WSU women’s hoops enters new era with new look, lots of confidence

Kamie Ethridge has high expectations for her Washington State women’s basketball team.

This year, the Cougars may not only meet but exceed those expectations despite losing an influential 2024 senior class that included program record holders Charlisse Leger-Walker and Bella Murekatete.

“I’m really excited about this year’s team. I don’t think I usually say that,” Ethridge said. “We have more talent and potential to grow and be better in three months. So there’s not a lot to not like about the team, other than we’re young and haven’t scored a point.”

In the absence of a pair of program legends, WSU women’s hoops will turn to its lone senior Tara Wallack and guards Astera Tuhina and Eleonora Villa to take the reins of a team used to four straight postseason appearances.

The Cougars return seven of their 13 players from last season and added six freshmen from five different countries.

Wazzu’s 13-player roster representing 10 different countries will face seven schools that made the NCAA Tournament last season, including Eastern Washington, Stanford, Iowa, Drake, Portland, Gonzaga and Oregon State. It will be WSU and OSU’s first of two seasons as affiliate members of the West Coast Conference. Both schools are eligible to win the league title and earn an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.

The Cougs tip off their season against EWU at 4 p.m. Monday at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman.

Life after Leger-Walker

Jan. 28, 2024, was shaping up to be one of the best days in WSU women’s basketball history.

Then, it quickly became one of the worst.

Leger-Walker had scored 17 points in 19 minutes and the Cougars were leading the then-second-ranked UCLA Bruins by 16 points when their star player hit the hardwood after going up to the rim to defend a shot.

That was the last time Leger-Walker played in the crimson and gray as the Cougars’ third all-time leading scorer had injured her ACL.

Wazzu hung on to beat the Bruins 85-82 on what Ethridge called “the saddest happy day” in program history.

The Cougars learned very quickly what life without Leger-Walker would be like. They fell out of the NCAA Tournament picture for the first time in four seasons, instead earning a No. 1 seed of the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament. In the WBIT, Wazzu won three straight games on its home court to advance to the semifinals in Indianapolis, Ind., where it was eliminated by Illinois.

As the calendar turns to November, Leger-Walker is still playing college basketball, ironically in the very building where her Cougar career ended. The fifth-year from Waikato, New Zealand, transferred to UCLA, leaving the Palouse after four years as she had intended.

If Leger-Walker had not gotten hurt, she would more than likely be playing pro basketball right now, but her injury gave her the opportunity to continue to compete against some of the best competition in college basketball, sharing a city with USC’s JuJu Watkins.

Villa said Leger-Walker was honest with her teammates about her decision and that the team understood it.

“I’m so excited for her,” Villa said. “I can’t wait to see her play.”

In Leger-Walker’s absence, Wallack of South Surrey, Canada, is the Cougars’ lone senior. It is a role she does not take lightly.

“Being the only senior, it comes with some challenges,” Wallack said. “During the offseason, it was important to really know the plays, know the program in and out so I could help the six incoming players with that.”

Wallack tallied 10.5 points, 2.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game last season. Of the returners, she averaged the most rebounds, finishing fourth behind three seniors, Murekatete (7.3), Beyonce Bea (6.8) and Leger-Walker (6.5) in 2023-24.

Ethridge said she has been proud of Wallack’s demeanor on and off the court. She also said that junior guard Astera Tuhina continues to be the Cougars’ best ball-handler.

Tuhina of Pristina, Kosovo, posted 9.4 points, 3.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game last season.

While Wallack and Tuhina are vocal leaders, Villa is soft-spoken, in part because of her personality and a language barrier.

However, after a year living in the U.S., seamlessly translating her fast-paced game to the college ranks and being thrust into a larger role following Leger-Walker’s injury, Villa is prepared to build off of a year in which she was named to the All-Pac-12 Conference freshman team.

In 36 games — 27 as a starter — Villa posted 12.9 points and 2.3 assists per game. Her scoring average was second to Leger-Walker’s 13.2.

Ethridge said she has challenged Villa to be more outspoken on the court. It’s a challenge the sophomore from Lissone, Italy, has taken to heart.

“I want to just step up and be more of a leader for this team and try to be more vocal on the court,” Villa said.

Six new faces setting the standard

WSU recruited six freshmen from five different countries to build for 2024 and beyond.

The Cougs welcomed guard Alice Dart (Australia), guard Jean Chiu (junior transfer from University of Taipei), guard Marta Alsina (Spain), guard/forward Keandra Koorits (Estonia) forward Dayana Mendes (France) and guard Charlotte Abraham (France).

Dart is the name to know in the preseason as a freshman who could make an immediate difference.

Dart did just that in WSU’s 99-54 exhibition win over Lewis-Clark State of Lewiston, running the length of the floor and driving to the rim with authority, collecting fouls and nailing free throws. She finished the contest with 19 points.

“What (Dart) brings is something we’ve never had in our gym before,” Ethridge said. “She might be the hardest worker on our team. She literally just lives in the gym. She is the best-conditioned player on our team, can run all day. So just a great competitor who loves this place, who loves this team and who is all in for making sure that we compete at the highest level.”

WSU played a closed scrimmage against Utah in addition to its exhibition against LCSC.

“We’ve never had a freshman class come in and work like they’ve worked from summer to the preseason,” Ethridge said of her six freshmen. “When the lights are on in the gym, they’re there, they put in the work.”

A schedule made with March in mind

Ethridge said she and her staff designed the Cougars’ nonconference slate with the intention of setting WSU up for the postseason, maintaining former-Pac-12 matchups against Stanford and Oregon, traveling to Iowa, which has been the center of the women’s college basketball universe, and facing Virginia and reigning NCAA Tournament team Drake in Puerto Rico.

“I think Iowa will be fun,” Tuhina said. “Especially because it’s sold out, I think it will be a lot of pressure but we’re excited.”

The WCC will be far from a cakewalk.

WSU’s northwest neighbors Portland and Gonzaga represented the conference in the tournament last year and Oregon State was part of a significant Pac-12 farewell tournament contingent. The Beavers have lost three out of their five starters from last season.

After a one-year break from the NCAA Tournament following three consecutive appearances, Ethridge said WSU’s goal is to still compete for conference championships and advance in the tournament.

“The goals are not going to change in this program,” Ethridge said. “We’re going to celebrate NCAA appearances, and we want to get back there and we want to be prepared to make a deep run into the tournament.”

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.