Washington Huskies
head coach Danny Sprinkle has emphasized how much this year's team will be defined by how much the Huskies can share the ball. Without a well-defined top option offensively, and all three of the Huskies' post players gifted with plus passing ability - another point Sprinkle has made sure to mention - the ball has to find the best shots and the hot hand for Washington to be successful this season."We emphasize 'gold' shots. We're trying to get great shots," forward Steele Venters said after the game. "I think this system is just really good for us."
That was the case Monday night, as the Huskies finished with 23 assists as a team, with four players recording at least 4, tied a program record with 17 made threes, and would have
tied a Big Ten record for three-point attempts with 50 had Illinois not attempted 51 in their season opener against Fairleigh Dickinson last Monday. San Francisco transfer Ryan Beasley, who had a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double, also led the team with 6 assists as the Huskies whipped the ball around the arc in what may have been the best ball movement performance of Sprinkle's tenure.
5th triple of the night for @SteeleV24!
— Washington Men's Basketball (@UW_MBB) November 10, 2026
📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/W0zBe4LqJK
"I thought we made a bunch of 'one-mores' and I thought Mississippi Valley State's defense caused us to pass the ball, too," Sprinkle said after the game. "I thought they did a really good job for most of the game, closing out and playing in scrambles, and so they made us pass the ball and 'one-more' it. And then we have guys that...they know where to pass it before they're catching it. And it starts with Ryan Beasley and Tayshawn (Comer). I thought when you get that at the point guard spot, and guys know when they're open that they're going to get the basketball, it really helps."
Mississippi Valley State doubled the post after every entry pass on Monday as they tried to hedge against a size advantage, but bigs Nikola Dzepina, Lathan Sommerville, and Wini Braga Silva were able to quickly find outlet passes or get the ball to the backside, which freed up shooters for open looks. Even though that trio only combined for 3 assists in the game, they were responsible for probably 8-10 hockey assists, while Beasley, Comer, forward LeJuan Watts, and guard Wesley Yates III racked up the traditional assists.
"We knew this game, they were going to come double our post guys every time. We knew the backside was going to be open," Sprinkle said after the game. "I didn't think our cutters were as good as we needed, or we'd practiced, but proud of our post guys, because it's a hard game because you're not going to score. So them making some passes out of the post and being unselfish, allowing our guys to shoot those 50 threes, I was proud of them."
Transfers Venters and Parker Friedrichsen, both brought to Montlake for their shooting ability, camped out on that backside and combined to hit 10 triples on 24 attempts. Beasley, another prolific shooter at his previous stop, sunk 3 of his 9 attempts. Even with the nearly historic night from beyond the arc, however, Sprinkle said there was room for improvement.
"I liked the threes we were getting, and I know it's going to sound crazy, but we need to make more of them when we're that wide open," the head coach told the media after the game. "I thought we had 4 or 5 that were just kind of in and out too, when we were in rhythm. But, you know, I liked the quality of shots that we were getting. We let the ball find the open man. We didn't force too many, which is improvement for our team."
That should come as an optimistic takeaway from Monday's game, as the Huskies shot 34 percent from deep even with a few of those open misses. Combine that with a quiet game for Dzepina - just 3 points a week after scoring 27 against Colgate - and a poor shooting night for Yates, and it's clear this team has a ceiling they've yet to hit through two exhibitions and two regular season games.
Washington also has big man Mady Traore, another skilled shooter and passer, and Australian guard Tristan Devers - who Sprinkle said tested out as the team's best athlete this offseason - coming back from injuries (Sprinkle said Monday that both Traore and Devers were healthy but still need to earn their minutes, although Traore was on an exercise bike for most of the game).
Washington travels to Utah for an early-season road test on Saturday before returning to Alaska Airlines Arena to face Utah Tech next Thursday at 6:00 p.m. PT.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington basketball sets program record for 3-point attempts vs MVSU
