Washington Huskies Men’s Basketball 2021-22 Player Preview
Herb Nightengale
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It’s a new season and almost a completely new team that will take the court for the Washington Huskies in 2021-22. Here is our player preview.
The Washington Huskies overhauled their roster since last season. They had to. It was easily the worst year of Mike Hopkins‘ four-year tenure at Washington as the team went 4-16 in the Pac-12 and 5-21 overall. This was maybe one of the worst in the program’s history.
Washington lost their first eight Pac-12 games before back-to-back wins over Colorado and Utah. The Huskies then dropped five straight. It looked as if UW was going to rally and end the season strong when they won two of three (Washington State and USC). Unfortunately, they limped to the finish line, concluding the regular season on a three-game skid, including a one-point loss at Arizona.
The Seattle University Redhawks, UW’s in-city rival that they beat every year, was their only non-conference win. Losing to eventual National Champion Baylor is understandable. The losses to mid-majors UC Riverside, and Montana, who won 29 games combined, are baffling. It’s a big reason why only four players returned to the team this year.
Out the Door
The Huskies lost six players who entered the transfer portal after last season’s big fail. The biggest loss was Quade Green. A senior, he could have come back to Washington because of the extra season of eligibility granted to all players due to COVID. Instead, the guard decided to turn pro.
Easily the Huskies best player, Green averaged 15.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists last year His production will be missed. Other key players finding new homes include guards Erik Stevenson (South Carolina), and Marcus Tsohonis (Virginia Commonwealth), and forward Hameir Wright (North Texas).
That’s the past. It’s a new day and team, let’s meet the 2021-22 Huskies.
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