News
for CougGroup 12/15/2017
Hello from CougGroup Central
– Appreciate those of you who responded to email from News for
CougGroup about discontinuing News for CougGroup by email but continuing
posting at two Facebook pages and posting at the News for CougGroup blog. Thank
you very much.
Yesterday evening sent another message to everyone on the email
list and that seemed to “go” and not be blocked. So, perhaps the problem is
based on a lot of traffic on the Internet and not Google deeming News for CougGroup
“sends” as being spam?
So, modifying what was planned. News for CougGroup via email will
continue being sent from couggroup@gmail.com. If it goes/is not blocked than
you’ve been fed. If, however, you do not get News for CougGroup via email, you
have the News for CougGroup Facebook page and News for CougGroup blog to get
it.
Thanks again. Go, Cougs!
………………………….
Commentary: WSU's AD search should be viewed via one lens: Kansas
State's
At K-State, WSU president presided over massive investment in
sports facilities and athletic department still had millions in surplus each
year thanks to donor support
By Greg Witter – Cougfan.com
THE LENS THROUGH which you view the world, an old professor once
said, determines what you see. Take a medical problem, for example. A surgeon
will see the solution in a scalpel, a pharmacist through medicine, and a
physical therapist through body-weight exercises.
You get the point. So when it comes to WSU athletics and the search
for a new AD, the lens through which to view the process begins and ends with
WSU President Kirk Schulz.
And his lens is tinted royal purple — as in Kansas State's primary
color.
Here’s what that means:
His expectation for what a land grant school in a Power 5
conference should produce in annual donations to athletics from alumni, fans,
friends and the business community is dramatically higher than where WSU
currently stands.
His expectation is also fueled by an inarguable fact: The state he
left, Kansas, is and has been on its rear end economically, while the state he
has come to, Washington, is booming. In
fact, the GSP for the state of Washington is nearly three times greater than
Kansas'.
And yet here are the comparative facts:
Kansas State raises more than $18 million in annual donations to
athletics.
WSU raises about $6.5 million.
Kansas State’s average annual contribution, per donor to athletics,
is $2,176.
WSU’s average is $833.
That's a difference of more than $1,300 per donation.
The $833 WSU number doesn’t just pale compared to K-State, but to
virtually every Power 5 school in a notably rural locale. Among them:
Iowa State $1,818
Virginia Tech $1,246
Purdue $1,014
And then there are our friends at Oregon State averaging $2,235 per
donor per year — and their state isn’t even close to Washington when it comes
to economic vibrancy.
During Schulz’ seven years at K-State, he presided over a massive
investment in sports facilities and his athletic department still had literally
millions in surplus at the end of each year.
You want to know why Schulz has made proven fundraising skills the
No. 1 criteria in WSU’s search for a new athletic director?
Because he sees the business of major-college athletics through the
lens of a land grant school where donations to athletics create a world
possibilities rather than a chorus of consternation when somebody comes
dangling a bag of cash in front of your football coach who then starts humming
"Good Ol' Rocky Top" in the middle of an L.A. recruiting trip.
Schulz also sees it through the respective economies of the two
locales. The state of Kansas is truly an economic backwater, and the state of
Washington is rocking.
How is it, then, that K-State partisans are supporting their
university’s sports teams to the tune of three-times more than WSU’s?
In short, it doesn’t add up.
Sure, you can look for excuses to explain the disparity. 'There’s
nothing else to do in Kansas besides watch sports. That part of the country
loves college athletics more than this part of the country.'
To me, that’s just low-hanging excuse making -- especially when you
consider the loyalty Cougar fans have for their university, and the fact the
average early career earnings number for recent WSU graduates ($50,900 per
year) is among the best in the West and $2,500 more than K-State's average for
recent grads.
The next WSU athletic director is going to have two primary tasks:
start plowing the untapped, fertile fields right here in the state
of Washington, and make the sky rain crimson dollars.
That is Kirk Schulz’ expectation and every Cougar, no matter how
big or small his or her bank account, should have the same expectation of
themselves and their Cougar friends.
To donate to the CAF, click here:
https://cougarsareyouin.com/2017/
To help finance construction of a new indoor practice facility or
for major gifts, click here:
http://www.cougarathleticfund.com/about/staff-directory/
………..
Ritzville family donates $1 million for cancer research at
WSU
By Rachel Alexander Spokane S-R
UPDATED: Thu., Dec. 14, 2017, 8:52 p.m.
