From the gridiron, we move to the hardwood where Men's Basketball Head Coach Ken Bone's recruiting efforts have me smiling from ear to ear. The Cougs picked up two more verbal commitments during the last week, and the caliber of players for the 2012 recruiting class is downright nasty.

Early last week, the Cougs picked up a verbal from small forward Richard Longrus of California. Longrus is a defensive-minded player from Oakland but can still provide the Cougars with a scoring option. The 6-foot-6, 210-pounder was heavily recruited on the west coast and held offers from WSU, Stanford, Colorado and Utah, according to scout.com. Rivals.com reported that Longrus also held an offer from UCLA.

Longrus is a big-time pick-up for Bone and his staff because of the defensive presence he brings to the court.

After this season, defensive stud Marcus Capers will be lost to graduation, so Longrus could potentially fill the void during his freshman season and also provide the Cougs with another scoring option. Longrus' jumpshot needs some work, but he has plenty of time to work on it before college and during his time in Pullman.

The latest commitment came during the weekend and, trust me Coug fans, this verbal is one for the ages. Mr. Arizona, Demarquise "Que" Johnson, joined his teammate Richard Peters and decided to go Crimson. Que is easily the Cougars'biggest commitment of the class and has the possibility of being the next Klay Thompson in Pullman. Maybe better.

Que has been heavily recruited since he was a sophomore in high school and held a plethora of offers for some time. Que's offers included Arizona State, Colorado, Gonzaga, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon State, Virginia, Washington and many others.

Que said his final decision came between the Cougs and cross-state rival Washington, but in an interview with scout.com, he said it was his relationship with the coaching staff that ultimately made him feel that Wazzu would be the best fit for him during the next four years.

"It was the coaching staff, the style of play, atmosphere and there are no distractions there," Que told scout.com. "I really liked Washington State. Hopefully, I can develop to be an NBA player there. That's the goal."

He also said he has become very close with assistant coaches Ben Johnson and Curtis Allen. Kudos to both assistants along with fellow assistant Jeff Hironaka. All three coaches have been monumental in the recruiting process and have maintained great relationships with these young men that have ultimately led for them to give the Cougars their verbal pledge.

The Cougs now have four known verbal commitments for the class of 2012. Longrus and Que join Spokane's Brett Boese and Que's teammate Richard Peters. This class rivals the 2008 class that included Klay Thompson, DeAngelo Casto and Marcus Capers as the best class on paper the Cougars have had in the last 10 years. Que said he believes the team can flourish during the next few years, and the class of 2012 will be ready to make noise as soon as they arrive to Pullman.

"Richard Longrus is a defender, rebounder type," Que told scout.com. "Richard Peters is good on the glass, too. Brett is a really good shooter. Together, we have a pretty good class."