Coaching Change Helps Erdmann Decide To Leave WSU

The coaching change at Washington State University was a factor in Nathan Erdmann’s decision to leave the Cougar basketball program, Erdmann said Thursday.

A late-season starter on WSU’s first NCAA Tournament team in 11 years, Erdmann said coach Kelvin Sampson’s decision to leave Pullman for Oklahoma “opened the door” to his transfer.

But Erdmann’s move from WSU to Hutchinson (Kan.) Junior College last month was not a negative reaction to new Cougar coach Kevin Eastman, Erdmann said in a telephone interview from his Portales, N.M., home.

“I have a lot of respect for Washington State,” Erdmann said after arriving home from the U.S. Olympic Festival in St. Louis. “It’s a great place to go to school and play ball, but it’s not the place for me right now.”

Asked if he would eventually follow Sampson to Oklahoma, Erdmann said, “I don’t know. I haven’t talked to anybody from there. I couldn’t tell you.”

His departure was partly prompted by a desire to play closer to home. “It’s how I feel,” said Erdmann, a 6-4 sophomore whose 22 points on Monday night were the high for the West in a 104-98 loss to the North squad.

“I have to do what’s right for me and Coach Eastman understands that,” he said. “I appreciate that from him. We had a good visit. I told him it had nothing to do with him personally. I like him but it wasn’t the same.”

Cougar stars Mark Hendrickson, Issac Fontaine and Donminic Ellison “are my best friends,” he added. “It’s hard to leave but they understand.”

Erdmann, a great leaper who can score inside and from the perimeter, got off to a slow start but came on to score 14 points a game in the Cougars’ final seven regularseason games. He had 20 points in an 80-71 win at Arizona State and 19 two nights later in a loss to Arizona.

WSU won five of its last seven with Erdmann playing a major role.

He said he hasn’t decided where he’ll go after junior college but another Pac-10 school is out of the question. “That would be too hard (playing against WSU),” he said.

“Playing closer to home is important,” he said. “Washington State is a long way from New Mexico. My family didn’t get to see me play as often as I’d hoped they would. Just about any place would be closer.”

Erdmann, who plays in a Dallas summer league, said he “pulled a hamstring a little bit” at the Festival. He still plans to play in a junior college all-star tournament July 22-24 in Tulsa.

Erdmann said he wanted to “Thank everybody for a great two years.”