Nate Calmese Looks to Take Over Point Guard Spot for Washington State Cougars

The Washington transfer has the ability to put a stranglehold on the lead guard spot.

Jan 20, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Washington Huskies guard Nate Calmese (8) shoots the ball against Stanford Cardinal guard Kanaan Carlyle (3) during the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

A transfer from the University of Washington, and before that, Lamar University, point guard Nate Calmese has the talent to be Washington State's lead initiator next season due to a confluence of factors.

The first thing that pops about Calmese is his speed – he has an incredibly quick first step, and though he stands at just 6-foot-2, he likes to get downhill and attack the basket, typically off of a jab-step or some other pre-dribble move.

A player that had very few offers out of high school, Calmese initially committed to player for Lamar in Beaumont, Texas. During his freshman season there, Calmese was the leading scorer on the team, averaging an impressive 17.6 points and shooting 48.1% from the field on 13.6 attempts per game.

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His second collegiate season, spent in Seattle at UW, he played sparingly, averaging 10.8 minutes per game in the 16 games in which he appeared. He shot a much reduced percentage across the board, hitting just nine of 34 attempts from three and shooting 41.3% overall from the field.

This is to be expected when jumping from the Southland Conference to a competitive conference like the Pac-12; there will always be some growing pains. However, with the departures of Myles Rice (to Indiana) and a mass exodus of other players from the Washington State program upon Kyle Smith's taking of the Stanford job, many position groups seem open for the taking.

Calmese is a player that can play his way into a starting role given his performances in practices and camps leading up to the season. He will have to increase his efficiency scoring the basketball – he ranked in the 46th percentile in overall shooting at 0.98 points per shot according to Synergy Sports – he also shot just 20% off of the bounce.

But in a new system, and playing with excellent offensive pieces like Eastern Washington transfer Cedric Coward, Calmese should be able to not only score more easily, but distribute more effectively. This is another skill on which he must improve, given that he will be a lead guard on this team if given the opportunity. If he can make himself a true engine of the offense, this team will have a much higher ceiling.