‘We’re getting them lined up’: Washington State coach Kyle Smith provides update on new-look basketball team

PULLMAN – Washington State coach Kyle Smith has spent the past month evaluating his rebuilt roster – “seeing where our strengths are,” he said.

The Cougars reassembled last month for a stretch of offseason training sessions.

“It’s just four hours per week and we’re mixing skill development, fundamentals and conditioning,” Smith said. “Now, we’re whole. We’ve got everyone together and we’re getting them lined up, but we’re not trying to shape our team completely yet.”

Still, Smith has made a couple of observations during this period.

He expects the 2023-24 WSU basketball team to boast a stronger frontcourt and a quicker backcourt than last year’s squad.

Underneath the basket, WSU has plenty of sizable options. Several of the team’s frontcourt players are first-year Cougars.

At the guard positions, Smith has been impressed with the team’s speed and depth, but the coach is looking for new leaders in the backcourt.

Overall, WSU has “a lot of new faces,” Smith noted. The Cougars overhauled their roster after losing a chunk of players, including four starters, during the offseason – six transferred out and two began their pro careers.

WSU is still in the early stages of fashioning a team, but it’s starting to come together.

Smith has one scholarship left to give out. He might not use it.

“I’m not sure that we absolutely have to,” he said. “I like our group. They’ve been bonding. If you bring in another one, if it’s a guy that’s a difference-maker, that might ruffle some feathers. Maybe (we add) a long-term guy, someone who fits well. It just depends. There aren’t a whole lot of guys out there still.”

The Spokesman-Review caught up with Smith last week for an update on the team’s progress. Here’s what we learned:

WSU searching for new leaders at guard

The Cougars’ backcourt lost two standouts from its 2022-23 team, which went 17-17 and made an NIT appearance – Justin Powell, who shouldered point-guard responsibilities, and shooting guard TJ Bamba, who topped WSU in scoring last season.

Powell decided to head for the pro ranks early. He’s now playing for the Miami Heat’s Summer League squad. Bamba transferred to Villanova in April.

The most obvious candidates to replace them, says Smith, are second-year Cougar Jabe Mullins and newcomer Joseph Yesufu.

Mullins, now entering his senior season, appeared in 30 games and made eight starts last season after transferring in from Saint Mary’s. The 6-foot-6 Snoqualmie native scored 8.4 points per game and was the team’s most efficient 3-point shooter, hitting 55 of 128 (43%) attempts.

Powell’s departure “opens an opportunity” for Mullins to become one of WSU’s primary ball-handlers.

“Jabe can do what Justin did for us this past year,” Smith said. “Although Justin played more point guard for us, I think Jabe can replace him on offense with his shooting and passing.

“Justin is a little bit better of a defender and maybe a little more experienced, but Jabe is going to improve defensively. … Jabe needs to take advantage of it. It’s his opportunity. He can benefit the most from it. Jabe is going to have to become better, and I know he is better.”

Yesufu is in line to adopt a starting role at WSU after appearing in 69 games (with three starts) over the past two seasons at Kansas.

The 6-foot senior is a quick on-ball defender, and a more-than-capable shooter and passer. He probably won’t score as much as Bamba did, said Smith, but Yesufu is a “strong, explosive player” who can get downhill to facilitate or attack the basket.

“We’re counting on him to replace TJ in a sense,” Smith said. “He’s starting to come on (in summer workouts) and he should be pretty good.

WSU’s other options at the guard positions may lack experience, but Smith feels comfortable with his backcourt’s depth.

Sophomores Kymany Houinsou and Dylan Darling should see their duties expand.

Houinsou averaged 3.9 points and 1.4 assists over 16 minutes per game, and made eight starts in 2022-23. The 6-7 France native can drive to the rim, distribute and defend multiple positions.

“Kymany could be a guy for us,” Smith said. “He’s a different kind of player. He played a lot of minutes as a freshman and did some good things. He can make a big step forward.”

Darling, a 6-2 Spokane product, made four starts last season. He averaged 1.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 12 minutes per game across 25 appearances.

Darling is one of the quickest players in WSU’s fleet-footed group of guards.

“Our guards are fast,” Smith said. “We have a lot more speed available to us back there. Dylan, Myles (Rice), Joseph and Isaiah (Watts) are fast, and Parker (Gerrits) isn’t slow. Those guys have elite speed.”

Outside of Bamba and Darling, the Cougars didn’t have much speed in the backcourt last season, Smith said.

The coach also mentioned redshirt freshman Myles Rice, and true freshmen Isaiah Watts and Parker Gerrits as guards who have impressed during offseason workouts.

WSU coaches were high on Rice’s potential heading into the 2022-23 campaign, but the point guard missed the campaign as he battled Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Now cancer-free, Rice figures to make his collegiate debut this year.

