14-year-old commits to WSU
PULLMAN – Washington State’s success on the basketball floor has translated into a success on the recruiting trail. The 2010 recruiting trail.
The Cougars extended a scholarship offer Monday to high school freshman Patrick Simon of Ephrata, who almost immediately committed to play at WSU, even though he won’t play there until the next decade.
Simon, 14, leads his team in scoring and rebounding and is already 6-foot-7. He has been awarded second-team honors in the Central Washington Athletic Conference this season.
“I’ve thought about it quite a bit and it all came to how good they’ve been doing this season – they’re No. 9 now – and how coach (Tony) Bennett really made the team a top team,” Simon said. “I decided right from the beginning that if I was going to commit to a school that I wasn’t going to back out of it. That’s how I think about it. And it is kind of scary to think about it, that I’m only a freshman and it’s a long ways away.”
His high school coach, Brandon Evenson, said Simon is on par with the best players he’s seen out of central Washington, while also expressing surprise that his recruitment started and ended so soon.
“This kid, he’s special. And he only can get better. He can flat-out score from anywhere on the floor,” Evenson said. “I don’t think anybody expected him to be recruited this early. As a freshman you usually get looks, but Wazzu saw him early and liked him. I think it’s a great fit for Wazzu and Pat. He’s the type of kid that’s going to play defense and fit into Coach Bennett’s system nicely.”
Simon’s father, Jerry, is the superintendent of the Ephrata School District and a WSU alumnus for both undergraduate and graduate work. He expressed nothing but support for his son’s decision, and said he looks forward to being able to see him play home games in Pullman.
“We’re really happy that he’s agreed to play for WSU,” Jerry Simon said. “Tony Bennett is a fine, Christian man. I’ve been to WSU and watched some games and so forth and I’ve seen how well he treats his players.”
Bennett has not seen the freshman play in person, but WSU assistant Matt Woodley saw him play in the last week before the Cougars offered the scholarship. No one from the program can comment on Simon’s commitment until he signs a letter of intent, which would happen until the fall of 2009 at the earliest.
Gonzaga received a similar commitment over the summer from Montanan Brock Osweiler after his freshman season.
“It was actually a little bit overwhelming,” Patrick Simon said of the decision. “It’s like a dream come true, playing in the Pac-10 for a great coach and a great school.”