THE FRONT ROW WITH DYLAN GREENE: A change in the Cougar culture
Nerdball.
Plenty of fun was had with that term when Kyle Smith was hired as the Washington State University men’s basketball head coach in March of 2019.
But Smith and anyone within the program will tell you that phrase is no laughing matter, and so far this season the unique style has proven to be quite effective for the Cougars.
WHEN SMITH moved from the heart of San Francisco to the rolling hills of the Palouse, he brought the analytics with him. But that’s not all that came with him.
Smith preaches defense. The Cougars spend practice after practice mastering their technique on the defensive end and that dedication has paid off this winter.
Through nine games, WSU has held its opponents to 60 points or less six times. Last season, we saw flashes of the team’s potential on the defensive end, but this year they are in top form.
The effort on the defensive end is certainly refreshing for WSU fans who suffered through years of inconsistent defense.
During the Ernie Kent era, defense was often an afterthought and the Cougars deficiencies on that end of the court shined through.
Smith has changed that mindset in an instant and that has the WSU faithful excited about the future of the program.
Speaking of that, the highest-rated recruiting class in school history is already leaving its mark. Coming into this season, senior Isaac Bonton and sophomore Noah Williams were expected to be the workhorses for the Cougars and they’ve delivered. But the emergence of freshman Efe Abogidi has been a welcomed surprise.
The 6-foot-10, 225-pound center has been a force to be reckoned with. His freakish athleticism and physicality makes him a tough matchup for anyone and the big man has shown the ability to step outside and knock down a shot from deep every so often.
Abogidi’s play of late earned him Pac-12 Freshman of the Week. Across three games from Dec. 18-23, Abogidi tallied 50 points, 41 rebounds and 10 blocks.
Abogidi is the real deal, but he’s not the only freshman making some early noise for the Cougars. Freshman forward Andrej Jakimovski has reached double figures a handful of times and been a marksman from behind the 3-point line.
THE COUGS are deep and every night they are getting contributions from all over the court which has led to a blistering start to the season. Sure WSU’s schedule thus far has been filled with what the experts would call cupcakes, but starting the season 8-0 shouldn’t be discounted.
You can only beat the teams on your schedule, however, AP Top 25 voters don’t quite feel the same way. WSU didn’t receive a single vote in the latest AP poll. The Cougars are no stranger to disrespect and they have a chance to prove doubters wrong over the next couple weeks in conference play.
Regardless of how the rest of this season plays out, one thing is clear — Smith is the right man for the job.
In his first year, he brought the program it’s most wins in a season — 16 — since 2011-12. For nearly a decade, the excitement around the WSU men’s basketball program has been virtually nonexistent.
In the past, Beasley Coliseum has stood dead silent because students chose homework over watching the Cougs be blown out by another Pac-12 team. But under Smith, that has started to change. Last year, Smith’s nerdball engulfed the Palouse and this year the evolution of the program is taking shape.
The start to this season has WSU fans thinking back to the Tony Bennett days and the culture he built.
We can’t get ahead of ourselves, but with a promising young core already in place, Smith has his eyes set on not only returning the Cougs to relevance, but the NCAA Tournament.
Dylan Greene is a WSU grad and the sports editor at the Bonner County Daily Bee in Sandpoint. Follow him on Twitter @DylanDailyBee.