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Kyle Smith’s plan to rebuild WSU basketball? Start by finding some nerds

PULLMAN — Someday soon, Kyle Smith’s office will look like any other office. It’ll have pictures of favorite memories adorning the walls, mementos from years gone by lining the shelves, furniture positioned just so in order to make guests feel comfortable.

Right now, though? Conspicuously bare crimson-colored walls surround a large and austere desk, some bags are strewn about the floor, and a couple of decorative chairs (of questionable comfort) haphazardly face the coach’s work space.

With the late signing period opening up yesterday and at least a handful of scholarships to fill, Smith doesn’t have the time to worry about decorations; he’s busy evaluating, working the phones, trying to find players who not only possess the talent to help the Washington State Cougars compete in the Pac-12 for the first time in a decade, but also to find players who will buy into Nerdball — Smith’s unique, numbers-based system for evaluating his roster.