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David Riley's roster vanished again. He rebuilt anyway. That's Pullman

David Riley's roster vanished again.

3 min readSpokesman.com
David Riley's roster vanished again. He rebuilt anyway. That's Pullman

David Riley's roster vanished again. He rebuilt anyway. That's Pullman. It's also getting old, but not for the reasons you'd think. The man has now done this twice, lost his entire starting five to the transfer portal and filled a roster from scratch. The third iteration of his Washington State team tips off Monday against Davidson, and the takeaway for any Coug who's watched the last two seasons is simple: Riley might finally have the pieces to make the cycle stop.

The difference this year is timing. Last spring, the departures came after the portal opened, leaving the staff scrambling. This time, players announced their exits early. Riley had a head start, and he used it to land 14 newcomers, nine from the portal. That list includes Lazerek Houston, a Division II guy who averaged 20.8 points and told reporters WSU felt like family, and Ronnie Harrison, a Texas A&M transfer who Riley says is bigger and more confident than the tape shows. They join a roster that also features Casey Jones, who took two years off for a church mission before coming back to play for Riley. That kind of loyalty is rare, and it's worth watching whether it sets a tone the other newcomers follow.

But let's be honest. The exhibition loss to New Mexico, 92-64, was rough. Riley himself says the team has "more aggression" and "more confidence" than last year, but that's the kind of talk you hear every preseason. The real test is whether this group can play together fast enough. Riley simplified the concepts in practice. He's trying to build a team that's "chippy" and uncomfortable, because his brother told him his teams have been soft. That's a direct challenge, and it's the kind of thing that either lights a fire or gets ignored by a group of strangers still learning each other's names.

Here's the open question: Can a roster built entirely from the transfer portal develop the kind of identity that stays put? The Cougs have seen what happens when the portal takes everything. Kinnard runs wild as Cougs try to snap the skid in San Diego showed what one player can do when the rest of the team is fighting to keep up. Utah State edges Cougs in five, but fight was never the issue reminded us that effort alone doesn't win games. Riley needs this group to prove they're more than a collection of transfers playing out the string. Watch the first few games. If the chippy practices show up in the box score, the Cougs might have something. If not, Riley will be doing this again next spring.

From Spokesman.com

PULLMAN – After David Riley wrapped up his second season at the helm of Washington State’s men’s basketball program in April, he may have felt like he was having deja vu.

For the second straight year, his entire starting five had departed. For the second straight year, he would have to rebuild an entire roster from scratch. He’d have to do it all via the transfer portal, which had claimed each of the top scorers from his first two WSU teams.

Read the original at Spokesman.com

Briefing

Source
Spokesman.com
Published
October 31, 2026

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