Washington State’s Kyle Smith on Andrej Jakimovski’s shoulder injury: "Even if he’s not 100% healthy, he’s going to help us win" (Exclusive)
As he prepares for Washington State to play either Stanford or Cal in the Pac-12 tournament on Thursday, Cougars coach Kyle Smith doesn’t just have to worry about the scouting report.
Smith also has to have a look at the team’s medical report. In fact, his most pressing subject right now is how Washington State senior forward Andrej Jakimovski has held up with an injured right shoulder.
“It’s one of those things that is nagging,” Smith told Sportskeeda. “If it gets bumped or hit, it could be a problem.”
Nonetheless, Smith said that Jakimovski “looked good” after practicing on Monday and even completing shooting drills. Though Smith stressed the Cougars’ medical staff will “monitor it day-to-day,” he fully expects Jakimovski to play in the Pac-12 tournament and next week’s NCAA tournament.
After all, Jakimovski has often told Smith that he feels healthy enough to play, a feedback that the Cougars’ coach fully trusts.
"He’s earned that right. There are very few guys that has his level of responsibility,” Smith said of Jakimovski, who has averaged 10.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. “The way he carries us is off the charts. Even if he’s not 100% healthy, he’s going to help us win if he’s still able to be on the floor.”
Smith spoke to Sportskeeda about numerous topics other topics as well. They include the Cougars’ potential in the NCAA tournament, Myles Rice inspiring the team with becoming the Pac-12 freshman player of the year and overcoming Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and Smith’s ability to blend underrecruited players and transfers together.
Here are some excerpts from the interview:
How do you assess the team’s readiness heading into the Pac-12 tournament this week and the NCAA tournament next week?
Smith: “I think we’re in a good spot. I think we went about tying a bow on this season by going 14-6, finished second [in the Pac-12], and were close to having a chance to share the [Pac-12] title. That hurt not winning the last one [against Washington]. But we look back and keep things in perspective.
We celebrated the regular season accomplishments and looked at two tournaments that we’re playing in. We’ll sink our teeth into it, make some memories, and enjoy this moment. You never know when you’ll have this team with this kind of connectiveness that plays so well.
We’ll try to get back on track play a little bit better and keep improving. The teams that improve this time of year are going to have those great experiences.”
We saw in an earlier interview that you shared that Myles [Rice] said that he is praying for a Final Four appearance. What was your reaction when you heard about that?
Smith: (laughs) “Yeah, I love that guy. The reason he’s good is he believes in himself. I’m a little more grounded and a realist. I know one thing – you have to get to the tournament before you can get to the Final Four.
Let’s keep things in perspective. But you know what? We wouldn’t have beaten Arizona if you didn’t think if you wanted to try yourself to beat against the best. So, it makes them good.”
You alluded to this, but what’s your level of optimism for that to happen?
Smith: “I’m just fortunate to be a part of all of this. We’ll see if we can win a title. But let’s just see if we can win on Thursday (laughs).
I know how hard that game is going to be. It’s going to be against Stanford or Cal.
All four games we played against those teams were really competitive, and we went 3-1. We lost to Cal.
I think this league top to bottom is good. We’ve played pretty darn well in close games and played really well on the road. That’s gotten us in this position. On any given night, in this league, anyone can beat anyone. Oregon State finished 12th, and it beat Arizona. So literally, anyone can beat anyone in this league.”
Speaking of Myles, what moments stick with for how Myles overcame his cancer and had such a productive year?
Smith: “Just an amazing improvement throughout the year. From the first couple of weeks of practice, I had to move him to the second team and let him settle in. It wasn’t necessarily a demotion.
It was like, ‘You have too many things on your plate right now with two years off and trying to juggle playing point guard and get back to defending at this level.’ There was a little uncertainty psychologically and physically. But he's a guy that wants it so much. He improved every step of the way since the first scrimmage.
