Post by mhbruin on Apr 19, 2021 11:12:14 GMT -8
Next are the 10th Place Washington State Cougars, a team that seems to be on the rise. They may have lost a lot of games last season, but they were EXTREMELY young, and lost quite a few close games. They had wins over Oregon, UCLA, and Eastern Washington who was in the NCAA tournament.
At times they looked REALLY good.
I think they are a tournament team next season. Not just the Pac-12 tournament. Not the NIT. The NCAA tournament.
GRADUATING
- None -
IN THE DRAFT
There isn't any word on Bonton's plans.
TRANSFERRING OUT
RETURNING
Coach Smith played A LOT of players last season, going 12 deep, so he returns a bunch of experience. And this is a surprisingly talented group, particularly when you look at the recruiting ranks. These guys aren't just hidden gems. The seem like they were buried under tons of gravel.
If there is a weakness in this roster it is the youth. Other than Bonton, they are virtually all sophomores and junior.
Their other problem is the lack of a true PG.
Bonton is a high-volume shooter. Since he only shoots 39% from the floor, I don't see this as a good thing. He may lead the team in assists, but his A/TO ratio of 1.1 isn't very good.
Noah Williams may be the best players ever ranked #300 our of high school. If Bonton doesn't return, he will lead the team in scoring and could be All-Pac-12.
They may have a Rodman on the roster, but the real rebounding monster is Efe Abogidi pulling down 7 boards in 24 minutes per game. He had 12 in a game against SC, and they were a BIG, BIG team. And he is a great athlete with some skills. He led the team in blocks.
Jakimovski had a solid freshman season, and seems like one of those glue guys who does everything pretty well.
DJ Rodman is not a disc jockey or record producer. He is not the next DJ Kahlid. He is not the rebounder his dad was, but he can do something his father could never do. He shoots 41% on his 3-point shots.
Not to be outdone, Bamba is shooting 60% on 3's. That's 12 for 20.
Jackson was playing more as the season went on. He is a good athlete and can block shots. He and Abogidi give the Cougs a solid pair of shot-blockers.
If Smith wants to go big, there is always 7-1 Volodymyr Markovetskyy, who sounds like a Bond villain. He's not a great athlete. He didn't shoot much, but he didn't miss very often, either.
(#105 class, #10 in Pac-12)
It's hard to see why they are bringing in DeWolf, who was only a part-time starter on an Ivy League team.
Roberts is a PG. Is he the answer? He was one of the top 3-point shooters in Division 2, averaging 19 points and shooting 46% from the arc in his sophomore year. Last season UCSD started playing Division 1 basketball, but Roberts chose to sit out the season. So he has never played Division 1 basketball and he is coming off a year out of basketball. He is listed at 5-10, 170. The kid can shoot, but can he compete in the Pac-12? I guess when you are Washington State, you have to take some gambles.
Michael Flowers provides another option at PG. He averaged 21.0 points for South Alabama last season, the 15th best scoring average in the country. He was the highest scoring player in the transfer portal. Flowers said he picked Washington State from a list of schools that included Arkansas, USC, Miami, Texas A&M, Florida, Colorado and Marquette. He sounds like he could be the perfect replacement for Bonton. He shot 44% from the field and 39% from the arc, and both those shooting averages are better than Bonton's. However, the competition should be tougher than the Sun Belt conference.
I am skeptical about Flowers for one reason. He had a poor 1.2 A/TO ratio last season. For a senior playing in the Sun Belt, I don't think that is impressive.
Source
At times they looked REALLY good.
I think they are a tournament team next season. Not just the Pac-12 tournament. Not the NIT. The NCAA tournament.
GRADUATING
- None -
IN THE DRAFT
There isn't any word on Bonton's plans.
TRANSFERRING OUT
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Destination |
| Aljaž Kunc | 20 | 6 | 4 | 1 | Iowa State |
| Brandton Chatfield | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Seattle U |
| Myles Warren | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Westmont College |
RETURNING
Coach Smith played A LOT of players last season, going 12 deep, so he returns a bunch of experience. And this is a surprisingly talented group, particularly when you look at the recruiting ranks. These guys aren't just hidden gems. The seem like they were buried under tons of gravel.
If there is a weakness in this roster it is the youth. Other than Bonton, they are virtually all sophomores and junior.
Their other problem is the lack of a true PG.
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
| Isaac Bonton | 35 | 18 | 4 | 4 | Sr 5 | Unranked | |
| Noah Williams | 30 | 14 | 4 | 3 | Jr | 3 | 300 |
| Andrej Jakimovski | 25 | 6 | 4 | 2 | So | 4 | 111 |
| Efe Abogidi | 24 | 9 | 7 | 0 | So | Unranked | |
| DJ Rodman | 23 | 6 | 4 | 1 | Jr | 1 | 511 |
| Ryan Rapp | 21 | 4 | 3 | 2 | Jr | Unranked | |
| Dishon Jackson | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | So | 3 | 188 |
| T.J. Bamba | 14 | 4 | 2 | 1 | So | Unranked | |
| Volodymyr Markovetskyy | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Jr | Unranked | |
| Tony Miller | 11 | 2 | 3 | 1 | Sr 5 | Unranked |
Bonton is a high-volume shooter. Since he only shoots 39% from the floor, I don't see this as a good thing. He may lead the team in assists, but his A/TO ratio of 1.1 isn't very good.
