New Washington State head basketball coach Ernie Kent is looking for a talented kid to run his new-look Cougars and after a few wild happenings this Spring there are few that make as much sense as Ahmaad Rorie of Tacoma.
Rorie is an explosive point guard and former Cal commit who very recently got his request granted to be let go from his letter of intent after Mike Montgomery stepped down. Rorie has been committed to Cal for a long time, so a new list of potential suitors has yet to arise. It is also not known where Rorie is looking but one has to think WSU will be in his living room as soon as they can get in there and make a strong push to try and land him.
Montgomery had begun to build Cal into a venerable NBA guard factory, which is a big reason why Rorie was headed South in the first place. If he is still looking for such a coach in the Pac-12 Conference (in a realistic destination), Ernie Kent has a longstanding history with NBA-caliber point guards and even has precedent in the state of WA. Oregon’s Aaron Brooks (Seattle, WA) and Luke Ridnour (Blaine, WA) are NBA guards who have both been starters in the league. Tajuan Porter hails from Michigan but is another in the group of successful Kent-guards from Eugene, currently playing in the NBA’s D-League.
Grooming Pac-12 stars at the position is what Kent does and he is in need of just such a player in Pullman. While it’s never easy to land a kid of Rorie’s talent at WSU, the situation lends itself to severe consideration and it’s not as if there isn’t WA talent already on the roster. DaVonte Lacy is a Tacoma native and a bonafide Pac-12 star. Location, playing time and an immediate need to compete on a winning basketball team are logical precedents in this case. Kent also replaces Montgomery as the Dean of the conference and remains a tireless academic advocate, which may or may not have any effect as an odd recruiting point as far as parents are concerned.
Bottom line, Kent needs a point guard, Rorie needs a home and they seem like the perfect match here at Washington State. I can see no reason why the WSU coaching staff wouldn’t make a move on the young point guard very soon.