After losing their daughter to cancer, a Ritzville couple
have donated $1 million to Washington State University’s College of Medicine to
support cancer research and establish a professorship.
Willard and Patricia Hennings worked with the Inland
Northwest Community Foundation to make the gift after their daughter, Tamara,
died in 2012.
“I can’t say enough of how grateful we are,” said John Roll,
the college’s director of research.
Tamara Hennings briefly attended WSU before transferring to
George Washington University, according to her obituary. She loved to travel and
met her future husband on a ski vacation in Europe. The couple lived in
Belgium, France and California.
The gift came out of conversations between the Hennings
family and the foundation as the couple planned their estate, said PJ Watters,
the foundation’s director of gift planning.
Through those conversations, a passion for supporting cancer
research emerged. The foundation helped them complete the paperwork and
documents needed to set up the gift.
“We do the legal and financial stuff,” Watters said. “Now
her legacy is going to help people in perpetuity.”
The foundation initially will distribute half the funds to
establish the Tamara A. Hennings Research Professorship. The rest of the fund
will be invested and managed by the foundation to support cancer research.
Roll said specific plans for the funds are still being
finalized and will be announced next spring. The college has a handful of
researchers who are doing work on cancer, looking at, for example, how lung
cancer cells form on a molecular level and how mutations in sections of DNA
called telomeres relate to cancer growth.
“The money will also help our cancer researchers and future
researchers we hope to hire,” Roll said.
Nancy Fike, the college’s senior director of development,
said the donation will include a lab named for Tamara Hennings with a plaque
explaining her story.
“We’re blessed to have donors like this who can help us grow
our research and make a difference like this,” Fike said. “The Cougar Nation is
a very generous nation.
………………..
NFL prospects skipping bowls 'really stupid' Leach says
December is all about multi-tasking for WSU’s bowl-bound coaching
staff
From COUGFANcom
PULLMAN – Cougar players on the verge of NFL dreams might want to
tread lightly around Mike Leach should they think about skipping the bowl game.
It’s becoming a trend for some marquee players to skip the bowl
game out of fear of injury. On Thursday, Oregon running back Royce Freeman
opted to pass on playing for the Ducks in the Las Vegas Bowl. More players are
expected to make decisions regarding their bowl status in the next 10 days.
Leach makes no bones about what he thinks about NFL prospects who
sit out bowl games.
“It’s really stupid. Any of these players who skip a bowl owe their
team something. It’s very selfish. ...they act like they might get injured, you
might always get injured,” Leach said.
Leach says he’s never had that problem during his career with the
issue, so don’t expect Luke Falk and Cody O’Connell to skip out on the fun in
San Diego.
December for a bowl-bound coach is the busiest time of the year,
Leach believes. The combination of finals weeks, recruiting, the new signing
day, travel and more makes for a hectic month.
Leach explained his thought process around finals, mixing practice
and team activities while also allowing enough time for players to prepare for
school work.
“If you have an early bowl then you have to try to finesse practice
in there, which is very difficult. And it’s difficult to hold people’s
attention like you would like. The
better way is to just give finals week off -- which we did,” said Leach.
Once finals end this Friday, the Cougars head into what Leach
calls, midnight madness, a unique practice style in the early hours of the
morning. Leach says there’s always pretty good energy among the group of
players for it.
///////////////////////////
Mele hopes big wins equal a little beach time
From COUGFAN.com
PULLMAN – With the early signing period and the Holiday Bowl on the
schedule the next two weeks, Eric Mele has a dream scenario.
“Be nice to get a win the Holiday Bowl, then kick back on the beach
for a little bit, then go out and prospect for next year’s class,” the Cougars’
special teams coach said.
It’s a new world for college football coaches, particularly those
juggling the early signing period that starts Dec. 20 and a team headed for a
bowl game. What isn’t so taxing, Mele says, is answering questions from
recruits about rumors regarding the possibility of coaches leaving for other
jobs.
Mele, one of the staff’s prominent recruiters, says the “outside
noise” isn’t something they can control and it’s not worth worrying about when
recruits ask.
“You’re going to keep on hearing all this kind of stuff but we
can’t control any of that... you guys can come up with a lot of stories and
questions, nothing really means anything, we’re just worried about the right
here right now,” Mele said.
“Focus what you can control which is right now. Do the best job you
can with what you’re doing... the recruiting trails been good, and the bowl
prep so far has been great,” said Mele.
