The WSU men’s basketball team lost six players due to transfer or graduation this past spring, and third-year Head Coach Ernie Kent completed his incoming recruiting class this past weekend with the addition of 6-foot-9-inch forward Arinze Chidom of Oakland, California.

Chidom marks the sixth newcomer added to a roster that underwent considerable overhaul following a disappointing 9-22 (1-17 conference) finish to the 2015-2016 season in which the Cougars lost their final 17 games.

Chidom spent the past year at Sunrise Christian Academy Prep in Bel Aire, Kansas, after graduating from Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland in 2015.

“Arinze completes an excellent recruiting class for this season,” Kent said. “I like his length, athleticism, and most importantly, his skill set. He has a very bright future ahead of him and I’m excited to welcome him to the Cougar family.”

Chidom averaged 10 points, six rebounds and two steals as a senior at Bishop O’Dowd and will have four years of eligibility at WSU. He was a part of a team that won the California Open Division championship in 2015. Chidom’s older sister, Oderah Chidom, is a senior on the women’s basketball team at Duke University.

“The main reason I chose Washington State was that it was great school with strong academics,” Chidom said. “I felt the coaching staff did a good job of showing me all the benefits of attending Washington State, and it’s really a place that I belong. I know that the staff will take care of me as long as I take care of my business. Going into this I wanted to find a school that would fit me the best.”

“I fell in the love with the campus, it’s really nice, as well as the college-driven city of Pullman,” Chidom added. “I also really like my teammates. I felt like I wanted to go on campus and see if I could spend four or even five years at Washington State, and I definitely saw that and am excited about joining the Cougar family.”

Chidom joins a class that includes rivals.com three-star guard Milan Acquaah of Bakersfield, California, and Tacoma News Tribune All-Area Player of the Year Malachi Flynn of Tacoma. Junior college transfer KJ Langston of Chicago, 6-9 freshman forward Jeff Pollard of Bountiful, Utah, and freshman guard Jamar Ergas of Toronto round out the group.

The Cougars are currently on an exhibition tour through Italy and will open the regular season at home on Nov. 11 against Montana State.

Reporting by Braden Johnson