- Cougs add a 6-8 forward who likes to score
PULLMAN – Washington State is adding another scoring punch via the transfer portal.
The Cougars have earned a commitment from East Texas A&M forward Ronnie Harrison, a source confirmed to The Spokesman-Review on Wednesday, good for the program’s fourth announced addition of the offseason.
Listed at 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds, Harrison started his career at Tarleton State before spending last season at East Texas A&M, where he averaged 14.7 points and 6.1 rebounds in 30 minutes per game, starting 28 of 30 games. He also shot an efficient 53% inside the arc.
247 Sports was the first to report the news.
A native of the Dallas area, Harrison is the fourth player WSU coach David Riley and assistants have added this spring, including Manhattan transfer Fraser Roxburgh, TCU transfer RJ Jones and Central Missouri (D-II) transfer guard Lazerek Houston, the latter of whom averaged more than 20 points per game as a true freshman last season.
Last season, Harrison played mostly the power forward and center spots for the Lions, becoming their top scorer in short order. He wasn’t their best shooter – Harrison sank just 30% of his 3-point tries – but he is a natural scorer from all over the court. He figures to fit in nicely with Jones and Houston, both of whom are also capable scorers.
But Harrison also uses his athleticism to make plays on the other side of the ball. Last season, he averaged 0.7 blocks and 1.2 steals per game, rotating over to swat shots and using his long wingspan to poke away balls in passing lanes. It’s possible WSU coaches liked his two-way acumen.
With Harrison joining the Cougars, their 2026-27 team now includes seven players: Houston, Roxburgh, Jones, Eastern Washington transfer Casey Jones (who spent the last two years on a church mission), incoming freshman Brayden Kyman and returners Dominik Robinson and walk-on guard Dio Blakely.
Harrison’s addition will help WSU offset the departures of 12 players, including 10 to the transfer portal: key players Ace Glass, Tomas Thrastarson, Eemeli Yalaho, ND Okafor, Jerone Morton and Ri Vavers (signed with Memphis), reserve guards Parker Gerrits (signed with Wyoming), Brunel Madzou and Kase Wynott, and forward Emmanuel Ugbo, the last of whom was suspended for the final nine games of the season because of a protection order against him.
The Cougars are also losing point guard Adria Rodriguez, who is headed back to his home country of Spain on a professional contract, as well as Simon Hildebrandt, who exhausted his college eligibility. In all, that’s 12 departures for the Cougars, who are set to return only two players from last season’s team: Robinson, who redshirted his true freshman season, and Blakely.
- WSU hoops lands a big body from Northwestern, its seventh portal pickup
PULLMAN – The Washington State men’s basketball team got another front court threat Monday.
The Cougars are adding Northwestern transfer forward Tyler Kropp, the program announced Monday morning, good for their seventh transfer of the offseason. An Ohio native, Kropp spent one year with the Wildcats.
As a true freshman, Kropp started 10 of 31 games, averaging 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in about 12 minutes per game. Listed at 6-foot-9 and 230 pounds, Kropp scored in double figures once, which came in an 11-point, nine-rebound effort to beat USC on the road.
Kropp will join former Wake Forest guard Sebastian Akins, Providence transfer guard Jaylen Harrell, TCU transfer guard RJ Jones, Central Missouri transfer guard Lazerek Houston, Manhattan transfer forward Fraser Roxburgh and East Texas A&M transfer wing Ronnie Harrison.
Kropp played primarily the center position for Northwestern, which didn’t result in many opportunities for him to produce. He got more chances starring at Olentangy Liberty High School in Powell, Ohio, where he became the state’s No. 2 player and the No. 30 power forward in the class of 2025. At Olentangy Liberty, he piled up 1,095 points, which ranks second in the school’s history, and he holds the career rebounding record with 555.
As a three-star prospect, Kropp fielded offers from Miami (Ohio), Ohio, Toledo, Belmont, George Washington, Richmond, Cal Poly and others. But at Northwestern, he became a consistent rotation player, earning 10 straight starts .
