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Apr. 23—PULLMAN — After some four weeks of the transfer portal's opening, Washington State has hardly emerged unscathed, but things could have gone much worse for David Riley's team.
The portal closed Tuesday night, claiming six Cougars — wing LeJuan Watts, guards Isaiah Watts, Nate Calmese, Cedric Coward and Marcus Wilson, plus freshman center Dimitrije Vukicevic, the last of whom submitted his name just before the deadline.
LeJuan Watts took his talents to Texas Tech, Isaiah Watts bolted for Maryland and Calmese transferred to Wake Forest. Coward is reportedly deciding between finalists Alabama and Duke while intending to test the NBA draft waters this spring/summer.
Wilson hasn't found a new home, but after one injury-shortened season in Pullman, he won't be returning to WSU, a source told The Spokesman-Review.
Vukicevic's decision to enter the portal comes as something of a surprise to WSU, which likely had a role for him next season, considering senior forwards Ethan Price and Dane Erikstrup have exhausted their eligibility.
(While they would still need to decide to return, the pending House vs. NCAA settlement could give them another year of eligibility, depending on if the settlement comes with a five-year eligibility package.)
Vukicevic is the Cougars' only true center, and it's possible he returns after all, according to a source. A raw prospect from Belgrade, Serbia, the 7-footer Vukicevic always seemed like a likely redshirt candidate. With a year of development under his belt, it's possible he could see extra playing time in 2025-26.
But if Vukicevic does depart, slated to return to Pullman next season are forward ND Okafor, wing Rihards Vavers and guards Tomas Thrastarson, Kase Wynott and Parker Gerrits. WSU has also landed two reinforcements via the portal in Morehead State guard Jerone Morton and Boise State wing Emmanuel Ugbo.
With prep commit Dio Blakely incoming, the Cougars have about six scholarships open.
Based on the two additions he's made, Riley seems intent on adding more defense and rebounding, two significant weaknesses of his first WSU club.
Ugbo is a 6-8 wing whose best attributes are his athleticism and on-ball defense. Morton may not have that kind of athleticism, but at 6-4, he's a rangy guard with the tools to excel on that end of the floor.
Make no mistake: WSU lost a ton of talent to the portal. Even with his flaws with defense and turnovers, Calmese was the Cougs' best ball-handler and shot-creator, using his speed and efficient finishing to score when his team needed it most. Last season, WSU avoided what would have been a disastrous road loss to San Diego in large part thanks to Calmese's late-game scoring.
Perhaps the biggest loss of all, LeJuan Watts gave WSU something of everything, including scoring, rebounding and passing. He averaged 13.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists, even starting at point guard for WSU's College Basketball Crown loss to Georgetown in late March.
Isaiah Watts missed 10 games with a hand injury. While he had some limitations, he was the team's best catch-and-shoot threat. He shot 35% on 3-pointers, giving Riley a reliable option on the perimeter. He nailed a game-tying 3-pointer in WSU's comeback win over Pepperdine on Feb. 8.
But even on top of the losses of Wilson and Coward, who played only six games before going down with a season-ending shoulder injury, WSU could have fared much worse in the portal.
With the return of Thrastarson, the Cougs get a promising prospect who has used his 6-6 frame to showcase his defense. With the return of Vavers, they get a catch-and-shoot artist. During his final six games of the season, Vavers connected on 15 of 24 3-pointers.
Okafor has his limitations on the offensive end, but with 1.3 blocks per game, he provides the Cougs with rim protection they didn't have otherwise last season.
With the addition of Ugbo and Morton, who figure to upgrade WSU's defense, and the return of Wynott and Gerrits, it's possible this group could improve in the areas that cratered their 2024-25 season.
But much of that also depends on how the Cougars do in the portal, where current players have no deadline to sign with new teams.
Continue reading...
The portal closed Tuesday night, claiming six Cougars — wing LeJuan Watts, guards Isaiah Watts, Nate Calmese, Cedric Coward and Marcus Wilson, plus freshman center Dimitrije Vukicevic, the last of whom submitted his name just before the deadline.
LeJuan Watts took his talents to Texas Tech, Isaiah Watts bolted for Maryland and Calmese transferred to Wake Forest. Coward is reportedly deciding between finalists Alabama and Duke while intending to test the NBA draft waters this spring/summer.
Wilson hasn't found a new home, but after one injury-shortened season in Pullman, he won't be returning to WSU, a source told The Spokesman-Review.
Vukicevic's decision to enter the portal comes as something of a surprise to WSU, which likely had a role for him next season, considering senior forwards Ethan Price and Dane Erikstrup have exhausted their eligibility.
(While they would still need to decide to return, the pending House vs. NCAA settlement could give them another year of eligibility, depending on if the settlement comes with a five-year eligibility package.)
Vukicevic is the Cougars' only true center, and it's possible he returns after all, according to a source. A raw prospect from Belgrade, Serbia, the 7-footer Vukicevic always seemed like a likely redshirt candidate. With a year of development under his belt, it's possible he could see extra playing time in 2025-26.
But if Vukicevic does depart, slated to return to Pullman next season are forward ND Okafor, wing Rihards Vavers and guards Tomas Thrastarson, Kase Wynott and Parker Gerrits. WSU has also landed two reinforcements via the portal in Morehead State guard Jerone Morton and Boise State wing Emmanuel Ugbo.
With prep commit Dio Blakely incoming, the Cougars have about six scholarships open.
Based on the two additions he's made, Riley seems intent on adding more defense and rebounding, two significant weaknesses of his first WSU club.
Ugbo is a 6-8 wing whose best attributes are his athleticism and on-ball defense. Morton may not have that kind of athleticism, but at 6-4, he's a rangy guard with the tools to excel on that end of the floor.
Make no mistake: WSU lost a ton of talent to the portal. Even with his flaws with defense and turnovers, Calmese was the Cougs' best ball-handler and shot-creator, using his speed and efficient finishing to score when his team needed it most. Last season, WSU avoided what would have been a disastrous road loss to San Diego in large part thanks to Calmese's late-game scoring.
Perhaps the biggest loss of all, LeJuan Watts gave WSU something of everything, including scoring, rebounding and passing. He averaged 13.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists, even starting at point guard for WSU's College Basketball Crown loss to Georgetown in late March.
Isaiah Watts missed 10 games with a hand injury. While he had some limitations, he was the team's best catch-and-shoot threat. He shot 35% on 3-pointers, giving Riley a reliable option on the perimeter. He nailed a game-tying 3-pointer in WSU's comeback win over Pepperdine on Feb. 8.
But even on top of the losses of Wilson and Coward, who played only six games before going down with a season-ending shoulder injury, WSU could have fared much worse in the portal.
With the return of Thrastarson, the Cougs get a promising prospect who has used his 6-6 frame to showcase his defense. With the return of Vavers, they get a catch-and-shoot artist. During his final six games of the season, Vavers connected on 15 of 24 3-pointers.
Okafor has his limitations on the offensive end, but with 1.3 blocks per game, he provides the Cougs with rim protection they didn't have otherwise last season.
With the addition of Ugbo and Morton, who figure to upgrade WSU's defense, and the return of Wynott and Gerrits, it's possible this group could improve in the areas that cratered their 2024-25 season.
But much of that also depends on how the Cougars do in the portal, where current players have no deadline to sign with new teams.
Continue reading...
