EUGENE – During the early, promising stages of the 2017-18 Washington State season that feel almost prehistoric at this point, the Cougars managed to fend off one of the college basketball programs their head coach presided over long before his career arrived in Pullman.
An 84-79 upset win over Saint Mary’s at the Wooden Legacy tournament was – and still is, perhaps with the exception of the title win that followed – the high point of Ernie Kent’s fourth season with the Cougars.
When WSU returned from Fullerton, California, with the Wooden Legacy trophy, its fans expected an encore.