WSU Basketball: Future Coug Has A Big Night Against Redmond

Last night in Seattle the (5-0) Garfield Bulldogs cruised to an easy 76-44 victory over the (1-3) Redmond Mustangs.

Nov 21, 2013; Spokane, WA, USA; Washington State Cougars head coach Ken Bone looks on against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

The No.2 team ranked Bulldogs were lead by future WSU guard Tramaine Isabell who finished the night with 23 points scoring, five assists, seven rebounds, five steals, and two blocks. Isabell signed his letter of intent to play for Wazzu in the middle of November of 2013.

Isabell’s performance last night against the Mustangs showed he is ready for the college game. Though Redmond is not one of the top ranked basketball teams in the state of Washington, Isabell’s skills are on another level. The guard can drive to the basket whenever he wants to and can either draw the foul or finish at the basket. Isabell can not only score, but is a very good passer as well. There were a plethora of no-look passes from the future Wazzu guard that made you want to jump of your seat. Isabell had the opportunity to add a couple more assists to the stat sheet, however his Garfield teammates could not handle some of his passes thrown to them.

On the defensive side, it was an easy night for Isabell because of the lack of offensive skills the Redmond Mustangs. Garfield played full-court pressure defense for the entire game, which caused Redmond to struggle moving the ball across half-court. Isabell’s quickness and awareness allowed him to steal the ball five times from the Mustangs. What impressed me was Isabell’s ability to block shots. Most of the time its the big men down low that are the one’s blocking the shots, but Isabell was able to swat multiple shots that came from behind the arch.

Bone and his staff will be happy to have the Garfield guard join the team next year because of what he brings to the table. What the Cougars have been lacking in for the past couple seasons is a true point guard. I believe Isabell has the ability to come in next year and run the point guard position for the Cougars. Last night Isabell had control of the entire offense and was directing his teammates on where to go with and without the ball. Isabell’s basketball IQ is very high which is something the Cougars will benefit from next year.

Something Isabell can work on before he gets to Pullman is improve his shooting. Even though he had 23 points, the Garfield guard missed a couple free throws and shots from behind the three point arch. Either way Coug fans should be excited about their new guard for next season!

Here are a couple highlights of Isabell from the game last night. His number is 2.

–Evan Baron (Follow Me On Twitter: @Evan_Baron)