Kropp, whose mother was born in Argentina, also competed for the U19 Argentina International team in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland. There, he averaged 21.7 points and 9.7 rebounds across seven games. He also shot 57% from the field, earning him a spot on the all-tournament second team.
With Kropp joining the Cougars, their 2026-27 team now includes 10 players: Kropp, Harrell, Akins, Houston, Roxburgh, Jones, Eastern Washington transfer Casey Jones (who spent the last two years on a church mission), incoming freshman Brayden Kyman and returners Dominik Robinson and walk-on guard Dio Blakely.
Kropp’s addition will help WSU offset the departures of 12 players, including 10 to the transfer portal: key players Ace Glass, Tomas Thrastarson, Eemeli Yalaho, ND Okafor, Jerone Morton and Ri Vavers (signed with Memphis), reserve guards Parker Gerrits (signed with Wyoming), Brunel Madzoum, Kase Wynott, and forward Emmanuel Ugbo. Ugbo was suspended for the final nine games of the season because of a protection order against him.
The Cougars also lost point guard Adria Rodriguez, who headed back to his home country of Spain on a professional contract, as well as Simon Hildebrandt, who exhausted his college eligibility. In all, that’s 12 departures for the Cougars, who are set to return only two players from last season’s team: Robinson, who redshirted his true freshman season, and Blakely.
- Another Duck lands in Pullman as Cougs snag Jamari Phillips
PULLMAN – The Washington State men are adding another transfer from the Power 4 ranks.
The Cougars have signed Oregon transfer guard Jamari Phillips, a source confirmed to The Spokesman-Review on Monday, good for their ninth addition of the spring. Phillips spent two years with the Ducks.
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, Phillips appeared in 40 games at Oregon, including 26 in his second and final season there. Last season, he averaged 2.7 points in 11 minutes per game, his best game coming in a nine-point outing in 31 minutes against UCLA.
247 Sports was the first to report the news about Phillips, who joins several players to transfer to WSU this spring, including UNLV forward Ladji Dembele, Northwestern forward Tyler Kropp, former Wake Forest guard Sebastian Akins, Providence transfer guard Jaylen Harrell, TCU transfer guard RJ Jones, Central Missouri transfer guard Lazerek Houston, Manhattan transfer forward Fraser Roxburgh and East Texas A&M transfer wing Ronnie Harrison.
Phillips, who also played in 14 games off the bench as a true freshman at Oregon, was once a four-star prospect in the class of 2024 out of Dream City Christian in the Phoenix area. He earned offers from Kansas, Arizona, ASU, UCLA, USC, Louisville and others – including WSU and its former staff.
Phillips started his high school career at Modesto Christian in California, where he was named the Sacramento Bee’s Player of the Year.
With Phillips joining the Cougars, their 2026-27 team now includes 11 players: Phillips, Dembele, Kropp, Harrell, Akins, Houston, Roxburgh, Jones, Eastern Washington transfer Casey Jones (who spent the last two years on a church mission), incoming freshman Brayden Kyman and returners Dominik Robinson and walk-on guard Dio Blakely.
Phillips will help WSU offset the departures of 12 players, including 10 to the transfer portal: key players Ace Glass (signed with Vanderbilt), Tomas Thrastarson, Eemeli Yalaho (committed to NC State), ND Okafor (committed to Ole Miss), Jerone Morton and Ri Vavers (signed with Memphis); reserve guards Parker Gerrits (signed with Wyoming), Brunel Madzoum and Kase Wynott (signed with Idaho); and forward Emmanuel Ugbo. Ugbo was suspended for the final nine games of the season because of a protection order against him.
The Cougars also lost point guard Adria Rodriguez, who headed back to his home country of Spain on a professional contract, as well as Simon Hildebrandt, who exhausted his college eligibility. In all, that’s 12 departures for the Cougars, who are set to return only two players from last season’s team: Robinson, who redshirted his true freshman season, and Blakely.
