For a moment, Danny Sprinkle felt like he was 25 years younger when he starred on the basketball court as a record-setting three-point specialist at Montana State.
A crowded conference room of 200 or so spectators inside Alaska Airlines Arena — filled with Sprinkle’s parents and sister, former Husky stars Eldridge Recasner and Spencer Hawes, a handful of current UW players and athletics staff, including football coach Jedd Fisch and women’s basketball coach Tina Langley — watched with anticipation as the school’s newest men’s basketball coach arrived on the scene.
With the Husky band blaring, Sprinkle smiled as he walked past dancing UW cheerleaders and high-fived UW’s mascot Harry before strolling to the front of the room.
“It was awesome,” Sprinkle said. “It was almost like going through the tunnel at games. You just have tunnel vision. I was just trying to get to the table and sit down. But it was awesome. You feel the passion and excitement. I wish everybody could experience something like that.”
After taking a seat next to UW deputy athletic director Erin O’Connell, Sprinkle, who wore a dark suit, purple tie and purple W lapel pin, made sure to clarify a point about his birthplace to the pro-Husky audience.
“I’m from Montana, despite what you may have read in the paper, and I’m very proud of that,” he said. “I’m not from Pullman. I was born in Pullman, that’s it. I didn’t have a choice where I was born, and my dad is still pissed off about it.
“The only reason I was born in Pullman was because there wasn’t a hospital in Moscow, Idaho, when he was coaching at the University of Idaho. So, it was kind of by default. But I take immense pride in being from Montana and representing those people.”
Sprinkle’s comments drew the biggest laugh during a 30-minute news conference that felt at times like a festive celebration complete with purple and gold balloons, Champagne and party snacks.
As first impressions go, the stubble-chinned Sprinkle was a hit.
“Very excited,” Hawes said. “It’s a dawn of a new era. I love his ability to turn around programs and how he’s done it on an abbreviated time crunch. He’s one of our own. I just can’t wait to see him get it going.”
Two days prior, Sprinkle signed a six-year, $22.1 million contract after guiding Utah State to an incredible 28-7 season during his first year with the Aggies.
Wednesday’s introduction gave Sprinkle an opportunity to lay out his vision for Husky basketball and perhaps clear up any misconceptions about the apparent 47-year-old wunderkind, who was one of the hottest coaching candidates on the market.
Contrary to popular belief, he’s not an overnight success despite bursting on the national scene following three straight trips to the NCAA tournament, which started with two Big Dance appearances with his alma mater, Montana State.
“The last five years have just flown by,” said Sprinkle, who spent 19 years as an assistant at Cal State Northridge, Montana State and Cal State Fullerton. “What people don’t understand is five years ago today, I was living in a one-bedroom apartment in Brea, California. Like nobody understands that. They just kind of see Montana State and Utah State, and I’m all here. They think I’ve just kind of been handed stuff. I haven’t been handed nothing. And I’m proud of that. I don’t want to be handed anything.
“It’s how I work and it’s what my family is built with. It’s blue collar and that’s not going to change. And you know, I’m proud of that. Has it come fast? Yeah, but I’ve been dreaming about stuff.”
In five seasons as a head coach, Sprinkle is 109-50.
He won a Big Sky Conference regular season and two tournament titles in his four seasons at Montana State. During a one-and-done year at Utah State, the Aggies won their first outright Mountain West regular-season title and advanced to the second round of the 2024 NCAA tournament.
“It’s not just me, it’s the staff that I’ve put around myself and really setting a standard and expectation,” Sprinkle said. “This is what we’re going to do and there’s no budging. Like, here’s the line and that’s it. If you go over the line, there’s repercussions for it. But I think our culture, every year I’ve been a head coach, has been tremendous.”
Speaking of his UW staff, Sprinkle hopes to bring Andy Hill — who served as his associate head coach at Utah State — with him to Seattle, assuming Hill doesn’t fill the head-coaching vacancy with the Aggies.
“Other than that, there’s a process I’ve got to go through and we’re still going through that process as we go,” Sprinkle said. “I know it’s going to hopefully move pretty fast because we’ve got to continue to put a roster together.”
Freshmen Wesley Yates III and Franck Kepnang were among UW players in attendance Wednesday.
When asked what he wants to see from Sprinkle, Kepnang said: “What anybody wants to see. I want to see him walk like he talks. I want to see his actions. That’s how you learn about anybody. … What I’ve seen, he seems like a good guy.”
Good guy doesn’t begin to describe Sprinkle, said former Husky RaeQuan Battle, who spent two years at Montana State playing for Sprinkle after a two-year stint at Washington under former UW coach Mike Hopkins.
Battle drove to Seattle from Marysville and made sure to be on hand with his mother Jacquie for Sprinkle’s big day.
“He supported me when I was at my lowest, and I want to support him when he’s at his highest,” Battle said. “It’s the least I could do. He opened my eyes to a lot of things. He treats me like a son, and I look up to him like a father figure. He’s a great coach and a great friend.”
For those getting acquainted with Sprinkle, Battle said: “He’s work-driven. That’s all he does is live, breathe and sleep basketball to be successful on his end and for others to have success. That’s why I love and respect the man.”
When told later how Battle described him, Sprinkle got emotional for the third time during a long, exhausting day.
“I haven’t slept for about three weeks,” Sprinkle said. “I have an Oura ring, and it’s literally about two hours [of sleep] a night. My mind can’t turn off right now. … That’s probably why every coach is sick of this time of the year, but you’ve got to find a way to get through it.”
Admittedly, Sprinkle has a lot to do during his first days at Washington, which starts with building a staff and roster and learning about his new home.
“My first impression just meeting people around here is: I’m surrounded by elite people,” he said. “Whether it’s in the football program, golf or the administration, everything is so high level. That’s what impressed me.”
Note
Washington is scheduled to play in the Acrisure Invitational in Palm Springs, Calif., on Thanksgiving Day. The Huskies are in a four-team pod that includes TCU, Colorado State and Santa Clara.
Official matchups are to be determined in the tournament, which will include 12 men’s and six women’s teams.
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