First Domino Falls: Husky Guard Courtland Muldrew Heads for Transfer Portal
It didn't take long. Just 19 days after Washington's season ended, freshman guard Courtland Muldrew became the first player to enter the transfer portal, putting an exclamation point on what has been a rough stretch for Danny Sprinkle's program. The 6-foot-3 guard from Arkansas announced the move on Tuesday, and honestly, the surprise isn't that someone left. It's that it took this long in the era of constant roster churn.
From Five-Star Recruit to Backup: How It Fell Apart
Here's the thing about Muldrew: he showed up at Washington as Arkansas' all-time leading high school scorer. He turned down heavy recruitment from his home state and coach John Calipari at Arkansas to play for Sprinkle. "Sprinkle has been loyal to me," Muldrew said back in October. "I was the first commit here. Me being the first commit, I felt it was big time. I just wanted to stay loyal." Well, loyalty only goes so far when you can't crack the rotation. Muldrew appeared in 20 games this season with just one start for a 16-17 team that clearly struggled to find answers.
Late-Season Flashes Weren't Enough
The freshman sat out 13 of the first 25 games, buried in the rotation behind older guards. But when injuries piled up and the roster thinned to eight players, Muldrew finally got his chance and actually looked good. Over the final eight games, he drew significant minutes and seemed to flourish. He matched his season-high of 9 points on three separate occasions, including a 9-point performance where he and forward Nikola Dzepina combined for 14 of the Huskies' final 16 points in a 91-72 win over USC. That game, he also added a season-best 3 steals. But a late-season surge wasn't enough to convince him to stay. Muldrew's strengths were his quickness and athleticism, which Sprinkle complimented repeatedly. The problem? His outside shot never came together, hitting just 4 of 19 from three.
More Changes Coming
Muldrew was one of five freshmen Sprinkle brought in this season. Of that group, forward Hannes Steinbach is expected to enter the NBA Draft, swingman Jaris Rencher is recovering from heart issues, and guard JJ Mandaquit is coming off foot surgery. The portal is about to get crowded in Seattle.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.