Washington State University’s men’s basketball team has finalized its roster for the upcoming season after experiencing high turnover in the past few months. The Cougars have added nine new players to the roster, including five freshmen, two transfers, and two returning players.
The Cougars had to replace seven players from last season, including four starters. This high turnover was due to a combination of graduation, transfers, and players leaving the program for personal reasons.
The five freshmen joining the team are guard Isaac Bonton, forward DJ Rodman, guard Noah Williams, forward Efe Abogidi, and center Dishon Jackson. Bonton is a four-star recruit from Seattle who was ranked as the No. 2 player in Washington by 247Sports. Rodman is a three-star recruit from Los Angeles who was ranked as the No. 8 player in California by 247Sports. Williams is a three-star recruit from California who was ranked as the No. 25 player in California by 247Sports. Abogidi is a three-star recruit from Texas who was ranked as the No. 10 player in Texas by 247Sports. Jackson is a three-star recruit from Arizona who was ranked as the No. 8 player in Arizona by 247Sports.
The two transfers joining the team are guard Ryan Rapp and forward Jeff Pollard. Rapp is a graduate transfer from San Diego State who averaged 8.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game last season. Pollard is a transfer from UC Santa Barbara who averaged 11.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season.
The two returning players are guard Noah Williams and forward Aljaz Kunc. Williams averaged 8.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last season while Kunc averaged 4.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game last season.
The Cougars will look to these nine new players to help them improve on their 13-18 record from last season and make a run at the NCAA Tournament. With so much turnover, it will be interesting to see how the team adjusts to the new faces and how they will perform this season.
