You have no idea how happy writing this article makes me. It’s that time of year again where college hoops are back, meaning I can dish about my favorite squad. If you’ve been following my work for a while, you already know what’s coming. This article will break down Washington State Men’s Basketball team for the 2021-22 season and three points of emphasis before conference play gets into full polka.
Noah Williams
The only reason you don’t know Noah Williams’s name by now is that he plays in the Palouse. But that’s starting to change.
Williams was named to the 2021-22 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Preseason Media All-Conference First Team alongside other conference standouts such as Will Richardson, Isaiah Mobley, and Johnny Juzang.
And while the latter may receive more notoriety, there is likely no player more important to their respective team than Williams.
With him on the court, the Cougars have posted a 7-1 record, winning every game comfortably, except for a two-point loss against No. 20 USC.
In his absence, WSU is 0-1, with a five-point loss to Eastern Washington.
And this year’s version of the Cougs is different; they actually have well… talent.
But for this talent to flow together, it needs a spark, and he’s the kerosene.
His smothering defense, mid-range shot, and George Gervin-Esque finger roll are all valuable assets. But it’s Williams’s trash-talking, vibrant energy, and unreasonable confidence that makes him the Cougars leader.
So far this season, he’s averaging 13.6 points, one block, 0.9 steals, and four rebounds per contest.
But remember, trash-talking can’t be measured in stats.
Kyle Smith
In Kyle Smith’s third year on the job, the Cougs are finally starting to look like a legitimate conference team.
Over the last two recruiting classes, Smith’s brought it two four-star prospects; before 2020, WSU hasn’t had a four-star signee since 2012 in Demarquise “Que” Johnson.
And the most impressive thing is these aren’t even the Cougs’ best players, which speaks to the depth of their roster.
WSU already has two wins over NCAA Tournament teams from last season in Santa Barbara and Winthrop; this was not common before Smith took over.
In fact, winning was not a commonality before he took over. But this trend is starting to change.
Last year was the Cougars’ first record over .500 in nine seasons, posting a 14-3 mark. In 2019, the Cougs finished 16-16, which was their best finish since 2010-11.
To put this into perspective, here’s a list of WSU’s non-conference losses the year before his arrival: Seattle University, New Mexico State, Montana State, San Diego, Santa Clara, and New Mexico State again…
The Cougs finished 11-21 in 2018 and ended their campaigns with a 33-point loss to Oregon in the First Round of the Pac-12 Tournament.
We are less than three years removed from this result, and the Cougars have a legitimate NCAA-bubble-type vibe in the early season.
In just three short years, he’s transformed WSU into a competitive program and given me a product I’m passionate about writing about.
Everyone Else
Ok, Nick… We’ve heard this all before. We already know Williams is a fringe NBA player, and Smith is a coach on the upswing.
So what’s different?
Literally everything else.
The Cougs brought in Mouhamed Gueye, who is 6-foot-11 and jumps out of the gym; Gueye was one of the aforementioned four-star prospects.
He also totes a mid-range jumper, the ability to run the floor, and did I mention he’s 6’11 and has a Bugs Bunny like Vert?
NBAdraftroom.com stated the following, “Gueye flashes some of the same traits as the Greek Freak.”
And while I’ll be the first to admit he’s nothing close to Giannis Antetokounmpo, the comparisons alone should prove an indicator of his potential.
But he’s not the only newcomer making contributions.
WSU also added Michael Flowers. Flowers is scoring 13.0 PPG, 4.5 REB, and 2.1 AST. His most significant strength is his ability to create and make contested shots.
The season prior, he averaged 21.0 PPG for South Alabama.
Rounding out the fresh faces is Tyrell Roberts. Roberts is a solid-all around point guard who is averaging 11.3 points thus far this year.
His biggest contribution to the squad is that he is a high IQ player, which is something the Cougs have been lacking at the point guard position in previous seasons.
Before WSU, he played for UC San Diego, where he was named a National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-America selection in 2019-20. He opted out last year due to Covid.
And we haven’t even mentioned Efe Abogidi yet, who is a 6-foot-10 returning Sophomore with bunnies out the gym. Watch the video clip below to give you a glimpse of Abogidi’s athleticism.
(Skip to 1:43)
These Cougs are different, but they still need to gel, hence the loss to Eastern.
But for the first time in a long time, WSU has the look of a competitive Pac-12 team; we are no longer the conference’s lovable losers.
