WSU snags young, local prospect

The good times are rolling in Pullman, Wa. First year head coach Tony Bennett has his squad in the top ten in the country, and one of the top players in the state of Washington Patrick Simon, a 6-foot-7, 185-pound freshman from Ephrata (Wa.) High School, has committed to the program.

"I've though 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 told Glenn Kasses of The Spokesman-Review. "I decided right from the beginning that if I was going to comit 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."

As the leading scorer for his high school team, Simon received high praise from his high school coach Brandon Evenson in the SpokesmanReview.com.

"This kid, he's special," said Evenson. "And he only can get better. He can flat-out score from anywhere on the floor. 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."

Washington State assistant coach Matt Woodley recruited Simon, whose father is a Washington State alumnus.