Washington State basketball won just one game last season and can only go up from there. That trajectory doesn’t appear to be very steep though as Wazzu figures to once again struggle mightily in the Pac-12.
WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS
Last Season: 12th, 1-17 in Pac-12, 9-22 overall
Predicted Pac-12 Finish: 12th
Projected Depth Chart
C: Connor Clifford (Sr)
PF: Josh Hawkinson (Sr)/Robert Franks (So)/Jeff Pollard (Fr)
G/F: Derrien King (Jr)/K.J. Langston (So-JUCO)
G: Charles Callison (Sr)/Viont’e Daniels (So)/Jamar Ergas (Fr)
PG: Ike Iroegbu (Sr)/Milan Acquaah (Fr)/Malachi Flynn (Fr)
Gone: PF-Junior Longrus, F-Brett Boese, SG-Que Johnson (transfer-Western Kentucky), PG-Ny Redding (transfer-Wyoming), SG-Renard Suggs (transfer-Omaha), C-Valentine Izundu (transfer-San Diego State)
Washington State Basketball Strengths:
Second year head coach, Ernie Kent will lean heavily on his one-two punch of Josh Hawkinson inside and Ike Iroegbu on the perimeter. Hawkinson is quietly one of the most productive big men out west while Iroegbu has steadily improved during his time in Pullman. Lacking much established talent around them, Hawkinson and Iroegbu must be special as seniors for Washington State to any remote chance of not finishing at or near the bottom of the Pac-12.
Question Marks:
With Que Johnson transferring, Wazzu will be searching for someone to pick up his scoring load on the wing. Charles Callison is likely that guy as he made a nice impact last season as a JUCO transfer. Derrin King and Viont’e Daniels were used off the bench and should see more minutes this year while junior college transfer K.J. Langston figures to fit into the wing rotation as well. The Cougars also have three freshmen guards who will compete for minutes.
Washington State Basketball Player to Watch:
Hawkinson might have been one of the most underrated players in the country last season due to Wazzu’s terrible season. He posted 20 double-doubles on his way to averaging 15.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. His offensive game is versatile as he can score on the block but also face-up on the outside and knock down jumpers. When his career comes to an end in March, his name will be all over Washington State’s all-time leaderboards.
X-Factor:
Though an undersized combo guard at six-foot, Callison is the Cougar most ready to take the role of third banana behind Hawkinson and Iroegbu. By the way, this line from his school bio cracks me up, “led WSU in assists 1 times, second most on the team.”
Looking Ahead to Washington State Basketball in 2017-18:
With four likely starters graduating, Wazzu is shaping up to be AWFUL next season. They have no transfers sitting out a year and just received their first commit for the 2017 class in JUCO small forward, Kwinton Hinson. You thought one conference win was bad? It could be zero for the 2017-18 season.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/18 vs. Creighton (Paradise Jam)
11/19 vs. N.C. State/Montana (Paradise Jam)
11/21 vs. Ole Miss/Oral Roberts/St. Joseph’s/Loyola IL (Paradise Jam)
12/10 vs. Kansas State (in Kansas City)
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.