PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State lost fourteen players in the offseason, only four of which graduated or went into the NBA. The rest transferred, leaving incoming head coach David Riley with the tall task of building a roster from scratch.
Luckily, there's some familiarity with Parker Gerrits and Isaiah Watts, the only two returning players from last year's team.
“We have to have players that fit, and the beauty of those two is I recruited Parker and Isaiah out of high school," Riley said. "They fit our system, they fit the character we want, and so they’ve been great. I already knew them when I first got here, Parker was the one that gave me the tour of the athletic facilities and all of that. So, I think it’s just been a pretty smooth transition for those two. There’s obviously stuff they have to pick up on and they’re learning, they’re soaking it all up, and it’s been fun coaching them.”
He mentioned that the history, tradition and grit that define Washington State's program are something he's taken in stride and wants to take with him as he works to create a cohesive team. The team's secret scrimmages have helped, especially when it comes to finding the right combination out on the floor. However, there's no way to know for sure until the first tip.
“Chemistry is good. I think there’s only so much you can do in the preseason, and I think we’ve capped a lot of that out," Riley said. "I think we’ve done a lot of stuff off the court; we’re doing a lot of stuff where we’re making them communicate in practice and putting them in positions where if one guy fails, they all kind of fail so they have to count on each other a little bit more. But really, it’s when you go through the fire. We have to go through some adversity and really see how each of us responds and that’s going to be the big determining factor if we can build a cohesive unit.”
The Cougs are a little bit banged up to start the season, and Riley attributes part of that to the physicality and intensity of their practices. Isaiah Watts is dealing with an unspecified minor injury, but they expect him to be available Monday. Riley added there were a few more injuries, although he declined to comment on the specifics, but said within the next few weeks, everyone should be ready to go.
Tip off of the Cougs' season opener against Portland State is set for 8 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4th, at Beasley Coliseum.