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Washington State looks to overcome the lack of a true point guard

DaVonte Lacy, Nick Johnson

Washington State guard DaVonte Lacy (3) drives the baseline against Arizona guard Nick Johnson (13) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012, in Pullman, Wash. (AP Photo/Dean Hare)

AP

When the decision was made to dismiss senior point guard Reggie Moore from the program, Washington State head coach Ken Bone had an important question to answer.

Who will run the point for the Cougars?

For a team that didn’t have a true point guard besides Moore on the roster, and their overall lack of experience, this is a tough spot for Washington State to find itself in.

The answer won’t be a conventional one, as two players more comfortable working off the ball will be asked to handle the duties, with one of their main responsibilities being to get the ball to senior forward and reigning Pac-12 scoring champion Brock Motum.

DaVonté Lacy, who averaged 8.5 points per game last season, and 6-3 Kansas transfer Royce Woolridge are the two players Bone expects to go with when the Cougars open regular season play against Eastern Washington next Saturday.

“Royce is one of those kids that has good quickness, he can shoot the ball, and he’s a very good on ball defender, great quickness, and I think he’s really going to help us out in that area,” said Bone on Thursday.

“But also DaVonté Lacy, who started last year midway through the year on after Faisal Aden went down with a knee injury, DaVonté has a chance to step in and sometimes help bring the ball up.”

The Cougars will also call on Mike Ladd, who missed 11 games last season due to a thumb injury and a concussion.

But regardless of who initiates offensively for Washington State, it’s clear that Motum will be the focal point offensively and the focus of every opponent they face.

Motum averaged 18.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last season, shooting 55.4% from the field and 39.7% from beyond the arc.

Per statsheet.com’s numbers Motum’s possession percentage (28.9%) ranked third in the conference, and with the many questions surrounding this team that number could rise in 2012-13.

But the goal for the Australian is a simple one: help the Cougars improve on their 19-win season in 2011-12, and if that means scoring more so be it.

“I think if I can score more than last year and that helps us win more games, then I’ll do that. By any means,” said Motum. “But it’s not more on a personal note; it’s more a team focus. As long as we win more games, I’ll be happy.”

Given Washington State’s question mark at the point, that may be a task easier said than done.

Quotes courtesy of ASAP Sports

Raphielle is also the assistant editor at CollegeHoops.net and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.