A really rough hand was dealt to the Washington State basketball program in recent times as the Cougars were left behind by the mass exodus from the Pac-12. This came right after a 25-win season in 2024, marking Washington State’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament in well over a decade. A temporary member of the WCC, new head coach David Riley did his best in guiding the Cougars to 19 wins and a 6th place slot in his first season.
Unfortunately, Washington State loses plenty of talent moving into Riley’s second campaign. Leading scorer Nate Calmese entered the portal alongside fellow double-digit scorers in Isaiah Watts and LeJuan Watts. Forwards Dane Erikstrup and Ethan Price have ended their careers while Cedric Coward moved briefly to Duke before professional ball. There’s far from an empty cupboard, with ND Okafor and Rihards Vavers among the notable returners.
While those departures were already tough news, what hurts even more for this program is that the incoming class of talent isn’t quite at the same level. Washington State added four transfers though none of them really jumped off the page. Eemeli Yalaho was a backup at Texas Tech while both Simon Hildebrandt from High Point and Emmanuel Ugbo of Boise State have had limited success as power forwards.
We’re identifying important additions and for the Cougars it’ll be key to have Jerone Morton playing at a high level. A 6-4 point guard originally out of Winchester, Kentucky, Morton is fresh off a pair of seasons over at Morehead State, not too far from his hometown. Mostly a reserve as a freshman, he took up a more important role last season, averaging 10.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game mostly as the Eagles’ starter at the point.
Morton jumps from the OVC to the WCC as a point guard with potential. He wasn’t exactly known as a shooter last season, but did make 37% of his 3-pointers in limited chances. Morton finished Top 10 in the OVC in assists and showed potential on both sides of the ball, racking up decent steals numbers as well. Again, he didn’t jump off the page as an addition for the Cougars but he should slide into an important role in this backcourt.
Whatever transpires for Washington State in their second and final year in the WCC it’s clear that this program has taken a slight step backwards. When looking at the whole picture, it’s hard to see this team having the talent to compete with Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and newcomer Grand Canyon among others in the conference. With that being said, Morton showed signs of brilliance as a sophomore and this team will really need him stepping up again in year three.