In a candid moment, former Washington Huskies standout admitted he felt emotional returning to Alaska Airlines Arena as a visitor for the first time.
“I had tears in my eyes the whole first half,” said Pondexter, who was then serving as an assistant coach for USC when the Trojans defeated Washington 85-61 last December.
Now, five months later, Pondexter is coming back to Montlake—this time for his third stint with the Huskies, taking on a new role as special assistant to the head coach.
On social media, he shared his enthusiasm with a simple message: “Dawg Forever!!!”
“I’m thrilled to be back at Washington,” Pondexter said in a statement from UW. “I’ve always bled Purple and Gold and I always will. I’m incredibly grateful to Coach Sprinkle and his staff for bringing me home. I committed to UW back in 2005 as a player and that loyalty has never changed.”
Pondexter, a 6’7″ wing, ranks among the most accomplished players in Husky basketball history. He earned first team All-Pac-10 honors and honorable mention All-American recognition from the Associated Press.
During his four years at UW (2006–2010), the former five-star recruit from San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno, California, started three seasons and ended his college career as the fifth-leading scorer in school history with 1,786 points. He logged 83 double-digit scoring games out of 136 appearances and posted 30 games with 20 or more points—also fifth all-time at UW.
In his senior year, he led the team in points (19.3 per game), rebounds (7.4), and free throw percentage (82.7%). Alongside Isaiah Thomas, he helped propel the Huskies to the 2010 NCAA Tournament, where he made one of the most iconic shots in program history—a game-winning layup with 1.7 seconds left to upset No. 6 seed Marquette, 80-78, in the first round. Washington then beat No. 3 New Mexico 82-64 before falling to No. 2 West Virginia in the Sweet 16.
Pondexter was selected 26th overall in the 2010 NBA Draft. He spent seven injury-plagued seasons in the league with four teams: the New Orleans Hornets and Pelicans (in two separate stints), Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls, and San Antonio Spurs.
In 2020, Pondexter joined UW’s coaching staff under Mike Hopkins. After Hopkins was let go last year, Pondexter moved to USC to work with Eric Musselman.
During his previous coaching stint at Washington, Pondexter played a key role in landing top recruits, including highly touted wing Wesley Yates III—who played at USC last season and recently transferred back to Washington.
“Bringing Quincy back is a big win for our program,” said new head coach Danny Sprinkle. “His passion for the Huskies, dedication, and work ethic will make a big impact on our culture, just like it did when he played. That same relentless drive has carried over into his coaching, and I’m looking forward to working with him.”
Sprinkle plans to keep the existing coaching staff in place.