WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (17-17 // 11-9) VS IDAHO VANDALS (10-22 // 4-14)
Friday, November 10 at 7 p.m. PT
Pullman, Wash.
Beasley Coliseum // 11,671
Radio Coverage
Derek Deis & Craig Ehlo
WSU Learfield Network
Television Coverage
Pac-12 Washington
Greg Talbott & Eldridge Recasner

OPENING FIVE
1. WSU welcomes Prairie View A&M for the 2023 Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series, Friday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. from Beasley Coliseum with coverage on Pac-12 Washington
2. Redshirt-freshman Myles Rice showed no signs of rust, playing 29 minutes and going for 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists in his first competitive game in over two years after entering remission
3. Wazzu has three former Washington 4A State Player of the Year recipients on its roster – Jabe Mullins (2020), Dylan Darling (2022), and Parker Gerrits (2023) and boasts six student-athletes in total from the Evergreen State (Jones, Olesen, Watts)
4. Isaiah Watts and Rueben Chinyelu debuted as true freshmen with Chinyelu earning the starting nod and Watts entering from the bench – Rueben finished with eight points, eight rebounds, and three blocks, while Isaiah added two big 3-pointers with a block and board, too
5. Six Cougs made their WSU debuts Monday night with all six scoring their first career points and combining for 53 of Wazzu's points in the win

COUGARS VS PANTHERS
The Washington State Cougars welcome the Prairie View Panthers to Pullman, Washington and Beasley Coliseum, Friday, Nov. 10 for a 7 p.m. clash on Pac-12 Washington in the Pac-12/SWAC HBCU Legacy Series. Last year, Wazzu traveled to Texas for the first time in program history, dropping a 59-70 loss to PVAM, the first defeat to the Panthers in program history. WSU holds a 3-1 all-time record against Prairie View, with Coach Smith leading the program for the last two meetings.

LAST TIME OUT // VS IDAHO
WSU 84 // IDAHO 59 // NOV. 6, 2023 // PULLMAN, WASHINGTON
Andrej Jakimovski scored 21 points to lead Washington State to an 84-59 victory over Idaho in its season opener on Monday night at Beasley Coliseum. Jakimovski sank 8-of-16. Redshirt freshman Myles Rice, who missed all of last season battling Hodgkin's Lymphoma, finished with 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists in a start. Isaac Jones totaled 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals. Rueben Chinyelu, a 6-foot-11 freshman, added eight points and eight rebounds in a start. Idaho shot 34.6% from the floor and made just 5-of-25 from 3-point range. WSU shot 54.4% overall and made 7-of-18 from distance. The Cougs lead the 11th oldest college basketball series, 168-110.

NEXT UP // AT THE 2023 BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF
Washington State will travel for the first time this season, visiting Uncasville, Connecticut and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off from the Mohegan Sun. WSU will face Mississippi State in the opening round of the event, Saturday, Nov. 18, at 9 a.m. PT (noon ET) live on ESPN2. Pending the day's results, the Cougars will face Northwestern or Rhode Island Sunday on ESPN2 or ESPNU.

PAC-12/SWAC LEGACY SERIES
Announced in Sept. 2021, the allyship between the Pac-12 and SWAC is the first of its kind pertaining to basketball scheduling between Power 5 and HBCU leagues, but also places crucial emphasis on raising awareness for anti-racism and social justice initiatives. Another central element of the Legacy Series is the opportunity for Pac-12 programs to travel and play true road games against SWAC opponents, enabling Pac-12 student-athletes and coaches to visit campuses and cultural sites they may not have experienced otherwise.

MYLES MIRACLE RETURN
Redshirt-freshman Myles Rice waited two seasons on the sideline before getting to play his first college basketball game. After redshirting his true freshman year during 2021-22, Rice was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma prior to the 2022-23 season and underwent chemotherapy treatment throughout the academic year. Last spring, Myles received his last chemotherapy treatment and was declared in remission. The Columbia, S.C. native got the starting nod and played 29 minutes in the win. Rice went for 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while grabbing four rebounds, and dishing out three assists in his career debut.

JOE JOINS JONES IN 5TH YEAR DEBUT
A pair of fifth-year senior transfers started in the season-opening win over Idaho. Kansas transfer Joseph Yesufu and Idaho transfer Isaac Jones combined for 18 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, and three steals Monday night.

