Australian recruit sticks with WSU

PULLMAN – When Ken Bone was named Washington State’s 17th men’s basketball coach, his to-do list was as long as a Taylor Rochestie game-winner.

But with the news Sunday that Australian power forward Brock Motum had decided to honor his letter of intent and enroll at WSU in the fall, Bone’s list has shrunk considerably.

“Brock really was impressed with Coach Bone,” WSU assistant coach Ben Johnson said in a telephone interview en route home. “And his parents felt comfortable with him as well.

“He’s such a humble kid. He said he just wanted us to tell everyone because he’s talked about it before and doesn’t want to again.”

Bone and Johnson, who was former coach Tony Bennett’s lead recruiter in Australia, heard the news in person after flying to Australia to visit Motum this past weekend.

Motum, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound scorer, joins 6-3 point guard Xavier Thames from Elk Grove, Calif., and Spokane’s Anthony Brown, a 6-5 forward from Shadle Park, as Bennett-era recruits who have reaffirmed their intention to enroll at WSU.

Only 6-8 Charlotte, N.C., power forward David Chadwick, whose family has a long-standing relationship with Bennett, asked for and received his letter-of-intent release.

Patrick Simon, a 6-8 forward from Ephrata, Wash., who committed to WSU as a freshman, decided last week to reopen his recruitment entering his senior season.

Simon, who helped Ephrata win the State 2A basketball title as a sophomore but did not play last season due to a foot injury, has said he is still interested in Washington State but wants to examine his options.

With the recruits taken care of, Bone will now look to finish out his coaching staff. Only Johnson, who has been at WSU since 2004, has been officially announced, though Bone interviewed several candidates before heading for Australia.

Curtis Allen, a former University of Washington player and Bone’s assistant at Portland State, is reportedly in the mix to fill one of the two remaining assistant coaching positions.