Forrest gets cut after loss

PULLMAN – Next time you see Washington State University’s eighth–ranked basketball team play, check out Caleb Forrest’s hair. Yes, his hair.

The junior post player is sporting a new look. You can blame UCLA.

Forrest hadn’t cut his hair since last season, and it showed. It took a headband and some other accoutrements to keep the long, flowing mane under control at practice and games.

But Forrest, a 6-foot-8 reserve, made a deal with his parents before the season started.

“We lost, and that was the deal I had with my parents,” Forrest said Monday after practice. “When we lost I had to cut my hair. My dad was the one who said I should go ahead and buzz it all off.

“So I did, right after the game when we got back to the hotel and everybody was kind of down.”

Not even Jon and Kim Forrest could have thought it would be Jan. 12 – in the Cougars’ 15th game – before WSU would be handed a defeat. According to Caleb, “my mom and dad like it short a lot better than long.”

After seeing a picture, Forrest said his parents had a description of the new hairdo.

“They said I looked like a naked mole-rat,” Forrest said

Just cutting your hair and cutting it the way Forrest did are really two different things. Daven Harmeling and Derrick Low helped Forrest do the honors Saturday, but they had a problem. The clippers they were using to get down to a Marine-like level ran out of juice.

“They had to use a mustache trimmer to finish it,” WSU coach Tony Bennett said. “He gets on the bus and he had hair sticking up everywhere. It was bad. I don’t know what was worse, before or after.

“They cleaned it up and it looks better.”

But not to Forrest.

“I liked it long,” he said.

Notes

Stephen Sauls was at practice, though he didn’t participate in drills. The freshman, who was knocked unconscious last week and suffered a concussion, dribbled on the sidelines. “It was really nice to see him back,” Bennett said. “He said he’s feeling better.” Bennett said he didn’t know the timeline for Sauls’ return to practice. Sauls wasn’t available for comment. … Bennett had a chance to catch Rancho Santa Margarita and WSU signee Klay Thompson play Friday night against national power Mater Dei, alma mater of current Cougar Chris Henry. Thompson didn’t shoot the ball well (hitting 7 of 18 shots and finishing with 15 points in a 74-61 defeat), but Bennett was impressed with his play.