Diallo Picks Kentucky
Diallo became the second UW player to officially leave the program as he committed to Kentucky earlier tonight. Mandaquit transferred to Arizona a few days ago.
Diallo, a top 50 consensus recruit in 2024, showed significant improvement in year two as both a scorer and facilitator. The 6-4 guard was second on the team in scoring at 15.7 points and led the squad in assists with 4.5 a game.
“Growing up, it was always a dream of mine to play for UW. Being able to wear ‘Washington’ across my chest is something I’ll never take for granted,” Diallo wrote when he entered the portal. “I want to thank the University of Washington for the opportunity. I’m thankful for all the memories and relationships I built during my time here. I especially appreciate Coach Sprinkle for believing in me and helping me grow on and off the court.
Diallo is Kentucky’s first transfer in 2026 and is expected to be the Wildcats starting point guard. UK has seen five of its seven players who entered the portal find a new home.
Huskies Recruiting
Sprinkle projects to add at least five to seven more players this offseason. The backcourt should be the Huskies’ priority as they have been gutted there. However, the Huskies also need to add to the frontcourt, potentially looking for a rim-runner and a big man who can stretch the floor.
Sprinkle will likely look to add veterans in the transfer portal. Per Tomashoff, Washington has recently hosted Texas Tech forward LeJuan Watts and Boise State forward Drew Fielder.
While Sprinkle does not have any commits from the class of 2026, he could legitimately have another shot at five-star point guard Dylan Mingo. Mingo, who decommitted from UNC after the Tar Heels fired Hubert Davis, had UW in his final four schools.
“After the North Carolina Tar Heels fired coach Hubert Davis at the end of the season and replaced him with former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone, the 6-foot-5 guard from Long Island Lutheran High School in New York, who is ranked as the No. 5 player in the nation by the 247Sports Composite, chose to back off of his pledge and reopen his recruitment,” Tomashoff said. “Mingo, who holds 21 offers, initially chose the Tar Heels out of a final four that also included Baylor, Penn State, and Washington, and the Bears and Huskies should be quickly expected to rejoin the mix. However, after his older brother, Kayden, entered the transfer portal after one season with the Nittany Lions, coach Mike Rhodes’ team might be out of the running.”
