Portal Haul: Washington Lands Venters & Friedrichsen, Targets Next Wave
UW basketball adds sharpshooters Steele Venters and Parker Friedrichsen. Latest on Braeden Smith’s visit, Zoom Diallo’s exit, and a full list of transfer portal targets.
The transfer portal is in high gear, and the Washington Huskies are moving aggressively to rebuild a depleted roster. Here is the latest pulse on the Huskies’ portal movement as of Wednesday night, April 15.
Washington Lands Venters and Friedrichsen
The Huskies jump-started their recruiting class this week with two major backcourt additions. On Sunday, Washington secured Davidson’s Parker Friedrichsen. They followed that up on Wednesday evening by landing a commitment from Gonzaga’s Steele Venters.
Parker Friedrichsen (Davidson) - Guard, 6-4
Washington’s first portal commitment of the offseason is a 6-4, 200 lb guard from Bixby, Oklahoma. Friedrichsen, who will be a senior next fall, committed to Washington following a weekend visit to Montlake. After spending two seasons at Wake Forest and one at Davidson, Friedrichsen brings valuable experience. He averaged 10.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 1.4 APG last season while shooting a blistering 40.5% from deep. He projects as a premier long-range threat for the Huskies.
Steele Venters (Gonzaga) - Forward, 6-7
The Huskies doubled down on shooting by securing the Ellensburg native. Venters moves across the state after a stint with the Zags and three standout seasons at Eastern Washington, where he earned Big Sky Player of the Year honors in 2023. With career averages of 11.4 PPG and a 39.6% three-point clip, Venters provides veteran leadership and elite floor-spacing on the wing.
UW Men's Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker - 2026
Most recent update: Steele Venters Commits to Washington (Apr. 15)
Visit Watch: Braeden Smith Reportedly Visiting Washington
Braeden Smith (Gonzaga) - Guard, 6-0
As one former Zag just committed to Washington, another one might be right behind him. I previewed last week that Washington was likely targeting Smith after the Gonzaga guard announced entering the transfer portal. Smith, a former Seattle Prep standout and Colgate star, is visiting Washington, according to a report from 247 Sports’ Jack McCauley.
The Huskies are desperate for a floor general, and Smith fits the bill perfectly. A former Patriot League Player of the Year, he is a high-IQ distributor who would likely slide into the starting point guard spot immediately.
The Backcourt Exodus
The portal giveth, and it taketh away. Washington saw two significant departures this week:
Zoom Diallo: The hometown hero officially signed with Kentucky on Wednesday. While losing a talent like Diallo (15.7 PPG, 4.5 APG) is a blow to the program’s local optics, the Huskies are pivoting quickly to veteran replacements.
JJ Mandaquit: The freshman guard committed to Arizona on Monday, further thinning the returning backcourt depth.
Confirmed Targets
Guards
Mikey Lewis, G (Saint Mary’s): After visiting Washington on Sunday, Lewis headed to Oregon. He averaged 13.9 PPG and shot 36.8% from three last season.
Mason Williams (Iowa State): As I highlighted last weekend, it was likely that Washington had Williams on its board as soon as he entered the portal. According to the Portal Report, Washington is one of the schools showing interest in Williams. The O’Dea alum and former Eastern Washington standout is a high-priority homecoming target. Despite a hip injury last year, his 37% career three-point average makes him an ideal replacement for lost scoring.
Gavin Sykes (Long Beach State): The Big West Freshman of the Year (19.4 PPG) is one of the most coveted scorers available .According to The Athletic’s Tobias Bass, Washington is showing interest in Sykes. He is doing Zooms with schools before setting up visits. The Huskies will obviously want to get him on campus.
Tijan Saine (Weber State): Before the portal opening, I highlighted Saine as a potential target for the Huskies. Washington eventually reached out to Saine last Sunday, expressing their interest in potentially bringing him back to the Northwest, where he attended Mariner High School in Everett. Saine exploded for 17.5 ppg at Weber State. He would provide immediate veteran leadership and experience to the Huskies.
Jake Hall (New Mexico): The Mountain West Freshman of the Year is a lethal shooter, averaging 16.4 PPG on 43.8% from beyond the arc.
Isaiah Elohim (FAU): A four-star prospect out of high school, Elohim blossmed at FAU after a stint at USC. He averaged 12.4 PPG and 4.2 RPG this past season.
Daniel Freitag (Buffalo): Freitag exploded at Buffalo last season after transferring from Wisconsin. The 6-2 guard averaged 19.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 3.8 APG.
Forwards and Centers
LeJuan Watts (Texas Tech): Watts remains a priority target for Washington after visiting the Huskies on Saturday (Apr. 11). He is a battle-tested and high-motor forward who averaged 11.8 PPG, 6 RPG, and 2.4 APG in the Big 12 last season.
Drew Fielder, C (Boise State): A stretch-five who shot 40.9% from three last season. He is set to visit Washington following a trip to Nebraska.
TJ Burch (Wright State): A defensive specialist and the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year. He averaged 12.4 PPG and led his league in steals.
Tyler Mrus (BYU): The Huskies are looking at Tyler Mrus, a Seattle Prep graduate entering his final year of eligibility. Prior to his transfer to BYU, Mrus started 31 games at Idaho, where he averaged 9.7 PPG and shot 38% from three-point range.
Franck Kepnang (Washington): Kepnang announced he is entering the portal on Tuesday (Apr. 14) with “the possibility of wearing the Purple and Gold one last time.”
Likely Targets
Isaiah Watts (Maryland): The grandson of Sonics legend Slick Watts is back in the portal. After a rotational role at Maryland, the Seattle native and former WSU standout is a prime candidate to provide backcourt depth and local energy for his final year of eligibility.
Off the Board
Players Washington targeted, but have committed elsewhere or are not visiting Washington
Commitments: Zoom Diallo (Kentucky); Jaylen Petty (UCLA)
Not visiting Washington as of now: Tylen Riley (Tulsa); Cruz Davis (Hofstra); Ice Emery (Cleveland State)