A big turning point, I think for him, was our Oregon State game at home. It was our first Pac-12 win. He closed the game out with some big-time passes and had a couple of scores. Then shortly after, he exploded at Stanford where he was just the best player on the floor by a lot that night.
That’s what he can do. I don’t think that’s to be expected every night for a first-year player. But he kept putting together moments like that. He had some ups and downs like anyone will. Nothing goes in a straight line forever. That’s something we like to say.
But to get where he was from the first day of practice to that Stanford game on the road was unbelievable. He’s still learning, growing, and getting better. I’m excited to be a part of his journey.”
He has credited the team for being a strong support system. What have you and the group tried to do during this ordeal?
Smith: “Honestly, he was the inspiration. We were just there for him. What you see is what you get in his interviews. He’s got a huge personality and a big charisma. He never wanted anyone to feel sorry for him. We were there for him.
I’m sure at night when you’re going to bed and going through what he’s going through, I’m sure there are some questions. But he never ever folded. He may have had a couple of down days last year. But he still tried to practice as much as he could. Physically, he had some pain that he was dealing with going through chemo.
He’d come out and practice. We’d look at each other. He’d travel and wouldn’t say a word (laughs). He would keep going. He’s out there arguing calls. No problem.
"He’s on a different level. It’s a miraculous story, period. It was a hell of a story.”
What did you think of him winning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year?
Smith: “There’s some really good freshmen. But I think he was probably most deserving because he stayed healthy, ironically. If [Isaiah] Collier stays healthy and [USC] has a better finish, who knows, because he is a heck of a player.
Cody Williams [of Colorado] couldn’t stay healthy, and he’s a heck of a player. He’s in good company. For him to be honored with that is tremendous. A little cheat sheet, it’s his third year in college (laughs). But it’s all good. He deserves all the accolades.”
We understand this is fluid. But what has the medical team told you on how Andrej [Jakimovski] is holding up with his [right] shoulder?
Smith: “He practiced [on Monday] and shot the ball some. He looked good. But I think it’s one of those things that is nagging. If it gets bumped or hit, it could be a problem. We’ll just monitor it day-to-day. Our medical team will do what’s best for him. He’ll want to play, no matter what. And he’s important to us, really important to us.”
He's been playing through this quite a bit. How have you seen him try to navigate through all of that?
Smith: “He’s just a stud. We need his brain out on the floor with his toughness and his grit. He’s most invested. It’s his fourth year and he’s fought so hard to get this team and program where it is. He’s a poster child for that. And he just tells me how much he wants to play [laughs]. So that’s how this works.”
So he’s been making his pitch to play?
Smith: (laughs) “He doesn’t have to. It’s just like, ‘You tell me, Andrej. Are you playing? If you think you’re healthy, you’ll go out and do it and I’ll pull you if I think you’re not helping us.’ But he’s earned that right. There are very few guys that have his level of responsibility. The way he carries us is off the charts. Even if he’s not 100% healthy, he’s going to help us win if he’s still able to be on the floor.”
When you look at the big picture of your core group, everyone has different stories with either being underrecruited or were transfers. What identity has that created?
Smith: “The obvious narrative is that we’re the ‘little engine that could’ and that we have a chip on our shoulder. But they don’t behave that way. That’s part of my sales pitch a little bit. It’s always been, ‘Hey, we’re playing at the highest level and I wasn’t scared to take the shot.’ I’m thrilled to get this opportunity.
We need guys that see it as the same. That’s how we got Myles, to be honest, a few years ago. He just didn’t have a high-natured offer. I told him, ‘It doesn’t make sense. You’re from Atlanta. What’s going to keep you here? Why do you want to come here?’ He said, ‘Coach, if you still want me, I still want to come.’
I said, All right, let’s go!’ Jaylen Wells was a really productive Division II player. And for whatever reason, there wasn’t more interest in him. I’m not sure why. It looked pretty obvious to me that he was going to be a pretty good player.
