COUGARS RETURN HOME TO HOST A PAIR OF PAC-12 CONTESTS: Washington State University men's basketball (9-8, 1-4) looks to bounce back after dropping three straight, as it hosts Utah (13-5, 2-3), Thursday, Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum.
• Thursday's game will be televised on Fox Sports 1 as Aaron Goldsmith (play-by-play) and Casey Jacobsen (color analyst) have the call.
• WSU then hosts Colorado, Saturday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum...Saturday's game will be televised on Pac-12 Networks as Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play) and Dan Dickau (color analyst) have the call.
• First-year voice of the Cougars, Matt Chazanow will have the call on the Washington State IMG Radio Network...please see the list of affiliates on page one of today's notes.
• Live updates can be found on Twitter by following @WSUMensHoops, the official Twitter account of Washington State men's basketball.
COUGARS VERSUS UTES:
• Thursday marks the 22nd all-time meeting between Washington State and Utah, as the Utes hold a 17-4 advantage in the all-time series.
• The Cougars are 2-4 against the Utes as Pac-12 foes, after Utah joined the conference prior to the 2011-12 season.
• WSU is 2-3 against Utah at home and has won two of the last three games against Utah at Beasley Coliseum...WSU is 2-1 against Utah at home as Pac-12 foes.
• Last season was the first time since Utah joined the league that WSU lost two games to the Utes (the two teams played just once in both 2012 and 2013).
• WSU's last home win over Utah came Feb. 8, 2014, a 49-46 win.
• Second-year WSU head coach, Ernie Kent, is 1-3 all-time against Utah, including 0-2 as Cougar head coach.
COUGARS VERSUS BUFFS:
• Saturday's game marks just the ninth all-time meeting between Washington State and Colorado, as the Buffs hold a 6-2 advantage in the series.
• Last season WSU broke a five-game losing streak to the Buffs and notched its first win over CU as Pac-12 foes, as it won the second meeting, 96-91 in overtime, March 7, 2015 at Beasley Coliseum.
• The Cougars are 1-2 against the Buffaloes at home, and 1-1 at Beasley Coliseum (Colorado leads 1-0 at Spokane).
• Second year WSU head coach, Ernie Kent, is 1-1 against Colorado, with his only meetings coming at the helm for Washington State.
VETERANS STEP UP:
• The Cougars have been led this season by captains, roommates and juniors, Josh Hawkinson and Ike Iroegbu.
• Hawkinson leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 16.8 and 11.2 boards a game, while Iroegbu has 14.2 ppg game and leads with 4.1 assists per game.
• Combined the forward and guard are shooting .552 (185-for-335) from the field and are accounting for 39 percent of the Cougar's points this season.
• Only twice this season has neither Iroegbu nor Hawkinson led WSU in scoring, and just once neither of them led the Cougars in rebounding.
BLOCK PARTY:
• Through 17 games the Cougars have blocked 95 shots, averaging 5.6 blocks per game.
• As of games on Jan. 18, WSU was 15th in the nation as a team, and fourth in the Pac-12 in blocks per game.
• Heading up the block party is junior transfer Valentine Izundu who is averaging 2.7 blocks per game which is ranked 15th in the nation and third in the Pac-12.
• The school team record for blocked shots in a season is 155 set in 2007 (34 games)...right now the Cougars are on pace to finish with 173 blocked shots in a 31-game season.
• The individual school record for blocks average in a season is 3.0 set by James Donaldson in 1978...he had a school-record 82 blocks that season.
• To put that in perspective, if Izundu can continue to average 2.7 blocks per game and plays 31 games, he'd finish with 84 blocked shots, which is 2 more than the record.
• Izundu had a career-high 6 blocked shots in the Nov. 20 meeting with Idaho State...the school record for blocks in a game is 10, also set by Donaldson, Dec. 6, 1977.
A WIN THURSDAY WOULD:
• Make WSU 10-8 this season.
• Make WSU 2-4 in Pac-12 play this season.
• Snap WSU's three-game losing streak.
• Put head coach Ernie Kent two wins away from 350 career wins.
• Match WSU's win total from 2013-14 (10).
• Snap WSU's three-game losing streak to Utah.
A LOSS THURSDAY WOULD:
• Make WSU 9-9 this season.
• Make WSU 1-5 in Pac-12 play this season.
• Give Utah it's fourth-straight win over WSU.
• Give Utah an 18-4 advantage in the all-time series.