……………
WSU football defensive coordinator Alex Grinch considering
leaving WSU, Huard says
By DYLAN GREENE, Evergreen sports editor December 13, 2017
ESPN analyst Brock Huard said on 710 ESPN Seattle this
morning that defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is considering multiple job
offers, including from two schools in the Southeastern Conference.
Huard also said he would be surprised if Grinch stayed at WSU.
The two SEC schools are Texas A&M University and
University of Arkansas. Both schools recently filled their head coach
vacancies.
Although, FootballScoop reports that Grinch was never
offered the Aggies defensive coordinator position.
Grinch has spent the past three seasons as the Cougars DC.
WSU’s defense is ranked No. 15 nationally in total defense and leads the Pac-12
in turnovers forced with 27.
Prior to arriving in Pullman, Grinch spent three seasons as
the safeties coach at University of Missouri, a team in the SEC, under the
leadership of former Tigers Head Coach Gary Pinkel. Missouri went 23-5 and
captured two SEC East Division titles during his time there.
Huard played quarterback at University of Washington from
1995-1998 and multiple seasons in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and
Indianapolis Colts.
……………..
WSU 2017 fall semester in review: eight memorable stories
By JENNIFER FORSMANN and IAN SMAY, Evergreen, Dec 11th, 2017
Performing Arts, spending cut to eliminate deficit
After WSU overspent its budget by roughly $30 million for
several years, WSU President Kirk Schulz proposed a plan to eliminate the
university’s deficit by cutting each unit’s budget 2.5 percent.
The plans include cutting some programs and employees funded
through reserves. This led to the Performing Arts program being cut and
elimination of temporary retention counselor positions in the Office of
Multicultural Student Services. Amid outrage over the cuts, Student Affairs has
found funding to cover retention counselor jobs.
Schulz justified cutting Performing Arts because the program
has spent $1.6 million of the university’s reserves since 2011 and has never
had permanent funding.
The College of Arts and Sciences will reduce spending by
$1.2 million in fiscal year 2018. The College of Agricultural, Human and
Natural Resource Sciences will reduce its spending by about $920,000. The
Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture will also reduce some research
and teaching assistant stipends.
Other departments and colleges are focusing on reducing
travel expenses and nonessential operations, and all will keep vacant positions
open unless filling them is critical.
CAHNRS college’s ‘culture of retaliation’
Robert Wielgus, a WSU wolf researcher, filed an ethics
complaint against the university earlier this year, saying WSU violated his
academic freedom and suppressed his research.
The conflict arose when Wielgus publicly criticized a
rancher for not doing enough to avoid conflicts between his cattle and wolves.
WSU disavowed Wielgus’ statements, saying they were inaccurate and
inappropriate.
The university launched an investigation into Wielgus’
conduct, though he was later cleared of wrongdoing.
A public employee advocacy group later filed ethics
complaints against Rep. Joel Kretz on behalf of Wielgus, saying that he
threatened to withhold WSU funding if the university did not silence Wielgus.
Numerous other researchers in the College of Agricultural,
Human and Natural Resource Sciences have since come forward, describing a
culture of retaliation in the college and saying administrators have used
annual performance evaluations to undermine academic freedom, and sometimes
force faculty to leave the university.
WSU, community leaders travel to American Samoa
University officials traveled to American Samoa in August in
an attempt to connect with marginalized student populations.
Though the university denied a correlation, the trip
followed a contentious year for WSU’s relationship with Pacific Islander
students. Several groups accused the university and local police of targeting
football players from that region.
WSU President Kirk Schulz, former WSU football player Jack
Thompson, Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins and Vice President of Student
Affairs Mary Jo Gonzales visited Samoa on Aug. 23 for five days.
For Schulz alone, the trip cost about $6,500. Vice President
of Marketing and Communication Phil Weiler said the WSU Foundation, not tuition
and tax revenues, fund trips like this.
Many students say they have yet to feel any changes from the
trip, and that it has not impacted campus culture.
College Republicans criticized after former pres. attends
rally
After former WSU College Republicans President James Allsup
attended the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, free speech
and campus climate concerns again rose to the forefront at WSU.
Many called for Allsup to be expelled from the university.
WSU President Kirk Schulz condemned Nazism and racism, but did not mention
Allsup in a series of tweets and a letter to campus after the rally occurred.
