Washington Lands Danny Sprinkle As Head Coach With Family Ties And Big Ten Future – News18

Washington employed Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle as its males’s basketball coach on Monday hoping his success at smaller colleges and lineage to the college can revitalize this system because it strikes into the Big Ten beginning subsequent season.

Sprinkle’s hiring got here sooner or later after Utah State was eradicated from the NCAA Tournament with a second spherical loss to Purdue.

“It was going to take something special for me to leave Logan, and the University of Washington was it,” Sprinkle stated in an announcement. “The university means a great deal to our family and I am excited to return to my home state.”

Sprinkle, 47, spent only one season at Utah State nevertheless it was a massively profitable 12 months. The Aggies went 28-7 and gained the Mountain West common-season title after being picked to complete ninth within the preseason ballot. Utah State reached the semifinals of the Mountain West match and gained its first NCAA Tournament recreation since 2001 when it topped TCU within the first spherical.

Leaving Utah State after only one season in all probability wasn’t within the plans for Sprinkle, however turning down an opportunity to take over at Washington doubtless couldn’t be handed up, particularly contemplating his household connection. Sprinkle’s father, Bill, performed soccer for the Huskies within the Nineteen Sixties.

“Coach is exactly what our program needs at this moment in time and we are thrilled to have him take the reigns of our men’s basketball program,” interim Washington athletic director Erin O’Connell stated.

Sprinkle will exchange Mike Hopkins, who was let go together with one 12 months remaining on his contract. Hopkins spent seven seasons at Washington and made the NCAA Tournament solely as soon as.

Hopkins’ tenure was outlined by a irritating stretch of mediocre outcomes, an incapacity to place Washington again into the elite of the Pac-12 and with the Huskies transferring to the Big Ten beginning subsequent season. Washington went 17-14 general this season and completed 9-11 in Pac-12 play. Hopkins was 118-106 general, however simply 62-72 in convention play throughout his time at Washington.

Sprinkle might be strolling into an odd state of affairs with out a everlasting sitting athletic director. Troy Dannen unexpectedly left Washington to take over at Nebraska final week, leaving a void because the Huskies tried to finish the hiring for considered one of its most outstanding positions.

Dannen carried out interviews and put collectively a suggestion that was ready for Sprinkle as soon as the Utah State season got here to an finish. The uncertainty was whether or not Sprinkle would settle for it and take the job not realizing who his boss could be.

But the draw of teaching in an influence convention was an excessive amount of to show down. Sprinkle spent 4 seasons as the pinnacle coach at his alma mater of Montana State earlier than taking the pinnacle job in Logan. Sprinkle has coached within the NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons, incomes again-to-again bids his ultimate two seasons at Montana State earlier than guiding Utah State to an sudden bid this season.

Sprinkle additionally has vital 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 protection: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)