Utah State Basketball: Danny Sprinkle Hired By Washington Huskies After Just One Season in Logan
After just one season, Sprinkle’s amazing elevation of the Aggie program earns him the Big Ten job.
Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire
Danny Sprinkle announces resignation amid being hired as the new Men’s Basketball coach at Washington.
The Utah State Men’s Basketball program enjoyed one of their most successful seasons in awhile. Which is a huge statement given the work done in years past during the Ryan Odom & Craig Smith eras in Logan. With only two & three seasons under their belts before other Universities came calling.
Now former Aggies coach Danny Sprinkle has them beat. Departing Utah State after just one season, an extremely memorable season at that, for a Big Ten job.
Your new home is ready for you @UWCoachSprinks#GoHuskies pic.twitter.com/t3pkNqT8yw
— Washington Men's Basketball (@UW_MBB) March 25, 2024
At Utah State
Sprinkle arrived in Logan last spring, after a second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament at his alma mater Montana State, turned into a job offer. He hit the ground running immediately. Tasked with assembling an entirely new roster, with no returning players from the previous season. Something he did immediately & did well.
Bringing in All-Big Sky Bobcats Great Osobor & Darius Brown II with him from Bozeman as many transitioning coaches tend to do. Adding them to a roster filled with high major transfers, impactful mid-major scorers & good ole freshman. A concoction very little head coaches anywhere, could turn into a title contender overnight, or even over an entire summer. Don’t tell Sprinkle that though.
Because that is simply what he did, after being predicted to finish 9th in the Mountain West back in October. The Aggies were the feel good story of the year almost out of the gate. Posting just one loss during non-conference play & securing wins against some of college basketball’s best. Utah State was primed while also being on everybody’s radar for a run in conference play.
The Aggies managed a 28-7 (14-4, in MWC) record (top-10 Win % in program history) to secure their first ever outright Mountain West Conference Regular Season Title ever under their first year head coach. Something no Mountain West first year head coach has done without having some involvement in the program prior like an associate head coach or assistant role.
Sprinkle earned Steve Fisher Coach of the Year honors for his tremendous first season in the Mountain West. Great Osobor earned Player of the Year & All-MWC First Team awards as well as Darius Brown II earning All-MWC First Team honors.
All of this lead to Utah State’s second straight NCAA Tournament appearance as an at-large bid. Giving them the No. 8 seed and their first win in the big dance since Aggie legend Stew Morrill did it back in 2001. Danny Sprinkle’s group had their tournament run end on Sunday, as they fell 106-67 to No. 1 Seed Purdue, whom plenty of folks have as a favorite to win the whole thing next month.
It’s a legacy that will feel like the blink of an eye for some fans but a highlight in the history books for others. Sprinkle did a tremendous job in Logan, earning his 100th career win back in January in the process, in just five short years.
He is leaving for what can be viewed as a tough job that just got even tougher, but his track record of turning around programs speaks for itself, let’s see if he can take that success to Big Ten country next season.
The New Job
Seattle & the Pacific Northwest definitely have their draw for workers of any industry. But the University of Washington has become even more of a football school with it’s recent run to the CFP National Championship game. Leaving their men’s basketball program, their only other sport operating in the black in 2023, well behind in terms of national relevance & competition.
The school parted ways with seven year Head Coach Mike Hopkins on March 8th. After just one Pac-12 title & one NCAA Tournament appearance (both in 2018-2019) and a 118-106 record amassed in Seattle since 2017.
Danny Sprinkle emerged as a candidate to keep an eye on almost immediately, even before Hopkin’s official sacking. With ties to the region as a player & coach at Montana State and having being born in Pullman, WA to former Husky Defensive Back Bill Sprinkle.
UW letterman Bill Sprinkle (DB ‘67 and ‘68) and son, Danny, watching the Natty together! Danny is HC @USUBasketball and on Saturday led his team to #20 in the nation after beating Colorado State!! @USUCoachSprink @Softykjr @UW_Football @UWAthletics @USUAthletics pic.twitter.com/V5HV9DOXVU
— ErinSprinkle (@elknirps4thewin) January 9, 2024
As a hot name due to the job done in Logan to that point & his ties to the program, many who followed the conference didn’t like the odds of keeping one of the nation’s up and coming young coaches in the Mountain West much longer.
It’s a tough job because, no matter the 5-star recruits or high major transfers you bring it, at such a high level of basketball the X’s & O’s need to be twice as strong. And that was in the Pac-12, not the Big Ten. Which is constantly in the running for the prestige & recognition that comes with being the nation’s “best” or most competitive conference nationally every year, per KenPom ($).
Whereas the Pac-12, even with it’s money, infrastructure, history & high class destinations compares similar to the Mountain West more so than the Big Ten metrically.
It’s essentially a brand new job at Washington, with no history or trophies to show in it’s new home. But, with an athletics department & boosters aware of what it will take to stay relevant & competitive in the Big Ten. Sprinkle may appear like a bargain deal as a still young & “inexperienced” coach, but he may just be the right man to take this program into the promise land.
A place the conference has been unable to even see on the horizon since the Lorenzo Romar days in Seattle. A time that saw the Huskies make seven trips to the NCAA Tournament (seven in the first ten years), three runs to the Sweet 16, earn two Pac-12 regular season titles & three Tournament Championships in fifteen seasons.
Utah State Outlook
Utah State is becoming a springboard for up and coming coaches in recent years. After decades of stability under Morrill, the Aggies have seen three of their four coaches move on to bigger & sometimes lateral opportunities. The idea of building a life in Logan may seem unappealing for some, but the community supports the program, players seem attracted to the University & coaches can win here.
Aggie Nation and @usuHURD … YOU are amazing🤘🏻💙‼️ pic.twitter.com/pkUCBk76s2
— Diana Sabau (@UtahState_AD) March 25, 2024
The guys over at KSL Sports have the first list of candidates I have seen so far. But given how attractive the job has become in recent years, I don’t see Utah State having a hard time finding the right candidate for the job going forward.
What may be more interesting to follow is how many Aggie players will hit the portal, by their own volition or not in the coming days.
Larry Muniz covers college basketball as a writer for Mountain West Wire and WAC Hoops Digest. Also as a co-host of the college basketball podcast “Hoops Talk W/Jay & Larry”. He is also a USWBA Member.
