Washington State Cougars Basketball: Escaping the Cellar
By James Loss
The Washington State Cougars have sunk to last place in the Pac-12 but there’s hope for recovery.
At 9-8 overall and 1-4 in conference play, The Washington State Cougars have found themselves in last place. The Cougs began conference play with a healthy 8-4 record and after Josh Hawkinson carried the team past #25 UCLA with his 9th consecutive double-double, WSU looked like top-25 contenders. Since that game, the Cougars have dropped 3 in a row, including a painful OT loss to Washington. The Cougs still have half a season to play and only sit 3 games back despite being in last place. So how does Washington State recover?
n 2008 when Washington State went to the Sweet 16, they had 4 players averaging over 10 points per game.
The road to March starts with Josh Hawkinson. Hawkinson leads the team in points-per game, rebounds-per game and overall field goal percentage. Easily the teams deadliest weapon, the Junior forward has to continue his hot streak and carry the rest of the team with him. Another notable player is Junior guard Ike Iroegbu. Iroegbu and Hawkinson are 1st and 2nd in almost all of the team stats, as they have been the identity of the Cougar offense.
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The Washington State Cougars run a fast-break offense, attempting to keep defenses on their heels with quick scores. Unfortunately, if the fast-break isn’t there the team stands in place looking as if they’re not sure what comes next. Iroegbu leads the team with only 4.1 assists per game. The inability of the Cougar offense to move the ball and create openings down low have been holding them back from a successful season. In 2008 when Washington State went to the Sweet 16, they had 4 players averaging over 10 points per game. Now they have only 2 who can reach that mark and the rest of their starters can hardly reach 8 PPG.
With a tough schedule ahead, the cougs must find a way to incorporate their entire offense into games. Hawkinson will have to continue to produce and when the fast break isn’t there, ball movement is key. March is just around the corner, applying pressure to the team to find their stride very soon, before the madness is out of their reach once again.