HOOPS: Cougs sign fourth member of class

THE COUGS SIGNED their fourth member of the 2012-13 basketball class on Thursday, with 6-10 center Richard Peters out of Phoenix officially becoming a member of Ken Bone's recruiting class.

Richard Peters (6-10, 250, C, Phoenix/Westwind Prep International) joins Brett Boese, Demarquise Johnson and Richard Longrus, who each signed an NLI Wednesday on the first day of the early signing period (see CF.C story).

Peters will bring to WSU a physical presence to the middle and is adept at finishing with either hand.

“Richard is the big body, 6-10 and 260 pounds, that we were hoping to be able to add to our program,” Bone said. “He plays with a lot of energy on the floor, and with that passion for the game he has a chance to be a very good player.”

Scout.com’s database shows offers for Peterson from %%MATCH_10%%, %%MATCH_7%%, %%MATCH_9%%, Steon Hall, %%MATCH_5%% and %%MATCH_6%%, though Peters said the UW offer was later put on the back burner.

Peters played one year at Westwind Prep International after attending Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. As a sophomore at Brewster Academy he averaged 10.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks. Originally from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Peters competed on the Under-17 Canadian National team in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Under-17 World Championships at Hamburg, Germany where the team earned a third-place finish during the summer following his sophomore year at Brewster Academy.

The Cougars open the season Monday, Nov. 14 at %%MATCH_8%% at 9 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPN and kicks off ESPN’s 2011 College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon.