Washington State lands signature from junior college, ex-Montana State point guard Isaac Bonton

PULLMAN – A third letter of intent has rolled in for Kyle Smith and the Washington State basketball program.

After signing Colorado State grad transfer Deion James last week and O’Dea High product Noah Williams on Tuesday, Smith inked Casper College (Wyoming) transfer Isaac Bonton Wednesday afternoon, WSU announced in a press release.

Bonton, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound point guard from Portland who played briefly at Montana State before going the junior college route, signs nearly a week after orally committing to Smith and the Cougars.

“Isaac is an important addition to the program on many levels,” Smith said. “He is an accomplished junior college player who was named Region 9 Co-Player of the Year. He led his team to a 32-3 record and won the Region IX Championship, reaching the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan. He is from the Northwest, a native of Portland, which enhances our footprint in the area.”

Bonton will have two seasons of eligibility in Pullman and could fill an important position on Smith’s rosters, with the loss of two guards from the 2018-19 team, senior Viont’e Daniels and outgoing transfer Ahmed Ali.

In his lone season at Casper College, Bonton made 31 starts and averaged a team-best 21.4 points per game to go with 5.6 qassists. He also had 5.5 rebounds per game and 1.8 steals, earning NJCAA Second Team All-American honors.

With Bonton running the point, the Thunderbirds went 32-3 overall and won the Region IX Championship before eventually falling to Cleveland State Community College in the NJCAA National Tournament.

The Parkrose High graduate was an all-state player in Oregon as a sophomore and junior before missing time as a seinor becaus of an injury. Bonton initially signed with Montana State and played 11 games for the Bobcats before transferring. He averaged 7.8 points and 1.4 assists during his time in Bozeman.