In the tradition of Cougars representing their countries, former Washington State basketball standout Aron Baynes recently competed for Australia at the 2010 World Championship in Turkey. Baynes was one of 12 members of the Boomers' squad, which finished third in Group A (Kayseri) and went 3-3 before falling to Slovenia in the Eight Finals. Baynes played in four of the team's six games, scoring a tournament-high four points against Angola (Sept. 5) in five minutes of action. He averaged 1.5 points and 1.2 rebounds a game, converting his only 3-point attempt.
Baynes was a member of the Washington State basketball program from 2005-09. He remains 23rd on the school's all-time scoring list as he put up 1,064 points in his career. He averaged 8.7 points and 5.4 rebounds in his four years in Pullman, and ranks eighth in Cougar history for career field goal percentage after shooting at a .546 (394-for-722) clip. His best season came as a senior when he averaged 12.7 points and 7.4 boards, leading the Cougs to their third-consecutive postseason tournament.
A former Cougar who served a shorter term at Washington State, Thomas Abercrombie, also represented his country at the World Championships, playing for New Zealand. Abercrombie finished averaging 12.7 points (29th overall) and 6.8 rebounds a game, while shooting .553 from the field. The Tall Blacks, as they're referred to as, finished third in Group D (Ismir) and 3-3 overall, falling to Russia (Sept. 6) in the Eighth Finals
Abercrombie was a member of the WSU basketball squad from 2006-08. He redshirted his first season (2006-07) and averaged 1.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 12 games during the 2007-08 'Sweet 16' campaign.
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