One more to transfer from WSU

COUGARS

It’s official, but the number of players leaving the Washington State University basketball program is actually four. Read on for the newest name.
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• Xavier Thames was officially granted his release yesterday from WSU. Today he will be joined by Anthony Brown and Michael Harthun. And there will be one other: John Allen. The first three names, all scholarship players, were known over the weekend, but Allen, a walk-on redshirt freshman from Mountlake Terrace High, was not. … Allen’s departure will not free up a scholarship. The guard – all four players who are leaving are perimeter players – played in 13 games last season and averaged .5 points a game. … Harthun talked with his hometown newspaper last night and said his decision was based on basketball reasons. “For me, I’ve always just wanted to be on the court and competing because I love basketball,” he told the Medford Mail Tribune. “I gave it two years here and in the next couple, I didn’t see an opportunity presenting itself with the way I’ve performed the last two years. I just kinda wanted to get back to playing basketball the way I used to.” He still has a redshirt year he can use if he transfers to another Division I program. … As far as I can tell – and I’ve been wrong before – the rest of the WSU players are on board for returning. … In other sports, tonight’s baseball game between WSU and Gonzaga in Spokane has been postponed because of the probability of rain.

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• That’s all for now. We’ll be back after today’s football practice. Until then …