2023–24 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team

2023–24 Washington State Cougars men's basketball
2023–24 Washington State Cougars men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
Conference	Pac-12 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 24
AP	No. 23
Record	25–10 (14–6 Pac-12)
Head coach	Kyle Smith (5th season);
Associate head coach	Jim Shaw
Assistant coaches	Jeremy Harden; Wayne Hunter; Derrick Wrobel;
Home arena	Beasley Coliseum
	Seasons ← 2022–23 2024–25 →

The 2023–24 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team represented Washington State University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team were led by head coach Kyle Smith in his 5th and final season for the Cougars. The Cougars played their home games at the Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Washington, as members in the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 25–10, 14–6 in Pac-12 play to finish in second place. They defeated Stanford in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament before losing to Colorado in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 7 seed in the East region. There they beat Drake in the first round before losing to Iowa State in the second round.

2023–24 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 11 Arizona	15	–	5	.750	27	–	9	.750
No. 23 Washington State	14	–	6	.700	25	–	10	.714
Colorado	13	–	7	.650	26	–	11	.703
Oregon †	12	–	8	.600	24	–	12	.667
UCLA	10	–	10	.500	16	–	17	.485
Utah	9	–	11	.450	22	–	15	.595
California	9	–	11	.450	13	–	19	.406
Washington	9	–	11	.450	17	–	15	.531
USC	8	–	12	.400	15	–	18	.455
Stanford	8	–	12	.400	14	–	18	.438
Arizona State	8	–	12	.400	14	–	18	.438
Oregon State	5	–	15	.250	13	–	19	.406

† 2024 Pac-12 tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

The season marked the final season before conference realignment took effect in the Pac-12 as the conference nearly dissolved after the majority of Pac-12 schools left the conference to join other conferences. They will play in the West Coast Conference as an affiliate member for the next two years before returning to a reconstituted Pac-12.

On February 19, 2024, the Cougars returned to the AP Poll for the first time since the 2007–08 season.^[1]

Previous season

The Cougars finished the 2022–23 season 16–15, 11–9 in Pac-12 play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They defeated California in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament before losing to Oregon in the second round. They received an invitation to participate in the NIT, where they were defeated by Eastern Washington in the first round.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for Departure
TJ Bamba	5	G	6'5"	215	Junior	Bronx, NY	Transferred to Villanova
Dishon Jackson	10	C	6'10"	250	Junior	Oakland, CA	Transferred to Charlotte
DJ Rodman	11	F	6'6"	215	Senior	Newport Beach, CA	Graduate transferred to USC
Mael Hamon-Crespin	12	F	6'9"	235	Freshman	Paris, France	Signed to play professionally in France with Paris Basketball
Carlos Rosario	13	F	6'7"	180	Junior	Santo Domingo, DR	Transferred to Drake
Adrame Diongue	15	C	7'0"	190	Freshman	Dakar, Senegal	Transferred to San Jose State
Justin Powell	24	G	6'6"	197	Junior	Prospect, KY	Declared for 2023 NBA draft/undrafted; signed with Miami Heat
Mouhamed Gueye	35	F	6'11"	210	Sophomore	Dakar, Senegal	Declared for 2023 NBA draft; selected 39th overall by Atlanta Hawks

Incoming transfers

Name	Num	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous school
Jaylen Wells	0	F	6'7"	200	Junior	Sacramento, CA	Sonoma State
Joseph Yesufu	11	G	6'0"	180	GS Senior	Bolingbrook, IL	Kansas
Isaac Jones	13	F/C	6'9"	242	GS Senior	Spanaway, WA	Idaho
Oscar Cluff	45	C	6'11"		Sophomore	Sunshine Coast, Australia	Cochise College

2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Spencer Mahoney #38 SF	Brooklyn, NY	Xaverian High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jul 12, 2023
Spencer Mahoney #38 SF	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80
Rueben Chinyelu C	Senegal, EUR	NBA Academy	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Nov 14, 2022
Rueben Chinyelu C	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Parker Gerrits SG	Olympia, WA	Olympia High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sep 4, 2022
Parker Gerrits SG	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Isaiah Watts SG	South Kent, CT	South Kent School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	May 12, 2022
Isaiah Watts SG	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Washington State Commits". Rivals.com. "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. "ESPN- Washington State Cougars Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024)
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Adam Njie #55 PG	Bronx, NY	Cardinal Hayes High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	May 6, 2023
Adam Njie #55 PG	Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79
Marcus Wilson SG	Scottsdale, AZ	Bella Vista Prep	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	May 16, 2023
Marcus Wilson SG	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Washington State Commits". Rivals.com. "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. "ESPN- Washington State Cougars Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2023–24 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
F	0	Jaylen Wells	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jr	Sonoma State	Sacramento, CA
G	2	Myles Rice	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	RS Fr	Sandy Creek HS	Columbia, SC
G	3	Jabe Mullins	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sr	Saint Mary's	Snoqualmie, WA
G	4	Shae Korpela (W)	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	RS Fr	Aspen HS	Aspen, CO
G	5	Ben Olesen (W)	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	RS Sr	Jackson HS	Mill Creek, WA
G	10	Parker Gerrits	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	Olympia HS	Olympia, WA
G	11	Joseph Yesufu	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Sr	Kansas	Bolingbrook, IL
G	12	Isaiah Watts	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Fr	South Kent (CT)	West Seattle, WA
C	13	Isaac Jones	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	RS Sr	Idaho	Spanaway, WA
G	14	Braden Korpela (W)	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	RS Fr	Aspen HS	Aspen, CO
F	15	AJ Rohosy (W)	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	RS So	Martin Catholic HS	San Anselmo, CA
C	20	Rueben Chinyelu	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Fr	NBA Academy Africa	Enugu Agidi, Nigeria
G	22	Dylan Darling	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	So	Central Valley HS	Spokane, WA
F	23	Andrej Jakimovski	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Sr	Reale Mutua Torino	Skopje, Macedonia
G	31	Kymany Houinsou	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	So	Asvel	Mulhouse, France
F	34	AJ LaBeau (W)	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	Fr	Timberline HS	Boise, ID
F	45	Oscar Cluff	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	Jr	Cochise College	Sunshine Coast, Australia

