The Washington Huskies, Washington St. Cougars and Gonzaga Bulldogs all were vying to land the verbal of one DeMarquise Johnson, a shooting guard from Pontiac, Michigan. Johnson had them all in his top three, and finally ended up committing to WSU basketball a few weeks ago. Percy Allen of the Seattle Times has more on this commitment.
Johnson made up his mind Friday night and announced this morning he's going to sign with Washington State.
"It's somewhere that I can play right away," he said during a telephone conversation. "I can get recognized. And it's a good fit for me."
Here's a look at some of his video highlights, and you get a sense of his potential athleticism at the wing position.
Demarquise "Que" Johnson Highlights - HardwoodElite.com (via HardwoodEliteDotCom)
Verballing to the Cougars probably makes the most sense for Johnson, who could become a feature guard in Ken Bone's offense similar to the way Klay Thompson was utilized the last few seasons. In Lorenzo Romar's system he probably would've had to wait his turn, and could've risked spending most of his seasons buried on the depth chart. In Washington State Johnson has the best chance to break out in a top Division I basketball program.
For more discussion on Johnson, best to check out CougCenter for all your WSU basketball needs.