Washington tabs Utah State's Danny Sprinkle as next head coach
The search for the next head coach at Washington brought the program to Utah State. Danny Sprinkle was named the Huskies' 20th head coach in men's basketball program history Monday after the Pullman native guided the Aggies to an NCAA Tournament berth and first round victory last week.
Sprinkle, who spent just one season in Logan, helped Utah State earn the regular season title in the Mountain West Conference helping the team secure a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
USU knocked off ninth-seeded TCU before falling to No. 1 seed Purdue over the weekend in Indianapolis.
"I want to express my sincere gratitude to President Cauce and the athletic department leadership for entrusting me to lead the men's basketball program at this world-class institution," Sprinkle said in a statement announcing the move. "It was going to take something special for me to leave Logan, and the University of Washington was it. The university means a great deal to our family and I am excited to return to my home state.
"With a strong commitment to excellence and incredible fan support, we will recruit exceptional young men who will take pride in wearing the purple and gold, who will win championships and who will leave UW with an impressive degree. I am excited to get started and to be a part of such a special place."
Prior to his brief but successful stint at Utah State, Sprinkle led his alma mater, Montana State, to two NCAA Tournament appearances and back-to-back seasons with at least 25 victories. He was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year in 2022 and garnered that same honor this season in the MWC.
He heads to UW with 109 career victories as a head coach.
"Simply put, Coach Sprinkle is a winner," said UW interim athletic director Erin O'Connell in a statement released by the school. "He won as a high school player, as a collegiate student-athlete, as an assistant coach, and then at both stops as a head coach, including the recent regular season conference championship at Utah State.
"But beyond his coaching acumen is his ability to connect with student-athletes, develop them into outstanding young men and basketball players and embrace the community around him. 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."
Sprinkle has been a head coach since 2019 and began his career at Cal State Northridge as an assistant in 2000. He then went on to become an assistant at Montana State before returning to Northridge as an assistant in 2008. The new Huskies coach was an assistant at Cal State Fullerton before heading back to Bozeman to take over at his alma mater.
Sprinkle has ties back to Montlake with his dad, Bill, having played in the secondary for the Huskies' football team from 1965-68.
"We're very excited to welcome Danny Sprinkle to the University of Washington," UW president Ana Mari Cauce said. "He's someone who brings a great track record as a head coach and from our conversations I know he's committed to our Huskies succeeding on and off the court. He's a great fit for the culture we have at the UW, plus he comes from a Husky family, and I can't wait to see him on the sidelines in Alaska Airlines Arena,"
