The Pac-12 microsite will preview each of its league teams over the next few weeks, continuing today with Washington State.
Washington State Cougars
Strengths. Washington State has two things in particular really going for it: (1) DaVonte Lacy, and (2) newness. Lacy himself isn’t new, but he is excellent, as we’ve already detailed this year. But what is new is the culture around the program. Ken Bone is both a fine man and basketball coach, but he had his chance in a place where it is ridiculously hard to succeed and he just couldn’t get it done. That’s no knock against him; many have tried there and failed before. But without a doubt, the excitement level around this program significantly waned to last year’s low point. Enter Ernie Kent. He’s had success in this conference before, and he brings with him a new energy to the program. Make no mistake, he’s got a lot of work ahead of him in convincing talent to come to Pullman, but at least the program gets a fresh start.
Weaknesses. Everything else. Really, aside from Lacy and sophomore wing Que Johnson, you could make a fair argument that no one else on this roster has any business playing significant minutes in the Pac-12. At the very least, nobody else has proven that worth. Everywhere else on the floor, Kent needs to find temporary solutions. Sophomore Ike Iroegbu figures to start at the point guard slot, but he’s still a work in progress and more comfortable off the ball. He has three freshmen with varying degrees of comfort ready to challenge him for that role. And then up front, wow, it is a mess. Only D.J. Shelton kept the Cougs from being completely overmatched in the paint last year, and he’s already used up his eligibility. At least one of Jordan Railey, Josh Hawkinson or JuCo transfer Aaron Cheatum is going to need to surprise.
Nonconference Tests. The Cougars have the non-conference schedule to match their team-in-progress. Outside of their regular non-conference game against Gonzaga in which they tend to play some of their best basketball of the year, they’ve got a manageable slate. There’s an early-season trip to Texas for games at UTEP and TCU, an appearance in the Great Alaska Shootout with Colorado State and UC Santa Barbara as the stoutest potential opponents, and reasonable-looking match-ups against teams like Texas-San Antonio, Santa Clara and San Jose State. The Cougs will slip up against some of these teams, if only because that is what teams of their caliber do, but Kent is blessed with a schedule that is not going to kill his young team’s confidence.
Toughest Conference Stretch. They’re all tough, but the way this schedule ends for an overmatched team is almost unfair. Midway through February, with postseason hopes long gone and this team likely just looking for a finish line, they host the Arizona schools over Valentine’s Day weekend, followed by intrastate rival Washington the following week. Not bad so far, right? But follow that up with a trip down to play the Los Angeles-area schools and then a season-ending homestand against Utah and Colorado — teams that will likely be playing for NCAA Tournament seeding at that point — and things could really get out of hand.
If Everything Goes Right… Lacy stays healthy and is even better as a senior than he was as a junior; Que Johnson shows that he’ll be ready to step into Lacy’s role next season; and Kent figures out that one of the point guards he has on his roster is a diamond in the rough. There may not be a ton of wins on the ledger when all is said and done, but this season is about building a foundation for years to come. Speaking of which, what would really make Cougars fans feel comfortable about the direction of this program is landing a few nice recruits this winter.
If Nothing Goes Right… Lacy’s a one-man wrecking crew; Johnson isn’t ready to make a jump forward; and none of the point guards are anything more than a temporary bandage. The losses pile up, Friel Court is quiet as a library and no help appears on the horizon in terms of future Cougs.
Projected Starting Lineup
- PG Ike Iroegbu (So, 6’2” 190 lbs, 5.5 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.5 APG in 18.1 MPG)
- SG Davonte Lacy (Sr, 6’4” 210 lbs, 19.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 39 3P%)
- SF Que Johnson (So, 6’5” 205 lbs, 9.5 PPG, 2.4 RPG)
- PF Junior Longrus (Jr, 6’7” 240 lbs, 3.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG)
- C Jordan Railey (Sr, 7’0” 245 lbs, 3.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG)
This starting five probably wouldn’t put the five best players on the floor, but it would give the team its best crack at a balanced lineup. Lacy can help ease Iroegbu’s load; Johnson slides in firmly as the number two scorer; and then the team’s two best big men (which isn’t saying a whole lot) form a pretty traditional four/five combination up front.
Key Reserves
- SF Dexter Kernich-Drew (Sr, 6’7” 190 lbs, 6.3 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 36.4 3P%)
- PG Jackie Davis (Fr, 6’4” 195 lbs)
- PF Aaron Cheatum (Jr, 6’7” 240 lbs)
- PG Trevor Dunbar (Fr, 5’10” 175 lbs)
- SF Brett Boese (Jr, 6’7” 230 lbs, 1.6 PPG in 4.2 MPG, 39.1 3P%)
- C Josh Hawkinson (So, 6’10” 245 lbs, 1.2 PPG, 1.6 RPG in 6.4 MPG)
If Kent decides that going small and up-tempo is the way to go, Kernich/Drew would be a natural fit in the starting five, but he’d be a fine option off the bench too. Cheatum and sophomore Josh Hawkinson are the only two bits of big-man depth, and both of them will have to play a role at some point this year. Meanwhile, Davis, Dunbar and fellow freshman Ny Redding will compete for minutes backing up both the one and the two spots. There isn’t a lot of proven depth here, but that’s fine, as long as Kent figures out which of these players can turn into contributors down the road.