Washington State's point guard situation is anything but traditional

David Riley doesn't rely on a traditional point guard, giving several Cougars a role in running the offense

Washington State Cougars guard Sebastian Akins (10). | Photo courtesy of Washington State University Athletics

In coach David Riley’s wide-open offensive system at Washington State University, it’s whoever gets the ball - he goes.

“We don’t have a traditional point guard offensively,” Riley said.

So, think of it this way - who will handle the basketball most of the time, especially in half court sets?

What is pretty evident is that sophomore Lazerek Houston will dominate the ball for the majority of games, ceding some ball-handling duties to Sebastian Akins and RJ Jones off the bench, or even to Jamari Phillips or Jaylen Harrell on occasion in the regular lineup.

Here is the team’s positional breakdown at point guard:

PROJECTED STARTER

LAZEREK HOUSTON

5-10, 170, sophomore

Outlook: Of all the incoming transfers, it was this NCAA D2 star (Central Missouri) who garnered the most attention from other schools before ultimately signing with the Cougars. The MIAA player of the year averaged 20.8 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.0 rebounds in leading the Mules to their first national tournament since 2014-15 - all while averaging 25.6 points per game during his senior season at Lincoln Northeast (Neb.).

Riley called Houston a “bucket getter” - and nobody will attack the basket with more aggression than the diminutive playmaker, who is stronger than he looks. And although he plays more like a combination guard, Houston will be the team’s primary ball-handler for 30-plus minutes per night. He is so good at setting up a defender with hesitation moves - head fakes and stop-and-go dribbles - that it creates more than enough space for him to survey whether he will attack as a scorer or try and find teammates for great shots. Headliner will be fun to watch.

Projection: 15.5 points, 5.5 assists, 2.0 steals

KEY RESERVE

RJ JONES

6-2, 190, junior

Outlook: Formerly the No. 1 prospect coming out of Texas, he was more of a scorer coming out of high school as a nationally ranked shooting guard. And he showed flashes of that scoring as both Kansas State and TCU, playing in 27 career games in the Big 12 Conference. He also missed the entire 2024-25 season at TCU with a foot injury. But after Riley and his staff studied Jones’ tape in the offseason, especially from Wasatch Academy in 2022-23, they envisioned him as a point guard - and he has shown the natural vision of a facilitator during exhibition games. Fits as an ideal fourth guard who can give Houston a break.

Projection: 2.5 points, 1.5 assists

KEY RESERVE

SEBASTIAN AKINS

6-3, 190, junior

Outlook: Another point guard with vast NCAA D1 experience, totaling 67 games played between his stints at the University of Denver (where he was the Summit League freshman of the year) and Wake Forest - including 35 games in the ACC with the Demon Deacons last season. Riley considers Akins the most “true point guard” the Cougars have, but he was limited this summer and fall, and did not play in either of the team’s exhibition games due to an undisclosed injury. He did make his WSU debut in the season opener against Davidson.

Projection: 7.0 points, 2.0 assists