High Point Panthers
Wazzu keeps High Point Panthers in one place: 2 stories so far. The section currently leads with “Same old script: Riley's Cougs can't stop the slide, fall to High Point 83-71” and “Cougs add Providence guard Harrell, book nonconference date with High Point”. Same old script for David Riley's Cougs, and it's already getting tired. Jaylen Harrell is coming to Pullman, and the Cougs just booked a November trip to High Point. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every High Point Panthers story on Wazzu, newest first.
Same old script: Riley's Cougs can't stop the slide, fall to High Point 83-71
Same old script for David Riley's Cougs, and it's already getting tired. Washington State dropped its second straight to open the season Saturday, falling 83-71 to High Point on the road. The box score tells the same story we saw against Davidson: the other team shoots over 55% from the field, the Cougs can't stop a run when it matters, and the lead they worked for in the first half evaporates. Lazerek Houston put up 31 points and knocked down five threes. Jaylen Harrell added 18. That part worked. But outside of RJ Jones' 12 points, nobody else cracked double figures. Tyler Kropp, the Northwestern transfer who's started both games, hasn't scored a single point yet. That's not going to cut it. The killer moment came midway through the second half. WSU led 52-50 after a Jones triple, then he picked up a technical foul. High Point followed with a 10-2 run, and the Cougs never got it back. Riley said his team has to learn how to handle success better. He's right. The defense gave up 58% shooting overall and 68% in the second half. You can't win on the road like that, especially not against an NCAA Tournament team. On the bright side, the Cougar swimmers are having a better week. If you need a palate cleanser, check out "Cougs swim past Fresno State, leave the pool a little less salty." Those folks know how to finish a meet. WSU gets another shot Tuesday at Duquesne.
Cougs add Providence guard Harrell, book nonconference date with High Point
Jaylen Harrell is coming to Pullman, and the Cougs just booked a November trip to High Point. That's two things worth knowing. Harrell is a Providence transfer, a 6-foot-5 guard who only played six games last year before a season-ending injury. Small sample. But before that, he was the top-ranked recruit in Massachusetts, a four-star kid with offers from Alabama, Washington, and a half-dozen other Power 4 schools. He was Gatorade Player of the Year in 2024 and 2025. The talent is real. David Riley is betting on the tape from high school more than the Providence box score, and that feels right. Harrell is the sixth offseason addition, and all of them can score. That's the pattern. Riley is rebuilding the roster from scratch after losing 12 players, including Ace Glass to Vanderbilt and ND Okafor to Ole Miss. Okafor was a starter, an All-WCC honorable mention, and probably the most improved player on last year's team. Losing him hurts. But the new group, including Harrell, Sebastian Akins, RJ Jones, and a bunch of others, tilts toward offense. That's Riley's style. The High Point game is Nov. 7, on the road. That Panthers team just made the NCAA Tournament as a 12-seed and knocked off Wisconsin. Not a gimme. For more on how this roster is coming together, check our story on WSU hoops landing a big body from Northwestern. The Cougs are still building, but the shape is getting clearer. Go Cougs.