A trio of players have joined the roster of new Eastern Washington University head coach David Riley, including a guard with collegiate experience, the Eagles announced Wednesday (June 30).
 
The additions complete the first-year roster for Riley, who will have nine new players join six returning letterwinners from last year's team which advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
 
The transfer is Sean Kirk, a 6-foot-3 guard from Mountlake Terrace, Wash. He redshirted at Western Washington University in the 2019-20 season, followed by a year in which the Vikings did not play because of the Covid-19 pandemic. He previously played one season at Edmonds (Wash.) Community College where he was the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) North Region Freshman of the Year honors and garnered first team All-North Region accolades.
 
Also joining the Eagles will be Yousef Elkugia, who is from Seattle and graduated in 2021 from Eastlake High School. He also played for Elite Prep, a prep school based in Issaquah, Wash.
 
The third newcomer is Makai Richards, a 2020 graduate of Oak Park (Calif.) High School. His older brother, Ezekiel Richards, is now a junior at Northern Arizona after spending three seasons in Santa Clara's program.
 
 
 
 

Sean Kirk - G - 6-3 - 185 - Jr. - TR - Mountlake Terrace, Wash. / Mtlk. Terrace HS '17 / Edmonds CC / WWU

 
David Riley on Kirk: "Sean is coming in with some experience at the college level that will help him pick things up quick for us. Sean is a high-character, tough guard who finds ways to make winning plays at the right time."
 
Western Washington: Utilized redshirt season in the 2019-20 season when Western Washington won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) title and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Western did not play any games in 2020-21 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
Edmonds CC: Played as a freshman at Edmonds Community College in the 2018-19 season. He was named the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) North Region Freshman of the Year and was the only freshman named to the All-North Region first team. In 27 games he averaged 18.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while sinking 49.6 percent of his shots from the field. He scored in double-figures in 24 of 27 games while helping lead the Tritons to a 19-10 record. He had nine double-doubles (points-rebounds) and ranked 16th in the NWAC in scoring (18.3 per game), 20th in rebounds (7.7) and 25th in free throw percentage (79.9 percent/123-for-154).
 
High School: Graduated from Mountlake Terrace HS in 2017. During his prep career at Mountlake Terrace, Kirk was a second team 2A All-State selection as selected by the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association. He earned second team All-Wesco Conference honors during his senior season in 2016-17 when he helped the Hawks to the opening  round of the State 2A Tournament and finish with a 14-11 record. He averaged 17 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals per game as a senior and was selected to play in the 2017 WIBCA 1A vs. 2A All-State Game. Was coached in high school by Nalin Sood. He started his high school career at Shorewood High School and attended the University of Washington as a student following his graduation from Mountlake Terrace.
 
Personal: Intends on majoring in business administration at EWU. Born 5/7/99 in Seattle. Parents are Richard and Kim Kirk. Nickname is "Seany."
 
 
 

15 - Yousef Elkugia - F - 6-7 - 210 - Fr. - HS - Seattle, Wash. / Eastlake HS '21 / Elite Prep

 
David Riley on Elkugia: "Yousef is an all-around player whose ability to play inside and out will allow him to thrive in our system. His work ethic along with his athleticism will set him up to be very successful here."
 
Elite Prep: Was a student and player at Elite Prep, a prep school in Issaquah, Wash. He averaged 25 points and was his team's MVP in the 2019-20 season. Elite Prep played in The adidas Gauntlet series and other invitationals nationally.
 
High School: Graduated from Eastlake HS in 2021. Earned multiple All-4A KingCo League honors, including first team honors in 2017-18 when he averaged 22 points. He earned second team accolades as a sophomore. He was coached in high school by Tayon Ary-Turner.
 
Personal: Major is undecided. Born 11/12/01 in Seattle, Wash. Parents are Tawfig Elkugia and Fatima Jedaa. Nickname is "Yous." Name is pronounced "U-seff" "L-coo-g-uh."
 
 
 

34 - Makai Richards - F - 6-10 - 225 - Fr. - HS - Oak Park, Calif. / Oak Park HS '20

 
David Riley on Richards: "Makai's combination of size, athleticism, and skill will be tough to stop in the Big Sky. Makai has a great mindset on development, and the sky is the limit for him as a basketball player."
 
High School: Graduated from Oak Park High School in 2020. In the 2019-20 season, Richards was selected to the Los Angeles Daily News All-Area second team. He averaged a double-double with 10.3 points and 11.7 rebounds per game, and also averaged 4.0 blocks and 1.3 assists. He had eight double-doubles, and his top scoring game was 20 and the most boards was 13. He made 59 percent of his shots from the field and had a high game of 10 blocks. The Eagles finished the season 27-3 and won the Coastal Canyon League title with a 10-0 record. Oak Park had a 22-game winning streak during the year and advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 2AA Tournament. As a junior in 2018-19, he averaged 5.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks, with two double-doubles. He had a career-high 19 boards in one game and made 49 percent of his shots. The Eagles advanced to the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 Tournament and finished 18-11. He also played 10 games as a sophomore and 20 as a freshman, and closed his 85-game career with 553 rebounds (6.5 per game), 445 points (5,2) and 165 blocks (1.9) while making 55 percent of his shots from the field. Was coached in high school by Aaron Shaw. Also played AAU basketball for the Cali Starts and BTI Hoops.
 
Personal: Intends on majoring in business at EWU. Born 10/19/01 in Los Angeles. Parents are Godfrey and Kellen Richards. His older brother, Ezekiel Richards, is now a junior at Northern Arizona after spending three seasons in Santa Clara's program. First name is pronounced "Muh-kie."