The Cougs have struggled to keep the men’s basketball roster together over the last few years. Fortunately, the top-tier recruiting by head coach Kyle Smith and his staff has kept the team afloat and potentially even set them up to rise even higher.

So far, the high school recruiting class has had only one player who looked like a likely first-year contributor, big man Rueben Chinyelu. Now, the program has added one of the top recruits in WSU history, also at the forward spot.

The Cougs have secured a commitment from highly sought-after prep recruit Spencer Mahoney. The 6-foot-9 power forward from Brooklyn, New York announced his decision via Twitter, choosing WSU over offers from various Division I programs, including Texas A&M, St. John’s and Syracuse.

Mahoney’s basketball journey has been marked by multiple transfers. He began his career at Iona Prep in New Rochelle, New York, before moving to Xaverian High School in Brooklyn for his junior year. Mahoney then moved again for his senior season to St. Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey. Finally, his winding path landed him in Las Vegas, where he spent a post-graduate year at Red Rock Academy.

Averaging an impressive 18 points and six rebounds per game at Red Rock, Mahoney’s talent has been recognized by recruiting rankings, with ESPN rating him as a four-star recruit and 247Sports ranking him among the top 50 power forwards in the 2023 class. 

Mahoney is a prolific shooter, while always having the size to drive to the rim when need be. At his height, he has a chance to be a perfect cog in the Kyle Smith machine of 3-point shooting and generating space.

Mahoney’s commitment bolsters WSU’s wing position, adding much-needed depth to a team that just lost three starters, two of them forwards. While he will be competing for playing time alongside experienced players like long-time Coug Andrej Jakimovski and transfer Jaylen Wells, Mahoney’s offensive talents mean he could be a very serious contributor immediately. 

The Cougs are not a team of seniors and veterans. There will have to be freshmen playing some important minutes next year and there is no reason Mahoney cannot be one of them.