Washington State Cougars men's basketball

2025–26 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team

University

Washington State University

Head coach

David Riley (2nd season)

Location

Pullman, Washington

Arena

Beasley Coliseum
(capacity: 12,058)

Conference

Pac-12

Nickname

Cougars

Colors

Crimson and gray^[1]

NCAA Division I tournament runner-up

1941

Other NCAA Division I tournament results

Final Four	1941
Elite Eight	1941
Sweet Sixteen	2008
Appearances	1941, 1980, 1983, 1994, 2007, 2008, 2024

Pre-tournament Helms national champions

1917

Conference regular-season champions

1917, 1941

Uniforms

Home

Away

Alternate

The Washington State Cougars men's basketball team represents Washington State University and competes in the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12) of NCAA Division I. The Cougars play their home games on campus in Pullman at Beasley Coliseum, which has a capacity of 12,058. They are currently led by head coach David Riley.^[2] Washington State has appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament seven times, most recently in 2024.

History

Washington State began varsity intercollegiate competition in men's basketball in 1902. The Cougars were retroactively awarded as a national champion in 1917 by the Helms Athletic Foundation in 1957 and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll in 1995.^[3]^[4] While the NCAA lists the historical Helms selections for reference, neither the Helms nor the Premo-Porretta titles are officially recognized as NCAA national championships. The team played to large crowds in the late-1970s when George Raveling was head coach.

For the better part of seven decades, the Cougars were a consistent contender in the Pac-10 and its predecessor, the Pacific Coast Conference. After a dark period in the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was the beginning of a resurgence under coach Dick Bennett. The 2004–05 season saw a large increase in student support as the team finished within a few wins of a .500 record (along with a stunning upset win against Arizona, an eventual Elite Eight team). Bennett retired at the end of the 2005–06 season and was replaced by his son, Tony.

Tony Bennett tied the all-time WSU record for wins (26) twice in three seasons as head coach before leaving to coach the Virginia Cavaliers in 2009. Washington State had recently cancelled a trip to the 2009 Final Four for Bennett and his staff, and was considering dropping chartered recruiting trips which had been started one year prior at Bennett's request.^[5]

2006–07

The Cougars earned a #3 seed in the NCAA tournament and beat Oral Roberts 70–54 in the first round. The Cougars then lost to Vanderbilt in the second round 78–74 in double overtime. Their final record was 13–5 in the Pac-10 and 26–8 overall, which tied the school record for most wins in a season. During the 2006–07 season, the Cougars swept rival Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, USC, Oregon State, and California. In the tournament, the coaching staff wore a pin saying TAY, which stood for Turn-Around Year. After the season, Coach Tony Bennett received the Naismith Coach of the Year award, the highest honor for a college basketball coach.

2007–08

In 2008, the Cougars returned to the NCAA tournament. The Cougars earned a #4 seed and were matched up against #13 seed Winthrop University. The Cougars dominated in the second half after a 29–29 tie in the first half to finish 71–40, far beyond the 9 point margin they were favored by.^[6]

After two straight victories in the NCAA Tournament, the Cougars headed to the Sweet Sixteen for the second time in school history. In the Sweet Sixteen, Washington State was matched against the #1 overall seed North Carolina. During the first half, both teams seem evenly matched, but North Carolina took control in the second half and won by a score of 68–47.^[7] The Cougars finished the 2007–08 season with a record of 26–9.

Since 2019

On March 27, 2019, Smith was named as the 19th head coach of Washington State, agreeing to a six-year contract worth $1.4 million annually. He was formally introduced at a press conference on April 1, 2019. In his first season at Washington State, Smith led the Cougars to a 6–12 conference record (16-16 overall), their best since 2011–12. In the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament, Washington State beat Colorado, their first win in the conference tournament in over 10 years. In September 2021, Smith signed a contract extension through the 2026-27 season.

