Washington Huskies Hosting Multiple Transfer Portal Targets
Former Texas Tech forward LeJuan Watts and ex-Gonzaga wing Steele Venters are on an official visit with the Washington Huskies on Saturday, the first two public transfer portal visitors for coach Danny Sprinkle since the window opened this week.
Watts, a 6-foot-6 junior from Fresno, California, has one season of eligibility remaining after starting his career at Eastern Washington and Washington State prior to playing for the Red Raiders in 2025-26. He was spotted at the Huskies' sixth spring football practice on Saturday watching his brother, defensive lineman DeSean Watts, who transferred to UW from Sacramento State in January.
According to a report from Dawgman.com, Venters, a 6-foot-7 graduate transfer, is also on campus this weekend with one season of eligibility remaining. The former Bulldog and Watts both played together at Eastern Washington, but neither played together for the Eagles, with Venters taking the 2023-24 season off to redshirt before driving north to Spokane to play for Mark Few.
Sprinkle has to replenish his roster going into his third season on Montlake, with both the backcourt and frontcourt left bare with four public departures, plus the expected departure of freshman forward Hannes Steinbach, though he has yet to make any formal decision whether to return or declare for the 2026 NBA draft.
Watts was the fourth-leading scorer for Texas Tech, averaging 11.8 points per game, a slight dip from his career-high 13.7 per-game average at Washington State in 2024-25, helping his team reach the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament and a 23-11 overall record as a junior.
With the departure of sophomore forward Bryson Tucker to the 2026 draft, the Huskies have four returning options in the frontcourt: centers Franck Kepnang and Lathan Sommerville, along with forwards Mady Traore and Nikola Dzepina.
Watts could provide a solid second or third scoring option at the three or the four, somewhat similar to what Venters has to offer as a versatile backcourt two or three.
Venters, an Ellensburg, Washington native, had back-to-back double-digit scoring seasons, averaging 16.7 and 15.3 points per game over 67 career starts as a sophomore and junior for the Eagles, leading the team in scoring both years while also leading the Big Sky Conference in three-point shooting percentage (43.4) as a sophomore.
The Huskies, without freshmen guards JJ Mandaquit and Courtland Muldrew, along with sophomore starter Zoom Diallo, badly need both scoring help and a veteran presence with seniors Desmond Claude and Quimari Peterson, to pair with returning guard Wesley Yates III, who has not publicly declared whether or not he will be back for the 2026-27 season at UW.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: UW Men's Basketball Hosting Two Transfer Targets On Official Visits
