David Riley isn't sugarcoating last season. 12-20. First losing year in seven. The starting five walked out the door for a combined $10 million in NIL deals elsewhere. That stings. But Riley just told us the roster he's built to replace them is more talented than the one he brought in last spring. We're going to take him at his word, because the alternative is another long winter in Beasley.
Riley had a head start this time. Last year, guys waited until the portal opened to bolt, leaving the staff scrambling. This cycle, the departures came early, and the coaches had time to actually hunt. The result is nine portal additions plus a prep school kid, with one more post player still coming. Riley called it a "really good job being efficient." We'd call it survival, and we'll take it. The roster is almost entirely new, but the mix has a different feel than last year's patch job. The coach specifically mentioned guys who can play multiple positions, shoot from deep, and guard bigger players. That sounds a lot like the system that worked at Eastern Washington. The Cougs are also scheduled to play Duke in Palm Springs this November, per our report on Cougs get Duke in Palm Springs for a November showdown. That game will tell us quickly whether this group can hang with elite athletes.
The individual scouting reports are worth a read. Sebastian Akins started games in the ACC at Wake Forest and has a steal rate that pops. Jamari Phillips was a top-50 recruit out of high school. Ladji Dembele started at Iowa and has a 7-2 wingspan. RJ Jones has played at Kansas State and TCU. These aren't projects. They're guys who have been on Power 4 floors. Riley also pointed to Jaylen Harrell as having some of the same inside-out tools as LeJuan Watts, and that is a comparison we will watch closely. The Cougs also renewed the Battle of the Palouse with Idaho, per our report on Palouse Hoops Is Back: Cougs, Vandals Set Two-Year Series. That series gives the new guys a genuine road test close to home, and it means something to the people who actually go to these games.
Here is the concrete point: this roster has more raw talent than last year's group, but it has zero continuity. Two returners. Eleven newcomers. Riley has to coach chemistry into a team that has never shared a huddle. If he can do that before the Duke trip in November, the Cougs might surprise people. If not, the portal giveth and the portal taketh away. We will find out which it is when the ball goes up.