Washington State hoops notebook: Cougs restore confidence ahead of weekend series against Arizona schools
PULLMAN – Washington State heads to Arizona with a renewed sense of optimism.
The Cougars snapped a three-game skid on Sunday, picking up their first win over Southern California in eight years. They regrouped quickly after surrendering the lead late in a one-point loss to No. 11 UCLA two days earlier, and stayed in control throughout their 81-71 victory against the Trojans, who came to Pullman riding a seven-game winning streak.
“I felt good about our guys even after the UCLA game,” WSU head coach Kyle Smith said Tuesday. “They would have had every reason to come out flat and dejected, and they didn’t. … I think (USC) is a tournament team, and they’re going to win a lot of games.
“It certainly gave us a little confidence, a little belief. We needed it.”
WSU (6-9, 1-3 Pac-12) moved to No. 82 in the NCAA NET rankings after topping No. 85 USC – the Cougars’ first win this season over a top-100 opponent.
“It doesn’t get any easier” this week, Smith noted. WSU will visit two of the Pac-12’s top-performing teams.
First up is 55th-ranked Arizona State (11-3, 2-1) at 5 p.m. Thursday in Tempe. The Cougars then take on No. 5 Arizona (13-1, 2-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday in Tucson.
“Boy, our first six games in league (play) are all against top-half teams,” Smith said.
WSU fell last month to No. 72 Oregon on the road and lost in overtime at home against No. 31 Utah.
“Arizona State, I think their starting five … is one of the best groups of five out there, then you’re going to play Arizona down there. So, we’ve got our work cut out for us, and we’ll see if we can play better on the road and build off of what we did.”
What to know about WSU ahead of its weekend series versus the Arizona schools:
Tough times on the road
The Cougars have a 1-7 record in games played outside the state.
They dropped a game against then-unbeaten UNLV in Las Vegas and lost a close one a week later against a ranked Baylor team in Dallas. After that, they traveled to Hawaii for the Diamond Head Classic. WSU went 1-2 at the holiday tournament, sneaking past George Washington on a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final seconds before absorbing one-sided losses against Hawaii and Utah State.
“You put them in a bad situation, going out to Baylor and going out to Hawaii,” Smith said. “That’s tough. No one in the country is going to play their best on that much travel. To come back and play well and get the results was really important.”
Smith on lineup/rotation
Smith is settled on his starting five: guards Justin Powell and TJ Bamba, forwards Andrej Jakimovski and DJ Rodman, and center Mouhamed Gueye.
“I like the way we’re starting, with the veterans that have been in the program, plus Powell,” Smith said. “I think that gives us a certain maturity.”
Powell, a Tennessee transfer, is the only first-year Cougar in the group. Rodman, the team’s lone senior, has appeared in 97 career games. Bamba, a junior and team captain, has played in 70 games. Jakimovski, a third-year Cougar who missed the first 11 games of this season with a foot injury, is up to 70 career games. Gueye is a sophomore who has already started 48 games at WSU.
The first two players off the bench are junior Jabe Mullins and true freshman Kymany Houinsou, both of whom made a handful of starts at guard earlier this season.
Mullins, a Saint Mary’s transfer, is averaging 11.7 points per game – third on the team – and shooting a team-best 49.2% from 3-point range (30 for 61).
“I like where he’s at right now,” Smith said of Mullins, who missed four games with an injury in late November/early December. “He’s a great teammate. I think it gives us some juice off the bench. He looked like he’s moving a lot better this weekend. … You can plug him in there for any of those guys, outside of (Gueye), and you’d be fine, but I think he’s comfortable in that role and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
Houinsou has emerged as a versatile player who can run the point. The France native is doing a little bit of everything in 22 minutes per game – averaging 5.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
“We call him the ‘French Army knife,’ ” Smith said. “We need him to help Justin and Jabe with the ball-handling. … He’s a 6-foot-6 point guard and I’m like, ‘Man, there’s not many of those.’ He’s being that secondary ball-handler and, hopefully, the primary ball-handler one day.
“I do like those seven guys, then you got AD as a backup center,” Smith added, referring to true freshman 7-footer Adrame Diongue. “He’s kind of established. He’s doing a good job.”
The four-star recruit from Senegal is averaging 2.1 rebounds in just under 7 minutes per game. The Cougars are tinkering with a sizable frontcourt that features Diongue at center and the 6-11 Gueye at the “4” position.
“We need to rebound, and Adrame’s rebounding rate has been insane,” Smith said. “Then you get Mo really playing his natural position, so we can defend and rebound better.”
Individual standouts/stat update
Rodman scored 35 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field (5 of 9 from distance) and added nine rebounds in the past two games while playing solid defense against two of the conference’s best players in UCLA forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and USC guard Drew Peterson.
Rodman is averaging 8.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this season, and leads the team in steals (14) and charges taken (17). The 6-6 mainstay, “has a confidence about him” right now, Smith said.
“He’s gotta be up there in the country, leading in charges taken. That gives your team courage and it’s a stop,” Smith added. “He’s just a really smart player. He’s always been good in our plus/minus every year. He’s always helped us more than he’s hurt us, and he’s just getting confident.
“Guys like Bamba, Rodman, Andrej, Mo – those guys growing up in your program … that’s what wins games. That’s what people in this community will get behind, too. Going back to every team that has been good here, people have that relationship (with players).”
Bamba paces the team in scoring at 15.9 ppg (eighth in the conference). Gueye has bounced back after a few down games in nonconference play. He has posted six double-doubles this season and is averaging 13.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and one block per game.
In terms of team statistics, the Cougars’ offensive rebounding has been their best feature. They rank 53rd nationally in offensive rebound rate.
WSU struggled with 3-point shooting in Hawaii, hitting 12 of 56 attempts in three games, but bounced back nicely. The Cougars, who attempt and make more 3s than any team in the Pac-12 (128 of 352), went 22 of 51 from beyond the arc over their past two games. WSU is shooting 36.4% from deep – 78th nationally.
Forcing and limiting turnovers have been issues. WSU is 241st nationally in turnovers per game and 321st in turnovers collected.
“The ball-handling has been a struggle for us,” Smith said. “We’re getting there, but having Andrej and Jabe back (from injuries) helps the maturity of the team. So, a guy like Kymany can grow in there and hopefully Dylan (Darling) can see some light where he can help us.”
Darling, a true freshman out of Spokane, started four games early this season but has seen his minutes dip recently. He didn’t appear against USC, UCLA and Baylor.
The Cougars have been plagued by extended scoring droughts during their losses. Against UCLA, they went the final 7:23 of the game without a field goal. Smith said WSU is still learning how to deal with certain defensive coverages and indicated that the team is sometimes flustered by pressure at the perimeter.
“Arizona State will be more like UCLA, as far as pressuring and playing the ball and stuff like that,” he said. “We’ll see if we can handle that on the road.”
WSU frontcourt loses piece
Freshman post Mael Hamon-Crespin left the team for personal reasons late last month and won’t return to WSU, according to Smith. The France native will likely begin his professional career.
“He had some family issues,” Smith said of Hamon-Crespin, who averaged three points and 8.1 minutes per game in eight appearances. “It’s just a risk you take when you take a guy from another country. … Those things can happen. Wish him the best. I think he’s going to just play professionally in France.”
Hamon-Crespin could sub in at either post position and help the Cougars stretch the floor.
“He had a chance to be a good player, but it was going to take another year for him to really become what he hoped he could be, and what we hoped he could be,” Smith said. “Family issues pop up. It’s tough being that far from home, I’m sure.”