Washington head men’s basketball coach Danny Sprinkle announced the hiring of four assistant coaches on Thursday.
Andy Hill, Tony Bland, DeMarlo Slocum and Jerry Hobbie will serve as assistant coaches for the Huskies beginning in the 2024-25 season.
Hill comes to Seattle after a two-year stint on Coach Sprinkle’s bench at both Utah State and Montana State.
“Coach Hill has done an incredible job the past two seasons, and I am thrilled for him to join me in Seattle,” Sprinkle said. “He is a grinder who is tremendously detailed in his craft. Our players will love his daily approach and the positivity he brings. Andy has an impressive winning resume and is a great person to have on our bench.”
Hill was promoted to Associate Head Coach during the 2023-24 season which saw the Aggies advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He has helped four programs advance to eight NCAA Tournaments and was named by Silver Waves Media to the top 75 Rising Assistant Coaches and top 100 Most Impactful Assistant Coaches lists several times over the last few years.
“As a kid who grew up in the state of Washington, having the opportunity to be a part of the Washington Husky Basketball program is a privilege and honor,” Hill said. “It will be exciting to work with the great coaches in this state that I grew up watching and building relationships with. I look forward to representing this program and university in a state that I love. I’m thankful for the opportunity that Coach Sprinkle has provided me to be a part of Husky basketball and I look forward to a bright future with the Dawgs.”
Hill’s previous stops include Montana State, New Mexico, Utah and Montana, all as an assistant coach. While at Utah, Hill helped the Utes to five consecutive postseason appearances.
Tony Bland joins the Husky staff after most recently serving as the Head Basketball Coach at St. Bernard High School in Los Angeles. Bland was the Associate Head Coach at USC from 2013-2017 under Andy Enfield.
“Coach Bland has tremendous basketball knowledge and a winning pedigree,” Coach Sprinkle said. “He has worked with and learned from some of the greatest coaches in our game and our guys will appreciate his perspective as a former player himself. He has a passion for developing young kids and that is why he is excellent in this line of work. He is the gym rat who will be in the gym at 6 a.m. shooting with players until late at night. I am super excited to welcome him to UW.”
Bland spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, San Diego State, helping lead the Aztecs to the NCAA Tournament both seasons. He played for two national championship coaches in Jim Boeheim at Syracuse and Steve Fisher at San Diego State, advancing to three NCAA Tournaments as a player.
“I am thrilled to embark on this journey with the University of Washington, where every dribble is a step toward excellence, every play an opportunity for growth, and every game a chance to inspire greatness,” Bland said. “I’m ready to lead, ready to learn, and ready to make every moment count. Go Dawgs!”
DeMarlo Slocum comes to Seattle after a second stint at the University of Utah, where he spent a total of 11 seasons on staff for the Utes men’s basketball program.
“Coach Slocum is incredible in recruiting and developing young players and we are lucky to have him on Montlake,” Sprinkle said. “He is one of the most respected assistant coaches in the country. He has worked at the highest level with some of the best coaches in the country and he will have a great impact on our players as well as our staff.”
Slocum has over 20 years of Division I coaching experience, with stops at Utah, UNLV, Colorado State, Idaho, USC and Utah Tech (formerly Dixie State). Silver Waves Media named Slocum one of the most impactful high major assistant coaches in Division I basketball in 2022.
“I am extremely humbled and honored to be a part of such rich tradition here at the University of Washington,” said Slocum. “Spending 11 years in the Pac-12, I always felt Washington had an elite platform for today’s student athletes. I couldn’t be more excited and thankful to work with Coach Sprinkle and the UW Athletics staff across the board. Go Dawgs!”
During his first stint at Utah, Slocum worked alongside Hill and developed a trio of Utah players into first-round NBA Draft picks. Slocum recruited Delon Wright and Kyle Kuzma to Salt Lake City, both of whom were drafted, along with 2016 Pac-12 Player of the Year, Jakob Poeltl. During that stretch, the Utes were the only Pac-12 school to produce a first-round draft pick in three consecutive years.
Jerry Hobbie returns to the Husky bench as an assistant coach. Hobbie was elevated to Assistant Coach prior to the 2023-24 season after serving as Special Assistant to the Head Coach for six seasons.
“Coach Hobbie has a wealth of experience and basketball knowledge that will greatly benefit our team,” Sprinkle said. “He is well-connected all over the country, especially on the east coast and Texas, which we will need heading into the Big Ten.”
Hobbie spent seven years on the Southern Methodist staff, making the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and 2017. The 2017 season saw the Mustangs record their most wins in program history with a 30-5 record.
“I’m very honored and grateful for the opportunity to work with Coach Sprinkle and the staff,” Hobbie said. “As we join the Big Ten, it’s an exciting time to be a part of building an elite program that will compete for championships.”
Hobbie was an assistant coach at the University of Houston from 2007-10, during which time the Cougars reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly two decades.
https://gohuskies.com/news/2024/5/2/uw-announces-additions-to-mens-basketball-coaching-staff.aspx
