Ferris star expects to play for Cougs

DeAngelo Casto, the Class 4A player of the year in boys' basketball, said he expects to play for Washington State next season.

"WSU is pretty much where I think I'm going to end up," Casto said in a telephone interview late Tuesday night from Phoenix, where he is vacationing during spring break.

In addition to WSU, Casto said he remains in contact with Washington, Gonzaga and Eastern Washington. He also hopes to hear from Georgetown, since the Hoyas recently contacted his AAU coach.

Casto has yet to qualify academically for NCAA Division I, and only Eastern Washington has made a firm scholarship offer. Casto said he would "probably go the prep school route" if he doesn't qualify academically for Division I or if Eastern Washington is his best offer.

No scholarships are known to be available at WSU for next season. However, the career of freshman guard Stephen Sauls appears to be in doubt because of problems stemming from a concussion suffered in practice this season. Sauls wound up dropping out of school and moving back home to Texas.

"They (WSU coaches) told me they want me," Casto said.

Casto may be eligible for free schooling, since he could meet federal standards for homeless students. He has not lived with his adoptive parents most of the past two seasons.

Spokane's Ferris Saxons went 58-0 in two years after Casto transferred from Freeman High outside Spokane. The 6-foot-8 Casto missed the start of his senior year after briefly transferring to Seattle prep power Franklin in the fall, then averaged 14.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.6 blocked shots for the Saxons.

Casto, who said he came "close" to a satisfactory SAT score the first time he tested, said he will take the SAT again April 12. He also must graduate with a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 to be eligible for Division I.