Head coach

Kyle Smith (Hamilton)

Assistant coach(es)

Jim Shaw (Western Oregon)
John Andrejek (Columbia)
Wayne Hunter (Saint Mary's)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023* 8:00 p.m., P12N		Idaho Battle of the Palouse	W 84–59	1–0	21 – Jakimovski	9 – Jones	4 – Jones	Beasley Coliseum (2,323) Pullman, WA
November 10, 2023* 7:00 p.m., P12N		Prairie View A&M Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series	W 83–65	2–0	18 – Jones	11 – Jones	5 – Rice	Beasley Coliseum (2,282) Pullman, WA
November 18, 2023* 9:00 a.m., ESPN+		vs. Mississippi State Hall of Fame Tip-Off semifinals	L 64–76	2–1	21 – Rice	7 – Jakimovski	5 – Yesufu	Mohegan Sun Arena (–) Uncasville, CT
November 19, 2023* 12:30 p.m., ESPNU		vs. Rhode Island Hall of Fame Tip-Off 3rd place game	W 78–57	3–1	21 – Jones	7 – Wells	5 – Jones	Mohegan Sun Arena (3,024) Uncasville, CT
November 24, 2023* 1:00 p.m., P12N		Utah Tech	W 93–53	4–1	20 – Jakimovski	10 – Chinyelu	5 – Houinsou	Beasley Coliseum (2,736) Pullman, WA
November 27, 2023* 7:00 p.m., P12N		Eastern Washington	W 82–72	5–1	28 – Rice	7 – Tied	2 – Tied	Beasley Coliseum (2,208) Pullman, WA
December 2, 2023* 2:00 p.m., P12N		Portland State	W 71–61	6–1	27 – Jones	11 – Jones	2 – Rice	Beasley Coliseum (2,257) Pullman, WA
December 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., P12N		UC Riverside	W 86–49	7–1	18 – Wells	10 – Wells	5 – Houinsou	Beasley Coliseum (2,057) Pullman, WA
December 10, 2023* 5:00 p.m., P12N		Grambling State	W 83–65	8–1	17 – Wells	7 – Jones	7 – Rice	Beasley Coliseum (2,158) Pullman, WA
December 16, 2023* 11:00 a.m., P12N		vs. Santa Clara Jerry Colangelo Classic	L 61–69	8–2	16 – Jones	13 – Chinyelu	2 – Houinsou	Footprint Center (–) Phoenix, AZ
December 21, 2023* 8:00 p.m., P12N		vs. Boise State Numerica Holiday Hoops	W 66–61	9–2	21 – Jones	13 – Jakimovski	3 – Rice	Spokane Arena (5,146) Spokane, WA
Pac-12 regular season
December 29, 2023 5:30 p.m., P12N		at Utah	L 58–80	9–3 (0–1)	12 – Jones	10 – Tied	5 – Houinsou	Jon M. Huntsman Center (8,235) Salt Lake City, UT
December 31, 2023 11:00 a.m., P12N		at Colorado	L 67–74	9–4 (0–2)	19 – Jakimovski	8 – Jones	4 – Houinsou	CU Events Center (6,952) Boulder, CO
January 4, 2024 8:00 p.m., P12N		Oregon State	W 65–58	10–4 (1–2)	20 – Cluff	8 – Cluff	4 – Tied	Beasley Coliseum (2,524) Pullman, WA
January 6, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPNU		Oregon	L 84–89	10–5 (1–3)	22 – Rice	6 – Wells	7 – Rice	Beasley Coliseum (2,892) Pullman, WA
January 10, 2024 7:30 p.m., FS1		at USC	W 72–64	11–5 (2–3)	26 – Jones	11 – Jones	5 – Rice	Galen Center (6,218) Los Angeles, CA
January 13, 2024 3:00 p.m., P12N		No. 8 Arizona	W 73–70	12–5 (3–3)	24 – Jones	13 – Jones	5 – Rice	Beasley Coliseum (3,564) Pullman, WA
January 18, 2024 8:00 p.m., P12N		at Stanford	W 89–75	13–5 (4–3)	35 – Rice	14 – Cluff	8 – Rice	Maples Pavilion (2,855) Stanford, CA
January 20, 2024 2:00 p.m., P12N		at California	L 75–81 ^OT	13–6 (4–4)	20 – Jakimovski	8 – Chinyelu	3 – Tied	Haas Pavilion (3,201) Berkeley, CA
January 24, 2024 7:00 p.m., P12N		Utah	W 79–57	14–6 (5–4)	17 – Jones	10 – Jones	6 – Rice	Beasley Coliseum (2,605) Pullman, WA
