The Washington Huskies women’s basketball team seems primed to continue its resurgence under head coach Tina Langley.
Since the former Rice Owls head coach was hired ahead of the 2021-22 season, the Huskies have steadily progressed and have returned back to the NCAA tournament the last two seasons, the first time the program has made consecutive March Madnesses since 2016-17.
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This past March, Washington won its first NCAA tournament game since 2017 before ultimately falling in overtime in the Round of 32 to the TCU Horned Frogs.
This offseason, the Huskies have re-tooled their roster while retaining their top talent and could very well be a Big Ten conference contender this upcoming season.
While the current team is preparing for a season that will likely be filled with expectations, a former guard that was a key part of Washington’s rebuild has been looking for another year of college ball.
Hannah Stines was one of the many student-athletes from the Class of 2022 that pursued legal action against the NCAA in efforts of being granted a fifth year under the NCAA’s new eligibility rules.
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Stines was granted a fifth-year of eligibility due to a ruling at the end of July by a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado that provided a class-wide injunction against the NCAA.
This change spanned multi-sports and allowed Stines, along with football players Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei and Grady Gross, a fifth year of eligibility.
Since then, the 10th District Appeals court filed a stay against the injunction, resulting in many players, such as Uiagalelei and Gross, unable to practice.
However, players who followed suit in their respective states, such as Stines, were exempt from the class-wide ruling and still eligible to pursue a fifth year.
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Stines averaged 6.8 points on 37.2% shooting from the floor last season in 33 games (32 starts). She also averaged 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per contest.
Despite Stines being granted that fifth year, there was still question over whether or not she would return to the team. She was a part of Langley’s first recruiting class as head coach and started 98 of 130 games played in her career at UW.
But, since her graduation, the team has acquired several players in the transfer portal, including those who matched Stines’ role with the team.
When Stines was on Montlake, she operated as a secondary point guard on the court, often capable of taking over point guard responsibilities when first-team All-Big Ten guard Sayvia Sellers was subbed out, or helping run the offense when Sellers was prioritizing scoring.
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Langley and UW acquired Colorado State transfer Brooke Carlson in the transfer portal, who has a similar skill set to Stines.
The current build of Washington’s roster has reportedly led to Stines opting to play her fifth year elsewhere. According to a post on “X” from Talia Goodman of On3 Sports on Aug. 20, the 5-foot-11 guard has opted to enter the transfer portal.
