I apologize for not getting to this on Monday like I said I would. I was a little under the weather, but I'm feeling better now.

I went to men's basketball practice before the USC game on Saturday (they opened practice on Friday). It was weird walking in and not seeing Kyle Weaver and Derrick Low (I would say Robbie Cowgill too, but he was actually there). It's a whole different team, but I like what I saw.

The Cougars have seven freshmen on the roster (including walk-on John Allen). The most highly-touted is Klay Thompson (some consider him one of the top newcomers in the country), the son of former NBA player Mychal Thompson. Klay looks like he can play outside (he rarely missed a jumper) and take it inside (nice moves to the hoop...he's very smooth). He seems like a very emotional player though...after he missed a shot it seemed like he really got down on himself (hopefully that doesn't hinder him).

The most familiar freshman (for those of you from the Spokane area) is DeAngelo Casto. He graduated from Ferris High School last year (he helped the team to back-to-back undefeated seasons and state titles). Casto looks like he belongs at the Pac-10 level. A lot of the other freshman are scrawny (Marcus Capers' thighs are as thick as his skinny calves and James Watson has room to beef up) and look like kids (Nick Witherill looks like he belongs in high school). I'm excited to see what Casto can do at the college level. I think the older players like him, because they were giving him more praise than anyone else. Some of you might remember that there were concerns last year that Casto wouldn't be academically eligible to play at the DI level. He finally passed his standardized tests and was accepted at WSU. When I talked to him, he said classes are going really well and he's excited to someday get his degree (and he seems like he genuinely means it).

The seniors look good (and appear to be ready to lead...especially Taylor Rochestie and Daven Harmeling). It looks like Rochestie bulked up a little over the summer. Same with Harmeling (even though he was big to begin with). Aron Baynes looks like he lost more weight...he looks fit (Baynes did not practice Friday or Saturday because of a foot injury). And Caleb Forrest, well, looks like Caleb Forrest.

The only junior on the roster is Nikola Koprivica. He gained some valuable experience this offseason when he was picked as the captain of the Serbian national team at the U20 European Championships. He, Rochestie, Harmeling, Forrest, Thompson, and Casto were working out as the "starters" for most of the drills on Saturday. Another freshman, Mike Harthun (he's known as a good outside shooter) should also see some playing time this year.

There are several other inexperienced/unproven players on the roster. Fabian Boeke will provide some size inside (he's the tallest player on the team at 6'11"). He was ruled ineligible to play last year, but is now ready to go (he also looks like he put on some muscle). Charlie Enquist and Abe Lodwick are also on the team (both redshirted last year). I'm not sure what their roles will be, but I do remember people saying Lodwick is one of the best pure shooters on the team.

It's going to take some time to get to know these guys, but I think the future of Washington State basketball looks bright. The Pac-10 is set to have a down year, which means this young team can still make some noise.

I can't wait for the season to start...I'm really excited to see what happens (I'm sure you are too)!

P.S. Football practice is closed to the media today, so obviously I won't be there. Things are slow anyways because of the bye week. I'll try to find something else to blog about soon.

P.S.S. I'll also respond to Russ' question on my previous blog:

If Bill Doba is the coach are we still this bad?

I agree with Chris (who responded to the question as well). I think the Cougars would still be losing games, but I think they would be more competitive (they wouldn't have allowed 60+ points in four games). I'm guessing that Wazzu could have squeezed out a couple more wins this season with Doba at the helm, but he wouldn't be building for the future (like Paul Wulff is). I loved Bill Doba (a great guy to talk to), but it was time for him to go (I think Washington State waited too long to rid of him actually).

It's like the Brett Favre/Aaron Rodgers questions. Favre is not a Packer anymore and it's not worth it to debate how Green Bay would be as a team if he were still around. Brett Favre is a Jet (Bill Doba is gone) and Aaron Rodgers is now the guy (Paul Wulff isn't going anywhere soon). Let's just leave it at that. It is what it is...

1 Comments

Joe Kane said:

Love the basketball talk. Boost our spirits a bit hopefully. I saw Taylor over the summer and he is yoked! Cant wait for tipoff. The Doba comments need to go away. Wulff is doing the program right by starting over and laying a foundation for the future of cougar football. Give him time and we will be rewarded...hopefully.

Joe Kane out

October 22, 2008 3:20 PM

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