Noah Williams may be the best players ever ranked #300 our of high school. If Bonton doesn't return, he will lead the team in scoring and could be All-Pac-12.
They may have a Rodman on the roster, but the real rebounding monster is Efe Abogidi pulling down 7 boards in 24 minutes per game. He had 12 in a game against SC, and they were a BIG, BIG team. And he is a great athlete with some skills. He led the team in blocks.
Jakimovski had a solid freshman season, and seems like one of those glue guys who does everything pretty well.
DJ Rodman is not a disc jockey or record producer. He is not the next DJ Kahlid. He is not the rebounder his dad was, but he can do something his father could never do. He shoots 41% on his 3-point shots.
Not to be outdone, Bamba is shooting 60% on 3's. That's 12 for 20.
Jackson was playing more as the season went on. He is a good athlete and can block shots. He and Abogidi give the Cougs a solid pair of shot-blockers.
If Smith wants to go big, there is always 7-1 Volodymyr Markovetskyy, who sounds like a Bond villain. He's not a great athlete. He didn't shoot much, but he didn't miss very often, either.
RECRUITS
(#105 class, #10 in Pac-12)
| Player | Position | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank | Offers |
| Myles Rice | PG | 3 | 222 | Belmont, Bucknell, East Carolina, Georgia State |
Perhaps Rice is the solution to the PG problem. However, he doesn't look like an immediate contributor, at least on paper.
TRANSFERRING IN
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | From | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
| Matt DeWolf | 12 | 3 | 3 | 1 | Brown | Sr | Unranked | |
| Tyrell Roberts | 19 | 2 | 2 | UC San Diego | Jr | Unranked | ||
| Michael Flowers | 38 | 21 | 5 | 4 | South Alabama | Sr 5 | Unranked |
It's hard to see why they are bringing in DeWolf, who was only a part-time starter on an Ivy League team.
Roberts is a PG. Is he the answer? He was one of the top 3-point shooters in Division 2, averaging 19 points and shooting 46% from the arc in his sophomore year. Last season UCSD started playing Division 1 basketball, but Roberts chose to sit out the season. So he has never played Division 1 basketball and he is coming off a year out of basketball. He is listed at 5-10, 170. The kid can shoot, but can he compete in the Pac-12? I guess when you are Washington State, you have to take some gambles.
Michael Flowers provides another option at PG. He averaged 21.0 points for South Alabama last season, the 15th best scoring average in the country. He was the highest scoring player in the transfer portal. Flowers said he picked Washington State from a list of schools that included Arkansas, USC, Miami, Texas A&M, Florida, Colorado and Marquette. He sounds like he could be the perfect replacement for Bonton. He shot 44% from the field and 39% from the arc, and both those shooting averages are better than Bonton's. However, the competition should be tougher than the Sun Belt conference.
I am skeptical about Flowers for one reason. He had a poor 1.2 A/TO ratio last season. For a senior playing in the Sun Belt, I don't think that is impressive.
CONCLUSION
Washington State is a whole lot better than the sum of the parts, but with three big questions.
I am a member of a small minority who thinks they will be better without Bonton. He takes too many wild shots. Also, with him and Noah Williams starting, they are essentially playing two shooting guards. I think that with a quality PG, Noah Williams will be a star.
They have three possible answers to the PG question, a lightly recruited freshman and two transfers who have never faced this level of competition. If all else fail, Coach Smith can go to Ryan Rapp. The fact that Smith brought in three PG candidates indicates that he doesn't have a ton of confidence in Ryan.
If they find a good PG, I expect them to be in the top half of the league and a bubble team come March. And I expect them to be on the right side of the bubble. The trip to Pullman isn't going to get any easier, even if the Seattle half of the trip is pretty easy.
Here's a nice chart showing the WSU roster. By the time I post this, of course, it has changed, with the addition of Michael Flowers. Also, the two walk-ons (who played a bit) have left.
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Washington State is a whole lot better than the sum of the parts, but with three big questions.
- Will Bonton return?
- Who will play point guard?
- Are they too young?
I am a member of a small minority who thinks they will be better without Bonton. He takes too many wild shots. Also, with him and Noah Williams starting, they are essentially playing two shooting guards. I think that with a quality PG, Noah Williams will be a star.
They have three possible answers to the PG question, a lightly recruited freshman and two transfers who have never faced this level of competition. If all else fail, Coach Smith can go to Ryan Rapp. The fact that Smith brought in three PG candidates indicates that he doesn't have a ton of confidence in Ryan.
If they find a good PG, I expect them to be in the top half of the league and a bubble team come March. And I expect them to be on the right side of the bubble. The trip to Pullman isn't going to get any easier, even if the Seattle half of the trip is pretty easy.
Here's a nice chart showing the WSU roster. By the time I post this, of course, it has changed, with the addition of Michael Flowers. Also, the two walk-ons (who played a bit) have left.
Source