A Century of Hoops: The History of Washington State Cougars Basketball

The Washington State Cougars men's basketball team represents Washington State University and competes in the West Coast Conference (WCC) of NCAA Division I. From their early beginnings to recent successes, the Cougars have woven a rich tapestry of moments, players, and achievements.

Early Years and a Claimed National Championship

Washington State began varsity intercollegiate competition in men's basketball in 1902. In 1917, the Cougars were retroactively awarded the National Championship by the Helms Athletic Foundation in 1957 and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll in 1995. While the NCAA lists the historical Helms selections for reference, neither the Helms nor the Premo-Porretta titles are officially recognized as NCAA national championships.

Consistent Contender and Resurgence

For the better part of seven decades, the Cougars were a consistent contender in the Pac-10 and its predecessor, the Pacific Coast Conference. After a dark period in the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was the beginning of a resurgence under coach Dick Bennett. The 2004-05 season saw a large increase in student support as the team finished within a few wins of a .500 record, along with a stunning upset win against Arizona, an eventual Elite Eight team.

The Tony Bennett Era

Tony Bennett tied the all-time WSU record for wins (26) twice in three seasons as head coach before leaving to coach the Virginia Cavaliers in 2009. During the 2006-07 season, the Cougars swept rival Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, USC, Oregon State, and California. In the tournament, the coaching staff wore a pin saying TAY, which stood for Turn-Around Year.

NCAA Tournament Appearances

The Cougars have appeared in six NCAA Tournaments and five National Invitation Tournaments. In 2008, the Cougars returned to the NCAA tournament as a #4 seed and were matched up against #13 seed Winthrop University. After two straight victories in the NCAA Tournament, the Cougars headed to the Sweet Sixteen for the second time in school history. In the Sweet Sixteen, Washington State was matched against the #1 overall seed North Carolina. During the first half, both teams seemed evenly matched, but North Carolina took control in the second half and won by a score of 68-47. The Cougars earned a #3 seed in the NCAA tournament and beat Oral Roberts 70-54 in the first round. The Cougars then lost to Vanderbilt in the second round 78-74 in double overtime. Their final record was 13-5 in the Pac-10 and 26-8 overall, which tied the school record for most wins in a season.

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The Kyle Smith Era

On March 27, 2019, Smith was named as the 19th head coach of Washington State, agreeing to a six-year contract worth $1.4 million annually. He was formally introduced at a press conference on April 1, 2019. In his first season at Washington State, Smith led the Cougars to a 6-12 conference record (16-16 overall), their best since 2011-12. In the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament, Washington State beat Colorado, their first win in the conference tournament in over 10 years. In September 2021, Smith signed a contract extension through the 2026-27 season. During the 2021-22 season, Smith led the Cougars to their first winning record in conference play (11-9) in 14 years (2007-08). The Cougars followed up their regular season success with a win in the Pac-12 Tournament before losing to eventual runner-up UCLA. Following that, an NIT berth as a No. 4 seed gave the Cougs their first postseason bout in 11 years. Their first round win against Santa Clara (63-50) notched their first 20-win season since 2010-11.

Recent Highlights

On February 19, the Cougars returned to the AP Poll for the first time since the 2007-08 season (#21 with a 20-6 record). On March 17, Washington State was given an at-large bid by the selection committee, officially ending their 16-year long NCAA Tournament drought.

Coaching Changes

Head coach Tony Bennett announced that he was leaving Washington State to take the head coaching job at Virginia following the 2008-09 season. Bennett, who became head coach after his father Dick Bennett's retirement, finished the season with a 17-16 record. Kent served as head coach until 2019.

Home Court

The Cougars play their home games on campus in Pullman at Beasley Coliseum, which has a capacity of 12,058.

Rivalries

A non-conference series since 1959, Washington State has played the Idaho Vandals of neighboring Moscow annually since 1906 in a rivalry dubbed the Battle of the Palouse; the U of I is less than eight miles (13 km) east of Pullman. They often met four or five times per season until 1964, reduced to twice a season for the next decade. It has since become an annual event early in the schedule (except for the mid-1990s, when two games per season were played). The University of Washington is located in Seattle, nearly 300 miles (480 km) west of Pullman. As of 2023, the Washington Huskies have a 186-111 (.626) lead in the series that began in 1910.

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