ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 1 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
12. Washington State Cougars
Just as coach Ernie Kent appeared to be turning a corner in Pullman, things went from bad to worse for Washington State. A 6-0 start, including a win over No. 21 Saint Mary’s, quickly evaporated with the Cougars winning just six games the rest of the season, finishing 11th in the Pac-12 standings.
A first-round exit at the Pac-12 Tournament marked another early end to the season but Cougar fans were on edge much of the offseason.
Robert Franks entered the NBA Draft process early but opted to return for his senior year after averaging over 17 points per game a season ago. However, WSU was not as lucky with junior Malachi Flynn. The sharpshooter transferred to San Diego State and will sit out the year.
Kent must now replace Flynn’s 15.8 points and 4.3 assists per game. In addition to Franks, upperclassmen Viont’e Daniels and Carter Skaggs are back after appearing in 31 games last season. Both players shot above 40 percent from behind the 3-point line and are likely to start with Skaggs seeing an uptick in minutes.
Through four seasons at WSU, Kent has never won more than 13 games. His best showing came in 2016-17 when the Cougars posted a 6-12 record in Pac-12 play.
Hired for the success he had at Oregon, most notably two Elite Eight appearances in the 2000s, Kent has now been through a full recruiting cycle with minimal results. While the Cougars are not expected to compete for a conference title this season, it’s safe to assume that another unproductive season would loosen the grip on Kent’s job security.