“Myles is looking healthy,” Smith said. “Obviously, it’s a concern with him being out for two years, but his speed is good. It’d be a great story, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on him.”

Watts, a 6-3 Seattle native who is coming off a post-graduate season at South Kent School in Connecticut, signed with the Cougars in May over an offer from Seton Hall.

“He’s a puppy right now, but when he’s healthy and running, you can tell he’s going to be a good player,” Smith said of the three-star recruit.

The 6-1 Gerrits averaged 19 points per game last year at Olympia High and signed with WSU in November over several mid-major offers.

Smith is still searching for the “quarterback” of his offense. Last year, that responsibility was shared by Powell and All-Pac-12 post Mouhamed Gueye, who is playing well for the Atlanta Hawks’ Summer League squad after being selected in the second round of the NBA draft.

“Once you got in the halfcourt, Mo orchestrated everything and Justin made sure we didn’t turn it over and kept the floor spaced,” Smith said. “I think Jabe can do that in the halfcourt and we’ll be able to guard better, but it’s just, ‘Who’s gonna be able to get things started?’ ”

Perhaps a big man emerges as the Cougars’ leader. Smith figures WSU will lean on an “inside-out” approach next season and ask its guards to feed passes frequently to a new-look frontcourt.

Remade frontcourt shows intriguing potential

Last year, the Cougars played shorthanded in the frontcourt. Gueye was the only post player who was consistently available.

Center Dishon Jackson missed the season with an unspecified medical issue, then transferred to Charlotte. Backup post Adrame Diongue, a four-star recruit, played sparingly as a true freshman, then transferred to San Jose State. Reserve forward Mael Hamon-Crespin left the team in December and moved back to Paris. Center Jack Wilson, a former WSU football player, relieved Gueye for a few minutes per game, then transferred to Minnesota.

The Cougars have remade their frontcourt, stocking up on length and size. They added three big men and a forward with high potential.

“That should be a strength for our team – size and length,” Smith said. “Our front line is mature and ready to roll.”

Senior Idaho transfer Isaac Jones will be an instant starter. The 6-9, 245-pounder earned All-Big Sky honors last year after averaging 19.4 points (62.9% from the field) and 7.8 rebounds per game.

“He’s pretty special offensively,” Smith said. “He’s so unselfish. He’s very efficient. Offensively, I think he’s a little more advanced (than Gueye), but I don’t think he’ll be as impactful defensively. That’s where he can get better.

“But he’s a good decision-maker, dribbler, passer, finisher. He’s got one year left, so he’ll make the most of it. He’s a good kid – he’s engaged and he’s mature. He’s from the state (Spanaway), so we have a good story there.”

Junior college transfer Oscar Cluff should pair nicely with Jones. The 6-11 Cluff averaged 18.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game last season at Cochise College and led all NJCAA players in field-goal percentage (74.8%). He landed on the NJCAA All-America second team.

“He’s a really skillful ‘5 man,’ ” Smith said of the junior from Australia. “That’s something we haven’t really had. He’s a high-percentage field-goal guy who can pass and has a good feel for the game. He’s easy to play with. When he gets the ball, it’s good offense, because something usually happens.”

Another intriguing newcomer is Rueben Chinyelu, an explosive athlete out of the NBA Academy Africa.

The 6-10, 245-pound Nigeria native is a four-star recruit and WSU’s No. 5-ranked recruit since 2000, according to 247Sports.com.

Chinyelu, who signed with the program in November, averaged 5.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season with Stade Malien, a pro club in the Basketball Africa League. Chinyelu has been practicing with WSU for two weeks now.

“He has such a good motor and a good attitude,” Smith said. “Where he can really impact us is just being a strong athlete around the rim that defends and rebounds. His offense will grow, too. He’s gonna be a high-percentage guy, and he’s gonna be dunking a lot.”

It’s far too early to tell how Chinyelu will be used, but it’s fair to assume that he’ll be steadily employed in WSU’s three-man frontcourt unit.

At the wing/forward position, the Cougars will likely rely on two players – program vet Andrej Jakimovski and transfer addition Jaylen Wells. Smith said WSU will also test Houinsou at forward.

Jakimovski, the Cougars’ only returning starter, posted per-game averages of 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds last season. The 6-8 senior has appeared in 85 games and made 45 starts since 2020. He is by far the most experienced high-major player on WSU’s roster.

The 6-7 Wells spent the past two years at Sonoma State, a Division II program in the Bay Area. He captured D-II All-America honors last season after averaging 22.1 points – ranking 10th in D-II – and 8.7 rebounds per game.

He’s a late bloomer and will need some time to grow accustomed to high-major competition, Smith said, but Wells has tremendous upside.

“He’s been an incredible worker and I really like his size and skill set,” Smith said.

Wells signed with WSU in April , about three weeks before starting forward DJ Rodman, who played 111 career games for WSU, transferred to USC.