Cougar Wing Cedric Coward Voted Preseason First-Team All-WCC

Washington State was also picked to finish fifth in the West Coast Conference this season.

Keenan Womack | Oct 18, 2024

Dec 13, 2022; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Eastern Washington Eagles forward Cedric Coward (0) reacts in the second half during the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images / Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

West Coast Conference Media Day took place in Las Vegas yesterday, meaning the preseason poll and all-WCC team was released. Washington State was picked to finish fifth in the conference, while rival Oregon State was picked to finish seventh.

The top of the conference poll was unsurprising; Gonzaga was picked to finish first, which makes sense considering the players they return like Graham Ike (16.5 points per game), Nolan Hickman (14.0 points per game), and Ryan Nembhard (12.6 points per game, 6.9 assists). They are ranked preseason no. 6 in the AP Poll, and will be quite a challenge for the Cougars this year in conference before they transition to the Pac-12.

The order went like this: (1) Gonzaga, (2) Saint Mary's, (3) Santa Clara, (4) San Francisco, (5) Washington State, (6) Loyola Marymount, (7) Oregon State, (8) tie – Portland and San Diego, (10) Pacific, and (11) Pepperdine.

Washington State wing Cedric Coward (15.4 points, 6.7 rebounds) was voted all-conference after a fantastic season at Eastern Washington. He made the move to Pullman with new Cougars head coach David Riley this offseason amongst a flurry of other transfers from the same school.

The remaining members of the all-conference team are guard Michael Ajayi (Gonzaga), guard Adama Bal (Santa Clara), the aforementioned guard Nolan Hickman (Gonzaga), guard Ryan Nembhard, and forward Graham Ike (Gonzaga), guard Augustas Marciulionis (Saint Mary's), forward Jevon Porter (Loyola Marymount), center Mitchell Saxen (Saint Mary's), guard Carlos Stewart (Santa Clara), and guard Marcus Williams (San Francisco).

Upon being asked about his transfer from Eastern to Washington State, Cedric Coward had this to say at the Cougars media day: "Wherever [Coach Riley] was at, I was at. That's where my heart was set."

Washington State tips off its season against Portland State on November 4 in Pullman. Their first conference game is on December 28 against Portland, which will also be a home game.

Published Oct 18, 2024

KEENAN WOMACK

Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.