WATCH: David Riley Previews Washington State's Postseason Matchup Against Georgetown

Jan 11, 2025; Spokane, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars head coach David Riley directs his team during a game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

With a 19-14 overall record, Washington State missed out on the NCAA Tournament. To make things worse in Pullman, the Cougars lost two of their best players with the departures of combo guard Isaiah Watts and leading scorer/point guard Nate Calmese in the transfer portal.

On Monday, March 31, WSU Basketball's 2025 season continues against Georgetown in the College Basketball Crown Tournament in Las Vegas.

Head coach David Riley met with the media this week to discuss the extension of his first year in Pullman and what's ahead in the coming days for his group. Watch the full media availability below.

NOTES

-On Nate Calmese and Isaiah Watts' entrance into the transfer portal: "I think everyone's going to have to take a step up with with some of the minutes and for us, it's a great opportunity to get some of these young guys some experience... I think that's the exciting piece for all these guys is kind of show the different lessons they've learned and let's see how those translate in the Crown."

-On the new NIL/transfer portal era of college basketball: "I think that there's a lot of great things about NIL and these guys being able to get paid, but I think there's a ton of value in being able to develop at places for multiple years and having a long-term vision. People talk about four or five-year goals all the time. A lot of people will overestimate what they can get done in one year and underestimate whether they can get done in four, and like I think that's the beauty of college and what it was for the last few years is you have this time to really grow as a person. I'd like to see there be some some changes to that where we can have a little more consistency. But at the same time, these kids are getting great opportunities and we're just pretty lucky, at the end of the day, to be able to coach and play college basketball."

-On Georgetown also dealing with player departures: "We're kind of waiting and seeing. I'm going to give it a couple more days before we really dive into like the exact game plan just because of the fluidity of all this. I don't know, there's like a thousand people in the portal already. So we'll see what that looks like and I'm sure there'll be pros and cons to that. We better get ready for some presses and different ways they're going to try to pressure us and I think it'll be a fun game that'll be a really unique deal because there will be these changes personnel wise."

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