5 minute read
Meet Danny Sprinkle
Former Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year becomes 20th UW men’s head coach
BY GOHUSKIES.COM
Danny Sprinkle was named the 20th Head Men's Basketball Coach at the University of Washington, Interim Director of Athletics Erin O'Connell announced on March 25.
Sprinkle was recently named the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the 2023-24 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year after leading Utah State to a MWC regular season championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
“Simply put, Coach Sprinkle is a winner,” said O'Connell. “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 reins of our men's basketball program.”
Sprinkle has coached a team in the last three NCAA Tournaments, guiding 20th-ranked Utah State to a first-round win this season after clinching consecutive berths at Montana State.
In his one season in Logan, Sprinkle led the Aggies to an impressive 28-7 record, including 14-4 in conference play, winning the regular season championship. Utah State received an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament and won its first tournament game since 2001, defeating TCU. During his time at Utah State, Sprinkle helped develop Great Osobor into the Mountain West Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, Josh Uduje into the Co-Sixth Man of the Year and Ian Martinez into an Honorable Mention AllConference player.
“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,” said Sprinkle. “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 tenure at Utah State, Sprinkle served as the head coach at Montana State for four seasons, accumulating an 81-43 record and leading the Bobcats to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 2022 and 2023. Montana State won the Big Sky regular season championship in 2022 and won the postseason conference tournament in both 2022 and 2023. The consecutive 25-win seasons had not been achieved at Montana State since 1927-29.
Simply put, Coach Sprinkle is a winner,” said Erin O'Connell. 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.
For his success at Montana State, Sprinkle was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year in 2022, as well as a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award, presented annually to the top Division I mid-major coach in the country.
“We’re very excited to welcome Danny Sprinkle to the University of Washington. 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,” said President Ana Mari Cauce.
Before taking the helm at Montana State, Sprinkle served as an assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge (twice) and at Montana State. He was part of NCAA Tournament teams at Fullerton (2018) and at Cal State Northridge (2001 and 2009), with CSUN winning conference championships in both of those seasons.
Born in Pullman, Wash., Sprinkle earned allstate honors twice in basketball as a student at Helena (Montana) High School, while also competing in football and track and field.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in health and human development from Montana State in 2000.
Sprinkle is the son of former UW football defensive back, Bill Sprinkle, who played for the Huskies from 1965-68.
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