NC State earns commitment from Washington State transfer F Eemeli Yalaho

NC State coach Justin Gainey continues to work in the transfer portal. This time, however, the Wolfpack earned an under-the-radar commitment from Washington State transfer forward Eemeli Yalaho.

The rising senior averaged 10.1 points and 5.7 rebounds on a 47 percent shooting clip this past season. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

Yalaho, who shot 39.8 percent from beyond the 3-point line this past season, scored in double figures 17 times across his 32 appearances (27 starts) with the Cougars. He poured in a career-best 26 points against Portland on Jan. 31, while he hauled in a career-best 11 rebounds at Bradley on Dec. 2.

A native Jyväskylä, Finland, Yalaho spent the previous two seasons at Texas Tech, where he was teammates with former Wolfpack forward Darrion Williams. He averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in 17 games as a freshman, while he was limited to just eight games as a sophomore due to an upper body injury.

Before entering the collegiate ranks, Yalaho averaged 15.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists as a senior at Hudson (Ohio) Western Reserve Academy. Additionally, he posted 10.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists to help Finland to the FIBA U18 Division B bronze medal.

Yalaho is the Wolfpack’s fourth transfer portal commitment of the cycle, joining Santa Clara shooting guard Christian Hammond, Hofstra point guard Preston Edmead and UC Irvine center Kyle Evans on the roster for the 2026-27 roster.