Marquee Mark Hendrickson, One Of Pac-10’S Best Forwards, Leads Washington State

Kevin Eastman is convinced there will be a day in Mark Hendrickson’s not-so-distant future when he will be asked to set up on the wing instead of the low blocks.

Instead of backing into the key and muscling his way into position to receive the entry pass, Hendrickson will be asked to take the perimeter jumper or put the ball on the floor and slash to the basket.

He will be asked to guard Jamal Mashburn and Glenn Robinson instead of Ben Davis and Mike Amos.

But it should all be worth it for Washington State’s 6-foot-9, 240-pound senior forward, because that not-so-distant future, according to Eastman, will probably unfold in the NBA where Hendrickson will make millions, instead of the tuition, room and board he currently earns as, perhaps, the most versatile player in the Pacific-10 Conference.

It all bodes well for Hendrickson, a three-sport prep standout from Mount Vernon, who also pitched for the Cougars baseball team last spring. But it presents Eastman, WSU’s second-year coach, with a dilemma.

“I want him to do well for our team and I want him to do well for his future, too, because he has a future at the next level,” Eastman said of Hendrickson, one of five starters returning from last year’s 18-12 team that tied for fifth in the Pac-10 at 10-8 and reached the quarterfinals of the National Invitational Tournament.

“As a coach, you always want to make sure your players are prepared for the next level, but right now, we’re trying to be honest with Mark and tell him he has to do whatever is necessary for his team this year before he worries about next year.”

What’s best for the Cougars this year is that Hendrickson put the 10 pounds he gained over the summer to use underneath the basket, bumping and grinding with other top power forwards of the Pac-10.

It’s a position Hendrickson has played since arriving on campus in the fall of 1992. And it’s position he has played well.

As a rookie, Hendrickson averaged 12.6 points and eight rebounds per game and was named to the Pac10’s all-freshman team. The following year, despite a late-season stress fracture in his lower leg, he averaged 10.5 points and 7.9 rebounds while helping WSU to its first NCAA tournament berth in 11 seasons.

And last winter, he was honored as an all-Pac-10 first-team forward and an all-District 8 selection after averaging 16.1 points and nine rebounds.

HIs 30 career double-doubles (points and rebounds) rank No. 1 among returning players in the Pac-10 and his career field-goal percentage of .565 is the best in WSU history. And all of that from a young man who might be playing out of position.

“Ultimately, when he gets up to that next level where there are 6-9 men playing the No. 3 spot - guys comparable to him in height - that’s when he’ll have a chance to play on the wing,” Eastman said. “But down here, where they’re all 6-6 and lightning quick, it’s a little different.”

Hendrickson doesn’t seem to mind having to do the physical things down low.

“In fact, that’s one of this strengths,” Eastman added. “He’s willing to do it and if I didn’t say anything, he would probably suggest as much, just because he knows it’s best for our team.”

“Maybe I’m not playing outside as much as I might at the next level - I don’t know,” Hendrickson admitted. “But I think you have to do what’s best for your team at the time, and this is the best thing for this team right now.

“I’ve been here long enough to know that, and I want to start getting this program recognized. That’s the attitude I’ve taken, because it’s my last year, it’s my last go-round, and I want to leave here with this having been the best team I’ve ever played on.”

There is a good chance Hendrickson might get his wish.

Also returning from last season are scoring leader Isaac Fontaine, who averaged 18.5 points per game as a sophomore small forward last season, and point guard Donminic Ellison, another junior, who has already climbed to fourth on WSU’s career assists list with 290.

Throw in senior Shamon Antrum, who averaged 13.7 points from his shooting guard spot, and post players Tavares Mack and Carlos Daniel, who shared starts next to Hendrickson in the low post, and you have an explosive unit that many expect to challenge Stanford, Arizona and UCLA for the Pac-10 title.

“We have the makings,” Hendrickson said. “I think a lot of guys know this could be the best team they’ve been on in their careers, too.”

The Cougars, who open their regular season Friday night at 7 with a non-league game against Gonzaga in the Spokane Arena, struggled mightily in splitting exhibition games against High Five America and the Townsville (Australia) Suns.

