With eight newcomers, WSU set for ‘bonding experience’ during 13-day tour of England and Spain

PULLMAN – This spring and summer, as he worked to rebuild what was a depleted Washington State roster, David Riley earned commitments from players who hail from Finland, the Netherlands, Canada and Spain, sometimes visiting those places himself.

“I think that really matters, as these guys want to feel comfortable, is making sure that they get to share a piece of their home with us,” Riley said.

This summer, Riley and the Cougars may not stop by all of his new players’ hometowns, but they’ll travel overseas nonetheless.

On Thursday, WSU will depart for a 13-day foreign tour of England and Spain, playing three exhibition games against collections of players. The Cougars will play a game in London on Thursday, one in Malaga, Spain, on Tuesday, and one in Barcelona, Spain, in early August, returning Aug. 5.

For the Cougars, this privately funded trip amounts to a chance to build connections with each other, perhaps more important for a team with so many new faces. On top of five returners, WSU is working to integrate into its roster Boise State transfer Emmanuel Ugbo; Texas Tech transfer Eemeli Yalaho; High Point transfer Simon Hildebrandt (who will miss the exhibition games with his foot in a boot, which Riley called “precautionary”); Morehead State transfer Jerone Morton; Spanish native Adriá Rodriguez and freshmen Aaron Glass, Dio Blakely and Dominik Robinson.

Fellow freshman guard Brunel Madzou, a native of Finland, will not play as WSU officials wait for him to arrive in town and complete a physical.

That’s eight newcomers for the Cougars, whose games overseas will not be live-streamed, according to a news release. But with visits planned to London’s Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, and Barcelona’s La Rambla and Sagrada Familia, the Cougars are expected to share their experiences on social media for fans to take in.

“Our goal for the next 10, 11 days is to teach these guys how to travel, how to see the world, learn about different cultures,” said Riley, whose team also gets the benefit of assistant coach Pedro Garcia Rosado’s Spanish heritage and international expertise. “Just being out of their comfort zone alone will help them kind of rely on each other a little bit more. I think that’ll be a big part of it. But really, (our goal is) to go see the world and show these guys a little bit of the different cultures.”

“I think it’ll be a great experience,” said Yalaho, who hails from Finland. “Let’s pray for the Americans, because a lot of them haven’t left the country yet, so it will be new for them. I think it’s just a great spot to bond together and learn about each other, especially off the court more than on the court. I know we’re gonna be playing games and trying to win the games, but I think it’s definitely a bonding experience for everybody.”

Plans are a little different for Rodriguez, whose hometown is Barcelona. He’s joining the Spanish national team for an exhibition tournament, which will run Aug. 5-7, competing on the national team’s “B squad” – a selection of young, rising Spanish players mixed with experienced veterans in a four-team, two-day event featuring two Spanish national teams, the Portuguese national team, and the Czechian national team.

Rodriguez will be with WSU from Thursday to Tuesday, which is when the Cougars will fly to Malaga, but Rodriguez will fly to Madrid to join the Spanish team.

Besides that, it’ll be a chance for the Cougars to foster connections, hoping to launch into Riley’s second season with stronger bonds with each other.

“I told everybody to go to the bank and tell the bank that they’re going on vacation so their card doesn’t get blocked,” said Ugbo, who calls the Netherlands home. “And put your phone on flight mode, especially if you have an American plan, because if you start using your data out there, you’ll probably come back to a big bill.”