Copyright Lewiston Morning Tribune
In what has become a tradition, the transfer portal ravaged a Washington State basketball roster. For men’s basketball coach David Riley, the roster reconstruction was not as extreme as last year, when only two remained from former coach Kyle Smith’s NCAA Tournament team. That’s not the case for women’s hoops coach Kamie Ethridge, who lost more players to the portal than any previous season. Five men and six women from last year remain. However, both coaches spoke highly of their rosters, with an emphasis on impact scorers, lockdown defenders and recruits who fit in on the Palouse. The two Cougar squads open their 2025-26 seasons on Monday versus Idaho for the Battle of the Palouse (ESPN+), with the women meeting at 11 a.m. and the men matching up at 6:30 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman. Wazzu women find a floor general Following three-year Coug Astera Tuhina’s choice to transfer to Oregon, Ethridge and her staff turned to Western Kentucky point guard Mackenzie Chatfield to lead the offense. Ethridge said that Chatfield, a New Zealand native, was well aware of Wazzu, having followed her fellow Kiwis Krystal and Charlisse Leger-Walker’s careers. Chatfield had plenty of opportunities to play elsewhere. “Other people offered her money,” Ethridge said. “We could not do that, and she still chose us.” Ethridge said that WSU’s culture and opportunity aligned with Chatfield’s goals. “She can play her natural position and really take over a team,” Ethridge said. “It was a perfect fit for us and we were very fortunate that she’s about fit more than she’s about money.” The Cougars reunited with Lauren Glazier through the portal. The North Bend, Wash., native spent the last two seasons at Pacific after her freshman year at WSU. Ethridge said that Glazier could often see the floor for the Cougs, but won’t right away, as she deals with an injury. “She’s come a long way from when she left us and wanted to go somewhere else,” Ethridge said. “Her enthusiasm to come back, her wanting to just do anything to help this team win (is great).” Junior guard Eleonora Villa and 6-foot-6 center Alex Covill will log meaningful minutes, with sophomore Charlotte Abraham and freshman Tanja Valancic figuring to make an immediate impact for a young squad looking to improve on a 21-14 season from last year. WSU was picked third in the WCC coaches poll this season. “We’re young. We don’t have perfect habits by any means, we don’t execute at a great level,” Ethridge said. “But I know this team is very, very competitive and very hungry, and they come to practice every single day with high energy, and they want to be great.” Cougar men dial up the defense To have a chance at keeping up with the high-flying offenses of the West Coast Conference, Riley said that WSU, which finished last season 19-15 and is picked to finish sixth this season by the WCC coaches, focused on adding skilled defenders. The Cougars added 6-8 forward Emmanuel Ugbo from Boise State, 6-8 forward Eemeli Yalaho of Texas Tech, 6-9 forward Simon Hildebrant of High Point and 6-4 guard Jerone Morton of Morehead State. “I just keep it simple: ‘Don’t let my man score,’” Morton said. “Just trying to be as aggressive as I can on defense and playing as hard as I can.” Riley said that the Cougars were disruptive in their 74-66 exhibition win over New Mexico on Saturday. “Our bigs were physical,” Riley said. “We had guards going physical at the rim, too. That just shows the guys buying into that side of the ball.” Riley said he sees WSU having multiple starting lineups this year by design. “With this group, we’ve got a few other guys who are more than capable of having that role,” the coach said. “It’s just going to depend on the game.” Circled on the calendar The Cougar men play a nonconference slate, which includes a home Apple Cup versus Washington at 8 p.m. Nov. 14 and another former conference foe, USC, at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 14 in Los Angeles. WSU will participate in the Southwest Maui Invitational, where they will meet Chaminade, then either Arizona State or Texas and a third game versus a field that includes Boise State, USC and NC State. The WSU women will play former conference foes Stanford (4 p.m., Nov. 14) and Oregon (4 p.m., Nov. 19). Both squads will play their final year in the WCC before the new Pac-12 forms next season. The Gonzaga men are coming to Pullman on Jan. 15 and the Zag women will be in Pullman on Jan. 31. Players to watch Kase Wynott, so., guard — Lapwai Wildcats star Kase Wynott is back for Year 2 with the Cougs. The former Idaho state champion played in 24 games in the crimson and gray last season. While his raw shooting percentages were a far cry from his video game prep numbers, the toughness and grit that appealed to his coaches showed through Wynott’s standout defense last year. Entering Year 2, Wynott said he is more confident, prepared and healthy. “Every time I feel like I got to my momentum in the season, I would get some kind of injury,” Wynott said. “It started at my hips and I got a concussion, then I broke my nose, so it was just a downhill spiral. So now, feels great to be healthy.” Wynott will see his former high school teammate, Titus Yearout, on Monday when the Cougars tip off against the Vandals — though Wynott said that Yearout will not play because of an injury. As for where his fans can eat before they make their way to Beasley? Wynott’s favorite Pullman restaurants are Sella’s, Birch and Barley and Southfork. Eleonora Villa, jr., guard — Villa, the longest tenured active Coug, has developed her on-court communication skills and confidence, Ethridge said. Villa had planned to spend much of the summer in Pullman, training with her teammates, but encountered a visa issue that kept her in Italy, Ethridge said. The junior used the extra time at home to train with the Italian national team and matched up against some of her country’s best professional basketball players. “(Villa’s) got great timing on her drives to know whether she needs to shoot it or drive it or to pass it again,” Ethridge said. “Great decision-maker. I think all of that’s just growing as she continues to play at a high level, train at a high level, and be very, very intentional in the workouts that she’s doing in the offseason.” Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.