Allsup resigned from his position as club president and
president of the state group as well. Nick Gervasini, a junior at Gonzaga
University, replaced Allsup as leader of the Washington College Republicans
Federation, and Amir Rezamand replaced him as the WSU club’s president.
After Allsup resigned, members of the Washington Legislature
sent a letter to Schulz requesting the university revoke the club’s status after
Allsup’s attendance at the “Unite the Right” rally.
Despite requests to do so, the university has not revoked
the College Republicans’ status as a Registered Student Organization.
Most recently, the club attempted to re-elect Allsup as
chapter president. The chapter adviser and WSU Student Involvement later voided
it due to RSO rules. Allsup would not be able to hold the position, as this was
his final semester at WSU.
ASWSU petitions changes to Athletics’ recruitment policy
ASWSU President Jordan Frost sent a letter earlier this
semester to WSU President Kirk Schulz and former Athletic Director Bill Moos,
urging policy changes regarding the recruitment of athletes with a history of
sexual violence.
Specifically, the letter referred to those who have pleaded
guilty to or been convicted of dating violence, domestic violence, stalking,
sexual harassment, rape or sexual assault.
Frost has said he believes sexual assault occurs across all
demographics and isn’t necessarily a large problem in WSU Athletics currently.
However, he said this policy change can be an opportunity for WSU to prevent
future assaults, and to take a leadership role in creating safer campuses
across the nation.
After a meeting with several administrators, including Vice
President of Student Affairs Mary Jo Gonzales, Deputy Director of Athletics
Anne McCoy and Executive Director for Compliance Kimberly Anderson, Frost said
he found they were generally unsupportive of the change.
Frost said he has since had follow-up meetings with Schulz, and
the policy is still in progress. He said the proposal will go to the Athletics
Council in January for feedback and vetting.
Resident Adviser charged for multiple bomb threats
Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy charged a former WSU
resident adviser for multiple bomb threats.
Police arrested then 18-year-old Jose Tecuatl in connection
with the bomb threats against multiple buildings on campus, including Stimson
Hall, where he was a resident adviser. Swastikas accompanied one of the bomb
threats, although it is unclear if Tecuatl drew the symbols.
He posted $5,000 bail after being charged with three counts
of felony harassment to kill and three counts of threatening to bomb or injure
property.
A Whitman County judge set a suppression of evidence hearing
at 10 a.m. Jan. 10 in Whitman County Superior Court, a Whitman County Clerk’s
Office spokesperson said.
Students stage Sit-In
More than 200 students gathered in the French Administration
Building on Aug. 25, demanding that WSU administrative leaders take action to
improve the campus climate for minority students.
The group made five demands: a policy defining free speech
versus hate speech; required cultural competency training similar to Green Dot;
retention of the Critical Culture, Gender and Race Studies, along with resource
centers; more staff and faculty of color; and more gender-inclusive bathrooms
and free menstrual products.
Two weeks after the sit-in, President Kirk Schulz and other
university leaders met with students to discuss the demands. In the meeting,
Schulz and students addressed each demand and began working out a plan to
satisfy them.
In an October ASWSU meeting, students discussed making
cultural competency training mandatory for all incoming students. If pursued,
funds for the program would come from the fees new students pay for Alive!
sessions.
Groups are now being created to address the sit-in demands,
as well as other campus climate issues, going into next year.
Shooting near campus marks last night of Halloween weekend
Shots rang out on Duncan Lane near a house party early on a
Sunday morning in late October.
The bullets hit two males, one aged 19 and the other 17,
after the assailant allegedly shot from inside of a car attempting to leave the
party. Both King County men left the hospital in the following days. The
shooting occurred less than a block away from the Northside region of campus,
causing WSU to send out emergency alerts.
Police closed the investigation and marked the case as
inactive in early December, Pullman Police Cmdr. Chris Tennant said.
“Basically, we were unable to develop enough leads and
probable cause to bring charges against anybody,” he said.
Pullman Police worked with officials from the west side of
the state to investigate the possibility of gang violence playing a role in the
shooting. Tennant said the case would be reactivated if anything develops.
…………
Pay cut petition delivered to Schulz
Demand for highest-paying administrators to take a salary
cut bears 1,000 signatures
By FORREST HOLT, Evergreen news editor
December 14, 2017
More than 1,000 people have signed a petition asking WSU’s
administrators with six figure salaries to take a pay cut in response to its
spending reduction plan intended to curb the university’s $30 million deficit.
The petition, authored by three English professors in late
November, was officially announced in a press release Wednesday night.
