WSU continues roster rebuild with addition of UNLV transfer forward Ladji Dembele

PULLMAN - The picture of Washington State's next roster is starting to come together.

On Thursday, the Cougars earned a commitment from UNLV transfer forward Ladji Dembele, whose decision was announced by his agency on social media. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 255 pounds, Dembele spent one year with the Runnin' Rebels, appearing in only five games due to an injury.

A native of Newark, New Jersey, by way of Mali, Dembele played the first two years of his career at Iowa, where he played in 55 total games, including 21 starts in his second season. Dembele averaged 5.2 points at UNLV and 4.5 points in his final season with the Hawkeyes, when he played an average of 17 minutes per game.

Dembele was originally a three-star prospect out of St. Benedict's Prep, where he fielded offers from Pittsburgh, DePaul, Wake Forest, Rutgers, Seton Hall and Xavier. He moved to Spain at the age of 13 and the United States at 17. Dembele also played for Mali's U-19 team at the 2021 World Cup.

Dembele's addition makes eight offseason commitments for WSU coach David Riley, whose staff has also signed Northwestern forward Tyler Kropp, former Wake Forest guard Sebastian Akins, Providence transfer guard Jaylen Harrell, TCU transfer guard RJ Jones, Central Missouri transfer guard Lazerek Houston, Manhattan transfer forward Fraser Roxburgh and East Texas A&M transfer wing Ronnie Harrison.

But Dembele appears to be the first true big man the Cougars have landed. Kropp is listed at 6-foot-9, but his frame is a bit thinner, indicating he might play the power forward spot for WSU. What Riley and coaches hadn't secured was a center, which is the position Dembele played most in his last season at Iowa.

Dembele will help WSU offset the departures of 12 players, including 10 to the transfer portal: key players Ace Glass (signed with Vanderbilt), Tomas Thrastarson, Eemeli Yalaho (committed to NC State), ND Okafor (committed to Ole Miss), Jerone Morton and Ri Vavers (signed with Memphis); reserve guards Parker Gerrits (signed with Wyoming), Brunel Madzoum and Kase Wynott (signed with Idaho); and forward Emmanuel Ugbo. Ugbo was suspended for the final nine games of the season because of a protection order against him.

The Cougars also lost point guard Adria Rodriguez, who headed back to his home country of Spain on a professional contract, as well as Simon Hildebrandt, who exhausted his college eligibility. In all, that's 12 departures for the Cougars, who are set to return only two players from last season's team: Robinson, who redshirted his true freshman season, and Blakely.

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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 11:40 PM.