RUEBEN's BLOCK PARTY
In his college debut, true freshman Rueben Chinyelu swatted away three blocks, marking the second year in a row with a true freshman tallying three rejections in the season opener. Chinyelu's three blocks marked the most by any freshman in the country this year, one of four freshmen to do so. The Nigerian also grabbed eight points and scored eight points in his career debut.

WATTS WORKS INTO LINEUP
True freshman Isaiah Watts played 10 minutes off the bench in WSU's win over Idaho, marking his collegiate debut. The Washington native made two crucial 3-pointers in the contest, finishing with six points, one rebound and a blocked shot.

JAK IS BACK
Senior Andrej Jakimovski returned as the Cougars' only 4-year veteran and entered the season fully healthy for the first time since his freshman year. Jakimovski exploded for a game-high 21 points in the season opener, one shy of his career high. The North Macedonian made eight baskets from the floor, including three from beyond the arc. Jakimovski also blocked two shots in Monday's win, his first career game with multiple blocks, while also distributing two assists.

KYLE STARTING WITH SUCCESS
Kyle Smith is the first head coach in Washington State men's basketball history to finish with a .500+ record in his first four seasons on the Palouse. Tony Bennett posted three-consecutive winning seasons before leaving the program.

WAZZU IN SEASON OPENERS
The Cougs improved to 101-22 all-time in season openers and 62-8 when opening the season at home. WSU has won every season opener when opening at Beasley Coliseum and its last 28 season openers at home. WSU has won 34-consecutive Beasley Coliseum openers (not necessarily the first game of the season, but the first at home), with their last loss coming to BYU, Dec. 3, 1987.

HOMEGROWN ROSTER
The Cougars boast six student-athletes on the 2023-24 roster from the state of Washington, including three former Washington State Players of the Year. Senior Jabe Mullins was named the WIAA 4A Player of the Year in 2020, followed by sophomore Dylan Darling in 2022, and incoming freshman Parker Gerrits last spring.

HOME SWEET HOME
Washington State will complete its entire nonconference schedule without a true road game. WSU will host seven nonconference games at Beasley Coliseum, while participating in four neutral-site games before kicking off conference play. The scheduling quirk marks the first time since the 2020-21 season that the Cougars do not play a true nonconference road game.

MULLINS MAGIC
Jabe Mullins returns as one of the country's top 3-point shooters. Last year, Mullins finished second in the Pac-12 with a 43.0% (55-of-128) 3-point field goal percentage. Eight times he made 3+ shots from beyond the arc. Against Eastern Washington, Nov. 21, Mullins made eight 3-point field goals - the most made 3s by a Pac-12 player in the 2022-23 season and tied for third-most by a high-major player in Division I.  The Snoqualmie, Wash., native also rarely misses from the line, having missed just four charity shots since arriving at WSU (27-of-31).

KYLE'S QUICK CONFERENCE SUCCESS
With WSU's win over California in the opening round of the Pac-12 Tournament, the Cougs secured a 7-game winning streak against Conference opponents for the first time since January 1983 under George Raveling. The Cougars also completed a road sweep over the Bay Area schools for the second-straight season for the first time since the 1981-83 seasons. Coach Smith has won 35 Conference game in four seasons, more than any other WSU coach in their first four years (Bennetts - 31) and boasts a better Pac winning percentage in the first four years of tenure (.455) than any previous WSU coach (Bennetts - .431). The Cougars secured back-to-back winning conference records for the first time since the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons.

WSU POSTSEASON
The Cougars bid to the 2023 NIT marked the program's seventh all-time appearance in the postseason event. Twice Wazzu reached the semifinals, during the 2021-22 and during the 2011 NIT. WSU holds a 10-7 record all-time in the event. WSU earned back-to-back postseason berths for the first time since reaching the Sweet Sixteen in the 2008 NCAA Tournament and earned a bid to the 2009 NIT the following season.

RING THAT BELL, MYLES IS CANCER FREE
Last spring, Myles Rice received his final chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He rung the victory bell at the treatment center in Moscow, Idaho and was declared cancer-free and in remission. He received a medical redshirt for this season and entered the 2023-24 season with four years of eligibility, plus a COVID relief exemption.

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