Last month, it was announced that EWU Men’s Basketball coach David Riley took the head coaching position at Washington State University. This announcement was swiftly followed by six Eagles entering the transfer portal.
Forwards Ethan Price and Dane Erikstrup, as well as guard LeJuan Watts, have committed to WSU, following their coach to Pullman. All three players contributed heavily to Eastern Washington’s success last season.
Price started all 32 games for the Eagles and averaged 12.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game en route to a second-team All-Big Sky selection. He was an efficient scorer for EWU, shooting 52.1% from the field and 37.4 percent from beyond the three-point line.
Despite primarily coming off the bench, Erikstrup was one of EWU’s top scorers. He averaged 10.8 points in just 18.9 minutes per game, finishing fourth on the team in scoring average. He also chipped in 3.3 rebounds per night.
Watts served as the Eagles’ sixth man, playing 22.2 minutes per contest for the second unit. He scored a hyper-efficient 9.4 points per game on 61.2% on field goals and 40.5% on three-point attempts. His 4.9 rebounds per game led the team, and Watts earned Big Sky Freshman of the Year honors.
Riley and the Cougars are looking to replace 12 players who entered the transfer portal. While they have already signed three former Eagles, two more remain in the portal. All-Big Sky First Team member Cedric Coward, who also declared for the NBA draft, and All-Big Sky Second-Team member Casey Jones led the Eagles in scoring with 15.4 and 12.6 points per game.
Dan Thompson of the Spokesman-Review reported on April 11 that Coward proclaimed WSU his “front-runner,” although he had already received interest from 17 programs in his first few days in the transfer portal. Coward can withdraw from the NBA draft and retain his college eligibility but must make that decision by May 29.
The Spokesman-Review also reported WSU as receiving interest from Washington State, along with other schools such as Stanford and Saint Mary’s. The 6’6 forward averaged 4.4 rebounds per game, second on the Eagles, while drawing 219 free throw attempts to lead the conference.
Riley, Price, Erikstrup, Watts, Coward, and Jones helped lead the Eagles to a 21-11 record and a Big Sky regular season championship. At least four of them will look to repeat that feat at Washington State University in the Cougars’ inaugural season in the West Coast Conference.
