Demarquise Johnson, the Rivals No. 16 small forward in the Class of 2012 out of Phoenix (Az.) Westwind Prep, committed to Washington State on Saturday.

“I liked the style of play,” the 6-foot-5, 198-pound Johnson, who visited the campus in early September, said by phone. “I like coach [Ken] Bone. I like the campus. I like the fans. They were all crazy. They were wild.

“I like where it’s located. There’s not any distractions for me so I can focus on basketball and school.”

Chris Thomas, the No. 4 player in the Class of 2013 according to Rivals, is currently on an unofficial visit to Arizona.

And if trends continue, Thomas could be playing his college ball there, too.

Thomas holds offers from a Who’s Who of elite programs, including Kansas, Kentucky, UConn, Memphis and Arizona, but Westwind Prep coach Gary Trousdale said Arizona is currently working the hardest. (more…)

Kiwi Gardner, a 5-foot-7 senior point guard from Westwind (Az.) Prep, is the first commit of the Ed Cooley Era at Providence.

“Kiwi is an electrifying point guard who will bring instant excitement to the Friars program,” Westwind coach Gary Trousdale said by text. “Great addition and great for the Westwind program. Our first player in the Big East.”

Gardner, whose chose the Friars over UCF and Murray State, averaged 23.7 points, 7.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds a game. He dropped a career-high 40 points against JUCO champion College of Southern Idaho. (more…)

Chris Thomas will enroll at Phoenix (Az.) Westwind Prep Academy Wednesday, according to head coach Gary Trousdale.

Thomas, a Denver native, is a 6-foot-5 point guard ranked No. 3 in the Class of 2013 by ESPN.com and No. 4 by Rivals.

“We’re extremely excited to have Chris join our basketball family and look forward to him taking Westwind Prep to even bigger and better things in the future,” Trousdale said by phone. (more…)

Gary Trousdale had one goal in mind when he took over Phoenix (Az.) Westwind Prep Academy four years ago. He wanted to turn the struggling program into a national basketball powerhouse.

“The idea was we want to build Oak Hill West,” Trousdale, a former college coach, said in a phone interview.

Trousdale went so far as to spend a week visiting Oak Hill, the Mouth of Wilson, Va., school that has produced 26 McDonald’s All-Americans and perennially challenges for the No. 1 national ranking under head coach Steve Smith.

“Our goal has been to develop and build the best basketball program in the country,” Trousdale said. “It’s Year 4 and we’re headed in the right direction.”

Click here to read the full story at SBNation.com.

(Photo courtesy Richard Obert/ Arizona Republic)

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