MR. DOUBLE-DOUBLE; MR. 20-20:
• Junior Josh Hawkinson leads the Pac-12 and is fifth in the nation with 13 double-doubles in just 15 games this season (he missed the Nov. 24 game with a groin injury).
• In WSU's overtime game against Washington, Jan. 9, Hawkinson did something he had never done before, grabbed 20 rebounds.
• He added 21 points, marking his first 20-20 double-double.
• Hawkinson is one of 11 Division I student-athletes this season to grab 20 or more rebounds and score 20 or more points in a single game.
• He's the only Pac-12 student-athlete to accomplish the feat this season and the first since March 9, 2006 when California's Leon Powe had 22 points and 20 rebounds against USC.
• His 20 rebounds are a Pac-12 best since Mike Moser of Oregon had 20 rebounds, Feb. 27, 2014 against UCLA.
HAWKINSON NOT SLOWING DOWN:
• After a breakout season as a sophomore last year, forward Josh Hawkinson has not slowed down this season.
• With a 11.2 rebounds per game average, he's on pace to break his own WSU single-season rebounding record from last season.
• In WSU's Jan. 9 game against Washington, Hawkinson moved into WSU's career record book for rebounds, and currently ranks 16th all-time with 558 career rebounds.
• He has 179 rebounds through 16 games this season, if he can keep 11.2 rpg average, he would finish the season with 336 rebounds and 715 career rebounds, which would put him at eighth in WSU's career record books for rebounds.
• If WSU plays 31 games this season and Hawkinson remains healthy to finish with 30 games this season (he missed the Nov. 24 game due to a groin injury) and he continues to average 16.8 points per game, he will end the season with 993 career points, just shy of 1,000.
• Hawkinson also has 13 double-doubles through 16 games this season…he's on pace to finish the season with 26 double-doubles, 6 more than his single-season record he set as a sophomore.
• It would also give him 46 career double-doubles which would be second-best in school history and seven behind Steve Puidokas (1974-77) who holds the WSU record with 53.
ELEVEN IN A ROW:
• Junior Josh Hawkinson broke the Washington State school record with 11-straight games with a double-double.
• His streak started Dec. 6, 2015 when he scored a season-high 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Portland State and ended Jan. 16, 2016 at No. 18/16 Arizona.
• Hawkinson tied the record set by Steve Puidokas from Nov. 28, 1975 until Jan. 5, 1976 against UCLA, Jan. 3.
• Hawkinson seems to get in a groove at the same time each season, heading into his junior year, Hawkinson's longest double-double streak was six which started Dec. 10, 2014 and ended Jan. 4, 2015.
NEW STARS STEP UP:
• While junior Josh Hawkinson has played a pretty steady role of leading man this year, each game has brought a different best supporting performance by a Cougar.
• Against No. 18/16 Arizona, Jan. 16, junior Charles Callison stepped up with 12 points, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot.
• In WSU's loss at Arizona State, it's first road Pac-12 game of the season, it was the youngsters that stepped up as freshman Robert Franks and sophomore Derrien King both had career highs with 11 points each...they both played career-high minutes as well.
• Junior Ike Iroegbu led WSU with a career-high 28 points as WSU fell to Washington in overtime, Jan. 9...his 28 points went well with Hawkinson's 20 points and 20 rebounds.
• In WSU's win over No. 25 UCLA, Jan. 3, a number of Cougars could be chosen as the best supporting player as juniors Que Johnson and Renard Suggs scored 14 points each (a career-high for Suggs), and classmates Charles Callison and Conor Clifford added 12 and 10 points, respectively...all complemented Hawkinson's 20 points.
• In the Pac-12 opener against USC, Jan. 1, Suggs had his most points and minutes since Dec. 13 as he scored 9 in 21 minutes, adding 3 assists and 4 rebounds.
• Iroegbu kept stride with Hawkinson in WSU's victory over New Mexico Dec. 25, notching a double-double of his own with 17 points and 11 assists.
• In the low-scoring affair against Northern Iowa, Dec. 23, sophomore Derrien King stepped up for the second time in four games, tying his career high with 10 points going 4-for-10 from the field.
• Iroegbu was the only other player than Hawkinson to reach double figures, tying the team high with 16 points while adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists as WSU fell to No. 3/2 Oklahoma, Dec. 22.
