Washington Huskies Men’s Basketball Portal Notebook: Beasley and Watts Commit, Stewart Watch Intensifies
Washington lands its starting backcourt general and its primary frontcourt target. The latest on Jaylin Stewart and the remaining names on Danny Sprinkle’s board.
UPDATE - 4/22, 12:52 p.m., Texas Tech transfer forward LeJuan Watts announced his commitment to Washington.
The portal window officially closed on Tuesday. That doesn’t mean the roster is done — players who entered before the deadline can still sign through the spring — but the pool of available names is now fixed. With the back-to-back commitments of Ryan Beasley on Monday and LeJuan Watts on Wednesday, Washington finally has a clear identity after a chaotic two weeks. and Washington finally has some shape after a chaotic two weeks. Here’s where things stand.
Beasley Solves the Point Guard Problem — for No
Ryan Beasley committed to Washington on Monday, and he fills the single biggest hole on Huskies Head Coach Danny Sprinkle’s board: a starting floor general.
The 5-11 senior out of USF was Second Team All-WCC this past season, averaging 13.6 points, 4.0 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals while starting 31 games for the Dons. He’s logged 90 games over three seasons playing in the WCC. The production is solid without being spectacular, and the 32.7% from deep may be concerning at the guard position.
Beasley is the floor, not the ceiling, for this roster. If UW can land a second backcourt piece that can score at a higher level, Beasley slides into a true distributor role and becomes a better fit. If Sprinkle can’t close another guard, Beasley may be asked to carry more of the scoring load, which isn’t necessarily his strength.
Either way, it’s a meaningful win for Sprinkle — after losing Zoom Diallo to Kentucky and JJ Mandaquit to Arizona in the span of two weeks, just having an experienced starting point guard locked in is a meaningful win.
Watts Locks Down the Frontcourt
LeJuan Watts made it official on Wednesday morning, committing to Washington and ending a high-stakes recruitment for the Texas Tech transfer.
The 6-6 forward is versatile and physically imposing. Watts is coming off a season where he averaged 11.8 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, proving to be one of the most well-rounded forwards in the portal.
The fit was natural from the start. His brother, DeSean Watts, joined the UW football program earlier this year, and the Fresno connection with assistant Quincy Pondexter may have been the ultimate closer. With Watts in the fold, the Huskies have a Day 1 starter who can facilitate from the post, rebound, and provide veteran leadership
The Stewart Watch
Jaylin Stewart is the name I’m tracking most closely this week.
A Garfield High alum and top-60 recruit out of high school, Stewart spent the last three seasons at UConn, averaging four points in 16-18 minutes a night for the blue blood program. While his numbers may be modest, Stewart was a reliable contributor for UConn, a team loaded with talent. Washington offers him an excellent fit, as he would likely occupy the starting wing spot for the Huskies.
There’s mutual interest. Sources tell me UW reached out early, and Stewart’s camp is engaged. His stepfather posted “We got a busy week lined up” on X on Tuesday — the kind of social-media breadcrumb that doesn’t confirm anything on its own but lines up with what I’m hearing on the back end. Sources have also indicated that Washington has been active on the visit front more broadly, which tracks with a player whose hometown ties and profile make him a priority.
The caveat worth stating plainly: mutual interest isn’t a commitment, and a player with Stewart’s combination of pedigree is going to draw heavy competition. If Sprinkle does close this one, it would be a statement that this staff can still land hometown talent at a national level.
New Intel: Bryson Smith
Washburn transfer Bryson Smith is receiving interest from Washington, a source tells SeaTown Sports. The 6-2 guard started all 33 games for the D-II Ichabods this past season, averaging 11.3 points and 3.2 assists with 50 steals and 19 double-figure outings.
One important flag: Smith is seeking a waiver for a fifth year. There’s been plenty of chatter about a broader fifth-year-of-eligibility waiver shaking loose for some portal players, but nothing’s been granted yet, and any program pursuing Smith has to budget for the possibility that the waiver doesn’t come through. The D-II to D-I jump also doesn’t always translate cleanly. This is a situational add — depth and backcourt defense, not a headliner.