“We call for WSU’s administration to commit to the kind of
fiscal accountability and transparency appropriate to a publicly-funded land
grant institution,” the petition read.
The administration’s spending cut plan has become a
flashpoint within the university since WSU President Kirk Schulz outlined a
deficit reduction plan in October that would put WSU’s spending back on track
in three fiscal years, if faithfully executed.
Schulz’s plan included eliminating the Performing Arts
program, a directive that all units keep vacant positions open and
across-the-board spending cuts of 2.5 percent.
Phil Weiler, WSU’s vice president for marketing and
communication, has said the administration would not take the proposed pay
cuts, but will be forgoing scheduled 1 percent pay raises to save costs.
This story has been updated from its original version.
………………
Ferdinand’s runs out of cheese sooner than expected
The famous creamery sells out on a yearly schedule, but did
so earlier than anticipated this year
By DEENA MIGLIAZZO, Evergreen reporter December 13, 2017
Ferdinand’s famous Cougar Gold, Sweet Basil and Natural
Cheddar have once again sold out during the holiday season.
It is normal for the Cougar Gold Cheese to sell out near
December, WSU Creamery Manager John Haugen said, because the cheese is produced
and sold on a year-to-year schedule.
“We produce cheese all year along, but it ages for one
year,” Haugen said.
Cheese that was on the shelves this year was produced in
2016, he said.
“We ran out of Cougar Gold Cheese on Nov. 29, which is a lot
earlier than we wanted to,” Haugen said.
At the beginning of each year, management at the creamery
analyzes the previous year’s sales to calculate and predict an adequate amount
of cheese to be to produced.
The creamery is currently producing eight different flavors
of cheese. These flavors include Cougar Gold, Sweet Basil, Natural Cheddar,
Smokey Cheddar, Natural Viking, Dill Garlic, Hot Pepper and Crimson Fire.
The demand for WSU cheese is increasing and the creamery
isn’t capable of producing the targeted amount. The creamery is currently
looking into a solution to be able to meet the demand, Haugen said.
One of the challenges is that a quarter of the sales are
in-store, he said, and the rest is sold online. This leaves Ferdinand’s with
only a portion of the cheese it produces.
Cougar Gold, Sweet Basil and Natural Cheddar will be back on
shelves in mid-January, according to the creamery’s website.
Ferdinand’s products are still available at local grocery
outlets.
……………
Photo cutline (no story) from Moscow Pullman Daily News
online 12/15/2017
Work continues on Walmart retaining walls
Workers bore through a retaining wall to install soil
anchors outside Walmart on Thursday at the intersection of Bishop Boulevard and
Harvest Drive in Pullman. Once the soil anchors are installed, the retaining
walls will be enclosed in rebar cages and sprayed with shotcrete. The completion
date of the project depends on the weather.
...................
=Below is provided only the pick for Holiday Bowl. Note that
the AP (Associated Press) writer picks Spartans over Cougs :( =
COLLEGE BOWL PICKS: Reasons to watch all 39 bowl games
By RALPH D. RUSSO Of the Associated Press Dec 15, 2017
Holiday Bowl at San Diego
Washington State (minus 2) vs. Michigan State, 6 p.m. (FS1)
Why watch? You might get relationship advice from Cougars
coach Mike Leach.
Pick: MICHIGAN STATE 24-21.
...............
WSU Cougars Athletics
The WSU athletic director search is taking a while and
that’s just fine
By Schulz’s estimate, it will take WSU more than three
months from beginning to end to hire their next permanent athletic director.
That’s how it should be.
By Michael Presto Coug Center Dec 14, 2017, 7:11pm PST
By the time Saturday, October 14th rolled around, the worst
of the college football weekend was already over for the Washington State
Cougars. Fresh off their shellacking at the hands of the Cal Golden Bears in
Berkeley, the Cougs and their fans could at least take solace in a stress free
Saturday and Sunday for the first time since Labor Day.
So much for that.
Bill Moos’ departure caught everyone off-guard, even his
boss, WSU President Kirk Schulz, who said at a press conference a few days
later that he had no idea was coming down the pipe. That’s standard operating
procedure when you’re looking for another job to be sure but it still sent
shivers down the collective spines of the fanbase. After all, Moos had done a
lot of good for his alma mater and the prospect of not having your much loved
football coach’s favorite boss around anymore is ... scary.
