The final buzzer marked the University of Washington’s 84–74 loss to Iowa, but the bad news didn’t stop there.
After the game, head coach Danny Sprinkle explained that freshman point guard JJ Mandaquit was absent and said the foot injury he’s dealing with will likely sideline him for the rest of the season.
Soon after, Sprinkle was asked about the status of freshman swingman Jasir Rencher and delivered another blow, disclosing that Rencher has a heart condition that has also likely brought his season to an early end.
“It’s alarming,” the UW coach said. “I can’t stop it. I don’t know what to do.”
Of the 16 players on the roster, only three of them — Zoom Diallo, Franck Kepnang and Quimari Peterson — have played in all 23 games for this Husky team (12-11 overall, 4-8 Big Ten), which has imploded because of health setbacks.
Sprinkle could have up to four players who are lost for the season with injuries or ailments in 6-foot-11 junior center Mady Traore (foot), 6-foot-6 senior guard Desmond Claude, Mandaquit and Rencher. Plus the status of 6-foot-11 sophomore Christian Nitu is not clear, with the latter said to be redshirting.
“I’ve never been through anything like this,” the coach said. “In fact, in my first couple of years, we didn’t have an injury at all. We might have had a sprained ankle and a kid missed one game. I’ve never seen anything like what we’ve dealt with this year.”
Mandaquit originally injured his foot in the fall before the season began and he recovered to the point he could play and he appeared in every outing until the Iowa game. However, his foot swelled up following the Illinois outing last week and he played only briefly against Northwestern on Saturday.
“My heart’s broke for that kid,” Sprinkle said. “He’s got a foot issue he’s dealing with that we’ll find out more. It’s looking right now that he’s out for the season. He’d been playing really well the last month and getting comfortable. He’d given us great minutes. He’s about all the right stuff. He’s a worker. It’s a shame.”
The 6-foot-1 Mandaquit from Hilo, Hawaii, started six of 22 games and averaged 5.2 points and 3.1 assists per game. He looked visibly upset before tipoff against Iowa, with his team warming up without him.
Rencher from Oakland, California, had appeared in eight games and averaged 3 points and 1.8 rebounds an outing, but the 6-foot-5 newcomer showed defensive capabilities with a couple of spectacular blocks.
Yet he last played against Indiana and has now missed nine consecutive games. The severity of his cardiac issue is unknown.
There’s nothing he can do or we can do about it,” Sprinkle said somberly. “Which is sad, because he was turning the corner.”
For this Husky team, players have sat out a collective 84 games dealing with injury.
