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Pac-12 Basketball: 5 biggest storylines to watch for 2021-22 offseason

By Jason Burgess

Jan 14, 2021; Boulder, Colorado, USA; A general view of the PAC 12 logo on the floor in the first half of the game between the Colorado Buffaloes and the California Golden Bears at CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 14, 2021; Boulder, Colorado, USA; A general view of the PAC 12 logo on the floor in the first half of the game between the Colorado Buffaloes and the California Golden Bears at CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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Pac-12 Basketball South Alabama Jaguars guard Michael Flowers John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
Pac-12 Basketball South Alabama Jaguars guard Michael Flowers John Reed-USA TODAY Sports /

Kyle Smith has things moving in the right direction in Pullman

While Kyle Smith’s 30-29 record at Washington State may not pop out at you, keep in mind that prior to his arrival the Cougars had not had a season at or above .500 since 2011-12. Like Oregon State, the Cougars have struggled to remain competitive in the Pac-12 having just three NCAA Tournament appearances since 1994, and their two regular-season titles came in 1917 and 1941.

Despite finishing the year 5-12 over their last 17, they played a lot of close games with six losses by single digits and five of those by six points or less. Leading scorer Isaac Bonton is gone, but nearly everyone else of consequence returns, and Smith has hit the transfer portal, landing two big fish.

Michael Flowers was the top scorer in the transfer portal, averaging 21 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and knocked down 39% of his three-point attempts for South Alabama last season. Speaking of sharpshooters, the Cougars also got a commitment from Division II All-American Tyrell Roberts who played two seasons for UC-San Diego who is transitioning to Division I where he averaged 16.5 points and shot over 41% from deep.

In addition to the transfers, Washington State welcomes a couple of three-star recruits in point guard Myles Rice and power forward Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge, and late last week, Smith got a commitment from 2022 big man Mouhamed Gueye who is going to reclassify for the 2021 season and is the highest-rated recruit in program history, ranking 34th in the class of 2022.

The Cougars aren’t at the stage of a perennial conference contender yet, but they had their best season-ending ranking at KenPom in a decade and the additions of Flowers and Gueye show that the Cougars are becoming more of a recruiting force. Smith has been a home-run hire thus far and is building something in Pullman.

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