WSU Cougars lose leading scorer before rivalry game at UW Huskies

The WSU Cougars have been a bit of an early-season darling in men’s basketball, but a wrench has been thrown into the mix.

Senior guard Cedric Coward will miss the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery, WSU head coach David Riley said Saturday.

The news came just days before the Cougs come to Seattle to take on the rival UW Huskies in an 8 p.m. Wednesday contest at Alaska Airlines Arena.

Saturday: WSU Cougars beat Missouri State for third straight win

Coward averaged 17.7 points per game, 7.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in six games for the Cougars before his injury, each of which lead the team. He also averaged 3.7 assists, which is second among WSU players. He played the previous two seasons at Eastern Washington for Riley, then transferred to Washington State after Riley was hired last spring. Last season, the 6-fot-6 Coward averaged 15.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, a steal and 0.9 blocks per game for EWU.

Coward hasn’t played since Nov. 21 when he scored 22 points against his former team.

Shaking, baking, finding his way to the hoop goes Cedric Coward. He's had a quiet night offensively, but doing the little hustle things and has a big block.#GoCougs // 📺B1GN pic.twitter.com/PBrzl6YRVi

— Washington State Men's Basketball (@WSUCougarsMBB) November 16, 2024

The Cougars are off to a 9-2 start this season despite a roster that was almost completely turned over following the departure of previous coach Kyle Smith, who went to Stanford after leading WSU to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 16 years. Among Wazzu’s wins this season are victories over Boise State, Nevada, Fresno State and Eastern Washington. The Cougs’ two losses came against Iowa and SMU.

Despite losing Coward, the Cougars still have offensive balance. Nate Calmese, LeJuan Watts, Isaiah Watts, Dane Erikstrup and Ethan Price are all averaging double-digit points for WSU.

The injury to Coward isn’t the only one Washington State is dealing with. Freshman guard Marcus Wilson is also done for the season due to shoulder surgery, and sophomore forward Rihards Vavers could miss the rest of the season as well due to broken bones in each hand, Riley shared Saturday.

On Wednesday, WSU takes on a 9-3 UW Huskies team that is also under a new head coach in Danny Sprinkle, who came to Montlake after stops at Utah State and Montana State. The Huskies own wins over Eastern Washington, Santa Clara and Colorado State this season, with their three losses coming against Nevada, UCLA and USC – the last two of which were Big Ten regular season contests.

The Huskies, whose win over EWU came last Tuesday, will play a third straight game against an in-state rival next Monday when they host Seattle U.

The radio broadcast of Wednesday’s game between WSU and UW will air on 770 AM in the Seattle area, and the TV broadcast will be on FS1.

Last week: Mason scores 23 to help UW Huskies beat EWU Eagles 87-69

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