Ace Glass is gone, and that stings. But if you were hoping the Cougs would just fold up the hoops program and hand the keys back to the Pac-12, you haven't been paying attention. Glass, our leading scorer and the freshman who rewrote the record books with a 40-point night in Maui, is headed to Vanderbilt. He's the fourth Coug to find a new home out of the ten who hit the portal, joining Ri Vavers (Memphis), Kase Wynott (Idaho), and Parker Gerrits (Wyoming). It's a gut punch, sure, but the real story is what happens next.
Let's be honest: Glass was always a rental. The kid originally signed with Texas A&M, then flipped to WSU when Buzz Williams left. He came here for the "family aspect" and a chance to develop. He got that, and then some, setting single-season records for points, threes, and free throw percentage. Now he's cashing in at a Power 4 program that just made its first NCAA Tournament in nine years. Good for him. Really. But for us, the question isn't "why did he leave?" It's "who's going to replace him?" The staff has already restocked with five new faces, including Cougs add Providence guard Harrell, book nonconference date with High Point and WSU hoops lands a big body from Northwestern, its seventh portal pickup. They're not sitting around crying about it.
Here's the concrete takeaway: Ace Glass was a star, but he was one star on a team that lost its entire starting five. The Cougs aren't replacing him with one player. They're rebuilding the whole thing. That means the new guys, like Central Missouri transfer Lazerek Houston, who averaged over 20 points as a true freshman, aren't just bench depth. They're the new core. And if you look at the other additions, like Another big body joins the Cougs as Ladji Dembele signs on, the staff is clearly prioritizing size and scoring from multiple spots. You don't replace 16.4 points a game with one guy. You spread it around.
The real test isn't whether we miss Glass in November. It's whether this new roster, with zero returning starters, can find an identity before conference play. Glass gave us a go-to bucket. Now we need to find out who wants that job. That's the story to watch. Go Cougs.