Washington State Forward Emmanuel Ugbo Suspended For Remainder of Season

The Washington State Cougars will continue to have a thinner frontcourt for the remaining games of the 2025-2026 season.

Head coach David Riley confirmed Wednesday that senior forward Emmanuel Ugbo has been suspended for the remainder of the season. Ugbo has missed the previous six games for WSU.

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Per reporting by the Associated Press, Ugbo was accused by a Washington State women's volleyball player of stalking and harrassment. A Whitman County judge reportedly granted a full protection order against Ugbo last week.

Ugbo posted the following statement on his Instagram on Tuesday night:

"First and foremost, I would like to thank my coaches and teammates at WSU for their unwavering support during this challenging time. They truly know me and my character and remain undeterred. As an international student, without my support system, the past month has been incredibly difficult.

I admittedly made poor decisions by contacting someone who no longer wanted to hear from me and who I emotionally hurt. My efforts were completely taken out of context and have now robbed me of my athletic opportunity to play at WSU. To be clear, I have not or have I ever expressed any intent to harm or threaten anyone. My simple offense was that of reaching out via phone, mutual friends and social media platforms to apologize.

I know a lot has been said publicly, all I ask is for is people not to take pieces of information and twist them into narratives that don’t reflect the full picture. Because this involves legal matters and other people, I won’t be getting into specific details or going back and forth online.

The Judge specifically noted that his decision should not nor was it intended to deter me from continuing to practice or play basketball however, despite this WSU athletics has opted to not lift my suspension. The premature suspension prior to the Judge’s decision triggered negative press about me and my character. But I take responsibility for the decisions I made that led to a situation where something I love was taken away from me. I respect the process and the outcome, and I’m focused on learning from my mistakes, growing as a man and moving forward. I’m grateful to everyone who has reached out, checked on me, and kept me in their prayers. God is my strength, and I know I’ll bounce back from this."

Ugbo averaged 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game this season in 18 minutes of action per game.

2025-2026 was Ugbo's first season at WSU after three years at Boise State. Ugbo, a natiive of The Netherlands saw the court in one season at Boise in 2024-2025.

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The Cougars are 12-16 overall with a 7-8 record in West Coast Conference play with two contests remaining. They'll be hoping to win both to improve their seeding in the West Coast Conference tournament.

Washington State are in action on Wednesday night on the road against Loyola Marymount. They'll close the regular season at Pepperdine on Saturday, February 28. The West Coast Conference Tournament begins in Las Vegas on March 5.