Cougar Basketball Signs Four to NLIs

PULLMAN, Wash. – Robert Franks, Derrien King, Jeff Pollard and Renard Suggs have each signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball for Washington State University, head coach Ernie Kent announced Wednesday.

“We have a particular style of basketball that we play that requires a particular skill level and what I mean by skill, the ability to pass, dribble and shoot the basketball in a fast paced system,” Kent said. “We feel like with the four young men that committed to us, all of them fit our style of play. They all can score the basketball, they all have a really high basketball IQ on the floor, particularly in quick-thinking situations where they have to make split decisions in transition or in the half court. So their skill set is very good and we’re very comfortable with the group we picked up.”

Robert Franks (6-7, 175, Forward, Vancouver, Wash./Evergreen HS) enters his senior season at Evergreen HS in Vancouver, Wash., after averaging 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds as a junior in 2013-14. The Plainsman advanced to the playoffs in his junior season. As a sophomore, Franks was named first team All-Greater St. Helen’s League, 4A, as he helped lead his team to a district championship.

“Robert Franks is a skilled four-man that is strong,” Kent said. “He can score inside, outside, and is a very good passer. He has a tremendous feel for the game. He would be a tough matchup for people to have to guard because of his ability to put it on the floor almost with point guard skills with that kind of size, and his ability to score inside and outside.”

Derrien King (6-7, 175, Forward, Wichita, Kan./Cathedral HS-Calif./Santa Monica CC) is entering his first season at Santa Monica Community College after a year of prep school at Middlebrooks Academy at Los Angeles, Calif., following graduation from Cathedral HS, also in Los Angeles. Prior to his time at Cathedral HS, King spent his junior year at New Roads School in Santa Monica where he was named first team all-league and second team All-CIF after averaging 23.6 points per game. Prior to moving to California, King spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Wichita East High School in Wichita, Kan. King will have three years of eligibility at Washington State.

“Derrien King is a terrific shooter from deep range. He has an excellent mid-range game and is very athletic,” Kent said. “He will need to put some weight on, very similar to Dext (Dexter Kernich-Drew) when he came in the door. He’s a little bit taller, a little bit more athletic, has a little more offensive fire power and a really high basketball IQ.”

Jeff Pollard (6-9, 220, Forward, Bountiful, Utah/Bountiful HS) averaged 9.5 points and 7.6 rebounds (fourth-best in division 4A) as a junior at Bountiful High School where he helped lead his team to the State Championship. He scored a career-high 22 points against East HS on Jan. 17, 2014 and was named to the Deseret News 4A All-State Third Team and was a Salt Lake Tribune All-State honorable Mention. Pollard will attend Impact Academy in Las Vegas next season, before joining Washington State beginning with the 2015-16 season.

“Jeff Pollard comes from a basketball family and has great size,” Kent said. “He will be attending a prep school for a year, which we will continue to monitor. I see his role being as a skilled big guy that can score with his back to the basket and has a good face-up game too. He has tremendous leadership skills.”

Renard Suggs (6-3, 200, Guard, St. Paul, Minn./Woodbury HS/Gillette College-Wyo.) attends Gillette College in Wyoming where he was the leading 3-point threat for the Pronghorns in 2013-14, having made 103 3’s. He was named second team all-region as a freshman and averaged 14.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 27.8 minutes per game. Prior to attending Gillette College, Suggs played at Woodbury High School in the St. Paul, Minn., area where he averaged 20.8 points, 3.5 assist and 1.3 rebounds per game. He also played on the Howard Pulley AAU team in Minnesota.

“We felt like one of the biggest things we needed to do was replace DaVonté Lacy and his ability to score the ball; Renard Suggs can do that,” Kent said. “He’s a prolific shooter, shoots it deep, and has a really good understanding of the game. He plays in a system that is even faster than what we play right now at Washington State, but we hope to get there. He has an excellent skill set on him as well; the ability to see the game, see plays, and make plays.”

“All four of these young men are high character people,” Kent said. “They did a tremendous job when they were on our campus, be it in the summer for camps, or on their official visits. We just feel really good about the group we have coming in the door.”

The Cougars open the 2014-15 season, Friday, Nov. 14 at UTEP with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT. From there, WSU will head to Fort Worth, Texas to take on TCU, Monday, Nov. 17 for a 5 p.m. PT/7 p.m. CT tip.