Washington Huskies Face Major Roster Exodus as Two More Forwards Depart

The Washington Huskies men's basketball program is experiencing another wave of roster departures as two key forwards have officially left the team for the upcoming 2026-27 season.

Sophomore forward Bryson Tucker, a former five-star recruit who transferred from Indiana just last season, announced his intention to enter the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday. The decision came one day after Tucker was quietly removed from the Huskies' official roster listing on the athletic department website.

Tucker's departure represents a significant blow to coach Danny Sprinkle's rebuilding efforts. The talented forward showed flashes of brilliance during his lone season in Seattle, starting 14 games and appearing in 21 total contests. His season began promisingly with a double-double performance against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, recording 12 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes of action.

However, Tucker's campaign was derailed by an ankle injury sustained during a 78-69 loss at Baylor on November 9, which sidelined him for over a month. Upon his return in mid-December against Southern Utah, Tucker gradually worked his way back into the starting rotation, eventually reclaiming a starting spot in early January during an 81-74 victory over Ohio State.

Joining Tucker in his exit is freshman forward Hannes Steinbach, who has also been removed from the 2026-27 roster despite not making an official announcement. The 6-foot-11 German native enjoyed a stellar debut season, earning All-Freshman-Team honors and third team All-Big Ten recognition.

Steinbach's statistical production was exceptional, leading the team with averages of 18.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. His 353 total rebounds led the entire Big Ten Conference, finishing 41 boards ahead of his nearest competitor. The Würzburg native's recent signing with Excel Sports Management strongly suggests he will follow Tucker into the NBA Draft process.

These latest departures add to an already significant exodus from the Huskies roster. Three guards have previously announced their transfers: freshmen JJ Mandaquit and Courtland Muldrew, along with sophomore Zoom Diallo. The massive roster turnover leaves coach Sprinkle with limited returning talent for next season.

Currently, only two guards remain from the previous roster: junior Wesley Yates III and walk-on sophomore Brandon Roy Jr. Yates III, who began his career at Washington before transferring to USC and then returning, averaged 12.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 25 starts this past season.

The frontcourt situation appears more stable, with center Franck Kepnang expected to return for what would be his seventh season of college basketball. The former Oregon transfer started 25 games this past season despite battling through multiple career-threatening injuries.

Joining Kepnang in the projected frontcourt are junior center Lathan Sommerville, senior forward Mady Traore, sophomore Nikola Dzepina, and freshman Jasir Rencher. However, the loss of both Tucker and Steinbach will require multiple transfer portal additions to field a competitive roster.

With the transfer portal officially opening soon, Sprinkle faces the challenging task of rebuilding yet another roster in what has become an annual tradition for the Washington program.