JJ Mandaquit raves about future Washington basketball teamate Hannes Steinbach
Washington Huskies point guard JJ Mandaquit will return to campus with another gold medal after he helped lead Team USA to victory at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The former four-star recruit out of Utah Prep High School averaged 6.1 points, 5,4 assists, and 2 rebounds across 16.9 minutes per game as the United States went 7-0 in the tournament and cruised to a 109-76 victory over Team Germany in the gold medal game.
As the highest-rated incoming high schooler in Danny Sprinkle's 2025 class, the 6-foot-1 guard is expected to make a big impact on the Huskies' rotation this season.
However, as he faced off with another Washington signee in the gold medal game, German forward Hannes Steinbach, even in the heat of battle, Mandaquit couldn't help but come away impressed with his future teammate.
'He's a special, special player. Just his feel for the game. He's smart, he knows what to do, and just makes winning plays,' Mandaquit said in an interview with Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. "I just got to talk to him briefly after the game, and I'm excited to get to Seattle with him. We'll be together in a couple of days, so I'm excited."
Steinbach was one of the biggest stars of the tournament, as he made his way onto the All-Star Five after averaging 17.4 points and 13 rebounds per game, leading Team Germany as it secured the silver medal. Mandaquit, who has played against high-end competition from all over the world with Team USA, added that bringing top players like Steinbach into college basketball will continue to improve the sport.
'It's great," he said. "Why not try to face the best players in the world at the college level? I think it's good for American basketball to have these players come over and give us a challenge. They'll make the league a lot more competitive for sure.'
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