Since Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington left the Pac-12 for a new home in the Big Ten Conference, the conference has not necessarily been on good terms with Cougar fans or Pac-12 fans.

That distaste likely got worse Friday as WSU men’s and women’s basketball players Isaiah Watts and Astera Tuhina comitted to Maryland and Oregon, respectively. Both players announced their decisions on their Instagram accounts.

Both decisions come in the midst of a rough postseason and offseason for both Cougar basketball teams. The basketball program saw nine combined transfers between the two teams, and no one from the transfer portal has comitted to WSU so far. The portal closes April 22.

Watts, the longest-tenured Coug on the men’s roster this past season despite being a sophomore, averaged 11.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists in the 2024-25 season. Watts also made 17 starts and shot 35% from three.

The 6-foot-3 guard came off the bench in his freshman year for WSU, but would end up making his presence felt down the stretch. Watts helped lead the Cougs to their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2008 and made big plays down the stretch of the team’s 66-61 win over Drake. The West Seattle native hit a three-pointer to retake the lead with two minutes left, before extending the lead with a pair of free throws and sealing the win with a clutch steal in the waning moments of the game.

Watts quickly grew his role in 2024, scoring a career-high 22 points against Eastern Washington, just six games into the season. After starting guard Cedric Coward was ruled out for the season after the EWU game, Watts entered the starting lineup and rolled with the opportunity. Watts averaged 13.2 points over the next five games in place of Coward.

After an impressive 9-2 start, Watts suffered a devastating wrist injury in the Apple Cup in Seattle. He would miss the next month of basketball and the Cougs slowed down without Watts, going 6-4 during Watts’ recovery despite starting off with a four-game win streak. Watts returned on Jan. 30 in the Cougs’ second loss to Pacific but the season would be up-and-down the rest of the way.

Watts will reunite with former WSU guard Myles Rice in Maryland, a fellow member of the 2024 tournament team. Rice transferred from Indiana after a disappointing 19-13 season. The former Hoosier team captain and Cougar team favorite is joined by Watts just five days after he announced his own transfer decision.

Tuhina, a junior, joins Oregon as the team’s second transfer pickup this cycle after UCLA freshman wing Avary Cain committed to the Ducks on Thursday.

Tuhina averaged 7.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists last season as the team’s assist leader. The Kosovo native also shot a team-leading 36.4% (min. 20 attempts) on 3.7 attempts per game. Tuhina was no stranger to big-time shots last season, hitting game-winning three-pointers in the first and last home games of the season.

The 5-foot-9 guard struggled to gain her footing midseason as she dealt with illness and took a step back on the offensive end. Despite the midseason struggles, Tuhina had a consistent floor general presence starting all 35 games she played and hit important shots when the team needed it.

As a freshman in the 2022-23 season, Tuhina was a part of the Cougs’ latest NCAA tournament appearance where she dished a team-high six assists in the Cougs’ loss to Florida Gulf Coast. Tuhina improved the following season from averaging 7.0 points and shooting 32% from three off the bench to 9.4 points per game and 43% from beyond the arc as a starter. The Cougs finished as runner-ups in the WBIT and Tuhina scored 20 points in the team’s championship loss to Illinois.

Tuhina and now graduated forward Tara Wallack developed a close relationship over the pair’s three years together at WSU and were roommates this past season. Wallack’s departure after a record-setting four-year WSU career likely influenced Tuhina’s decision to find a new home.

Watts and Tuhina are the first Coug transfers to commit to new teams for the 2025-26 season. Seven Cougs between the men’s and women’s teams remain undecided in the portal.