With each new University of Washington basketball commit now, the Huskies increasingly become a team without borders.
They are a FIBA pick-up game always waiting to happen.
In going global to rebuild Danny Sprinkle’s third team, his staff on Tuesday picked up a commitment from 6-foot-9 Croatian forward Boris Tisma — the third consecutive international player to agree to come to Montlake.
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Tisma, 24, is fresh from the Croatia Premier and Adriatic leagues. DraftExpress first reported this development.
He follows 6-foot-9 Brazilian forward Wini Braga-Silva and 6-foot-4 Australian guard Tristan Devers to the Huskies as imported talent.
Already on the UW roster is 6-foot-10 Serbian forward Niko Dzepina, who joined the roster at midseason this past year.
Put away those USA, USA, USA chants. Viva the Seven Seas.
After losing two-thirds of his roster to the transfer portal, NBA Draft and graduation, Sprinkle has sent his recruiters worldwide looking under every nook and cranny to rebuild the roster, which has become an annual thing for the UW.
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While these players typically are all older and have played in various pro leagues, the hard thing is determining whether they can be competitive immediately in the Big Ten and beyond. The physicality of the American college game can be an eye-opener, rather than the other way around.
Boris Tisma drives to the basket overseas. | Tisma
Tisma appears to be a fairly accurate shooter, which has been another requirement for the Huskies in this latest talent search.
This past winter, he averaged 10.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2 assists per outing overseas, with shooting percentages of 60.2 percent overall and 40.3 percent from 3-point range.
The Huskies have eight newcomers, again with three hailing from other countries, to go with five returnees.
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With college basketball rosters limited to 15 scholarship players, the UW has one or two spots left to fill.
The five returning UW players are 6-foot-4 guard Wesley Yates III, the only returning starter; 6-foot-10 part-time starting forward Lathan Sommerville, a seven-game starter; 6-foot-5 reserve guard Jaris Rencher, 6-foot-11 center Mady Traore and Dzepina,.
Traore missed last season with a foot injury that required surgery, while Rencher played in only eight games and had his season end early because of a heart issue.
The Huskies also have four American transfers and one high school recruit joining this team. The college inbound are 6-foot-8 forward LeJuan Watts from Texas Tech, 6-foot-7 forward Steele Venters from Gonzaga, 5-foot-11 point guard Ryan Beasley from San Francisco and 6-foot-4 Parker Friedrichsen from Davidson, plus 6-foot-7 Lattimore Ford from Mount Si High.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/washington as Huskies Go Global For Another Player, This One From Croatia.
