When new Washington Huskies guard Tristian Devers was evaluating his options on whether to remain with the Brisbane Bullets of the Australian National Basketball League or test his talents outside the country, a unique connection emerged that made it all clear.
One of Devers' teammates with the Bullets, ex-Wyoming shooting guard Hunter Maldonado, played with former-UW star turned assistant coach Abdul Gaddy in 2023-24 with the Oklahoma City Blue, the OKC Thunder's NBA G League affiliate, before the two united in the Land Down Under last season.
”It’s pretty crazy," Devers said Tuesday of 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."
The 6-foot-4 guard originally had the option to pursue college basketball when he turned 18 years old. Instead, Devers chose a three-year developmental contract with the Bullets that would've ended after the upcoming 2026-27 season.
It gave the Australian a chance to play with and against professionals, a path that would certainly prepare him best despite being on a route where minutes were earned, not given.
Devers did just that between his second and third season with the NBL team, tripling his minutes from 5.2 to 16 and more than doubling his total games played from 12 to 29 with the Bullets from 2024-25 to 2025-26. A strong defender and natural leader on the court, Devers caught the attention of several schools this offseason, in addition to Danny Sprinkle's.
The Brisbane Bullets have agreed to release Tristan Devers, with the young guard continuing his basketball journey at the University of Washington Huskies.
— Brisbane Bullets (@BrisbaneBullets) July 21, 2026
Thank you for all the heart you poured into the jersey, TD 💙
Full story 🗞️ https://t.co/oCC6BEmywZpic.twitter.com/AhvY4j2mXA
Once he got in contact with the Huskies' staff through his connection with Maldonado through Gaddy, there wasn't a choice besides returning to the Bullets that came close.
"It was all very preliminary, early stuff," Devers said. "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 organization announced it had formally granted a release to Devers in order for his move to UW to become official, one of what became two international signings for Sprinkle going into his third year at the helm of the Big Ten program, along with Brazilian forward Wini Braga.
During an open practice Tuesday afternoon at Alaska Airlines Arena following the Huskies' 109-91 exhibition loss at Boise State on October 17, the now 21-year-old was running alongside the young big man to help push him through sprints near the end of practice after the team had finished another five-on-five period.
The Melbourne native has aided his international teammate and simultaneously let him also learn on his own as the duo acclimates to the Emerald City from two different backgrounds.
"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) and everyone is willing to help him out, is only going to benefit us."
In his first few months in Seattle, the first-year guard has already discovered Chipotle, his go-to food option, and got acquainted with the area. Devers' parents are flying in for Christmas, a holiday that usually consists of sunshine and summer-esque food with a dip in the pool to complete the trifecta, which even he admitted will certainly be something new for the entire family, with the Australian never having truly experienced snow before.
Devers did not appear in the Huskies' preseason loss to the Broncos last week but did go through Tuesday as a full participant, a sign that Sprinkle and his staff will certainly have the international addition at minimum in the rotation early in the season due to his high-level defensive abilities.
"On-ball defense is a big strength for me, something I was able to learn guarding some of the best guys in the world in the NBL," Devers stated. "Using my speed to get downhill, especially in transition, I think that's something I can use. And then just continuing to work on handling ball pressure in the backcourt and coming off ball screens, reading the second level of defenses is going to be really key for me and something they've already been helping me out a lot with. I feel like I've already made really big strides since I've been here."
Last season with the Bullets, the rising guard averaged 4.9 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 29 games off the bench. While it might not be an eye-popping stat line, Devers knows where his strengths are and believes that the staff at UW can help him grow on the offensive end to become a true two-way guard.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: How Abdul Gaddy's Former Teammate Led Tristan Devers to Washington