During the 2021-22 season, Smith led the Cougars to their first winning record in conference play (11-9) in 14 years (2007-08). The Cougars followed up their regular season success with a win in the Pac-12 Tournament before losing to eventual runner-up UCLA. Following that, an NIT berth as a No. 4 seed gave the Cougs their first postseason bout in 11 years. Their first round win against Santa Clara (63-50) notched their first 20-win season since 2010-11. The 2021–22 season ended after an impressive run that landed the Cougs in the Semifinals of the NIT (for the second time in program history) against Texas A&M, where their final record on the season was 22-15.

On February 19, 2024, the Cougars returned to the AP Poll for the first time since the 2007–08 season (#21 with a 20–6 record). The following week, Washington State completed a season sweep of the 4th ranked team in the country, Arizona, to move into 1st place in the PAC-12 and all but ensure their first March Madness appearance in 16 years.

On March 17, 2024, Washington State was given an at-large bid by the selection committee, officially ending their 16-year long NCAA Tournament drought. The Cougars received a 7-seed and a first-round matchup against the Drake Bulldogs.^[8]

Head coaches

John B. Evans (1901–03)
James N. Ashmore (1904–05)
Everett M. Sweeley (1905–07)
John R. Bender (1907–08)
Fred Bohler (1908–26)
Karl Schlademan (1926–28)
Jack Friel (1928–58)
Marv Harshman (1959–71)
Bob Greenwood (1971–72)
George Raveling* (1972–83)
Len Stevens (1983–87)
Kelvin Sampson (1987–94)
Kevin Eastman (1994–99)
Paul Graham (1999–2003)
Dick Bennett (2003–06)
Tony Bennett (2006–09)
Ken Bone (2009–14)
Ernie Kent (2014–19)
Kyle Smith (2019–24)
David Riley (2024–present)

Winningest Coaches (Min. 100 games)
Coach	Wins	Losses	Percentage (%)
Tony Bennett	69	33	.676
Jack Friel	495	377	.568
J. Fred Bohler	226	177	.561
George Raveling	166	137	.548
Kyle Smith	94	71	.573
Kelvin Sampson	103	103	.500
Marv Harshman	155	181	.461
Ken Bone	80	86	.482

George Raveling* was the first African American head coach in the Pacific Athletic Conference (known as the PAC 8 at the time).^[9] He coached from 1972–1983 and won 167 games at WSU.

Head coach Tony Bennett announced that he was leaving for Virginia following the 2008–09 season.^[10] Bennett, who became head coach after his father Dick Bennett's retirement, finished the season with a 17–16 record. In the previous two years, he led the Cougars to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances; father and son coached the Cougars for three seasons each.

Ken Bone replaced Bennett as head coach of the WSU Cougars Men's Basketball Team in February 2009.^[11] Bone served as head coach until 2014 and he was followed as head coach by Ernie Kent.^[12] Kent served as head coach until 2019. He was replaced by Kyle Smith, who served in the role until 2024.^[13] He was replaced by current head coach, David Riley.^[14]

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Cougars have appeared in seven NCAA Tournaments, with an overall record of 7–7.

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1941		Elite Eight Final Four National Final	Creighton Arkansas Wisconsin	W 48–39 W 64–53 L 34–39
1980	5	Round of 48	(12) Penn	L 55–62
1983	8	Round of 48 Round of 32	(9) Weber State (1) Virginia	W 62–52 L 49–54
1994	8	Round of 64	(9) Boston College	L 64–67
2007	3	Round of 64 Round of 32	(14) Oral Roberts (6) Vanderbilt	W 70–54 L 74–78 ^2OT
2008	4	Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen	(13) Winthrop #5 Notre Dame (1) North Carolina	W 71–40 W 61–41 L 47–68
2024	7	First Round Second Round	(10) Drake (2) Iowa State	W 66–61 L 56–67

NIT results

The Cougars have appeared in seven National Invitation Tournaments (NIT), with a combined record of 10–7.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1992	First Round Second Round	Minnesota New Mexico	W 72–70 L 71–79
1995	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals	Texas Tech Illinois State Canisius	W 94–82 W 83–80 L 80–99
1996	First Round Second Round	Gonzaga Nebraska	W 92–73 L 73–82
2009	First Round	Saint Mary's	L 57–68
2011	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals	Long Beach State Oklahoma State Northwestern Wichita State	W 85–74 W 74–64 W 69–66 ^OT L 44–75
2022	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals	Santa Clara SMU BYU Texas A&M	W 63–50 W 75–63 W 77–58 L 56–72
2023	First Round	Eastern Washington	L 74–81

