SEATTLE - Jasir Rencher’s return gives Washington something it badly needs: a second-year forward with a little game tape, a fresh perspective on the roster, and a body that is finally back on the floor.
The Huskies are bringing back just six players from a 15-man roster for the 2026-27 season, and Wesley Yates III is the only one among them who was a steady starter during the 2025-26 campaign. That leaves a lot of new faces, and it also puts more weight on the players who do know the program’s expectations. Rencher is one of them.
The forward’s first season was interrupted almost as soon as it started. He arrived as a four-star recruit, ranked 125th nationally, 28th among small forwards and eighth in California in the Class of 2025, according to the 247Sports composite.
Early on, he was projected more as a development piece than an immediate contributor. That’s exactly how it played out, at least at first.
Rencher logged only 25 minutes over his first three games, with 18 of those coming in the double-overtime win over Southern University on Nov. 18.
After that, he appeared in five more games and played in four of them, finishing the year with 39 total minutes across his last four contests. He reached double figures in three of those final four games, ended up averaging three points and 1.8 rebounds per game, and shot 50% from the floor in eight appearances.
Then came the hard stop. An abnormal heart beat ended his season early, and he underwent surgery.
Now he’s back on the court, and the evidence has been showing up both in practice clips this offseason and in live action. Rencher played 16 minutes and scored eight points in Washington’s 109-91 exhibition loss to Boise State on Oct. 17.
"I'm back on the court," Rencher said after a practice Tuesday at Alaksa Airlines Arena in Seattle. "There's nothing I like doing more than playing basketball.
So just being able to be back on the court is a blessing. ... It's been a process.
I was out for a long time, but I just want to take care of my body so I don't get injured. It's been just taking it day by day, being confident in my ability to play basketball, not worrying about anything happening to me because I have a defibrillator in."
That defibrillator was implanted to help pace his heartbeat, and since then, with his mother with him through the process, he has not had an arrhythmia. Rencher also wears a WHOOP band that tracks his beats per minute, and he said it has not gone above 158. Washington’s coaching and training staff will keep monitoring his heart as the season goes on, but for now the concern does not appear to be an everyday issue.
For Rencher, that means the focus shifts back to basketball and to what he can mean for a roster still taking shape. He said he likes the group he’s surrounded by and believes the Huskies can be a connected team if they keep tightening things up.
"I love the guys we have," Rencher said. "We're gonna be good.
We are very connected off the court and on the court. So, as long as we continue to be connected on the court, I feel like we'll have success.
We just gotta talk a little bit more and be more active on defense. But after we clean up everything on the defensive end, we're gonna be solid."
Even with only eight games of experience, Rencher is in a position to help bridge the gap for teammates learning the program and the Pacific Northwest. He said his familiarity with what the staff wants - and what coach Sprinkle expects - lets him pass that along to everyone else.
"I still know what coaches want," Rencher said. "I still know what (Sprinkle) expects out of everyone.
I feel like just being part of the team last year and just knowing what coach wants, that's been a huge factor. I can relay the information to the team."
Washington opens the season against Colgate at 7 p.m. PT on Nov. 2 at Alaska Airlines Arena.
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