'You're just not going to have the same players year over year': Washington State coach Kyle Smith faces challenges of NIL, transfer portal

May 15—PULLMAN — In discussing the impact of the transfer portal and NIL money, coach Kyle Smith acknowledged the new reality for his Washington State basketball program.

Put simply, the Cougars' roster could change significantly every season.

Smith is confident in his staff's recruiting abilities. He knows WSU will continue to find gems and under-the-radar prospects, and land transfer players who will become standouts here.

"There's still the same number of players out there," he said Thursday by phone. "We'll be able to attract good, competitive players."

The fifth-year WSU coach often talks about the importance of retaining players and creating stability within the program. He would prefer to build upon past accomplishments, instead of rebuilding his team. But Smith admits that, nowadays, it's unrealistic to expect much consistency from one season to the next.

"You're just not going to have the same players year over year," he said. "I'd like to be the team that returns everybody and we keep moving forward, but things have changed and we're adjusting."

For many programs, WSU included, it's become an annual guessing game — who will leave and who will stay?

The three-month period after the season is "the busiest time of the year for me as a head coach," Smith said.

The Cougars lost a handful of players to the transfer portal, creating new recruiting priorities for the team. WSU made use of the portal to address those needs, signing three transfer additions: guard Joseph Yesufu (Kansas) and forwards Isaac Jones (Idaho) and Jaylen Wells (Sonoma State).

"We're figuring it out," Smith said. "I'd like to have the same team back. It's been a wild trip, but we've been able to survive it. Right now, on paper, I really like our group."

The portal has become a prominent force in collegiate athletics. And lucrative NIL (name, image and likeness) opportunities entice players to explore their options in the NCAA's version of a free-agency market.

"With this new model, there's just outrageous money," Smith said. "It's the reality. Now, there's some real, serious income and (college athletics) are certainly more professional.

"Players have the ability to make a move, and they're going to get a lot of people putting pressure on them, especially if it's more money. That's what is tough."

Players might be convinced to enter the portal by NIL agents, who search for better deals at other schools. NIL collectives might contact a player's agent to discuss a potential transfer.

"There are just these third parties," Smith said. "We're in an information society, where it's not hard for anyone to (contact players) and get the temperature, 'Hey, if he's thinking about leaving, what are your thoughts?' "

For schools like WSU, it's difficult to compete on the NIL front with programs such as USC, which enjoys a deep-pocketed base of donors.

Smith commended WSU's NIL groups — the Cougar Collective and Crypto Cougs — for creating infrastructure and doing the best they can with the resources available. But he said the program needs much more help financially if it hopes to retain players.

"Some people have really stepped up and tried to do it the right way through compliance," Smith said. "The Cougar Collective and Crypto Cougs have done their part, but I don't think there's a huge appetite (for donors to contribute to NIL)."

Smith has been researching other high-major programs' NIL packages so the Cougars know "what we're up against." He estimates that it would cost $1 million to $1.5 million in NIL funding to field a high-level team in the Pac-12.

"Unless things change significantly and some Coug alums and businesses step forward, we'll probably be in this boat (losing players due to NIL money)," Smith said last week on the Puck & Jim Show, a Seattle sports radio program.

Smith confirmed that NIL deals played a part in the two most notable losses for his team this offseason — the departures of guard TJ Bamba and forward DJ Rodman.

Bamba, a team captain and the Cougars' leading scorer last season, transferred to Villanova last month. Rodman, a fan-favorite who appeared in 111 games at WSU over the past four seasons, is headed to USC.

"I'm not that surprised in the sense that my (goal) in coaching is to teach people to empower themselves," Smith said. "Well, they were listening. ... I'd have loved to see them finish their eligibility here, but they made big-boy decisions and we'll have to adjust.

"TJ, for instance, didn't come from a lot of means. He's really hungry and driven. He got his degree in three years and he's offered $300,000 to play basketball."

For Bamba, a New York native, there was also pressure from family and friends to return to the East Coast.

Rodman's decision was "a little more of a bummer" to Smith. On senior night, Rodman gave an impassioned speech to WSU fans, pledging to return to the school for his final season of eligibility. But he reversed course and bolted for Los Angeles less than three months later.

"It's a tremendous financial opportunity for DJ," Smith said. "But he gave up a little more of a legacy (at WSU). DJ was a really popular player here. It was kinda like, 'Hey, this place will love you if you come back, but they're not going to love you as much if you go to USC.'

"He and his mom wanted to see what was out there. He just graduated and he's his own man. He's going to lie in the bed he made. He committed to coming back and we were in good shape, then he went home (to Southern California) and next thing I know, it was, 'Oh my goodness.' "

Of course, Smith was disappointed to learn that he'd have to replace two team leaders who seemed to be loyal to the WSU program. But he can't stay mad at their decisions.

"They were great students. They graduated and I'm proud of what they've done here," he said. "It's just probably too much money (to pass up). I can see it that way. Not everyone does. I know that coaches have done well. I never thought I'd be making this kind of money coaching basketball. So, I can't be a hypocrite and say, 'How could you leave?'

"At the same time, I wanted them back. It just means, if we want to keep people, we're going to have to recruit accordingly, which has always been the case at WSU. It's just different now."

There's no simple answer for how WSU should recruit. Perhaps the Cougars put more stock into "guys from the region who want to play in front of their families," Smith noted. Maybe WSU leans on the transfer portal and pursues underrated players from smaller programs, or targets more high-major transfers who hopped into the portal in search of expanded playing time — like guards Justin Powell (Tennessee), Jabe Mullins (Saint Mary's) and Yesufu, all of whom played reserve roles at their previous stops but now find themselves as key players at WSU.

"Maybe it's more guys like that, who want to be where we're at right now. We've been a consistent NIT program and we gotta make that next jump. Those are guys who were at really elite programs, who are used to winning. I think those guys can help us get that next boost."