CBI results

The Cougars have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Their combined record is 4–2.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2012	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals Game 1 Finals Game 2 Finals Game 3	San Francisco Wyoming Oregon State Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh	W 89–75 W 61–41 W 72–55 W 67–66 L 53–57 L 65–71

CBC results

The Cougars have appeared in one College Basketball Crown (CBC). Their combined record is 0–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2025	First Round	Georgetown	L 82–85

Retired numbers

The Cougars have retired two jersey numbers in program history, most recently Klay Thompson's number 1 in 2020.^[15]

No.	Player	Pos.	Career	No. ret.	Ref.
Washington State Cougars retired numbers
1	Klay Thompson	SG	2008–2011	2020	^[15]
55	Steve Puidokas	C	1973–1977		^[15]

Cougars in the NBA

Washington State has had 21 former players who have gone on to play in the NBA.

Name	Years in NBA
Josh Akognon	2013
Norton Barnhill	1977
Aron Baynes	2013–2021
Robert Bishop	1949
Don Collins	1981–1987
Gene Conley	1953–1964
Cedric Coward	2025-Present
Ron Davis	1977–1982
James Donaldson	1981–1995
Craig Ehlo	1984–1997
C. J. Elleby	2021–2022
Malachi Flynn	2021–2023
Isaac Fontaine	2002
Robert Franks	2021
Ed Gayda	1951
Mouhamed Gueye	2023–Present
Mark Hendrickson	1997–2000
Brian Quinnett	1990–1992
Randy Stoll	1968
Klay Thompson	2012–Present
Kyle Weaver	2009–2011
Jaylen Wells	2024–Present
Guy Williams	1985–1986

Cougars playing in overseas leagues

C. J. Elleby, in the Israeli Basketball Premier League

Rivalries

Gonzaga

Gonzaga University is a Jesuit university in Spokane, about 75 miles (120 km) north of Pullman.^[16] As of the 2013–14 season, Washington State has a 98–50 (.662) lead in the series against the Bulldogs; the series began in 1907 and has most recently been played annually since 2001.^[17] The game in December 2007 marked the first time the two met as ranked teams.^[18] Visiting Washington State was ranked #6 in the AP Poll and won 51–47 over #19 Gonzaga at the McCarthey Athletic Center.^[19]

Idaho

A non-conference series since 1959, Washington State has played the Idaho Vandals of neighboring Moscow annually since 1906 in a rivalry dubbed the Battle of the Palouse; the U of I is less than eight miles (13 km) east of Pullman. They often met four or five times per season until 1964, reduced to twice a season for the next decade. It has since become an annual event early in the schedule (except for the mid-1990s, when two games per season were played). The continuing rivalry is the oldest in the western United States,^[20] four years older than WSU's series with the Washington Huskies.

The two played the first-ever regular season basketball game in the newly-enclosed Kibbie Dome in January 1976, won by the Cougars.^[21] The rivalry was at its peak in December 1982 when 11,000 were in the same venue for a Saturday night overtime thriller, won by the Vandals.^[22]^[23]^[24]^[25]

Washington State has a 167–110 (.603) lead in the series through November 2021, when Washington State won 109–61 in Moscow, for a fourth straight win.^[20]

Washington

The University of Washington is located in Seattle, nearly 300 miles (480 km) west of Pullman. As of 2023, the Washington Huskies have a 186–111 (.626) lead in the series that began in 1910. Recently, Washington State has dominated, winning 7 of the last 9 meetings.^[26]

Statistical records

Scoring

Career
Rk	Player	Points	Seasons
1	Isaac Fontaine	2,003	1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97
2	Steve Puidokas	1,894	1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77
3	Klay Thompson	1,756	2008–09 2009–10 2010–11
4	Don Collins	1,563	1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80
5	DaVonté Lacy	1,548^[27]	2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15
6	Brock Motum	1,530^[28]	2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13
7	Mark Hendrickson	1,496	1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96
8	Marcus Moore	1,458	2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04
9	Bennie Seltzer	1,423	1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93
10	Josh Hawkinson	1,414^[29]	2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