January 27, 2024 2:00 p.m., P12N		Colorado	W 78–69	15–6 (6–4)	17 – Tied	11 – Jones	4 – Jakimovski	Beasley Coliseum (3,273) Pullman, WA
February 3, 2024 6:00 p.m., P12N		at Washington Rivalry	W 90–87 ^OT	16–6 (7–4)	22 – Jones	7 – Jones	5 – Rice	Alaska Airlines Arena (9,294) Seattle, WA
February 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., P12N		at Oregon State	W 64–58	17–6 (8–4)	24 – Wells	7 – Tied	6 – Rice	Gill Coliseum (3,562) Corvallis, OR
February 10, 2024 2:00 p.m., P12N		at Oregon	W 62–56	18–6 (9–4)	21 – Rice	9 – Rice	3 – Rice	Matthew Knight Arena (7,617) Eugene, OR
February 15, 2024 7:00 p.m., P12N		California	W 84–65	19–6 (10–4)	25 – Rice	9 – Jones	4 – Houinsou	Beasley Coliseum (2,744) Pullman, WA
February 17, 2024 3:00 p.m., P12N		Stanford	W 72–59	20–6 (11–4)	14 – Tied	12 – Cluff	5 – Rice	Beasley Coliseum (5,671) Pullman, WA
February 22, 2024 8:00 p.m., FS1	No. 21	at No. 4 Arizona	W 77–74	21–6 (12–4)	27 – Wells	11 – Chinyelu	4 – Jakimovski	McKale Center (14,688) Tucson, AZ
February 24, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 21	at Arizona State	L 61–73	21–7 (12–5)	16 – Jones	11 – Jones	3 – Tied	Desert Financial Arena (9,586) Tempe, AZ
February 29, 2024 7:30 p.m., P12N	No. 19	USC	W 75–72	22–7 (13–5)	11 – Watts	5 – Tied	8 – Rice	Beasley Coliseum (8,288) Pullman, WA
March 2, 2024 4:00 p.m., P12N	No. 19	UCLA	W 77–65	23–7 (14–5)	27 – Wells	10 – Jakimovski	4 – Rice	Beasley Coliseum (8,096) Pullman, WA
March 7, 2024 6:00 p.m., FS1	No. 18	Washington Rivalry/Senior Night	L 68–74	23–8 (14–6)	20 – Jones	10 – Jones	6 – Rice	Beasley Coliseum (9,311) Pullman, WA
Pac-12 Tournament
March 14, 2024 6:00 p.m., P12N	(2) No. 22	vs. (10) Stanford Quarterfinals	W 79–62	24–8	16 – Jones	6 – Tied	6 – Rice	T-Mobile Arena (11,428) Paradise, NV
March 15, 2024 7:30 p.m., FS1	(2) No. 22	vs. (3) Colorado Semifinals	L 52–58	24–9	13 – Jones	7 – Wells	4 – Wells	T-Mobile Arena (17,502) Paradise, NV
NCAA tournament
March 21, 2024* 7:05 p.m., TruTV	(7 E) No. 25	vs. (10 E) Drake First Round	W 66–61	25–9	20 – Jones	11 – Jones	3 – Tied	CHI Health Center (17,391) Omaha, NE
March 23, 2024* 3:10 p.m., TNT	(7 E) No. 25	vs. (2 E) No. 4 Iowa State Second Round	L 56–67	25–10	20 – Wells	9 – Jones	2 – Tied	CHI Health Center Omaha, NE
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Pacific Time.

Source:^[2]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	21	19	18	22	25	23
Coaches	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	22	21	20	25	RV	24

References

^ Skretta, Dave (February 19, 2024). "UConn is unanimous No. 1 in AP Top 25; No. 21 Washington State ends 302-week poll drought". Associated Press. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
^ "2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule". Washington State University Athletics.

[1] Skretta, Dave (February 19, 2024). "UConn is unanimous No. 1 in AP Top 25; No. 21 Washington State ends 302-week poll drought". Associated Press. Retrieved February 22, 2024.

[2] "2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule". Washington State University Athletics.

[1]

[2]