Dipping Into the JUCO Pool
Another wrinkle worth tracking: a source tells SeaTown Sports that Washington may expand its search into the JUCO ranks, and one name to watch is Zaheem Jackson.
Jackson, a 6-3 guard out of Baton Rouge, earned All-Conference honors at Kishwaukee College (Illinois) this past season after averaging 15.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game in AAC play.
Still on the Board
A quick status check on the names I’m still tracking with confirmed UW interest:
Mikey Lewis (Saint Mary’s) — Visited Washington on April 5, then followed up with visits to Vanderbilt and Oregon.
Tijan Saine (Weber State) — 17.5 PPG last season, Mariner High School alum (Everett). UW reached out early; the response has been warm.
Tyler Mrus (BYU) — 6-7 wing, Bothell native, Seattle Prep alum. Shot nearly 38% from three at Idaho. One year of eligibility remaining.
Mason Williams (Iowa State) — O’Dea alum, former Eastern Washington standout. Missed this past season with a hip injury. The medical history matters, but a 37% career three-point shooter with Pacific Northwest roots is worth pursuing.
Isaiah Elohim (FAU) — Former four-star out of Sierra Canyon. Pondexter overlapped with Elohim at USC in the 2024-25 season. Modest production, but the pedigree keeps him on the radar.
Prophet Johnson (Sacramento State) — Same waiver flag as Bryson Smith. Pursue, but don’t count on it until it’s granted.
The Roster Math
A scoring wing — This is where the Jaylin Stewart pursuit becomes critical. If Sprinkle can land the UConn transfer, the starting five transforms into a legitimate Big Ten threat.
Backcourt depth — With Beasley locked in, the Huskies still need another guard who can defend and provide scoring relief off the bench.
Frontcourt rotation — Watts is the centerpiece, but the Huskies still need a traditional rim protector to bolster the depth behind him, especially with Franck Kepnang in the portal.
Potential Targets
Names I’m watching where I don’t have confirmed contact between UW and the player’s camp:
Niko Bundalo (Ole Miss) — Bundalo entered the portal Tuesday night, hours before the deadline, after a freshman season that never got off the ground at Ole Miss (0.5 points in 11 games, never more than eight minutes in a single outing). This is the name that matters most in this group: Bundalo was originally committed to Washington before decommitting and flipping to Ole Miss last spring. The 6-10 former McDonald’s All-American has three years of eligibility remaining, a pre-existing relationship with the UW staff, and now an incentive to find a situation where he can actually play. If Sprinkle gets back in early, this is a frontcourt swing worth taking.
Semetri Carr (Cal) — Carr is worth tracking: UW was one of his offers coming out of Redwood HS in Northern California before he chose the Bears, and the relationship predates the portal. He’s a 6-1 true point guard who appeared in 23 games as a freshman in the ACC.
Tounde Yessoufou (Baylor) — Yessoufou also entered the portal Tuesday night, hours before the deadline, while simultaneously going through the NBA Draft process. Washington was involved with Yessoufou’s high school recruitment, before he ultimately chose Baylor. His numbers are elite: 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game as a freshman. UCLA is one of the named leaders, and realistically, he’s likely headed to a blue blood or straight to the pros. He’s a name to put on the board even if the odds are long.
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
Gavin Sykes (Long Beach State) — Visited Virginia Tech, then TCU. No buzz around Washington at this stage.
Rob Lee Jr. (Lamar)— Transferred to Western Michigan.
Jaylen Petty (Texas Tech) — Transferred to UCLA.
Braeden Smith (Gonzaga) — Transferred to Notre Dame.
Daniel Freitag (Buffalo) — Transferred to Oregon State.
Drew Fielder (Boise State) — Transferred to Alabama.
TJ Burch (Wright State) — Transferred to Utah.