Washington State basketball's revamped frontcourt has plenty of potential

With a pair of talented transfers leading the way, the Cougars have intriguing options at forward entering the 2026-27 season

Washington State Cougars forward Ronnie Harrison. | Photo courtesy of Washington State University Athletics

With not a lot of scouting film out there on the Washington State Cougars once the two teams played in an exhibition game on Oct. 25 - an 84-80 WSU victory at Hec Edmundson Pavilion - Washington men's coach Danny Sprinkle had a clearer vision of the opponent he just lost to.

“They can put you in a lot of different predicaments, especially on the offensive side,” Sprinkle said. “Their size - they are a little bigger than I thought in each spot.”

Here is the team’s positional breakdown at forward:

PROJECTED STARTER

RONNIE HARRISON

6-8, 235, senior

Outlook: In terms of finding their undisputed go-to scorer, the Cougars did their homework well on Harrison, a Texas native who has been at different schools in each of the past three seasons - starting in junior college at Navarro College (14.4 points per game) in 2023-24, then Tarleton State (10.6 ppg), of the WAC (10.6 ppg) and East Texas A&M (14.7 ppg), of the Southland Conference, last season.

And while Harrison primarily played more around the basket at those three stops, WSU coach David Riley wants the newcomer to play more on the wing where he can size up mismatches at all three levels and go to work - either facing defenders up or backing them down and shooting turnaround jumpers.

Harrison’s health and production are paramount to WSU’s upcoming season as he projects to be the team’s leading scorer and rebounder - and will be the one player opponents are most trying to slow down on a nightly basis. As Riley noted, “he is an NBA talent.”

Projection: 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds per game.

PROJECTED STARTER

TYLER KROPP

6-10, 230, sophomore

Outlook: Ranked as the No. 2 player coming out of Ohio in 2025, Kropp saw playing time in 31 games at center in the Big Ten Conference as a true freshman last season at Northwestern, making 10 starts and averaging 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds for the season. Where he’s made an even bigger mark is internationally as a member of Team Argentina’s U19 squad. At the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, he led the tournament in scoring at 21.7 ppg.

Riley and his staff - especially associate head coach Pedro Garcia Rosado - have coveted Kropp for years. It’s easy to see why - Kropp keeps the action flowing. He picks his spots as a scorer, but has fantastic feel for when to give up a good shot to set up a teammate for a better look. He can play whatever role Riley asks (and has been one of the team’s most efficient playmakers in practice) - on the block or out on the wing.

Projection: 9.0 points, 5.5 rebounds per game.

KEY RESERVE

FRASER ROXBURGH

6-7, 225, junior

Outlook: Played in 51 games over the past two seasons at Manhattan University, including 31 starts for the Jaspers last season. He was fourth on the team in scoring at 11.0 points per game. And while an underrated rebounder from the wing, his biggest asset should be contributing to the flurry of WSU 3-point shooting, emerging as one of the team’s better perimeter threats on any given night.

Projection: 3.0 points, 2.0 rebounds

RESERVE

BRAYDEN KYMAN

6-8, 225, freshman

Outlook: Right out of Santa Margarita High School, Kyman rounded out the rotation in the exhibition game at New Mexico - and is a depth piece who likely won’t see the floor most nights. His older brother, Jake, played for Riley at Eastern Washington University in 2023-24.

Projection: 0.2 points, 0.3 rebounds