• In WSU's Dec. 18 game against Texas State, Iroegbu out-scored his pal by 1 point, finishing with 18 points...he added 6 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 7-for-11 from the field.
• King had his breakout performance when he scored 9 points in 6 first-half minutes against UTEP, Dec. 13, going on to finish with 10 points.
• Callison was just 3 assists shy of a double-double when he had 7 assists and 10 points at Idaho on Dec. 10.
• Callison had put up 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting one game prior against Portland State, Dec. 6
• With Hawkinson struggling from the field against No. 13 Gonzaga to finish with just 4 points, junior veterans Johnson and Iroegbu put up 18 and 17 points, respectively on a combined 15-for-31 shooting (.483).
• Against Texas Southern, Nov. 28, Iroegbu went 7-for-9 from the field for 19 points, while senior Junior Longrus was a bucket shy of his first career double-double with a career-high 10 rebounds, 8 points, 3 assists and 3 blocked shots.
• With Hawkinson out with an injury, 7-foot-center, and redshirt junior, Clifford stepped up for 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting and 5 rebounds, to lead the Cougars in scoring against Cal State Los Angeles, Nov. 24.
• Redshirt junior Valentine Izundu captured Cougar hearts when he blocked 6 shots against Idaho State, Nov. 20, combined with 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 from the field while adding 7 boards...Iroegbu starred in that game as well with 21 points and 7 assists.
• It was freshman Viont'e Daniels' big night on opening day as he went 5-for-5 from 3-point range to finish with 15 points...he added 4 rebounds, 2 assist and 2 steals.
LEADER OF THE PAC:
• Washington State has two individual in four of the top-spots in the Pac-12 rankings.
• Junior Josh Hawkinson leads the conference in rebounds per game, defensive rebounds per game and double-doubles...he is also seventh in field goal percentage, sixth in free throw percentage and tied for 11th in blocks per game.
• His classmate, Ike Iroegbu, leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage...he's eighth in assists per game, 11th in field goal percentage and 17th in scoring.
• Junior Charles Callison ranks ninth in steals per game and ninth in assist/turnover ratio.
• Junior Valentine Izundu ranks third in blocks per game.
KENT IN YEAR TWO:
• Veteran head coach and former Fox Sports and Pac-12 Networks basketball analyst was named the 18th head coach in WSU men's basketball history, March 31, 2014.
• Kent came to Pullman with a 325-254 (.561) mark as a head coach, having spent six seasons at the helm for Saint Mary's in Moraga, Calif., and 13 at Oregon.
• In his 13 years at Oregon, Kent compiled a 235-174 (.575) record and a 109-125 (.466) conference mark.
• His 117 conference wins rank 17th best in Pac-12 history (including Pacific-8 and Pacific-10 Conferences).
• While at Oregon, Kent led the Ducks to seven postseason appearances, including five NCAA Tournament Appearances (2000, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008) as well as a Pac-10 regular-season (2002) and two conference tournament (2003, 2007) titles.
• Kent's first season with the Cougars wasn't much different than his first with the Ducks, as he led Oregon to a 13-14 overall record and 8-10 league mark as Oregon finished sixth in the then-Pacific-10 Conference...he led WSU to a 13-18 overall record and 7-11 league mark.
• WSU's 13 wins in his first season tie him for third-best in Washington State history for wins by a men's basketball coach in his first season…he's tied with Kelvin Sampson (1987-88) and Dick Bennett (2003-04), as both of those were also improvements from the previous season.
• Kent has 347 career wins, needing just three more for 350.
ASSISTS LEAD TO WINS:
• Washington State has notched at least 15 assists in nine games this season.
• The Cougars are 7-2 this season when dishing out 15 or more assists.
• The Cougars have been out-assisted just three times this season, losses against ranked teams, No. 13 Gonzaga, No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 18 Arizona, and against Washington.
• Just four times this season has WSU had fewer than 10 assists in a game.
FIRST HALF TELLS THE STORY:
• The Cougars are 9-1 this season when leading at the half and 0-7 when trailing at the half (WSU's lone loss when leading at the half came Jan. 9 against Washington).
• Under second-year head coach Ernie Kent WSU is 18-4 when leading at the half and 2-21 when trailing at the half.
GET TO 80:
• Washington State has scored 80 or more points in six games this season.
• The Cougars are 5-1 when scoring 80 or more points, including 1-1 when reaching the 90-point plateau.
• On the other side, WSU is 0-5 when its opponent scores 80 or more points.
