Two came from Colorado. One came from Santa Barbara, Calif. by way of Tulane University. One came all the way from Australia, and another walked-on.

All will leave after the school year is over, making room for a new crop of basketball players at WSU.

Five seniors – Caleb Forrest, Daven Harmeling, Taylor Rochestie, Aron Baynes and Ryan Bailey – will suit up one last time as Washington State Cougars at home Saturday afternoon before WSU battles Arizona State.

They came to a program that hadn’t had a winning record since the 1995-96 season. They will leave having played in two NCAA Tournaments, so far – including one Sweet 16.

“I think their contributions to this program and their part of bringing life and excitement back to basketball at Washington State University is very significant,” Head Coach Tony Bennett said. “The amount of games they’ve won, the way they’ve represented our program on and off the court, how well they’ve done in the classroom academically, just what they stand for. To me, they represent what’s good about college basketball.” Forrest came to WSU from Pagosa Springs, Colo. He played one season under Dick Bennett before the younger Bennett took over. That seems so long ago, and Forrest knows the reality of ending his home career will hit very soon.

“Being the last time we’ll play here, it hasn’t quite hit me yet,” he said. “It probably will Saturday around (noon).” Four years is plenty of time to make good memories, and Forrest rattled off a number of moments before settling on his best memory of his time at WSU.

“Last year, the win against Notre Dame was huge because that meant we’d go to the Sweet 16, which is something that we’d dreamed about,” Forrest said. “That would probably be my biggest highlight. Plus that was in Denver near where I’m from, so I had a lot of family and friends there to share it with me.” Harmeling – from Grand Junction, Colo. – has the most experience of the group of seniors.

Harmeling came to Pullman along with last year’s seniors Kyle Weaver, Derrick Low and Robbie Cowgill. A shoulder injury in the first game of his sophomore season kept him on the bench for a year, giving him a medical redshirt season.

Harmeling returned for the 2006-07 season, averaging 8.9 points a game and helping WSU to its first NCAA Tournament in 13 seasons.

Rochestie, another redshirt senior, has had his travels from Tulane University to WSU detailed numerous times. Rochestie came to WSU in January 2006 and watched during the second semester as he sat out due to NCAA transfer rules.

Since the beginning of the 2006-07 season, Rochestie’s numbers have increased in just about every category.

Rochestie played alongside guards Weaver and Low the last two seasons and is leading in points this season as WSU’s Energizer Bunny. At one point this season, Rochestie averaged 40.5 minutes per Pac-10 game. This number is especially impressive when you consider there are only 40 minutes in a regulation game.

Baynes – who “didn’t know what Pullman was or where it was” until he arrived on campus as a freshman – lumped all of his memories of his career into one big picture.

“I’ve just enjoyed my time here as a whole,” he said. “It’s been great, and hopefully we can finish on a high note.” The 6-foot-10 center has been playing in front of his parents for the past few weeks and admits he’s a changed person because of his time at WSU.

“I’ve matured a lot, and hopefully I’ve got a little bit better on the defensive end because that’s what we pride ourselves on,” Baynes said. “I think I’ve grown in all aspects on and off the court.” Ryan Bailey will also be recognized Saturday. Bailey is a walk-on who is primarily used as a practice player but has seen some minutes on the court.

“They’re a big part of those banners that are hanging up there, which is something that is rarified air in Cougar basketball history,” Bennett said, as he pointed to the banners hanging in Beasley Coliseum recognizing WSU’s NCAA Tournament teams.

“I’ll just miss the young men they’ve become and how much it mattered,” Bennett said. “That’s probably the biggest thing – how much they truly cared and invested in the betterment of the team. It really mattered, and they bought in from the moment they stepped on campus.” Bennett also hopes to see a good student turnout for Saturday’s game.

“Our ZZU CRU has been awesome this year and I love that they come,” he said. “Regardless of our win-loss record, just that our seniors have really helped just bring excitement back to basketball. They provide a lot of fun for this town and this student body. I hope that (the students) come as a way to thank the players — the seniors — and we want a great home-court atmosphere.” Whether it’s getting to two NCAA Tournaments so far, or putting fans in the seats of Beasley Coliseum, Bennett is proud of what these seniors have done for the WSU basketball program.

But even more important than that to Bennett is what these seniors do after they leave WSU.

“I feel really good about this class and the impact they’ll have on their families and with people later on, and that’s really cool,” he said.