Photos: Top sports, 2.8.15
New Orleans Pelicans guard Quincy Pondexter (20) blocks a shot as Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schroder drives to the basket in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Monday, Feb. 2, 2015. The Pelicans won 115-100. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Former Huskies standout and assistant Quincy Pondexter is leaving the Washington men’s basketball team to become head coach of the Windy City Bulls, the NBA G League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls.
“Leaving the University of Washington is bittersweet,” Pondexter posted on his social media accounts Tuesday. “I am deeply thankful to Coach (Danny) Sprinkle, the players, staff, Husky Nation and the entire UW community for welcoming my family and I back and allowing me to be part of a special program. The relationships I built and the lessons I learned during my time at UW as a student, athlete and coach will stay with me throughout my coaching career.
“I am a Dawg forever.”
Pondexter, a 6-foot-7 wing and five-star recruit from Fresno, Calif., played four years (2006-10) at Washington. He started as a freshman and was benched as a sophomore before rising to prominence his final two years while leading the Huskies to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances.
As a senior, he averaged 19.3 points and 7.4 rebounds on a UW team that finished 26-10 during the 2009-10 season and advanced to the Sweet 16, which included his buzzer-beating game winner that beat Marquette in the first round.
Pondexter was drafted No. 26 overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2010 and traded to the New Orleans Hornets before his rookie season. The next year, he was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies where he played four seasons.
After a trade back to New Orleans in 2015, a slew of knee injuries and a serious skin infection derailed Pondexter’s career. He spent a season with the Chicago Bulls (2017-18) and San Antonio Spurs (2018-19).
During his seven-year career, he averaged 4.5 points and 1.8 rebounds in 355 games.