Ex-Washington Reserve Big Man Transfers to McNeese State

Without playing a single game for the Washington Huskies, forward Christian Nitu will try to revitalize his career at McNeese State University.

Nitu, a 6-foot-11 sophomore from Whitby, Ontario, Canada, transferred to UW last offseason after playing 22 games as a freshman at Florida State in 2024-25.

Although the expectation was that the versatile forward would serve as a bench option for second-year coach Danny Sprinkle, Nitu never materialized into a viable option and was rarely even spotted on the bench during games.

Nitu formally entered the transfer portal this week, which led to his commitment to the reigning Southland Tournament champions on Sunday, giving the Fort Erie International Academy product a fresh start closer to home at the mid-major level.

As a freshman, Nitu averaged 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds per game for the Seminoles over 22 games, shooting 40.9 percent from the field in under 10 minutes per appearance.

With incoming freshman forward Hannes Steinbach fully entrenched as a starter to start the 2025-26 season, and Nitu working through a toe injury, Sprinkle stated in early November that the FSU transfer could redshirt—which ultimately proved true.

Now, with three years of eligibility remaining, Nitu aims to rejuvenate his college basketball career and potentially make an NCAA Tournament appearance as the Cowboys have made three straight appearances as a No. 12 seed.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Ex-Washington Huskies F Christian Nitu Commits to McNeese State