Isaac Jones was a really late bloomer, but also a really big relationship guy. We tried to get him. We’re not proud of the fact that we lost to Idaho in the recruiting battle with him the first time. They were recruiting him for eight months, and we weren’t on the ball with that one.
We came in late. But he’s a relationship guy. He went to play with Idaho. But when they moved on and changed coaches, we were blessed because we built that relationship with him the previous time. So, we were able to get him this time. He’s an 'instinct' guy. I just wish I had him for two years.
There’s a lot of that in our DNA. Part of our celebration on Friday was that we had seven guys that are in the program. Only Andrej and Kymany [Houinsou] are the only two returners who are big-time contributors. AJ Rohosy and Ben Olesen are both the best walk-ons I’ve ever had, and both can play basketball.
But they keep the bar high as far as our culture. Jabe Mullins, who played 20 minutes a game last year, his minutes have gotten cut but his attitude has been awesome. Kymany, Andrej, Myles, and those guys did it. We had seven guys that knew what the expectations were.
That’s where we have a program and why it has gotten better year after year. The talent knows how to behave. That’s the best way to put it. Isaac is very talented. That’s obvious.
But he’s a good role model and shows guys, ‘This is how we do things.’ It’s as simple as ‘This is how we block out’ and ‘this is how we run practice’ and ‘this is how we sing our song’ (laughs). It’s important. It really is.”
You received a lot of praise for knowing how to mold talent both with managing players and using analytics. What’s your philosophy on both things?
Smith: “The approach with this job – I was a little concerned getting the job with how do you get guys to pull in a little bit? It’s hard to get to that when you’ve never been there. There are not many official visits.
So our method was, ‘Let’s try to attract the best talent we can and then figure out how to play.’ I don’t recommend that to anyone. I’d rather have a system. I’m recruiting too, and we can pick and choose and figure this out.
But I don’t think we have that much so we just had to get [talent]. In that process, we may have outkicked our coverage.
With some of the guys that we signed, we have quite a few of NBA-caliber talent, but they didn’t always necessarily fit. It’s hard in that short period to put it together.
The analytics piece helped our recruiting as much as what we do when they’re here. Molding that, we have gotten better at it. The experience year after year is what’s important in putting the team together. I purposely said of this era where there is a lot of change that we need to get this thing put together as quickly as possible. Period.
That’s not usually how you do it. So with the limited time that we have in the summer, we are shaping our team now. We got to do this. I haven’t played with two post [players] since I was an assistant in 1996 [with San Diego]. But this is the way we play. It’s our best team. Isaac Jones is a mismatch at the 4. He’s big, athletic, and is a hard cover.
Defensively, we’ll be able to rebound and defend. We’re all trying to recalibrate. We’ve been fortunate.
I have a talented staff. I call [associate head coach] Jim Shaw a human cheat code (laughs).He’s been to 19 NCAA tournaments. He’s been to Final Fours as an assistant. He’s been to Final Fours as a head coach.
He’s pretty gifted, and we’re stealing him to be a part of it. He’s helped a lot.”
We understand your eyes are on the prize and you have said you’ll table any discussions about extensions until the season is over. But knowing the success you’ve had here and other places might have a lot of interest in you, what’s your outlook on being able to continue the success you’ve had here?
Smith: “I think we can. That’s what is unique. For the last 18 months, I have tried to NIL-educate people on here’s what’s coming. I understand at Washington State, it’s a different thing.
We’re not going to be in Kentucky’s airspace (laughs). But you can have a good program. That’s how I look at it. It’s the way Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga have been top-20 programs in the WCC, and that’s where we’re headed for a couple of years anyway. There are 68 spots for the NCAA tournament.
So just by building on that, you can do it. The five years we put in here, we’ve been building it. There’s been a lot of different phases. But we have a lot of experience on the staff. We do a good job and people want to send us players. That’s a good thing.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.