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WSU's basketball roster took a major step toward taking shape on Monday with one open scholarship officially filled and another spot reserved for a new commitment. Jackie Davis, who committed to WSU in late April, signed a national letter of intent and is officially headed to Pullman. He will apparently be joined there by Ny Redding who verbally committed on Monday.
Redding a 6-foot-1 guard will come to WSU from Westwind Prep, the same prep school that Que Johnson attended before coming to Pullman. If his 2013 season is any indication, he could bring some much-needed offensive firepower to Pullman.
Redding, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound PG, averaged over 30 ppg for Westwind as a senior. He held offers from Boston College, Missouri & others.
— Britton Ransford (@bkransford) May 13, 2014
Redding was one of Ernie Kent's first targets after he took the job. According to Britton Ransford, Redding was originally planning to spend another year in prep school before increased interest from Boston College, WSU and others led to him changing his mind. In addition to his 30.2 point per game average, Redding averaged 9.1 assists per game. Now, before you start drooling over those numbers, I wouldn't put too much stock into them. Quite a few players put up video game-like numbers in the Canyon Athletic Association. One of Redding's teammates averaged 19.2 rebounds per game, for example. Averaging 30 and 9 is better than not averaging 30 and 9, but it's important to remember the level of competition. The site doesn't include shooting statistics, so there is no way to know how efficient he was as a scorer.
While there isn't much video on Redding, Arizona Preps did write up a scouting evaluation. Here is what they had to say:
The son of a D-I coach and is a very athletic and strong wing. He is an outstanding ball handler and controls the tempo of the game. He averages 5.7 assists to every 1 turnover he makes. He is a mid-major player that has a high ceiling. He is a lock-down defender. The negative aspects of his game include his court vision; he tends to make the hard pass instead of the easy one. He is an NCAA qualifier and carries a 4.0 GPA.
Assuming he does indeed make his way to Pullman, Redding will join Jackie Davis in the backcourt. Davis committed in late April, before officially signing on Monday. With him signed, Kent could publicly comment on the newest Cougar and this is what he had to say, via release from WSU:
"Jackie Davis is a very versatile basketball player that can play multiple positions," Kent said. "He fits perfectly in our system because of his skill set, his ability to pass, dribble and shoot the basketball, and play the game in the open court. He is a very gifted athlete and I'm sure Cougar fans will come to enjoy his athleticism and his ability to play the game."
With Redding in the fold, WSU has one open scholarship left, should the Cougars choose to use it. 4-star guard Ahmaad Rorie recently visited WSU and could be a name to keep an eye on.
Basketball:
Jackie Davis Signs NLI to Join Cougars in Fall - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Jackie Davis (6-3, 195, Guard, Long Beach, Calif./Rolling Hills Prep School) has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Washington State University men’s basketball team beginning with the 2014-15 season, head coach Ernie Kent announced Monday.
Football:
Spring camp wrapups, Part 11: Washington State | Pac-12 Confidential | Seattle Times
Today, our penultimate stop on the 'tour' of Pac-12 spring football camps, with Washington State.
Pac-12 2014 NFL draft class by the numbers - ESPN
Spring practice is over, and so is the NFL draft. Now, the wait begins -- 107 days, to be exact. That's when Arizona State (vs. Weber State), Utah (vs. Idaho State) and Washington State (vs. Rutgers) open their 2014 seasons.
WSU Athletics:
Track and Field Head Coach Rick Sloan was a special guest during Monday's Cougar Calls With Bill Moos show.