Danny Sprinkle named USU men’s basketball coach
LOGAN — A new era of Aggie Basketball is dawning at Utah State. The school announced that Danny Sprinkle will be the new head coach of USU Men’s Basketball on Friday. Sprinkle is the 21st head coach in program history.
“It was just kind of the perfect fit,” Sprinkle told USU play-by-play voice Scott Garard and Hans Olsen on the KSL Sports Zone Friday afternoon.
Friday was a busy day for Sprinkle — whose phone kept buzzing with notifications during his radio interview — to cap off a string of days with meetings and interviews at the Final Four in Houston and on-campus at USU leading up to him securing the job. Friday also kickstarts an even busier recruiting window as Sprinkle tries to restock the Aggies’ pantry from the transfer portal.
“We gotta recruit like madmen,” Sprinkle said. “We’re a little behind the eight-ball already right now and there’s no time to be wasted. It’s going to start here and I’ve already been recruiting.”
However, Sprinkle added that he knows how important NIL deals will be to attract and keep top talent. He said that recruiting has “completely changed in the last 365 days with NIL.” Sprinkle said the university and USU Athletics are committed to supporting the program and know how important NIL deals are.
“They know what it’s going to take in order for us to compete and to stay at the top of the Mountain West Conference,” Sprinkle said. “Nowadays you have to have it and whether people like it or not that’s the way the game is played now.”
Sprinkle said he will also be contacting the Aggies that have entered the transfer portal, which includes Steven Ashworth, Max Shulga, Sean Bairstow and Szymon Zapala.
“I will definitely be reaching out to all of them,” Sprinkle said. “I definitely will be reaching out to them and trying to share my vision and my expectations for what our program’s going to be about and how we can try and enhance it.”
Sprinkle comes to Utah State after four seasons with the reigns at Montana State. There, he led the Bobcats to an 81-43 record with back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and Big Sky Conference titles in the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons.
Having played and coached college basketball in the West, Sprinkle is familiar with Utah State. His first experiences in the Dee Glen Spectrum as a coach came when he was an assistant at California State University, Northridge. The Matadors traveled to Logan for Big West Conference games in the early 2000s.
“I just remember how Stew Morrill had the place rocking,” Sprinkle said. “Every time you went in there, you just were like, ‘Man we almost have to play perfect to win.’ It was an awesome atmosphere. So yeah, I’m very familiar.”
As for how Sprinkle plans to lead the Aggies, it will depend on what players end up forming the final roster for next season.
“A lot of it’s just determined by personnel,” Sprinkle said. “I would like to shoot more threes. I would like to play a little faster.”
While Sprinkle has his philosophies, he had to adapt the last couple of seasons at Montana State because his two best players were big men. They transitioned into a “power game” because that was what was best for the team.
“It helped me grow as a coach,” Sprinkle said. “That’s my job as a coach — to put our guys in the best chance, and our team, the best chance to succeed.”
Part of developing that roster is finding the right players for Cache Valley quickly.
“You have to get not only the talented kids but the kids that fit the community and the culture there,” Sprinkle said. “There’s a lot of work to be done and a lot of catch-up to be down in the next couple weeks.”
But regardless, Sprinkle said the Aggies will “have a fun style of play.”
“The players are going to be loved,” Sprinkle said. “The culture is going to be probably what it was. I know it’s been a tremendous culture so I’m here to try and enhance that. And I know what the standard is and the expectations are at Utah State and I’m excited about that.”
When asked about the short stints of Craig Smith and Ryan Odom before him, Sprinkle said a lot of it went down to timing and acknowledged how their departures may have hurt some Aggie fans, but he looks at that as a bright spot.
“Everything happens for a reason,” Sprinkle said. “Selfishly, I’m glad that stuff did happen. Obviously, that’s why I’m here.”
Interim athletics director Jerry Bovee said the university is “thrilled” with the hire in a statement on Friday.
“Danny checked all the boxes we were looking for as he is driven, energetic and motivated,” Bovee said. “He is also an excellent coach and proven recruiter. His skill set aligns perfectly with our mission of developing outstanding student-athletes on and off the basketball court, competing for conference championships and advancing to postseason play.”
In the same press release, Sprinkle thanked Bovee and President Noelle Cockett “for their belief” in him. When asked on the radio if the uncertainty of who will be the new university president and athletics director played a factor in him taking the job Sprinkle had this to say.
“There’s really nothing (Bovee) or I can control in that facet,” Sprinkle said. “But what I do know is I know what the job entails and I know what the job is and it was an unbelievable opportunity for me at this point in my career to where it was a no-brainer.”
Utah State will hold an introductory press conference for Sprinkle on Monday at noon in the Wayne Estes Center. The event will be open to the public.
Featured image courtesy of Montana State Athletics.