Inside The Huskies

Former Kentucky Guard Sahvir Wheeler Commits To Washington

A big win for Mike Hopkins in the transfer portal

Roman Tomashoff

Former Kentucky Guard Sahvir Wheeler Commits To Washington
Former Kentucky Guard Sahvir Wheeler Commits To Washington /
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After a mass exodus of talent following the 2022-23 season, head coach Mike Hopkins needed a few wins in the transfer portal. He's received his first big one in former Kentucky guard Sahvir Wheeler.

Wheeler, a grad transfer with one year of eligibility remaining, began his career at the University of Georgia. After spending two years with the Bulldogs, he left to join John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats. 

During his first year with the Wildcats, Wheeler was outstanding, named as a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award and voted to the All-SEC second team. He was also selected to the preseason All-SEC first team in 2022 but was hampered by injuries all year. 

The former four-star recruit comes to Washington averaging 10.3 points and 6.1 assists per game in his career. After losing Keyon Menifield to the transfer portal, the Huskies should slot Wheeler into the starting lineup immediately as the team's primary ball-handler.

Wheeler finishes his career in the SEC fifth all-time in assists with 655. That fills a big need for Hopkins' offense, someone who can consistently and reliably distribute the ball. As a team in the 2022-23 season, the Huskies averaged 11.5 assists per game.

Now, Hopkins needs to add a few more pieces to contribute some scoring off the bench, and another ball-handler to help run the offense when Wheeler and Koren Johnson are off the floor. 

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Roman Tomashoff
ROMAN TOMASHOFF

I've followed the Huskies for my entire life, and to be in a position where I get to cover them full-time is nothing short of an honor. After graduating from Lasell University in 2019, I moved to Seattle to pursue my dream of working in sports media. While writing for the Husky Haul, I also covered local sports for the Everett Daily Herald before the COVID-19 pandemic. After being hired by Realdawg.com in February of 2021, I also transitioned into doing a lot of entertainment writing, as I work on a variety of magazines as a contributing writer for Centennial Media, and have also contributed to Emmy Magazine, as well as Walt Disney Television Studios. 

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