Washington Basketball: The Huskies are hoping for a Sprinkle of magic dust

How will this roster mesh with Sprinkle's recipe for success?

The success of Sprinkle's teams hasn't been typical in the three-ball era. If you look at his last couple of seasons at Montana State and last year at Utah State, two things stick out, their free throw per field goal rate how much work they do inside the three-point line, and how good they are at it. The one thing that Sprinkle teams have always been good at is the free throw rate.

All have his teams have ranked in the top 50 in that category, including his final two seasons at Montana State where the Bobcats finished 4th and 5th respectively. Another thing his teams have been good at over the last three years is their offense inside the three-point line. They have shot over 52% in the last three seasons and in his only year at Utah State, the Aggies shot 56.7% on two-point shots which was the 10th-best number in the country.

Being one of the best teams in the country in free throw rate is only good if you make the free throws. Last season Utah State averaged over 21 attempts per game but for the first time in Sprinkle's coaching career, his team finished outside the top 100 in free throw percentage. By in large his teams have been successful and the transfers coming in look to continue that, but they will have to improve some as they shot 68.2% as a group last season. Over the last three seasons, Sprinkle’s teams have been in the top 65 in two-point percentage and I expect that to be a major part of Washington’s offense this season.

The three-point shot has never been a big staple of Danny Sprinkle teams and even though Mason and Davis shoot more threes than the normal Sprinkle player, their offense should still be concentrated inside the arc. Last season the eight portal newcomers 51.4% on their two-point attempts which would have ranked 129th in the country. Washington has brought in some big talent, but there will need to be a Sprinkle of magic dust for the Huskies to become the type of team we’ve become accustomed to seeing under their new head coach.