Washington State coach David Riley is using the early stretch of summer workouts to shape something bigger than a playbook. He wants a clear identity, and he wants it built on force.
Riley said the Cougars are taking a more measured approach this summer after trying to cram too much in too early the last couple of years.
"The guys are picking things up well," Riley said. "The last couple years, we tried to put a lot of concepts in early on and it may have slowed down our aggression. This year we are taking things a little slower and placing a bigger emphasis on playing with force.
"We talked in our first meeting how our identity was going to be a physical and disruptive team, so we've been sprinkling in 1-2 clips before practices to show what that looks like. With a new group we've got to find ways to keep reinforcing our identity."
Summer practices started a couple of weeks ago, and Riley’s update offered a look at how the Cougs are trying to build that edge. The emphasis on physicality and disruption stands out because those are two traits Washington State has struggled to sustain over the last two seasons, especially on defense and in late-game situations.
The hope is that constant reinforcement can help change that.
Washington State also put out a social media video Monday celebrating the return of the Pac-12 under the title "Next is Now.” The clip featured athletes from across the athletic department: running back Kirby Vorhees, third baseman Ollie Obenour, guard Sebastian Akins, forward Malia Ruud, outside hitter Mary Healy and defender Riley Carolan.
Each athlete delivered a short line before a shot of them working. Obenour opened with "The Pac-12 never left Pullman."
Akins followed with "that the work didn't stop," then Ruud said "it's always been about us." Healy added "the cougs never wavered," and Carolan said "they asked us what was next."
The final image showed all of them in uniform at Martin Stadium, with Vorhees closing the video by saying "next is now."
Meanwhile, NBA Summer League is already rolling, and two former Cougs are in the mix this year. Cedric Coward is back with the Grizzlies, while Isaac Jones is on the Pistons’ roster.
Coward had a quiet opener Saturday, finishing with 11 points and eight rebounds while going 3-of-12 from the field in Memphis’ 111-74 win over the Thunder. The Grizzlies are in one of the warmup Summer League events in Salt Lake City, with games set for Monday and Tuesday.
The full Las Vegas Summer League starts Thursday, and Jones is expected to be one of the Pistons’ stars there.
In Other News...
Washington State Just Got The Preseason Respect Cougar Fans Wanted
Preseason lists do not decide anything once the games start, but they do tell you where a program sits in the conversation, and Washington State got a healthy dose of respect from Phil Steele Magazine. Thirteen Cougars landed on the preseason All-Pac-12 teams, a strong early nod to a roster that has spent the offseason trying to prove it belongs near the top of the league picture. Linus Zunk led the way with first-team recognition, while the rest of the group spread across the second and third teams, giving the Cougars an unusually broad footprint in the magazines projections.
The mix of honorees also says something about how Washington State is being viewed heading into the season: not just through one marquee name, but through depth at multiple spots and a roster that includes both returning production and transfer additions. Tony Freeman, Ashton Tripp, Khamari Terrell and Jack Stevens were among the second-team selections, while Caden Pinnick, Darrius Clemons, Jonny Lester and Jirah Leaupepetele made the third team. Freeman also showed up as a specialist, a reminder that the Cougars have more than one player drawing attention before the first snap is even taken. [Read more 🡒]
WSU Fans Already Have One Big Problem With EAs New Ratings
Washington State fans got their first look at EA Sports College Football 27 ratings, and the early reaction probably wont surprise anyone who has followed how these reveals tend to go. The Cougars have four players rated 80 or better, with Tony Freeman leading the way as the highest-rated name on the roster, but the overall picture is already stirring debate because the games opening numbers do not quite match how WSU supporters see this team.
The bigger issue is what is missing and what looks off. Several Cougars are not in the game at all, while others have landed with ratings that feel lower than expected or, in a few cases, at positions that dont reflect where they actually play. EA Sports is expected to keep updating ratings as the season unfolds, but for now the initial rollout has given WSU fans plenty to gripe about and plenty of reason to keep checking back. [Read more 🡒]