WSU forward Emmanuel Ugbo will be suspended for rest of season
PULLMAN – Emmanuel Ugbo has played his final minutes of the season for Washington State.
That’s the word from coach David Riley, who said on Monday that Ugbo’s suspension will last the rest of the season. Last week, a Whitman County judge issued a full protection order for a WSU volleyball player against Ugbo, who hasn’t played since Jan. 28.
“As an institution,” Riley said, “we believe that’s the best course of action.”
A transfer from Boise State, Ugbo’s suspension began with WSU’s home game on Jan. 31, shortly after a woman filed for a temporary protection order against Ugbo, accusing him of stalking and harassment. Since then, Ugbo has not been present for any of the team’s games or practices.
The Cougars have two more regular-season games, at LMU on Wednesday and at Pepperdine on Saturday, before embarking on the WCC tournament in Las Vegas.
In his first season at WSU, Ugbo averaged 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 18 minutes per game. A 6-foot-8 forward from the Netherlands, Ugbo played his first year of American college basketball last season at Boise State.
The woman ended her relationship with Ugbo in late December, she stated in court records, but Ugbo continued to try and contact her in various ways, including other phone numbers, teammates’ phones, social media and Spotify.
Following the end of the relationship, teammates and friends of the woman noticed she was “in physical and mental distress,” according to court records, and that she “has been increasingly anxious and crying more than usual.”
WSU ready to finish strong,
shake off road woes in final week
This week, the Cougars won’t just be looking to cap off their regular season with two wins on the road, where they haven’t been at their best this season. They’ll also be looking to vault from No. 6 in the WCC standings to No. 4, which comes with a bye into the conference tournament quarterfinals.
At 7-9 in WCC play, WSU is in a three-way race with fourth-place Oregon State and fifth-place Pacific. To earn the fourth seed, the Cougars will have to win both of their games this week – and they’ll need teams around them to lose a game or two.
Lots of scenarios could play out, but it comes down to this: The Cougs can get to No. 4 by winning both their games, if Oregon State goes 1-1 and if Pacific loses its only game this week, a home matchup Saturday against seventh-place San Francisco.
The Beavers’ games this week are at home against San Diego (they’ve already beaten the Toreros once this year) and at home against Santa Clara, the conference’s third-place team.