PULLMAN, Wash. – Simon Hildebrandt and Eemeli Yalaho (EY) signed financial aid agreements (F.A.A with the Washington State men's basketball program to compete for the Cougars in the 2025-26 season, head coach David Riley announced Wednesday.
 
Hildebrandt, an incoming senior from Winnipeg, Canada, played the 2024-25 season at High Point University, capped by a Big South Tournament championship and the Panthers' first berth to the NCAA Tournament. A 6-foot 9-inch forward, Hildebrandt averaged 5.5 points per game and 3.0 rebounds per game in 25 appearances in the rotation.
 
Prior to entering the NCAA ranks, Hildebrandt spent two seasons at the University of Manitoba, leading the Bison as an All-Canadian team selection as a sophomore and averaged 16.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
 
Yalaho, a rising junior from Jyvaskyla, Finland, played his first two seasons at Texas Tech. Eemeli, who goes by 'E.Y.,' is a 6-foot 8-inch forward and played 26 games with the Red Raiders, including his first career start in 2024-25. Yalaho battled back injuries as a sophomore, playing 11 games as Tech reached the Elite Eight. Yalaho averaged 2.5 points per game and 1.7 rebounds per game in just over nine minutes of action per game.
 
Both Hildebrandt and Yalaho excel as student-athletes, earning conference all-academic recognition with their respective programs.
 
The forward duo become the third and fourth signees to join the WSU men's basketball program this offseason, joining junior transfer Jerone Morton from Morehead State and sophomore transfer Emmanuel Ugbo from Boise State.