Season
Rk	Player	Points	Season
1	Klay Thompson	733	2010–11
2	Isaac Fontaine	657	1996–97
3	Don Collins	647	1979–80
4	Brock Motum	613^[28]	2011–12
5	Klay Thompson	609	2009–10
6	Brock Motum	597^[28]	2012–13
	Vince Hanson	597	1944–45
8	C. J. Elleby	589^[30]	2019–20
9	Robert Franks	583^[31]	2018–19
10	Terrence Lewis	575	1991–92

Single Game
Rk	Player	Points	Season	Opponent
1	Brian Quinnett	45	1986–87	Loyola-Marymount
2	Brian Quinnett	44	1988–89	USC
3	Guy Williams	43	1982–83	Idaho State
	Klay Thompson	43	2009–10	San Diego
	Klay Thompson	43	2010–11	Washington
6	Steve Puidokas	42	1974–75	Gonzaga
	Marcus Moore	42	2002–03	Gonzaga
8	Noah Williams	40	2020–21	Stanford
9	J Locklier	40	2001–02	Centenary
10	DaVonté Lacy	39	2013–14	California

Assists

Career
Rk	Player	Assists	Seasons
1	Bennie Seltzer	473	1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93
2	Kyle Weaver	465	2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08
3	Keith Morrison	456	1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86
4	Donminic Ellison	441	1993–94 1994–95 1995–96
5	Marcus Moore	423	2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04
6	Reggie Moore	419	2009–10 2010–11 2011–12
7	Taylor Rochestie	381	2006–07 2007–08 2008–09
8	Ike Iroegbu	375^[32]	2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17
9	Marty Giovacchini	371	1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77
10	Blake Pengelly	324	1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00

Season
Rk	Player	Assists	Season
1	Reggie Moore	193	2011–12
2	Donminic Ellison	192	1994–95
3	Taylor Rochestie	165	2007–08
4	Kyle Weaver	157	2006–07
5	Donminic Ellison	151	1995–96
	Kyle Weaver	151	2007–08
7	Taylor Rochestie	150	2008–09
8	Brad Jackson	145	1973–74
9	Keith Morrison	137	1984–85
10	Craig Ehlo	135	1982–83

Single Game
Rk	Player	Assists	Season	Opponent
1	Donminic Ellison	15	1994–95	Cal State Northridge

Rebounds

Career
Rk	Player	Rebounds	Seasons
1	Josh Hawkinson	1,015^[29]	2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17
2	Steve Puidokas	992	1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77
3	Mark Hendrickson	927	1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96
4	Jim McKean	844	1965–66 1966–67 1967–68
5	Ted Werner	837	1962–63 1963–64 1964–65
6	Charlie Sells	827	1959–60 1960–61 1961–62
7	John Maras	808	1957–58 1958–59 1959–60
8	Carlos Daniel	775	1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98
9	Stuart House	687	1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80
10	James Donaldson	677	1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79

Season
Rk	Player	Rebounds	Season
1	Josh Hawkinson	334^[29]	2014–15
2	Ted Werner	323	1963–64
3	Josh Hawkinson	321^[29]	2015–16
4	Josh Hawkinson	315^[29]	2016–17
5	James Donaldson	305	1977–78
6	Jim McKean	304	1966–67
7	D.J. Shelton	297^[33]	2013–14
8	Ted Werner	396	1964–65
9	Charlie Sells	286	1961–62
10	John Maras	285	1958–59

Single Game
Rk	Player	Rebounds	Season	Opponent
1	Jim McKean	27	1966–67	West Virginia
2	Ted Werner	24	1964–65	UCLA
	James Donaldson	24	1978–79	Seattle Pacific
4	Charlie Sells	23	1959–60	Gonzaga
5	Bill Rehder	21	1954–55	Montana
	Charlie Sells	21	1959–60	Idaho
	Ted Werner	21	1963–64	Idaho
	Dwayne Scholten	21	1986–87	Delaware
9	Ted Werner	20	1963–64	USC
	Jim McKean	20	1966–67	Montana State
	Josh Hawkinson	20^[34]	2015–16	Washington

Record vs. Pac-12 opponents

The Washington State Cougars have the following all-time series records vs. Pac-12 opponents.

