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WSU Men's Basketball

WSU basketball coaches David Riley, Kamie Ethridge receive one-year contract extensions

Washington State head coach David Riley huddles with his team prior to a West Coast Conference game against Loyola Marymount on Dec. 30 at the Arena. (James Snook/For The Spokesman-Review)
By Greg Woods gregw@spokesman.com(509) 459-5587

PULLMAN – Washington State is adding another year to the contracts of men’s basketball coach David Riley and women’s coach Kamie Ethridge.

Both agreed to one-year extensions, the program announced Tuesday, locking them down through the 2030-31 seasons. In Riley’s first year, the men’s team completed an 18-13 (8-10 West Coast Conference) regular season, while Ethridge guided her Cougars to a 19-12 (14-6 WCC) season.

The men’s team will be the No. 6 seed in this weekend’s WCC Tournament, playing the No. 7, 10 or 11 seed on Saturday, and the women’s team is the No. 3 seed, playing on Sunday.

“I’m really excited for the future here at Washington State,” Riley said, “and just honored that the administration – (athletic director) Anne (McCoy) and (deputy athletic director) Ike (Ukaegbu) and everyone involved have faith in me to coach program.

“For me personally, to see the growth, just the overall support that we’re gonna have forward and going into this new conference – it’s right up there with every other conference in the country. So I see the direction we’re going. I’ve got a lot of confidence in what we’re doing. Honored to be a part of this university and this program, and excited to see what’s next.”

When he was hired last spring from Eastern Washington, Riley agreed to a six-year deal with WSU, according to ESPN. In his debut season, the Cougars raced to a 13-3 start, reeling off wins over Boise State and Nevada. But injuries caught up to them, prompting a five-game losing streak – and eight losses in nine games – at one point. They ended the regular season with two consecutive victories, over San Diego and Pepperdine.

Season-ending injuries to wing Cedric Coward and freshman guard Marcus Wilson – plus extended absences for guards Isaiah Watts and Rihards Vavers – have made things hard on WSU, which has often had trouble with turnovers. The Cougars are No. 346 nationally with 14.8 turnovers per game.

The women’s team, led by double-digit scorers Eleonora Villa and senior Tara Wallack, notched a nonconference win over Virginia in late November. Since then, the Cougs opened WCC play with wins in five of their first six games, ending the schedule with three straight victories. WSU also went 0-4 against conference leaders Gonzaga and Portland, keeping a few of those games close, including an overtime road setback to the Bulldogs.