How Washington State men stack up after another total roster overhaul
PULLMAN – David Riley isn’t one to make excuses, not with the way he’s ascended to Washington State’s head coaching job in his mid-30s, but he might have been busier than ever this offseason.
By the time spring arrived and Riley wrapped up his first year as the Cougars’ head man, a 19-15 effort with a first-round exit in the new College Basketball Crown postseason tournament, his team had been ransacked by the transfer portal. The Cougars lost their point guard, their small forward and their shooting guard.
On top of that, star wing Cedric Coward declared for the NBA draft. Starting forwards Ethan Price and Dane Erikstrup ran out of eligibility and started their pro careers overseas. Point guard Nate Calmese transferred to Wake Forest, guard Isaiah Watts took his talents to Maryland and wing LeJuan Watts landed at Texas Tech.
Before long, WSU had lost its entire starting five, the second straight year the program had met that fate in the offseason. With that, Riley and his assistants had to hit the recruiting trail. They used the portal to identify guys who could replace the ones who had recently departed the program. They hosted visits, took trips and stayed on the phone with all manner of prospects.
With those efforts, Riley and the Cougs have landed a team with nine newcomers: Four from the transfer portal, four true freshmen and one veteran international import. That group will join three key returners – guard Tomas Thrastarson, wing Rihards Vavers and forward ND Okafor – in taking on the Cougars’ second and final season as affiliate members of the WCC before the rebuilt Pac-12 launches next year.
The new names to know include Boise State transfer wing Emmanuel Ugbo, who figures to provide valuable defense and rebounding; Texas Tech transfer Eemeli Yalaho, who is expected to play a similar role; High Point transfer forward Simon Hildebrandt, who can stretch the floor and guard multiple positions; Spanish point guard Adria Rodriguez, whose ball-handling and passing figure to unlock his team’s offense and Morehead State transfer guard Jerone Morton, whose size and shooting should make him a valuable asset in the Cougars’ backcourt.
“I think scheme-wise, we’ve worked a little bit on everybody having a rebound mindset,” said Riley, whose team was picked to finish sixth in the WCC. “And I think we’ve done that offensively, where we’re giving guys an opportunity to crash from the perimeter. Defensively, it’s been emphasized in everything we do. I think when you talk about it, when you emphasize it when you’re coaching the guys, that leads to growth. We’ve seen that throughout the fall.
“Now, we’ve still gotta get better. We’re talking with our assistants, and last year, we were 338th in the country in rebounding. We’ve taken big steps. Look at our practice tasks compared to last year, like, we’re still eking around 180-200 at this rate in practice, and that’s not good enough. So we’ve still got definitely steps to take.”
The Cougs will hope their new crop of players will help them turn around the issues that plagued them last season. Many of those revolved around rebounding and turnovers. That team turned the ball over on more than 20% of its offensive possessions, which ranked nearly last nationally. The group also gave up offensive rebounds on more than a third of its defensive trips, which ranked No. 331 nationally.
Can this WSU team solve some of those problems? Look for players like Ugbo and Yalaho, plus Okafor, to be in that mix. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 245 pounds, Ugbo has the length and defensive versatility to help the Cougars snap out of some of the defensive woes that surfaced last season. Yalaho, himself 6-8 and 235 pounds, figures to add a splash of offensive production to a rotation that looks much more solid on the defensive end.
“The recruits, we had a little more time to process, go through the relationship and just make sure that Pullman’s right for them,” Riley said. “The way we coach, the way we operate as a developmental program. Pullman in general is not for everybody. For the people that come here, there’s no better place on Earth. I think we’ve got a good group that appreciates what we’ve got, that’s all kinda understanding how we’re gonna win, why that’s important. And it’s showed in practice, and it showed in the first scrimmage. And we just gotta keep building on that.”
WSU will also hope to get a lift from the returners on the roster. Vavers is a bit removed from an offseason shoulder procedure, he said, but he’s nearly back to 100% health. A year after shooting nearly 48% from distance in an injury-plagued first season at WSU, that will help him round back into form as the team’s best shooter, a deadly catch-and-shoot artist.
And with Okafor back in the wings, the Cougs’ interior defense should pick up as well. Last season, he averaged almost 1½ blocks per game, underscoring the way he altered some shots and swatted others. Will that be enough to help WSU stay competitive in its swan song in the WCC? Riley can only hope the time he spent on the recruiting trail will pay off.