In 2014, we saw some of the worst basketball ever played this century by the Washington State men’s basketball team. This team isn’t as bad as people perceive, however, and is moving in the right direction. The man responsible is Head Coach Ernie Kent.

From Ken Bone’s slow, boring, empty offensive sets to Kent quickening the pace with unconfident offensive plays, 2014 Cougar basketball was hard to watch. Fans could expect to see low percentage floaters, air-balled layups, and threes so poorly off the mark that their awkward bounces off the back iron became games of dead-or-alive rebounds.

It’s 2015, and something’s changed. The turnaround has been impressive. For the first time since the ‘08-‘09 season, the Cougs have won back-to-back Pac 12 games on the road, and, for the first time since the ‘09-‘10 season, they started the conference schedule 2-1.

Two wins aren’t enough to consider the Cougar basketball team turned around, but they are a move in the right direction. Kent has only had to do one difficult thing to get his team back on track- instill confidence.

This is the same group of players that struggled to shoot the basketball under Ken Bone during the last three years of his tenure. Now fans are seeing those players pay watchable basketball. Watching last Saturday’s win against UW, one had a feeling that three-point shots weren’t hopeless prayers and slashing guards could actually finish around the rim.

The Cougs have already broken the 80-point mark seven times this year, including the exhibition against Azusa Pacific. Last year, the team only broke this mark four times. Players are starting to get comfortable with Kent’s system, playing faster and with more confidence than they ever have in their careers at WSU.

The difference doesn’t come from the change in personnel. The only departures from last year were D.J. Shelton and Royce Woolridge. The only contributing newcomer has been Ny Redding. Mostly people are seeing dramatic turnarounds from Josh Hawkinson, Jordan Railey, and Brett Boese- players who didn’t contribute much last year but are a huge reason for the team’s recent success this year.

Add those pieces to proven scorers DaVonté Lacy and Que Johnson and the Cougs have a basketball team that can compete this year in a down Pac-12 Conference. With more experience, the team will improve, and most likely be playing their best basketball come tournament time at the end of the season. If they can get hot, who knows- they may win a couple tournament games to provide a momentous launch pad to catapult them into next year.