a question of their productivity. In Sprinkle's system, both guards could be elite scorers, albeit in very different ways. The inside guys are a little more of a question mark, but this backcourt makes for a fun Washington team.

What do you think of Washington's upcoming squad? Share your take on the Huskies below in the comments section!