David Riley takes over as the new coach of Washington State basketball as the Cougars hope a strong transfer class pays off.
The tradition continues! CBB Review is again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the new college basketball season. We will reveal the next team each day until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Washington State basketball.
A team in turmoil. After being one of the last teams to remain in the Pac-12, the Washington State Cougars have become West Coast Conference affiliates along with Oregon State. On top of that, this team lost head coach Kyle Smith to Stanford on their way to the Atlantic Coast Conference. The new coach is David Riley, a former Eastern Washington head coach of the Big Sky Conference. Riley led Eastern Washington to a 21-11 season. After two regular Big Sky championships, he was back-to-back Big Sky Coach of the Year.
With that change, the majority of this team left, with only no starters returning. However, Coach Riley was able to bring three of his starters and two off-the-bench players from Eastern Washington. This is a big team, with four players being 6-foot-9 and taller, with the shortest guard standing at 6-foot-3, not including walk-on players.
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Head coach: David Riley (1st Season with Washington State, 4th season overall)
2023-24 record: 25-10 (14-6)
2024 postseason finish: Lost to Iowa State (67-56) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- Isaac Jones (15.3 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.1 BPG, 57.5 FG%)
- Myles Rice (14.8 PPG, 3.8 APG, 3.1 RPG,1.6 SPG)
- Jaylen Wells (12.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 41.7 3P%)
- Andrej Jakimovski (9.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.3 APG)
- Oscar Cluff (7.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.2 APG, 53.8 FG%)
- Rueben Chinyelu (4.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 0.1 APG, 1.3 BPG, 61.7 FG%)
- Kymany Houinsou (4.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.1 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Bradley (Nov. 8)
- vs. Iowa (Nov. 15)
- vs. Fresno State (Nov. 26)
- vs. SMU OR Cal Baptist (Nov. 27)
- at Nevada (Dec. 2)
- vs. Boise State (Dec. 7)
- at Washington (Dec. 18)
Projected Rotation
PG: Cedric Coward (6-4, 190, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 15.4 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 38.3 3P% (Eastern Washington)
SG: Isaiah Watts (6-3, 170, So.)
2023-24 stats: 3.7 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.5 APG, 37.7 3P%
SF: Lejuan Watts (6-6, 225, Rs.-So.)
2023-24 stats: 9.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.7 APG, 40.5 3P% (Eastern Washington)
PF: Casey Jones (6-6, 210, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 12.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 34.4 3P% (Eastern Washington)
C: Ethan Price (6-10, 230, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 12.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, 37.4 3P% (Eastern Washington)
7: Nate Calmese (6-2, 170, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 4.1 PPG, 0.8 APG, 0.6 RPG (Washington)
8: Dane Erikstrup (6-10, 240, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 10.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.6 APG, 34.2 3P% (Eastern Washington)
9: Rihards Vavers (6-7, 195, So.)
2023-24 stats: 7.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.7 APG, 37.1 3P% (Quinnipiac)
10: ND Okafor (6-9, 235, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 1.9 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.6 APG (Cal)
11: Marcus Wilson (6-3, 180, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #236 ranked recruit
Washington State Basketball team MVP: Cedric Coward
Coach Riley landing his best player from Eastern Washington was vital. Coward can do so much for this team. He has success at the rim and makes 69.1% of his 2-pointers, bringing his field goal percentage to 56.5% from last year. These numbers are actually down from his sophomore season at Eastern Washington. Coward grew into a better player as he extended his game to include 3-pointers and shooting those with confidence. His ability to catch and shoot boosts up his teammates assists as it is his most successful shot beyond the arch. The advanced stats on him are impressive. Coward was first in effective field goal percentage in the Big Sky with 64.4%, with a true shooting percentage of 67.7%, and finished no lower than fifth in box plus/minus. However, this is not the only area where Coward shines.
Looking at the defense, since joining Eastern Washington, Coward hasn’t been lower than tenth in blocks and blocks per game. He has excellent timing and is patient on his jump. How he sees the floor will be a boost for this team. Coward is a crucial presence for Riley as he can assist in implementing the offense and bringing this team together into the future. In creating a culture, Coward will be looked to for leadership and understanding. He will likely set the tone on both ends of the floor.
Washington State Basketball make-or-break player: Isaiah Watts
Isaiah Watts is the lone scholarship player from last year’s Washington State team. He has work to do and big shoes to fill. In his second year of college basketball, Watts will likely be a starting guard for this team. He will be fighting for this position all year with Nate Calmese. Watts played in every game last year. Meanwhile, Calmese was limited after his transfer from Lamar to Washington and had numbers similar to Watts in his first year.
While anything can happen, I lean toward Watts because he is a slightly better 3-point shooter. Watts is going to have to take some pressure off of Coward and bring his ball handling to this team. In his second year, he is set to have a lot put on him. If Watts can step up to the challenge, he can bring a defense and intensity from last year’s team. There are question marks all around him about how he will react.
Key analytic: 2-point percentage
Coach Riley will likely bring a similar ideology to this Washington State basketball team that he had at Eastern Washington. Last year’s Washington State team was pretty well-rounded, with a major focus on rebounding and defense. However, Coach Riley has historically focused on the ball’s offensive side. He will bring smart shooting and high 2-point shooting. Last season, Eastern Washington was the sixth-best team in 2-point shooting percentage. The team took smart shots, showing that the effective field goal percentage was 57.2%, putting them at the fourth best. Riley’s team was also 25th in 3-point shooting percentage last year, at 36.8%.
Washington State is going to look very different on both ends of the floor from last year. This team is going to take more 3-pointers than last year and less defense. The good news is that this team can score well and have efficient trips. If the team can limit turnovers, a massive issue from Eastern Washington’s team in 2024, a big jump could happen and add more wins.
Washington State Basketball 2024-25 projections
Projected conference finish: 3rd in the WCC
Projected postseason ceiling: NIT Appearance
This is laughable, at best. New coach, new conference, brand new team filled with guys from the mighty Big Sky Conference. No better than a middle of the pack WCC team and much closer to #180 than #80 in the country. Your opinion is completely contaminated here by how good they were last season.