Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Washington assistant coach Tony Bland is expected to be hired in the same role at the University of Kansas. The Jayhawks have had a staff opening since May when long-time assistant Norm Roberts announced his retirement.
Bland was hired as one of the first new members of Washington’s coaching staff under Danny Sprinkle when he took the job in the spring of 2024. Bland had been out of college basketball for several years before coming to Washington after being involved in the FBI scandal that rocked the sport at the time. The idea of coaches serving jail time or being suspended for years for helping to funnel payments of a few thousand dollars though now seems incredibly outdated in a world where star players are making several million dollars per year while in college through NIL payments.
The Huskies had a top recruiting class both in the high school ranks and in the portal this past offseason but none of those recruitments were directly attributed to Bland at least publicly. Bland is known for his deep ties to the Southern California region.
It’s late enough in the offseason that it would not be surprising to see Washington wait to make a full-time assistant hire until after the season. One potential short-term option would be to re-promote long-time staffer Jerry Hobbie. Under Mike Hopkins, Jerry Hobbie started as a special assistant to the head coach but was later promoted to an assistant role. Hobbie was the lone holdover on the staff when Danny Sprinkle took over. However, Hobbie was once again moved into the special assistant role this offseason after Quincy Pondexter was re-hired.
That would represent a lot of back and forth movement for Hobbie but would make the most sense if they aren’t able to keep the chain going and poach someone right away. I’m sure there will be speculation until the role is ultimately filled about whether a reunion with Will Conroy may be in the cards. Washington has already taken heavily from USC this offseason with Quincy Pondexter returning to Seattle along with players Wesley Yates III and Desmond Claude. It doesn’t appear that Pondexter felt any ill will towards Sprinkle after not being retained upon his hire and we’ll (maybe) see if Conroy feels the same way.
On the court, Washington is preparing for one of the more highly anticipated seasons in a long time with a new-look roster that includes an infusion of talent at every position.
