PULLMAN – The Valentine Izundu that Washington State basketball coach Ernie Kent has hinted at, a 6-foot-10 jumping bean who might lead the Pac-12 in blocked shots, who can dunk whenever he has the ball near the basket, and can alter many times more shots than he rejects, finally showed up in the Cougars’ 85-67 win over Idaho State.
The Houston transfer had foreshadowed his breakout performance in two preseason games and WSU’s season-opening win over Northern Arizona. A pull-down-the-rim dunk here, a shot swatted into the fifth row there, little glimpses foreshadowing a center whose game could remind viewers of Hakeem Olajuwon as much as his goggles do.