Sebastian Akins
4 stories filed under Sebastian Akins on Wazzu. The newest of them: “Cougs add Providence guard Harrell, book nonconference date with High Point”, “WSU dips back into Australia for a 6-7 wing named Stathis”, and “WSU hoops lands a big body from Northwestern, its seventh portal pickup”. Jaylen Harrell is coming to Pullman, and the Cougs just booked a November trip to High Point. The Cougs are going back to the well Down Under. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every Sebastian Akins story on Wazzu, newest first.
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.
WSU dips back into Australia for a 6-7 wing named Stathis
The Cougs are going back to the well Down Under. Washington State signed Roman Stathis, a 6-7 wing from Sydney, Australia, making him the tenth addition to a roster that barely resembles last year's team. Stathis spent last season at Golden State Prep in Napa, and the scouting report is pretty straightforward: he can knock down catch-and-shoot threes and attack closeouts. That's about all we know, which is fine. Sometimes you trust the tape and the pipeline. David Riley has been clear that this roster has more talent walking in than walking out, and if you've been paying attention, that's a bet worth taking. Stathis might redshirt his first season, given the depth Riley has stacked up. The Cougs now have 12 players locked in, with one more expected next week. That's a lot of new faces, but it beats the alternative of watching half the roster hit the portal every spring. For a deeper look at how Riley is shaping this squad, check out our story on what he said about next year's talent level. It fits right alongside the news that the Cougs will also face Duke in Palm Springs this November. That's a November to circle. For now, we've got an Australian who can shoot, a coach who can recruit, and a roster that might actually surprise some people. Go Cougs.
WSU hoops lands a big body from Northwestern, its seventh portal pickup
Tyler Kropp started 10 games for Northwestern as a true freshman, scored 11 points and grabbed nine boards in a win at USC, and now he's a Coug. That's the kind of frontcourt depth WSU needed, and it's the seventh portal pickup for David Riley's overhauled roster. Kropp is listed at 6-9, 230 pounds, and played mostly center for the Wildcats. That didn't give him tons of scoring chances, but he showed what he could do in high school: Ohio's No. 2 player, 1,095 career points, and the school rebounding record. He also played for Argentina's U19 team in the FIBA World Cup last summer and put up 21.7 points and 9.7 boards a game. That's real production. The Cougars have now added ten players for next season, which is good because 12 guys left. Ten of them hit the portal. One went pro in Spain. Another ran out of eligibility. That's a lot of turnover, but Riley is stacking bodies with purpose. Kropp is a big body who already proved he can hang in a Power 4 league. He'll get more chances to show what he can do on offense here. If you want the full picture of how this roster is coming together, our story on Ladji Dembele signing on gives you another look at the frontcourt plan. Go Cougs.
Another big body joins the Cougs as Ladji Dembele signs on
Ladji Dembele is a 6-foot-8, 255-pound forward who played five games for UNLV last year because of an injury. He's now a Coug. That makes eight offseason commitments for David Riley, and this one looks like the first true big man in the group. Dembele spent two years at Iowa before that, starting 21 games his second season, and he played for Mali's U-19 team at the 2021 World Cup. He's from Newark, originally, by way of Mali and Spain. The guy has been around. What matters here is what Riley is building. The Cougs lost 12 players, including 10 to the transfer portal. Ace Glass is at Vanderbilt. Eemeli Yalaho is headed to NC State. ND Okafor to Ole Miss. That's a lot of turnover. But Riley keeps signing bodies. Tyler Kropp is listed at 6-9 but has a thinner frame, so Dembele gives them the center they needed. That matters when you're starting almost from scratch. We wrote the other day about Jamari Phillips coming in from Oregon, and about Riley saying this roster has more talent walking in than last year's. That quote ages well with each signing. Dembele isn't a star on paper, 5.2 points at UNLV, 4.5 at Iowa, but he's a veteran who has played Power 4 minutes and knows what a real frontcourt looks like. For a team that returns two players, that kind of experience is worth more than the stat line. Go Cougs.