But Eastman is hoping those struggles will subside once his team heals.

By his own estimate, he has had his top nine players - which includes junior college transfers Kareem Jackson, Cameron Johnson and Chris Scott - together for only five of 33 preseason practices.

And with Jackson nursing an ankle sprain, Daniel hobbling from a hip injury and true freshman Bill Coby fighting a persistent virus that has caused him to lose 12 pounds in the last two weeks, Eastman expects to suit up only seven or eight scholarship players against GU.

“It’s unbelievable, and really disappointing,” Eastman said. “We have a veteran team, yet we don’t have as much stuff in this year as we did at this same time last season.

“We’ve had to change our whole outlook on December. I’m not worried about prettiness and style at this point, I’m just worried about results. I don’t care if we win a game by one point and it’s the ugliest win I’ve ever seen, I’m going to take it.”

Because of the injury outbreak, Eastman said he will probably be forced to use walk-ons Steve Slotemaker and Will Hutchins in reserve roles Friday night.

Slotemaker was the player of the year in Oregon two years ago and attended WSU on an athletic scholarship last year. The slender 6-9 forward did not play, however, because of personal reasons.

Hutchins, a 6-3 freshman guard, was a prep standout for Class B Dayton.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: Two sidebars appeared with the story: 1. Tickets remain for WSU-GU game More than 6,000 tickets remain for Friday’s Cavanaugh’s Basketball Classic at the Spokane Arena. Tom Barbieri of G&B Presents, the sponsor of the first basketball meeting between Gonzaga University and Washington State since 1988, said tickets remain in all price ranges - $19.50, $15.50 and $9.50. Tickets are available at all G&B Select-a-Seat outlets or by phone (325-SEAT, or 1-800-325-SEAT outside Spokane).

2. Washington State Cougars The roster and schedule of the WSU men’s basketball team, 18-12 overall last season,10-8 in the Pacific-10 Conference. Roster Name Ht Position Year Hometown Ryan Topper 6-3 Guard Senior Sequim Donminic Ellison 5-10 Guard Junior Inglewood, Calif. Shamon Antrum 5-10 Guard Senior New Haven, Conn. Kareem Jackson 6-2 Guard Junior Oakland, Calif. Carlos Daniel 6-6-1/2 Forward Sophomore Louisville, Colo. Isaac Fontaine 6-3 Guard Junior Sacramento, Calif. Chris Scott 6-2 Guard Junior Hugo, Okla. Mark Hendrickson 6-9 Forward Senior Mount Vernon Cameron Johnson 6-7 Forward Junior Oren, Utah Bill Coby 6-7-1/2 F/C Freshman St. Louis, Mo. Tavares Mack 6-9 Forward Junior Seattle

Schedule Nov. 24 vs. Gonzaga at Spokane Arena 7 p.m. Nov. 26 vs. Eastern Washington 5 p.m. Dec. 8 vs. Canisius at Carrier Classic in Syracuse, N.Y. 4 p.m. Dec. 9 vs. Syracuse or Columbia TBA Dec. 13 vs. Montana 7 p.m. Dec. 16 vs. Idaho 7 p.m. Dec. 27 at San Jose State 7:30 p.m. Dec. 29 at California State-Irvine 7 p.m. Jan. 4 vs. UCLA at Spokane Arena 7 p.m. Jan. 6 vs. USC 2:30 p.m. Jan. 11 at Oregon 7:05 p.m. Jan. 13 at Oregon State 4 p.m. Jan. 21 at Washington 12:30 p.m. Jan. 25 vs. California 7:30 p.m. Jan. 27 vs. Stanford 3 p.m. Feb. 1 at Arizona State 6 p.m. Feb. 3 at Arizona 2 p.m. Feb. 8 vs. Oregon State 7 p.m. Feb. 10 vs. Oregon 4 p.m. Feb. 13 at Idaho 7:05 p.m. Feb. 17 vs. Washington 3 p.m. Feb. 22 at Stanford 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at California 2 p.m. Feb. 29 vs. Arizona 7:30 p.m. March 2 vs. Arizona State 3 p.m. March 7 at USC 7 p.m. March 9 at UCLA 2:30 p.m.