Do they have your attention yet?
The Washington State women’s basketball team didn’t just shock the Pac-12 last week by winning the conference tournament as a seventh seed, it made history by becoming the first women’s team to win a conference title in any sport in school history.
And the Cougs didn’t get there by upsetting a couple of foes in some off-brand mid-major, they did so by cutting down opponents — including then-No. 3 Utah — in what may be the most stacked league in America.
WSU (23-10) has gone from noticeable to remarkable under coach Kamie Ethridge, who inherited a program that hadn’t been to the NCAA tournament in three decades and transformed it into one that has made the Dance in each of its past three seasons.
Here are four things to know about the Cougs as they prepare for the madness that awaits them later this March.
Their top seven scorers are from outside the United States
A New Zealander, a Rwandan, a Kosovan, an Estonian, an Australian and a couple of Canadians — you need a passport to get into the Cougs’ locker room. Ethridge will be the first to admit that Pullman isn’t the most glamorous of locations, so instead of rounding up last-girl-off-the-bench players from the AAU circuit, the WSU staff — led by associate head coach/recruiting guru Laurie Koehn — go on worldwide hunts.
Like a publisher looking for the next great author, no game film is turned away. The result has been a collection of international talent that has Washington State ranked No. 22 in the country.
“We can’t just drive and go home whenever we want to see our family, so that made us even closer,” said senior Bella Murekatete, a Rwandan whose 13.9 points per game are second on the team in scoring.
And that camaraderie is vital, because…
The Cougs rarely transfer
Perhaps Pullman, as a town, lacks the appeal belonging to some of its Pac-12 competitors. But even in this age of the transfer portal, the Washington State women tend to stay put. Four of the five starters from last year’s team — which went 11-6 in conference — returned, with the only departure being fifth-year senior Krystal Leger-Walker. And all those starters were there for the 2020-21 season as well.
Senior Grace Sarver — the West Seattle grad who has played in 103 straight games for Washington State — said the team grew particularly close during the more restrictive days of COVID and has been inseparable since.
They do have one teammate who has separated herself from the pack, though …
They have a star in Charlisse Leger-Walker
Glance at any WNBA mock draft board for 2024 and the New Zealand native’s name is going to pop up. Ethridge was watching game film of Leger-Walker while coaching her older sister at Northern Colorado, giddy about what she might be capable of.
Perhaps other coaches weren’t sure what to make of the 15-year-old Kiwi when she was, as Ethridge said, “getting her lunch stolen” against 22-year-olds on the international stage. But Kamie saw blockbuster potential and was able to recruit her to the Palouse after Krystal transferred from Northern Colorado.
Now she’s leading the Cougs with 18.1 points per game and 4.2 assists while earning first-team All-Pac 12 honors.
“I think I’ve proven a little bit of how I can play and make an impact on teams. That’s really exciting,” said Leger-Walker, who admitted it was hard to get noticed at first coming from a small country. “The WNBA, even before college, was always a dream and goal of mine to play in. So it’s really cool to see my name being thrown out there now.”
Of course, Leger-Walker isn’t the biggest star associated with the program right now. As you might have heard …
Shania Twain is officially a Cougs fan
The country star’s “Man, I feel like a Woman” has been the team’s anthem all season, and footage of the women singing it at the Pac-12 tournament caught Twain’s attention last week.
“Love this!” she tweeted in response, much to the thrill of the ladies.
And when Washington State won the conference tournament title?
Another tweet from Twain: “Let’s Go Cougs! Congratulations to @WSUCougarWBB on the very deserved #Pac12WBB title win.”
The team tried to persuade Twain to join them in Vegas, but she had a prior commitment. But maybe for their first-round tourney game?
“I mean, that would be pretty amazing,” Leger-Walker said. “Probably pretty far-fetched, but you can always dream.”
Hey, getting to this point seemed far-fetched a week ago. Don’t bet against the improbable with this group.