COUGARS

I was going to write this up last night but, to be brutally honest, was too tired. So we'll catch you up with the Cougar men's basketball team, eight days before practice officially starts, now. Read on.
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• Watching Washington State run through a team workout – schools are allowed a varying amount of time between the start of classes and the beginning of practice to work with coaches – I was struck with how little some aspects of the Cougars' schemes had changed. The returning players have talked about how comfortable they were, especially on the defensive end, and it was easy to see why. WSU is just tweaking what it did in the past, not rebuilding. Assistant coach Ben Johnson played a big teaching role on that end, and, besides a greater emphasis on ball pressure, you might not see a huge difference. Offensively, of course, you might see quite a bit as coach Ken Bone puts his stamp on the program. ... But which Cougars will be on the court next Friday? Starting big DeAngelo Casto was sitting, his knee in a wrap. The knee had been drained this week and doctors found more fluid than they expected, so an MRI was done, Bone said. Though Casto has not experienced a bit of pain while playing – and he's been on the court for a while – it was decided to take a precautionary step just to ensure he'll be ready to go. The MRI results should be back today, but no one, including Casto, expects anything to be wrong. James Watson was out as well, still recuperating from his neck injury – the poor guy was wearing this tall neck brace the other day when we talked, which made it tough for the 6-foot-8 Watson to look down at the 5-10 me. He should be back soon. And Xavier Thames has not practiced recently either. The point guard has a NCAA issue. WSU sent the requested paperwork this week and Bone feels it will be cleared up in time for Thames to practice next week. ... As we've mentioned before here, the Cougars will partner with the women's team and hold their first Midnight Madness-like season-opening practice next Friday following the women's volleyball game. You can find all the information here.

• Back to the court. A lot of you have posted here about how much you were looking forward to basketball. If it's because you're into basketball, like me, great. If it was because you believe the Cougars are going to challenge for the Pac-10 title, well, maybe I should share some thoughts about the challenges awaiting Bone's first team. ... The Cougars aren't very big. And by big, I don't mean tall, though Charlie Enquist is the only person more than 6-9 on the roster. There's a lack of bulk. Besides Casto, who weighs 231 pounds, the rest of the inside players, all taller than 6-7, go 222, 217, 213, 205, 200 and 182. ... Because of that lack of bulk, it could be tough for them to score inside. The Pac-10 is a physical league. Playing inside isn't for the timid. And getting rebounds will have to be a team affair, and even then it won't be easy to keep some of the conference's bigs off the glass. ... The guards, especially Klay Thompson, will have to be the centerpiece of the offense. You'll be impressed with the improvements Thompson has made with his game. He's worked hard on his ball handling, keeping his knees bent and the ball lower, allowing him to attack more. He's going to be that much tougher to handle. But the rest of the outside players are unproven scorers at this level. From returnees Marcus Capers to Michael Harthun, through newcomers Thames, Reggie Moore and Anthony Brown, WSU needs to find a few players to count on out front. ... Want to talk about young? Nik Koprivica is the only senior – the 6-6, 221-pound Koprivica will be called upon to rebound even more this season – and there are no juniors on the roster. There are 15 sophomores and freshmen, whether they redshirted or not, listed right now. And, as Koprivica said, with a new coach and mostly new staff, every player feels a little like a freshman right now.

• Those are the challenges. There are advantages, too. This is a good group of guys. It's obvious they will work hard every day and will compete. Redshirt sophomore Abe Lodwick, who will play a lot more inside this season, has started to assume a leadership role. If everyone on the team works as hard as he does, this group will improve immensely as the year rolls on. But it could be a rough start. Nonconference foes such as Gonzaga, Kansas State and LSU will test a group just getting their feet underneath them. As I said, Thompson will be a force. Casto and Watson, if healthy, will add athleticism inside on the defensive end. Capers, Brown and Moore all have the tools to be strong defenders. Harthun has improved his shot – and the rest of his game. Enquist has improved every day since he walked on campus. Koprivica should thrive in Bone's offensive system. Brock Motum is better than first impressions might indicate, and it looks as if he gets things done despite being rail thin at 6-9, 205-pounds. There is a corps here to build upon. It just might take awhile. We'll keep you abreast of the progress.

• If you have young basketball players around, circle Saturday, Oct. 31 on your calendar. Yes, it's Halloween. But from noon to 1:15 p.m., the Cougars are holding a free youth clinic for boys and girls in kindergarten through sixth grade. It will be in the basketball practice gym (PEB 146), just down the hall from the volleyball facility in Bohler. The registration is on-line only and you can do it here. There is also more information available here.

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• That's it for now. We'll be back this afternoon. Until then …

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