Riley, within his first several days at the helm of the Cougar men’s basketball program, finally saw to it that WSU, the school which Kase Wynott grew up watching, offered the scoring wonder from Winchester, Idaho.
Kase Wynott chose his backyard school and became Riley’s first high school recruit at WSU.
Riley was one of the first coaches to offer Kase Wynott when he was still the coach at Eastern Washington.
That prior relationship and trust proved to be the difference in Kase Wynott’s decision.
“I knew their system would be good for me, and they really were focused on development. And like, that was really important to me,” Kase Wynott said. “The deciding factor was location — 45 minutes away from home, all my family and friends really close (can come) watch me.
“It’s just a great spot for me, great level, great everything.”
Change of plans in Year 1
With WSU stars Cedric Coward and Isaiah Watts out for a significant amount of time, Kase Wynott quickly shed his redshirt.
In a nine-game stretch from Dec. 18 to Jan. 18 he spent no fewer than 15 minutes per game on the court and reached a career-high 25 minutes in WSU’s 95-94 overtime loss to Pacific.
At a certain point, Jeremiah Wynott said that Kase’s coaches informed him that he would not play as much.
Then, the Gonzaga game happened.
In front of the largest regular season college basketball crowd that the state of Washington saw this season, Wynott got a chance to play — and showed out in front of 10,219 fans.
WSU trailed Gonzaga by double figures in the second half when Kase Wynott entered the game and left it better than he found it.
“He came in and played a 10-minute stretch where I believe he hit a 3-pointer, got four offensive rebounds, blocked a shot,” Jeremiah Wynott said. “Just really came with really great energy and cut the deficit.”
Said Kase Wynott, “I just try to do anything I can to help the team, whether that was diving on a loose ball, offensive rebounding. My scoring wasn’t where I’m capable of scoring because I feel like I’m a great scorer.
“I feel like that’s just gonna come with time being in college and getting used to it.”
Wynott fit in right away with the team, forming a friendship and working out often with Watts and getting mentored by senior Ethan Price.
“Price is just like a great role model for me. He’s been to everything,” Kase Wynott said. “I just like having him in my ear, 24/7 talking about confidence with me. He’s been really helpful.”
Kase Wynott’s mindset to do whatever is needed to win is no accident. It’s a mantra baked into the soul of every Lapwai Wildcat, incluidng Kase Wynott’s former teammate Titus Yearout, who plays for the Idaho Vandals. Wynott and Yearout met in November when WSU and Idaho met in the Battle of the Palouse.
“We always tell our players, ‘Make it hard for the coach to take you out,’” said Lapwai coach Zachary Eastman, who coached both Wynott and Yearout. “Take care of the ball, play defense, do the little things that coaches love … and make it hard for the coach to take you out. And I think that’s exactly what he’s doing at WSU.”
Wynott’s future
WSU finds itself shorthanded heading into the inaugural College Basketball Crown after starting guards Watts and Nate Calmese entered the transfer portal.
Despite teammates hitting the portal, Wynott said he does not plan to transfer because of the coaching staff and location.
“I have a great relationship with all my coaches,” Kase Wynott said. “This is where I want to be. Build something in Pullman.”
Kase Wynott’s ultimate goal is to bring the thrill of March Madness back to WSU.
While it’s not the Big Dance, WSU playing basketball on the last day of March does provide the opportunity for Kase and company to build toward that goal.
“We want to win a national championship,” Kase Wynott said. “That’s the ultimate goal. And I feel like we can definitely get there.”
Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, [email protected], or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.
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