Transfer Portal Strikes Early for Washington State Cougars
Even though the college basketball transfer portal doesn’t officially open until April 7 and the NCAA Tournament still has a ways to go before crowning a new champion, a couple of Washington State Cougars have already announced their intentions to explore other opportunities and depart Pullman.
With the portal closing on April 21, it remains unclear how the rest of the roster will shake out heading into next season, but it’s possible other Cougars could decide to at least test the waters before the portal opens next month.
The first Cougar to announce his plans to enter the portal was Eemeli Yalaho. The forward from Jyväskylä, Finland, who transferred in from Texas Tech, spent one season at Washington State. He started the majority of the year and averaged 10.1 points per game along with 5.7 rebounds. Yalaho showed the ability to score both inside and out, putting the ball in the hoop not only in the post, but also from beyond the arc, where he shot an impressive 39.8% from three on four attempts per game.
Losing Yalaho would be a significant blow and difficult to replace on a roster already lacking in the talent department, as he ranked second on the Cougars in minutes per game and fourth in scoring, making him a key piece of coach David Riley’s rotation and one of their most important players last season.
Set to join Yalaho in the portal, Kase Wynott, a local product from Lapwai High School in Idaho, also announced intentions to potentially depart. Wynott had an incredible high school career, setting the Idaho all-time scoring record with 2,962 points. However, that success has not fully translated to the college level, as he has seen limited playing time, partly due to injuries. As a freshman, Wynott appeared in 25 games and averaged 1.2 points per game. This season, as a sophomore, he played in just five games due to injury but was averaging 4.0 points per game at the time.
A change of scenery could provide Wynott with an opportunity for a larger role and a fresh start after two bumpy seasons in Pullman, and he likely will explore other non-Power 4 opportunities, including with the in-state Idaho Vandals.
With the transfer portal becoming an increasingly important part of roster building in college basketball, Washington State will now have to look at both retaining key players and adding new talent to remain competitive in the evolving landscape as the program prepares to jump into the new-look Pac-12. The only other known players the Cougars will be losing from the 2025-2026 roster will be seniors Simon Hildebrandt and Adria Rodriguez, while they will be adding Brayden Kyman as an incoming freshman.
