An Australian star signs with Washington State

After 13 hours in the air, (Washington State head coach) Ken Bone and (assistant) Ben Johnson landed in the living room of Brock Motum (205-F-90) and his parents on Friday. They were hopeful, but uncertain, the long trip to Brisbane would end the way they wanted it to: with the 6-9 Australian standout reaffirming his commitment to play basketball at Washington State. The two coaches spent a couple of hours talking with the Motum family.

And the next day, Queenslander Motum told them what they flew across the Pacific Ocean to hear. Brock Motum is coming to Pullman.

'For him to recommit to us is great for our program, great for Washington State,' Johnson told CF.C in between flights back home. 'At the end of the day, Brock really liked Coach Bone and felt comfortable with him, and his parents did too. This was a chance for him to get a feel, in person, for Coach Bone and to get a comfort level.

'The family had obviously done their research on Coach Bone and were very impressed with his track record as a coach, but when you're sending your son halfway around the world, you also want to make sure you're entrusting your son to a good man, a quality person.'

Johnson, who had been WSU's point person in the recruitment of Motum, said Bone and Motum connected quickly.

'He was very comfortable with Coach Bone. He likes the WSU campus and the college-town atmosphere of Pullman, so the combination was right.'