Tristian Devers, the newest guard for your Washington Huskies, is officially in the Emerald City, but how he got here is straight out of a movie script. Turns out, a wild connection through an ex-Wyoming shooting guard who played alongside former-UW star and current assistant coach Abdul Gaddy is what sealed the deal. Forget your standard recruiting pitches, this one involved a serious six degrees of separation that ended with one of Australia’s rising talents landing on Montlake.
From Down Under to Huskies: A Path Paved by Chance
When Devers was weighing his options, trying to decide between staying with the Brisbane Bullets of the Australian National Basketball League or making the jump to college ball in the States, a truly unique connection surfaced. See, one of Devers’ teammates with the Bullets was Hunter Maldonado, a shooting guard who previously played with our very own Abdul Gaddy back in 2023-24. They were both with the Oklahoma City Blue, the OKC Thunder’s G League affiliate, before Maldonado and Gaddy linked up again last season Down Under. It’s a small world, right? Devers himself couldn’t believe it. “It’s pretty crazy,” he said recently about his journey from Brisbane to Seattle. “Funny enough, we had the same teammate, which is pretty crazy and a small world. My agent talked with Abdul as well, and then Hunter spoke to Gaddy; he reached out to me, and from there it was pretty quick, to be honest.”
This wasn’t Devers’ first shot at college hoops. When he turned 18, he had the option to pursue it then, but he chose a three-year developmental contract with the Bullets instead. That path, which would’ve wrapped up after the upcoming 2026-27 season, gave him the chance to play with and against pros, earning his minutes rather than being handed them. And earn them he did! Devers tripled his minutes from 5.2 to 16 and more than doubled his total games played from 12 to 29 with the Bullets between the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. He’s a strong defender and a natural leader on the court, qualities that clearly made him a hot commodity.
The “Small World Connection” That Locked It Down
That “small world” connection through Maldonado and Gaddy wasn’t just interesting; it made all the difference. Devers caught the eye of several schools this offseason, including Danny Sprinkle’s Huskies. But once he connected with the Huskies’ staff through that Gaddy link, there wasn’t really any other choice that came close to returning to Australia. Devers admitted, “It was all very preliminary, early stuff. It’s hard because I’ve never played in the U.S. as well, so you can only get so much exposure. But yeah, once there was that small world connection, they showed a lot of interest; it was prominent that I was quick to come here.”
On July 21, the Australian NBL officially granted Devers his release, clearing his move to UW. He’s one of two international signings for Coach Sprinkle, who’s now in his third year leading the Big Ten program, with Brazilian forward Wini Braga being the other. This shows Sprinkle is serious about bringing in top talent from anywhere to elevate the team.
Leading the Charge, On and Off the Court
We’re already seeing Devers’ impact. Just this past Tuesday, during an open practice at Alaska Airlines Arena, the 21-year-old was pushing his new international teammate, Wini Braga, through sprints at the end of practice. This was after the team finished up another five-on-five period, coming off a tough 109-91 exhibition loss at Boise State on October 17. The Melbourne native is already stepping up, helping Braga acclimatize to the Emerald City, understanding that culture shock is real. “I try to help him as much as I can,” Devers said. “Because I understand coming from another country, there can be a culture shock. It wasn’t a hard transition for me, obviously, but it’s still not easy. I can only imagine what it is for him. So I just try to help him out as much as I can. It’s only going to be beneficial for the team because we need everyone on this team. Getting him feeling comfortable and confident, knowing that there’s guys on the team (that help him).”
It’s clear Devers is a leader, a defensive force, and exactly the kind of smart, adaptable player the Huskies need. With two international talents like Devers and Braga settling into Seattle, it’s going to be exciting to see how they integrate into the squad and what they bring to the court this season. Get ready, Huskies fans, these guys are here to make some noise!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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