Sports in brief: Thames transfers to San Diego St.

Basketball: Former Washington State University guard Xavier Thames has found a home.

The California native, who announced in March he was leaving Pullman after one season, will enroll at San Diego State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Thames will have to sit out the upcoming season and will be eligible to play as a sophomore in 2011-12.

Thames, from Sacramento, Calif., appeared in 31 games last season for WSU (16-15), starting four, and averaged 4.6 points and 1.1 assists.

San Diego State was 25-9 under head coach Steve Fisher, losing to Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

“It wasn’t any hard feelings or anything like that, it was great experience playing in the Pac-10, but it just didn’t work out at Washington State,” Thames told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I couldn’t really play my game as much.

“Coach Fisher lets you play your game. If you make a mistake, he’s not going to just pull you out.”

Vince Grippi

WSU going to championships

Rowing: Washington State University women’s rowing will return to the NCAA Championships, the fifth appearance for the program, the NCAA announced Tuesday.

The three days of competition begin on May 28 at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center near Lake Natoma near Sacramento.

The Cougars will be competing at Lake Natoma for the third time this season, having competed in the Lake Natoma Invite April 17-18 and the Pacific-10 Championships May 16.

Five other Pac-10 teams will join the Cougars at the NCAA Championships; conference-champion California, Stanford, Washington, USC and UCLA.

A total of 16 Division I teams were selected as the Pac-10 teams will be joined by Brown, Clemson, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Princeton, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin and Yale.

The Cougars have reached the NCAA championships as a team four times and once as a varsity 8 boat.

Their best finish came in 2006 as WSU placed fourth, led by a fourth-place finish from the varsity 8.

WSU placed eighth in its last NCAA appearance in 2008, ninth in 2004 and 12th in 2003. The varsity 8 placed 13th in 2002.