Washington State Cougars
Overall Rank: #99
Conference Rank: #8 Pac-12
Washington State Team Page
2010-11: 22-13, 9-9
2010-11 postseason: NIT
Coach: Ken Bone (38-28 at Washington State, 93-64 overall)
With Clay Thompson gone, Washington State will have to rely on junior point guard Reggie Moore to lead the way. After two great seasons with the Cougars, Moore is more than ready to take over this team. Last year he averaged 9.1 points and 3.4 assists. His scoring output should increase drastically this season and he certainly has the tools to score on the perimeter or by attacking the basket. Of course Moore will have to run the show too, but he can do both.
Who’s Out:
Thompson provided huge contributions to the Cougars during their run to the NIT and to the NIT semifinals. He led the squad with 21.6 points, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.9 three-pointers made per contest. That is a lot of production to replace and no single player will be able to do it. For much of the year Washington State ran a four guard offense, as is typical of Coach Ken Bone’s up-tempo style of play, with DeAngelo Casto in the middle. The 6-8, 255 pound forward was a nice fit in the offense. He provided the Cougars with an interior scoring threat who could also dominate on the glass. As big of a loss as Thompson will be, this group might miss Casto just as much.
Who’s In:
The main goal for this recruiting class is to get some size to help replace Casto. D.J. Shelton, a junior college transfer, fits the bill. The 6-10, 228 pound sophomore may need some time to develop into a consistent scorer, but he is a big man who can run the floor and grab some rebounds. Incoming freshman Greg Sequele does not have quite as much size, but he is a quality big man who should make an impact in time. The backcourt will get some more depth with DaVonte Lacy and Chuks Iroegbu, but they will have a tough time finding too much playing time as freshmen.
Who to Watch:
Junior college transfer Faisal Aden had a great first year in Pullman. He spent much of the year coming in off of the bench, but still ranked second on the team with 12.7 points per game. Aden could emerge as great all-around scorer with a little more consistency from his jump shot. Marcus Capers and Abe Lodwick started last year and should fit right back into the starting lineup. Capers is not much of a scorer, but there were only so many shots to go around with Thompson on the floor. What Capers does bring to this team is a rebounding threat from the wing. Abe Lodwick is the wing who has enough size to play the four spot. Lodwick’s offensive game pretty much consists of the occasional three-pointer, but at 6-7 he has the size to grab some boards and play defense against most opposing power forwards.
Final Projection:
Brock Motum has the unenviable job of trying to replace Casto. The 6-10, 230 pound Australian is coming off of a fine season in which he averaged 7.6 points and 3.0 rebounds. There is a big difference between Motum and Casto. Motum can step outside and shoot but is a far weaker rebounder than Casto. In certain situations that lack of rebounding will force Coach Bone to play a larger lineup. Patrick Simon will battle it out with the newcomers for minutes backing up Motum and replacing Lodwick at the four spot. If this team cannot get on the glass, they will have trouble in conference play. There are plenty of scorers, but somebody has to step up and be the go-to big man like Casto was in 2010-2011.
Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT
Projected Starting Five:
Reggie Moore, Junior, Guard, 9.1 points per game
Faisal Aden, Senior, Guard, 12.7 points per game
Marcus Capers, Senior, Guard, 5.8 points per game
Abe Lodwick, Senior, Forward, 3.5 points per game
Brock Motum, Junior, forward, 7.6 points per game
Madness 2011 Men's Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#149 Davonte Lacey
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