No 7-footers, no problem: Washington State basketball's plan at center

With no traditional rim protector, the Cougars will rely on physicality, versatility and three very different big men

Washington State Cougars forward Ladji Dembele. | Photo courtesy of Washington State University Athletics

There isn’t a 7-footer on the Washington State University roster, or any player who resembles a true low-post banger.

But what third-year Cougars coach David Riley will ask of his trio of post players - redshirt junior Ladji Dembele and true freshmen Mohamed Sankhe and Dominik Robinson - is to be active and cover a lot of ground in an effort to screen, rebound and nudge a few opposing big men in a frantic effort to defend.

“We don’t necessarily have positional size at center,” Riley said. “We are not going to do it above the rim with rim protection. We are to do it by being out there early and hitting guys. They have to feel us early.”

Here is the team’s positional breakdown at center:

PROJECTED STARTER

LADJI DEMBELE

6-9, 260, redshirt junior

Outlook: His vast experience playing in 65 Big Ten games at Iowa over two seasons, including 21 starts at center, makes him the obvious starting-lineup choice. Riley loves his defensive makeup, both matching up against bigger-bodied post players in the low block and the way his twitchy nature can agitate slower players into mistakes in the frontcourt. As a freshman at Iowa in 2023-24, he was named the team’s co-defensive player of the year.

Offensively, like many others, Dembele has the green light to fire away at open 3-point looks. But he is not expected to be a big face-up scorer for this team. Instead, he will need to do more (screens, offensive rebounding) to get better playmakers their steady stream of shots. 

Projection: 4.5 points, 5.5 rebounds per game.

KEY RESERVE

MOHAMED SANKHE

6-10, 265, freshman

Outlook: Born in Senegal, this is his first foray into organized basketball in the United States after playing in a second-tier professional league (“French Pro B” last season in France. And while extremely raw, he has both the bigger frame and natural post-playing awareness - especially in passing - and footwork to earn significant minutes behind (or paired with) Dembele and be a valuable contributor.

Projection: 4.0 points, 4.0 rebounds per game.

KEY RESERVE

DOMINIK ROBINSON

6-10, 235, freshman

Outlook: At one point, the plan for Robinson - an in-state product who played at Graham-Kapowsin High School and sat on the bench for a half-season at Metro powerhouse Rainier Beach - was for this to be a developmental season. But he’s flashed too much high-upside athleticism and back-to-the-basket scoring ability in the past couple of months to ignore. It would not be surprising in the least if Robinson continued to improve and became the backup center - or even push his way into an occasional start with down-the-line double-double potential.

Projection: 5.0 points, 3.5 rebounds