Freshmen add fresh hopes

PULLMAN – Maybe it’s appropriate the theme for one of Washington State’s preseason games this year draws on the movie “Superbad.”

It’s a film about a group of teens trying to act older than their age – and all that entails.

It’s appropriate because the Cougars have a group of seven freshmen they are relying upon to act older on the court than their age – and all that entails.

“We’re counting on at least a few of them to be in the rotation and ready to play,” coach Tony Bennett said before fall practice started.

The freshman class has been compared favorably to the class that entered WSU in 2004. That group included Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver, Robbie Cowgill and Daven Harmeling, and eventually turned WSU’s basketball fortunes around, leading it to back-to-back NCAA tournaments for the first time in school history.

“They are more athletic,” Harmeling, who redshirted his sophomore year and is the only member of the 2004 class still around, said of this year’s frosh. “Our group relied more on our smarts.”

The freshmen who will be counted on the most are wing Klay Thompson, son of former NBA star Mychal, post DeAngelo Casto, who led Ferris High to two consecutive Washington State 4A titles, and point guard Marcus Capers, who will back up starter Taylor Rochestie.

In the exhibition opener against Lewis-Clark State, Casto led WSU with 18 points, while Thompson added four assists to his eight points. The true freshmen scored 41 of the Cougars’ 76 points.

Those numbers may not be Superbad, but they’re good enough.