WSU BASKETBALL PROFILES: Charlie Enquist

This is the latest in our series of WSU basketball player profiles, a new one of which will hit the site every couple of days until the season officially starts on Nov. 13. You can read the other players' profiles here.

Scouting Report: It was a little disappointing, to say the least, that this team didn't get more out of Charlie Enquist last year. There was a gaping hole next to DeAngelo Casto waiting to be filled, and it was glaringly clear as the season went along that the team's best options were a pair of undersized wings, rather than the 6-foot-10 redshirt sophomore. Perhaps the disturbing part about Enquist's lack of production that was that the Pac-10 wasn't exactly loaded with quality big men for him to contend with, yet he didn't play at all in the final 10 games -- and only 39 minutes total in conference play. That should tell you something about how he fits into what Ken Bone is trying to do.

If it's possible for a 6-foot-10 player to be nearly invisible, Enquist accomplished the feat in 2009-2010 -- at least, that's how kenpom.com assessed his contribution to the Cougs when he was on the floor. In truth, the "Nearly Invisible" tag is merely based off the number of possessions the player "uses" while on the floor -- in other words, the number of WSU offensive possessions that end with either a shot, FT or turnover by Enquist. Combine that with the fact that he only played in 13 percent of the possible minutes, and you've got a guy who really didn't do much outside of practice to help this team win, as the Cougs were essentially playing 4-on-5 on offense when Enquist was on the floor.

I'd love to give you a scouting report on just what Enquist could potentially bring on offense this year, but when a guy only takes 14 shots attempts in 165 minutes ... well, it's tough to know exactly what he could potentially do. But I think it's safe to say that if he could do much with the ball in his hands, he would have shown something in that area last year. A major offensive breakthrough is highly unlikely.

Of course, there are other ways a player can contribute, and Enquist's rebounding numbers -- 18.4 DR% and 8.0 OR% -- were serviceable. But more often that not, Enquist just looked lost and overmatched on the floor, especially in conference. If you're a big man, you better be either quick or strong, and Enquist is neither. Playing at 222 pounds, he was slow to his spots and often pushed out of the way by more physical players, leading to him missing out on rebounds and fouling opposing players too much (team-worst 5.5 fouls called per 40 minutes). He also blocked shots at a rate worse than Klay Thompson. 

The roster says Enquist has bulked up to 235 pounds, and if that's true, there stands a chance his rebounding numbers could be improved. There also stands a chance that either his jumper has improved, which can help take some of the interior pressure off Casto when they play together, or he's developed a couple of post moves, which will help when he replaces Casto. And there's also a chance that he can block shots at a better rate, since you would figure a 6-10 guy should be able to just luck into a number of them. But these are all big question marks.

Best Case Scenario: The strength gains are legitimate, allowing Enquist to battle better in the post. He's developed a jumper and isn't afraid to use it, regularly hitting 15 footers from the elbow. He even has a couple of post moves. Basically, he becomes a serviceable, Pac-10 big man playing 15 minutes a night -- 10 resting Casto, five playing next to him.

Worst Case Scenario: You can't teach athleticism, and it's clear that Enquist is just never going to be able to overcome a lack of it. Whatever minutes he could have gotten go to Brock Motum and Steven Bjornstad and he's buried on the bench, only coming off it in extreme foul problem situations.

Likely Scenario: What he did last year, only a little better. A few more jumpers, a little better rebounding, a few more blocks. But he'll still be in the five- to 10-minute range most nights, simply stealing a few minutes of rest for Casto at the ends of halves or before TV timeouts with Ken Bone hoping mostly to just survive those stretches.