The WSU Cougars prepare to take on the Eastern WA Eagles in Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on Thursday, Nov. 21.
The Cougs (4-1) are coming off an 83-69 win at home over the Northern Colorado Bears, in which the Cougs kept things close early and broke away in the final ten minutes of the game. They are undefeated in the state of Washington, with their only loss coming at the hands of Iowa on the road.
Eastern, meanwhile, has struggled at the beginning of the season after losing four starters and their head coach to WSU in the offseason. Under Riley, the Eagles were consistently a contender for the Big Sky title, winning two and finishing as the runner-up in 2023-24, but the early returns in 2024 indicate this year may not go as smoothly. They have suffered losses to Colorado, Missouri and most recently to Cal Poly, with their only win coming against Seattle University.
Still, head coach David Riley does not want to take the game lightly. He mentioned that the Cal Poly game had been close, in which Eastern made a late 10-0 run to cut their deficit to four.
“We don’t have any room for error to be thinking about the good old days,” said Riley.
Cedric Coward, LeJuan Watts, Dane Erikstrup and Ethan Price transferred from Eastern to WSU last spring, and all four are expected to start the game on Thursday against their former team. Watts was previously the Big Sky freshman of the year with the Eagles.
Coward spoke about his old school fondly but also acknowledged that the Cougs’ goal is to win.
“I mean, I love Eastern..it’s a part of my heart,” said Coward. But he noted that “it’s just another basketball game for me.”
He said that he and his teammates will not let reminiscing get the better of them.
“You kind of take it in a little bit, but then realize, you’ve got a job to do,” said Coward.
That may be easier for them as the game is being played on a neutral site instead of at the Eastern campus at Cheney, where old memories may have been more prevalent.
Coward has been one of the top scorers for the Cougs this season, averaging over 15 points a game. He was named to the West Coast Conference preseason team and has so far played to his billing. Alongside him near the top of the WSU statbook has been Nate Calmese, the senior guard who transferred from the University of Washington and has had an immediate impact. Calmese is the only WSU starter who did not come from Eastern.
Eastern is now coached by veteran Dan Monson. Monson took over Eastern after previously serving as the head coach at Gonzaga, Minnesota and Long Beach State. He left Gonzaga after leading them to the Elite Eight in 1999, which at the time was considered a major shock. He took what was viewed at the time to be a better job at Minnesota, where he only reached the NCAA tournament once in eight years and resigned in 2006.
Meanwhile, his assistant coach Mark Few took over Gonzaga and established the Bulldogs as a WCC dynasty. Perhaps there is an alternative timeline in which Monson, and not Few, oversaw the rise of Gonzaga.
Nevertheless, Monson went to Long Beach State where he coached from 2007 until 2024. He won two Big West conference titles, went to the NCAA tournament twice (most recently in 2024), and won Big West Coach of the Year four times. His move to Eastern Washington is somewhat of a homecoming for him, as he was born in Spokane and grew up in eastern Washington.
The Eagles are led by a trio of guards, including junior Nic McClain, who played with the four transfers last year in two games at Eastern. McClain is averaging 14.8 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game. His weakness is turnovers, of which he averages five per game. McClain scored a career-high 28 points in the Eagles’ most recent game against Cal Poly, in what could be described as a breakout for the junior.
Sophomore guard Mason Williams also played with the transfers in 2023 and has taken advantage of his new role as a starter in 2024. He is averaging 13.5 points, 2.3 steals and 2.3 assists.
Leading Eastern in points is senior transfer Andrew Cook, who came from Carroll and is currently averaging 17 points per game.
Riley talked about the Cougs needing to trust their process more, and not lose sight of their own talent, after struggling against Iowa.
“I think we gotta enjoy the process a little bit more and trust that we are a really good team,” said Riley.
He also talked about wanting to do his job well and not worry about the past, the current records or the Cougar’s 57-13 all-time record against the Eagles.
“I want to make sure that I’m doing my job,” said Riley. “We’re gonna go approach it like we’re playing a good basketball team.”
The four transfers have made WSU their home and made it clear they are Cougars through and through.
“We’ve got a really tight-knit group,” said Ethan Price. He acknowledged that many of the team came from Eastern, but that it is a new team with allegiance to a new school.
Coward said he would talk to his former teammates after the game, but that he does not want them to be a distraction during the game.
“It’s basketball, there ain’t no friends on the court besides the brothers in the same jersey.”
