WSU secures commitment from Cal transfer ND Okafor, a 6-9 forward
PULLMAN – Washington State’s roster for next season is starting to round into form.
The Cougars’ latest addition is Cal transfer ND Okafor, a 6-foot-9 forward who spent two seasons with the Golden Bears, suffering a season-ending injury toward the beginning of last year. His transfer makes six off-season additions for new WSU coach David Riley’s team.
Okafor, who averaged 3.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in 30 games as a true freshman, acquitted himself well in the nine games he played last season before his injury struck. He snagged seven rebounds and four points in a win over CSU Bakersfield, and he posted five points and five rebounds in nine minutes in a loss to UTEP.
Okafor gives the Cougars some size and physical presence on the interior, much like they got last season from graduated senior Isaac Jones, who earned a call-up from the G League Elite Camp to the NBA Draft Combine on Sunday.
Okafor, a native of Ireland, played in 2020-22 at the NBA Academy in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. ESPN rated him as a top-75, four-star prospect in the class of 2022.
Counting Okafor’s commitment, WSU has secured six new players for next season, including Eastern Washington transfers LeJuan Watts, Ethan Price and Dane Erikstrup, Quinnipiac transfer Rihard Vavers and Lapwai High star Kase Wynott.
Riley is using those additions to help fill the void left by the 12 former Cougs who have entered the portal, including guard Myles Rice (Indiana); wing Andrej Jakimovski (Colorado); centers Oscar Cluff (South Dakota State) and Rueben Chinyelu (Florida); guards Jabe Mullins (Montana State) and Dylan Darling (Idaho State); and wing Kymany Houinsou (Loyola Chicago).
Former Cougs still in the portal include rising senior wing Jaylen Wells, who received an invitation last week to the combine, and forwards Spencer Mahoney and AJ Rohosy.
Former WSU guard Joseph Yesufu, who missed almost the entirety of last season with a hip injury, announced his commitment to West Virginia on Sunday. He averaged 6.2 points and two rebounds in six games with the Cougars. He’ll spend his sixth and final year of eligibility playing for WVU coach Darian DeVries, the former coach of Drake, where Yesufu started his career.
Additionally, former WSU walk-on center AJ LaBeau is committed to the Ivy League’s Cornell, he announced on Saturday. He redshirted last season.
Mahoney, who was not on scholarship last season at WSU, has received two offers, he shared on social media: Cal and UCF. He didn’t see the floor last year as a Cougar, but coaches viewed him as an emerging stretch-four.