WSU point guard Adria Rodriguez signs with pro club in Spain, ending his one-year stay with Cougars

PULLMAN – The first offseason departure has arrived at Washington State.

Point guard Adria Rodriguez is returning to his home country of Spain on a new contract with the pro club Hoops Lleida, the team announced Wednesday on social media, meaning Rodriguez won’t be returning to WSU next season.

After his one season with the Cougars, it was possible Rodriguez could earn another year of NCAA eligibility, WSU coach David Riley said. But now it’s clear that Rodriguez’s time in Pullman has come to an end.

In his one year of American college basketball, Rodriguez averaged 3.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He wasn’t much of a scoring threat, which hampered WSU’s offense in noticeable ways, but he used his passing ability and court vision to generate open shots for teammates. He handed out as many as nine assists in one game, plus six in five other contests.

A native of the Barcelona area, Rodriguez caught Riley and the Cougar coaches’ attention by acquitting himself well in two years of professional action in Spain, where he averaged 8.1 points and 2.7 assists in two seasons with Lucentum Alicante in the Spanish second division, Primera FEB. He also shot 52% from the field in that span.

But when he joined WSU’s team, it was clear Rodriguez was struggling a bit to adapt to the game in America, where he was also speaking his second language. He played staunch defense, and the Cougars benefited from his ability to organize their offense and find open shooters. But Rodriguez’s lack of scoring was a problem. He finished the season shooting 40% from the field, made just one 3-pointer and converted just 42% of his free throws.

Rodriguez’s departure marks the first of the offseason for Washington State, but there will likely be more. Earlier this week, wing shooter Ri Vavers refuted a national report that he had decided to enter the transfer portal, indicating he’s still deciding on his next move. But it’s still a possibility that he enters the portal when it opens on April 7.

Elsewhere on the Cougars’ roster, coaches are awaiting decisions from freshman guard Ace Glass and forwards ND Okafor and Eemeli Yalaho, all of whom could be candidates to fetch big paydays via the portal. Coaches are also hoping to retain guards Tomas Thrastarson and Jerone Morton.