WSU Loses Its Top Scorer To Spanish Pros De La Fuente Drops Out Of School On Eve Of Pac-10 Conference Opener
Just when Washington State University men’s basketball coach Kevin Eastman might have wanted to schedule a news conference to remind people that his team still exists, he had to make an announcement that could raise doubts in his own mind.
Leading scorer Rodrigo de la Fuente, a native of Madrid, has returned to Spain to undertake a professional career.
Eastman said Sunday that the 6-foot-6 guard accepted a guaranteed three-year contract to play for FC Barcelona. Today is the last day a Spanish club can sign a player whose rights it does not own.
De la Fuente left Spokane Sunday to return to Spain with his mother and a brother. He had averaged 16.1 points and 34.7 minutes in WSU’s 11 games.
Eastman’s team might benefit from a little marketing. The Cougars, with a 7-4 record, had been living in the shadow of a WSU football team that shocked everyone by making it to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1931.
While the football team was holding down regular spots on ESPN last week, the basketball team was drawing an estimated 1,200 fans to the Arena for its Dec. 30 game against Texas A&M. The Cougars won, 75-66, and maybe the smallish crowd wasn’t such a bad thing. WSU hit just six field goals in the first half and trailed by as many as 13.
A flurry of 3-point baskets - in addition to the inside work of Carlos Daniel (21 points, 13 rebounds) and Kojo Mensah-Bonsu (18, 6) - allowed the Cougars to gain some confidence heading into tonight’s Pacific-10 Conference opener at the University of Washington.
The Cougars have not won a Pac-10 road opener since defeating the Huskies on Jan. 9, 1988.
WSU was swept by Washington last season, largely because it could not match up with 7-footers Todd MacCullough and Patrick Femerling. Junior-college transfer Leif Nelson, the Cougars’ tallest player at 6-10, figures to see extended playing time tonight.
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MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Tonight’s games WSU at Washington, 7 (KXLY 920) Northridge at EWU, 7:05 (KKPL 630) Gonzaga at Idaho, 7:05 (KTRW 970)