Washington may be on the verge of losing one of its most familiar basketball voices.
A social media report from Hardwood Intel said Huskies assistant coach Quincy Pondexter has been hired to lead the Windy City Bulls, the Chicago Bulls’ G-League affiliate. If that move holds, Washington would be without a top assistant as it tries to take a step forward in the Big Ten after two seasons under Danny Sprinkle.
That matters because this is a roster in heavy transition. The Huskies are bringing in nine newcomers this season, including three international signings, five transfers and one Class of 2026 commitment. With that much turnover, continuity on the sideline would have been valuable.
Pondexter has long been tied to Washington. The Fresno, Calif., native played for the Huskies from 2006-10 and capped his college career with a first-team All-Pac-10 season in 2010. That year, he averaged 19.3 points on 52.8% shooting from the floor, 35.3% from 3-point range, along with 7.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 36 starts.
After college, Pondexter spent nine seasons in the NBA. His career included two stints with the Pelicans, time with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Bulls and the San Antonio Spurs. Across 355 games and 48 starts, he averaged 4.5 points while shooting 42.3% overall and 35.6% from deep, plus 1.8 rebounds per game.
Once his playing career ended, Pondexter moved into coaching and eventually returned to his alma mater. He was an assistant at Washington under Mike Hopkins from 2021-24, then spent one season with USC in 2023-24, which was Sprinkle’s first year in charge of the program. He later came back to the UW staff ahead of last season.
Pondexter also built a reputation as a strong recruiter during his coaching rise. His path has overlapped with guard Wesley Yates III, who first committed to Washington ahead of the 2023-24 season, transferred to USC for 2024-25, and then transferred back to the Huskies ahead of last season. Yates is one of six players returning from last year’s roster and led the group in scoring among the returners this offseason.
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