For new WSU commit Dominik Robinson, comfort with coaching staff made all the difference

PULLMAN – Not long after Dominik Robinson sat down to eat with Washington State’s coaches, who were courting the class of 2025 forward on his official visit on Thursday, he could sense something promising.

“It was just like, they’re all connected,” Robinson said. “They make you feel good, and they make you feel like you have freedom.”

What kind of freedom?

“Freedom on the court,” Robinson said, “and just freedom in general. Like, you can tell them anything about you, like a bunch of problems. You can tell them about family stuff. You talk about court stuff. They just make you feel comfortable.”

For the 6-foot-10 Robinson, that made all the difference, prompting him to commit to WSU on Friday. After spending his first two prep seasons at Graham-Kapowskin High in Graham, Washington, Robinson played his junior year at Rainier Beach in Seattle, then played this past season at Rosemary Anderson Prep, a private school in Portland.

Robinson, whose other Division I offer came from New Jersey-based Rider University, gives the Cougars a more traditional back-to-the-basket big man. In head coach David Riley’s tenure, which began with a 19-15 season last season, WSU was often lacking strength inside, especially in the rebounding department. In Robinson, the Cougs may be starting to solve that problem.

Robinson’s addition fits in nicely with the other five WSU has made this spring: Texas Tech wing Eemeli Yalaho, Boise State wing Emmanuel Ugbo, High Point forward Simon Hildebrandt, Morehead State guard Jerone Morton and fellow prep commit Aaron Glass, who announced his decision on Thursday morning. That group hopes to shore up some of the defense and rebounding issues that plagued last year’s WSU team.

Robinson says the Cougars’ program appealed to him for the same reasons that it did for many of his new teammates: He got along well with Riley and his assistants, which was No. 1. Then the rest fell into place.

“Really just Pullman as a city,” Robinson said. “There’s nothing really else to do besides hoop. So it’s a great place to lock in, great place that’s gonna let me focus on what I’m trying to do.”

Robinson’s arrival comes at a key time for WSU, which has around one or two scholarships left, although that’s more of a nebulous concept as roster limits of 15 players begin in 2025-26.

For the second consecutive season, the Cougars are replacing their entire starting lineup – point guard Nate Calmese (transferred to Wake Forest), guard Isaiah Watts (transferred to Maryland), wing LeJuan Watts (transferred to Texas Tech) and forwards Dane Erikstrup and Ethan Price, both of whom are out of eligibility.

That’s also to make no mention of guard Cedric Coward, who entered the portal and wound up at Duke, but he’s performed so well at the NBA draft combine that he could become a first-round pick in next month’s draft.

WSU is looking to replace 65.3 points, 22.9 rebounds and 14.7 assists per game, which came from the Cougars’ starting five.

That doesn’t account for Coward’s 17.7 points per game in an injury-shortened season

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