Washington State Basketball Just Added a 6-Foot-9 Scorer From Northwestern, and the Cougar Frontcourt Got Deeper

The Washington State men's basketball program pulled the trigger on another frontcourt addition Monday morning. Tyler Kropp, a forward out of Northwestern, is joining the Cougars as their seventh transfer of the offseason. This is a big swing for a program trying to rebuild fast after losing 12 players, including 10 to the transfer portal.

Who Is Tyler Kropp?

Kropp is a 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward from Powell, Ohio, who spent his true freshman year at Northwestern. He didn't get a ton of run with the Wildcats, starting just 10 of 31 games while averaging 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in about 12 minutes per game. But here's the thing: his production at the college level doesn't tell the whole story. At Olentangy Liberty High School in Ohio, Kropp was a monster. He finished as the state's No. 2 player and the No. 30 power forward in the class of 2025. He piled up 1,095 points, the second most in school history, and holds the career rebounding record with 555.

Kropp's International Résumé Changes the Picture

This is where Kropp gets interesting. His mother is from Argentina, and he suited up for the U19 Argentina International team at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland. Across seven games, he averaged 21.7 points and 9.7 rebounds while shooting 57% from the field. That earned him a spot on the all-tournament second team. It's a completely different player than what we saw at Northwestern, and it suggests he's got more upside than his freshman numbers showed.

Building a Roster From Scratch

With Kropp now on board, Washington State's 2026-27 roster is taking shape. He joins six other transfers: Sebastian Akins from Wake Forest, Jaylen Harrell from Providence, RJ Jones from TCU, Lazerek Houston from Central Missouri, Fraser Roxburgh from Manhattan, Ronnie Harrison from East Texas A&M, and Casey Jones from Eastern Washington. The Cougars are also bringing in freshman Brayden Kyman and returning redshirt Dominik Robinson and walk-on Dio Blakely.

That's 10 bodies for a program that had to replace nearly everyone. The departure list was brutal: 12 players gone, 10 through the transfer portal alone. Kropp's length and international experience could be exactly what the Cougars need to reload in the frontcourt. Watch for him to get real opportunities at Washington State that didn't come at Northwestern.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.