Washington State’s rebuilt frontcourt didn’t take long to make an impression.
In the Cougars’ Oct. 25 exhibition win, 84-80 at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Washington coach Danny Sprinkle got a look at a group that comes with size, versatility and a lot more ways to bother opponents than he expected.
“They can put you in a lot of different predicaments, especially on the offensive side,” Sprinkle said. “Their size - they are a little bigger than I thought in each spot.”
At the center of that makeover is forward-centric talent that gives WSU a new shape up front. David Riley is counting on Tennessee newcomer Harrison to become the team’s featured scorer and top rebounder, and the expectation is that opponents will spend plenty of time trying to take him away.
Finding that kind of go-to option was a major priority, and Harrison’s path says plenty about why WSU believes it has one. The Texas native has moved from school to school in each of the last three seasons, beginning at Navarro College in junior college in 2023-24, where he averaged 14.4 points per game. He then scored 10.6 ppg at Tarleton State in the WAC before another 10.6 ppg season at East Texas A&M in the Southland Conference last year, when he bumped that average up to 14.7 ppg.
At those stops, Harrison did most of his work closer to the basket. Riley wants more from him now. The Cougars are aiming to use him on the wing, where he can create mismatches, attack from all three levels and punish defenders whether he’s facing up or backing them down for turnaround jumpers.
Riley’s confidence in Harrison is obvious. As he put it, “he is an NBA talent.”
Another piece of the frontcourt picture is Kropp, a player WSU staffers have tracked for years, especially associate head coach Pedro Garcia Rosado. Ranked No. 2 in Ohio in the 2025 class, Kropp saw meaningful minutes right away at Northwestern as a true freshman last season, appearing in 31 games at center in the Big Ten, starting 10 and finishing with averages of 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds.
His ceiling showed even more on the international stage. As a member of Team Argentina’s U19 squad, he led the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup in scoring at 21.7 ppg.
Kropp’s appeal goes beyond numbers. Riley and his staff like the way he keeps possessions moving, when he chooses to score and when he decides a teammate has the better shot. He can handle a few different roles, and he’s already been one of WSU’s most efficient playmakers in practice, whether stationed on the block or drifting out to the wing.
Manhattan transfer is another important part of the rotation. He played in 51 games over the past two seasons for the Jaspers, including 31 starts last year, and ranked fourth on the team with 11.0 points per game. He also gives WSU another player who can rebound from the wing and stretch defenses with perimeter shooting, a skill set that should fit neatly into the Cougars’ expected barrage from 3-point range.
Then there is Kyman, the depth option in the group. A product of Santa Margarita High School, he filled out the rotation for WSU in the exhibition game at New Mexico, but he is more of a back-end piece who probably won’t see much floor time on most nights. His older brother, Jake, played for Riley at Eastern Washington in 2023-24.
In Other News...
WSUs Best Chance At A Breakthrough Win Comes Down To One Thing
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The problem is that the Cougars still need the pieces around Eshelman to hold up, starting with the offensive line and the backs trying to hit open lanes. The passing game has also been trimmed down to a small group of reliable targets, which puts even more pressure on every snap to go smoothly and leaves little margin if San Diego State is able to tighten things up early. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Faces A Quarterback Test With Bigger Stakes Than Usual
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The wrinkle is that both sides are asking young passers to handle real stakes, not just reps. San Diego State is chasing bowl eligibility and needs to stack wins down the stretch, while Washington State is still sorting out the depth chart after Eshelman moved ahead of Caden Pinnick. In a game like this, the quarterback who looks the most composed could end up tilting everything, even before either staff knows exactly what it has. [Read more 🡒]
WSU Heads Into SDSU With Two Key Question Marks Still Looming
Washington States latest injury report brought some welcome movement heading into its trip to San Diego State, with a pair of names no longer showing up at all. Left tackle Ashton Tripp and linebacker Carsten Reynolds have cleared the report, while linebacker Nylan Brown remains out for the season, leaving the Cougars with a better look up front and on defense as they prepare for a tricky road game.
Still, the report is not clean yet. Wide receiver Darrius Clemons and safety Jeremiah Bernard are the two Cougars listed as questionable, leaving a couple of important spots in limbo as WSU works through the final stretch before kickoff. San Diego State has its own list of probable, questionable, doubtful and out players, and the Pac-12 also announced a schedule for public release of player availability reports beginning in 2026, a sign that this sort of pregame uncertainty is becoming even more formalized across the league. [Read more 🡒]