• Under second-year head coach Ernie Kent, the Cougars are 14-1 when scoring at least 80 points in a game.
• The Cougars under Kent are 0-12 when scoring less than 60 points and 1-21 when scoring less than 70 points in two seasons.
TAKING AIM:
• Through 16 games the Cougars are shooting .487 (480-for-985) from the field.
• If the Cougars can keep shooting at that clip, it will be their best season field goal percentage since shooting .517 (902-for-1742) in 1994-95.
• The .517 clip is WSU's record.
• The Cougars currently rank 25th in the nation for field goal percentage and 49th for 3-point field goal percentage (.378).
COUGARS MAKE BODY CHANGES PRIOR TO SEASON:
• WSU men's basketball student-athletes made changes to their bodies prior to the 2015-16 season to be fitter, faster and stronger, with the help of strength coach, Scott Thom.
• Redshirt junior Valentine Izundu gained 20 lbs and increased his standing vertical jump by 4.5 inches to 35.5 inches.
• Redshirt junior Conor Clifford lost 30 lbs. and increased his standing vertical jump 3.5 inches to 25 inches.
• Sophomore Derrien King gained 20 lbs. and increased his standing vertical jump 3 inches to 28 inches.
• Junior Renard Suggs gained 15 lbs. and increased his standing vertical jump 3.7 inches to 34.7 inches.
• Freshman Viont'e Daniels gained 15 lbs. and has a 40.5 inch vertical approach jump.
• Junior Charles Callison gained 10 lbs., and has a 42.5 inch vertical approach jump.
• Freshman Robert Franks lost 15 lbs to 240 and vertical jump is up 2.8 inches to 23 inches.
• Junior Josh Hawkinson increased his vertical approach jump by 2 inches, jumping 38.5 inches with a two-step approach.
• As a team WSU increased standing vertical jump to 26.5 inches and broad jump 27 inches.
• As a team squatted 320 more lbs., deadlifted 444 more lbs., did 50 more pull-ups and benched 135 more lbs.
COUGARS SIGN TWO FOR 2016-17 SEASON:
• Milan Acquaah (6-2, 195, Guard, Pasadena, Calif. - Cathedral HS) and Jeff Pollard (6-8, 235, forward, Bountiful, Utah - Impact Academy-Nev.) signed NLIs to join the WSU men's basketball team next season.
• Acquaah is beginning his second season at Cathedral HS after spending one and a half years at Pasadena's La Salle HS and a semester at Chino Hills HS.
• As a junior at Cathedral HS, Acquaah averaged 19.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists and earned open division first team all-CIF honors as a junior, as well as Cal-Hi Sports All-State Junior First Team accolades.
• Pollard enters his first season at Impact Academy at Las Vegas in 2015-16, after graduating from Bountiful HS in 2015.
• At BHS he led his teams to back-to-back State championships as a junior (2013-14) and senior (2014-15) and led the Braves with 22 points and 5 steals in the 66-54 victory over Kearns HS in the title game his senior year as he averaged 16.0 points and 9.0 rebounds a game during the season.
ABOUT THE 2015-16 COUGARS:
• 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 returned three starters in junior guard Ike Iroegbu, his classmate, forward, Josh Hawkinson and sophomore guard Ny Redding.
• WSU lost 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 he 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.
• Heading into the season he needed 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.
• 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 made 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.
LAST OUTING:
• WSU fell to No. 18/16 Arizona, Saturday, Jan. 18 at Tucson.
• Junior Josh Hawkinson had his streak of consecutive games with a double-double snapped at 11…he finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds.
• Hawkinson's 11-game streak is a WSU record, breaking the previous one of nine-straight games.
• Junior Ike Iroegbu had his eighth double-figure scoring game in the last nine games as he led WSU with 13 points.
• Junior Charles Callison was in double-figures for the third time in the last four games with 12 points.
• Freshman Robert Franks saw action in his second-straight game scoring 8 points and 2-for-4 from 3-point range in 18 minutes, his second-most this season.
• Freshman Viont'e Daniels saw action in his second Pac-12 game and his second game in the last eight, playing 2 minutes.
• Arizona's .563 (9-for-16) 3-point field goal percentage ties for the best by a WSU opponent this season.
• Arizona's .542 (32-for-59) field goal percentage is the best by a WSU opponent this season.
• WSU's 23 rebounds are its second-fewest this season.