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Washington State Cougars (2001: 12-16)

The following team preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the nation's most comprehensive look at this and all Division I teams, be sure to order the 2001-02 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518.

Program overview

Paul Graham is willing to be patient, but don't call him wishy-washy. In his second year last season, the Cougars coach drew a line in the sand and got the attention of his players. Now he hopes WSU is ready to continue its march toward respectability.

Late on the evening of Jan. 19, Graham received a phone call in his Eugene, Ore., hotel room, informing him that a half-dozen of his players had slipped out of their rooms and were enjoying the nightlife at a local western bar.

Graham went back to sleep, but the next morning, after getting verification of those involved, greeted his team at a morning shoot-around with a surprise announcement. All six had immediate plane flights home and would be suspended from that night's game against Oregon for violation of team curfew rules.

Among those sent home was starting senior forward Eddie Miller and Graham's sophomore son, Nick Graham. The Cougars, predictably, lost to the Ducks that night.

Back home on Sunday, Graham sat down with the guilty parties to discuss further sanctions. It was agreed the players would do extra running before rejoining the team. It was agreed by all, except for Miller, who was promptly dismissed from the team.

Graham believes the incident may serve the Cougars well over the long haul.

"Guys understood if we're going to have a basketball program that represents the university, we're going to try to do it right," Graham said. "What those guys did was wrong, and we punished them for it. That makes guys understand coach is committed to doing what is right."

The lesson may have sunk in sooner than Graham expected. Oregon and Oregon State visited Pullman four weeks later, and WSU pulled off a sweep, its first against the Oregon schools in four years.

In fact, the Cougars made significant strides on most fronts last season, starting with the bottom line. From 6-22 the year before, they improved to 12-16, doubling their win total. They claimed 10 victories on their home floor, rallied from 17 points down on the road to beat Arizona State in the biggest comeback of the Pac-10 season, and wound up in a tie for sixth place for their highest conference finish in six years.

Backcourt

WSU's greatest strength this season will be its backcourt, which should eventually consist of a pair of talented 6-6 athletes in sophomore Marcus Moore at the point and senior Mike Bush at shooting guard.

The Cougars will have to wait for football season to end before getting back Bush, who will play wide receiver in the fall. Bush (15.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, .399 FG, .333 3-PT, .703 FT) missed the first semester of last season, too, sidelined by academic shortcomings. He wound up earning honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors.

Moore (10.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.6 apg, .376 FG, .299 3-PT, .754 FT) flourished as a freshman after sitting out the previous year to put his classroom work in order. He won a spot on the Pac-10's All-Freshman team and created matchup problems for smaller point guards.

Would-be senior shooting guard David Adams, who started 17 games last season, surprised the coaching staff when he decided to transfer. Guard Kendall Minor also transferred.

But there are plenty of choices in the backcourt. While Bush is playing football, fans will get a good look at returning 6-2 junior Jerry McNair and 6-6 newcomer Justin Lyman. McNair (9.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg, .467 FG, .396 FT, .581 FT) turned heads in a game at Stanford when he scored 29 points and helped the Cougars to a nine-point lead they couldn't hold.

Lyman redshirted last season at Blinn (Texas) Junior College, the year after averaging 21 points and shooting 44 percent from three-point range. Originally a signee with Houston and coach Clyde Drexler, Lyman comes to WSU with two years of eligibility.

Graham's son will try to earn the backup point guard job. The younger Graham (0.6 ppg in 12 games) has been limited by an ankle injury his first season, then chest pains last year. Likewise, the Cougars are looking for a bigger contribution from combo guard E.J. Harris, a 6-1 sophomore who played just one game last year before suffering a stress fracture in his leg.

Frontcourt

The front line is experienced, but somewhat limited and not quite as deep as the backcourt group. The anchor is 6-10, 235-pound senior center J Locklier (9.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, .455 FG, .692 FT), who won Pac-10 Newcomer-of-the-Year honors last season.

Junior Milton Riley (5.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, .510 FG, .648 FT) returns as a willing but undersized (6-9, 197) power forward. His lack of muscle caused him to collect 99 personal fouls and foul out of nine games last season.

The fifth returning starter would have been 6-4 senior small forward Framecio Little (7.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, .475 FG, .692 FT), but he is academically ineligible for the fall semester.

WSU also hopes to get an immediate lift from 6-8, 225-pound freshman forward Shaminder Gill, who averaged 24 points and 14 rebounds last year at Philip Pocock High School in Toronto, Ontario.

The Cougars' final newcomer is 6-11, 220-pound junior Pawel Stasiak, a native of Poland who played the last two seasons at Cloud County Community College in Kansas. Graham called him a typical European big man, with good shooting range and strong ball skills.

Bottom line

Step by step, Graham is rebuilding the Cougars' program. It's not an easy job. Recruiting to Pullman, Wash., is a challenge, and the rest of the Pac-10 has elevated play in recent years, as well.

"We went from finishing last in a great league to finishing sixth," Graham said. "I'm really encouraged."

But big questions remain with the Cougars.

"I think we proved our guards are pretty good," Graham said. "We've got to be able to rebound and defend people inside. Sometimes it seemed like we needed an act of Congress to score inside.

"We're not there yet, and we've got a hell of a long way to go. But we're working at it."