PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University men's basketball will debut six newcomers, as well as one squad member, as it hosts Lewis-Clark State at Beasley Coliseum, Friday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m.
The game will follow Halloween at WSU's kids' carnival, which will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on the concourse at Beasley Coliseum. There is no charge for admission to either the carnival or the basketball game.
WSU head coach Ernie Kent is in his second season after leading the Cougars to their most Pac-12 wins since 2011-12 with a 7-11 league mark in 2014-15. The Cougars return three starters in junior guard Ike Iroegbu, his classmate, forward, Josh Hawkinson and sophomore guard Ny Redding. WSU loses leading scorer DaVonté Lacy to graduation, but Hawkinson returns as the leading scorer and rebounder after averaging 14.7 points and 10.8 rebounds per game a year ago.
Hawkinson made his mark on WSU history as led the nation with 8.7 defensive rebounds per game and was fourth in the NCAA with 20 double-doubles. He broke WSU single season records for double-doubles as well as rebounds, marks that had stood for 48 and 51 years, respectively. He needs just 156 rebounds to break into WSU's career top-20 and is on pace to set a WSU career rebounding record held by Steve Puidokas (1974-77) with 992.
Iroegbu and senior forward Junior Longrus are looking to move up in WSU's career record books as well, as Longrus is tied for 18th on WSU's blocked shots list with 55 and Iroegbu needs just 75 more assists to break into the WSU career top-20.
Also returning for the Cougars are senior Brett Boese and redshirt junior Que Johnson. Boese had his best output of his career last season as a junior, averaging 4.3 points per game, while shooting .361 from beyond the 3-point arc. Johnson put up 6.1 points a game, while shooting the highest mark from the charity stripe with a .854 clip. Redshirt junior Valentine Izundu will make his game debut for the Cougars this season after sitting out the 2014-15 season due to NCAA rules after transferring from Houston. Izundu averaged 2.0 points and 1.1 blocks in just 8.0 minutes per game at Houston as a freshman in 2012-13.
Joining the Cougars are four junior college transfers and two true freshmen. Juniors Conor Clifford, Charles Callison and Renard Suggs and sophomore Derrien King make up the group of transfers. A 7-foot-center, Clifford was named the Southern California (SoCal) and Orange Empire Conference MVPs at Saddleback College last season. A 6-foot-point guard, Callison was named the Foothill Conference's MVP, as well as the 2014 Press-Enterprise Area College Men's Athlete of the Year following his sophomore Year at San Bernardino Valley College. A 6-2 guard, Suggs led Gillette College to JUCO Nationals last season, averaging 13.5 points per game. King, a 6-6 guard, averaged 11.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and shot .417 from the field at Santa Monica College last season.
Guard Viont'e Daniels and forward Robert Franks make up the freshman class. The Washington 4A State Player of the Year, Daniels averaged 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a senior at Federal Way High School. Franks was named an Associated Press All-State honorable mention honoree at Vancouver's Evergreen High School last season.
For the first time since the 2003-04 season, Washington State will host two exhibition games. Following Friday's game, the second one will be featured in a 'Flashback Friday' game the Friday of 'Dad's Weekend', Nov. 6 against Pacific of Forest Grove, Ore., at Bohler Gym. The game will honor former WSU head coach and basketball hall of famer, George Raveling. The Cougars called Bohler Gym home until the 1973-74 season when Beasley Coliseum opened. It's the current home of the Washington State volleyball team. The football team will host Arizona State the following day, Saturday, Nov. 7 at Martin Stadium.
The Cougars open up the regular season in a men's/women's doubleheader hosting Northern Arizona, Friday, Nov. 13 at 5:30 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum. Last season the Lumberjacks fell in the championship game of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT).
The season opener is the first of six-straight home games for the Cougars as they host Idaho State, Friday, Nov. 20 (the night prior to WSU football hosting Colorado, Saturday, Nov. 21), Cal State Los Angeles, Tuesday, Nov. 24, Texas Southern, Saturday, Nov. 28, Gonzaga, Wednesday, Dec. 2 and Portland State, Sunday, Dec. 6. Texas Southern advanced to the 2015 NCAA Tournament, before falling to Arizona in the second round. Gonzaga advanced to the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual national champion-Duke. The home game with Gonzaga is the first the Cougars will host against the Bulldogs since Dec. 5, 2012.
