WSU forward Eemeli Yalaho, guard Kase Wynott to enter the transfer portal

PULLMAN – The first dominoes appear to be falling at Washington State.

Forward Eemeli Yalaho and guard Kase Wynott are expected to enter the transfer portal, a source confirmed to The Spokesman-Review on Monday, ending their stays with the Cougars. Yalaho played one season at WSU, Wynott two.

The news was first reported by On3 Sports and The Field of 68.

A 6-foot-8 forward, Yalaho spent the first two years of his career at Texas Tech before transferring to WSU, where he averaged 10.1 points and 5.7 rebounds in 32 games. Yalaho also shot an efficient 40% from beyond the arc, becoming a reliable shooting threat in coach David Riley’s system.

Yalaho, a bit of an undersized power forward/center on last year’s WSU team, played a key role in helping the Cougars turn around the rebounding issues that plagued the previous year’s team. The Finland native also averaged nearly two offensive boards per game, a remarkable trend for a tweener who was often battling opponents taller and bigger than him.

But Yalaho’s turnover problems were an issue all season. On the year, he averaged 1.8 turnovers per game, including as many as five in one game and four in another. Some are to be expected in Riley’s system – a free-flowing, read-and-react approach – but others only compounded ball security problems that have haunted each of Riley’s first two Washington State teams.

Still, Yalaho is a candidate to fetch a big payday via the portal. Stretch bigs are valuable on the open market, especially those who shoot 40% from deep. Combine that with Yalaho’s rebounding numbers and you get the kind of versatility that opposing coaches will pay top dollar for.

A product of nearby Lapwai High School, Wynott missed all but five games last season due to a hip injury, likely giving him a chance to secure a medical redshirt. He scored seven points in a win over Southern Utah and six in a victory over Division II Chaminade in Maui.

As a true freshman, Wynott averaged 14 minutes in 24 games, coming off the bench as a scoring spark plug. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds, Wynott’s best attribute is his shooting ability, but due to fluctuating minutes, he finishes his WSU career with just 1.7 points per game on 30% shooting from beyond the arc.

Wynott became available to Riley shortly after he accepted the Cougars’ job, back in April 2024, when the coaching carousel shifted. Wynott originally signed with Utah State, but when coach Danny Sprinkle left for the same job at Washington, Wynott backed out. Sprinkle offered him at UW, but Wynott stayed closer to home and took his talents to WSU.

The transfer portal doesn’t open until April 7, but with many teams’ seasons over across the country, players are beginning to make plans for their next moves. Last week, it appeared that was beginning at WSU when wing Ri Vavers was reported to be planning to enter the portal, but he refuted that on social media. Vavers could still enter the portal, though.

With Yalaho on his way out, the Cougs are short on returning experience at the forward spot. Much will depend on whether ND Okafor stays or leaves, but forward Emmanuel Ugbo isn’t expected to return due to a suspension over a protection order granted against him. And if Simon Hildebrandt also chooses to move on, Riley and coaches will have to reconstruct their front court.

Washington State also won’t return point guard Adria Rodriguez, who last week opted to return to his home country of Spain and join a professional team there.