Opponent	Wins	Losses	Pct.	Streak
Arizona	20	69	.225	WSU 2
Arizona St.	42	46	.477	ASU 1
California	61	82	.427	WSU 1
Colorado	7	19	.269	Colorado 1
Oregon	130	176	.425	WSU 1
Oregon St.	131	172	.432	WSU 5
Stanford	67	83	.447	WSU 6
UCLA	19	113	.144	WSU 1
USC	50	81	.382	WSU 2
Utah	6	30	.167	WSU 1
Washington	111	185	.375	UW 1

Note all-time series includes non-conference matchups.

References

Washington State University Athletics Department Brand Identity Guidelines (PDF). April 18, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
Woods, Greg (2024-04-02). "Washington State hires EWU coach David Riley as next head coach, school announces". The Spokesman-Review. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
"List of Helms Champs". Archived from the original on 2018-10-01. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. p. 534. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
Bennett Virginia's New Men's Coach, accessed December 8, 2017
The Daily Evergreen Online - News - Local
Hansbrough, UNC roll past Wazzu into Elite Eight
"WSU Cougar men secure 7 seed in first NCAA tournament bid since 2008". The Seattle Times. 2024-03-17. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
Lefton, Terry (March 29, 2017). "'The Godfather': George Raveling's life in basketball has touched many, influenced the game". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
Virginia to name Bennett coach
Withers, Bud (April 7, 2009). "Ken Bone is new WSU men's basketball coach". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on May 12, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
Thorpe, Jacob (March 31, 2014). "Ernie Kent is new WSU men's basketball coach". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
Lawson, Theo (March 27, 2019). "Washington State tabs Kyle Smith to restore long-dormant basketball program". The Spokesman-Review.
"David Riley Named Cougar Basketball Head Coach". Washington State University Athletics. 2024-10-31. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
Lawson, Theo (September 30, 2019). "Klay Thompson jersey retirement at Washington State to coincide with Jan. 18 game versus Oregon State". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
Kaplan, Ben (December 3, 2012). "Gonzaga and Washington State prepare to meet again". KXLY. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
"All-time opponents: Gonzaga", 2014-15 Washington State Basketball, Washington State Cougars, p. 36, 6 November 2014
Geranios, Nicholas K. (December 4, 2007). "Cats and 'Dogs, ranked together: Washington State, Gonzaga meet as Top 25 teams for first time". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
"No. 6 Washington State Defeats No. 19 Gonzaga, 51-47". wsucougars.com. Associated Press. December 5, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
Lawson, Theo (December 6, 2017). "Brayon Blake's 26 points lead hot-shooting Idaho past Washington State for third-largest win in Battle of Palouse". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
Missildine, Harry (January 22, 1976). "Cougars best Idaho before record crowd". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 37.
Devlin, Vince (December 3, 1982). "George bristles over '81 UI win". Spokane Chronicle. Washington. p. 19.
Killen, John (December 4, 1982). "Idaho vs. WSU". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. p. 1B.
Devlin, Vince (December 6, 1982). "For Cougs, it was a foul night". Spokane Chronicle. Washington. p. 23.
Killen, John (December 5, 1982). "Vandals nip Cougars in OT, 62-58". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. p. 1B.
"Pac-12 opponents: Washington", 2014-15 Washington State Basketball, Washington State Cougars, p. 34, 6 November 2014
"Davonte Lacy". ESPN.com.
"Brock Motum". ESPN.com.
"Josh Hawkinson". ESPN.com.
"CJ Elleby". ESPN.com.
"Robert Franks". ESPN.com.
"Ike Iroegbu". ESPN.com.
"D.J. Shelton". ESPN.com.
"Washington vs. Washington State Box Score". ESPN.com. January 9, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2020.

External links

Official website