Plenty of fans directed their ire at Schulz in the minutes,
hours and days after Moos’ departure. I wasn’t terribly happy at first either,
but later came to the conclusion that maybe this is what was best for everyone
involved. Brian Floyd’s piece the following day sums it up excellently; Schulz
walked into a situation budget-wise where he wasn’t going to make a lot of
friends.
Schulz said at his presser they (meaning he and his search
committee of coaches, administrators, and boosters) expected to have the new
athletic director hired by February 1st. We all knew, from the outset, that
this was going to take a while; we even knew we wouldn’t be hearing much, if
anything, about it.
What we all worried about though was the aforementioned
football coach deciding the grass was greener somewhere else and bolting with
no permanent athletic director in place. Asking John Johnson to make a decision
on the head coach of your most important program while he serves in the role
temporarily is patently unfair. It’s not his job to do that. It’s his job to
hold the fort down until a new person gets on the payroll.
Timing wise then, Moos’ departure was, to be sure, about as
unideal as it gets. Mike Leach had lost his greatest champion in the athletic
department and there were sure to be openings that looked appealing to him in
the offseason. One did, in fact, look plenty appealing but thanks to some
hilariously incompetent work on the part of John Currie, Leach is still in
Pullman.
All this has contributed to what seems to be an awful lot
impatience on the part of some Cougar fans that the permanent hire for athletic
director hasn’t been made yet. After all, WSU, by the hair on its
chinny-chin-chin, stepped off the coaching carousel riding the same horse they
started the ride on.
Here’s the thing though: it’s fine that the search is taking
this long and it probably should.
I don’t have to tell you that Washington State University is
unique in a lot of ways. The one you and I are most familiar with, at least on
the surface, is the athletic department. A ton of money going out and a
comparative trickle coming in ranks at the top of a long list of challenges for
anyone tasked with running the department. To call it a difficult job would be
understating it a bit.
But just from a “job responsibility” perspective, an
athletic director is probably the second most important hire you can make at a
university in a Power Five conference short of the school’s president or
chancellor. They’re the administrator for the university’s most visible
department and, as such, you want to make sure whoever you find is just right
for the job. Swinging and missing on such an important hire isn’t just as
simple as stepping back into the batter’s box, especially at Washington State.
As Brian outlined in his piece, the budget issues with the
athletic department were probably more serious than the fanbase really knew
prior to the death of Dr. Elson Floyd and Bill Moos’ departure. A ton of money
was spent without a way to pay off the proverbial credit card. Now, to be sure,
Washington State needed to spend the money to attract a coach like Mike Leach
and the excellent recruiting class he has lined up. But the piper is calling
and, with over $140 million in debt service on the CFP and FOB, it’s a hefty tab.
With a much smaller check coming from Uncle Larry than we
expected, the new athletic director will need to be a dynamic fundraiser. WSU
and the Cougar Athletic Fund lags way, way behind in athletics giving in the
Pac-12, even behind Oregon State. Job one for whoever is hired is getting WSU
fans and alums to hand over their credit cards, eyes closed, in a way they’ve
never done before.
It’s no small task. Add in the challenges of marketing
Washington State athletics, retaining coaches (which seems to be coming around
with extensions for Shulenberger, Greeny, and Phipps) and keeping those sports
generally competitive and you can see why it would take a while to find that
person.
Most importantly though is that you don’t rush the hire just
because you think you’re about to lose your football coach. Imagine it: you’ve
now jumped into the pool without looking and the person who has been on the job
for maybe a few weeks, barely enough time to put pictures of their family on
their desk, will now have to make the most important hire any athletic director
makes at a school that’s pinched budget-wise everywhere, not just in athletics.
Yikes.
There will come a day when Mike Leach and Washington State
part ways. Whether he takes another job, whether he’s fired, whether he
retires, whatever the case may be, the day will come. I don’t know if it’s a
year from now or more but one day, Leach will no longer be in Pullman. The
person Washington State hires to be his new boss needs to be an ideal fit for
that time, not now. Is it important for Leach to get along with the athletic
director? Sure. But it’s not the end all, be all of your job requirements.
Schulz told the Seattle Times this week they have excellent
candidates for the job lined up and I’m inclined to believe him. This search
has, clearly, been very deliberate. Schulz himself has only been on the job a
little over 18 months and I’m sure he didn’t want to have to make this hire so
early in his tenure either.
Following Dr. Floyd’s passing, it took WSU’s Board of
Regents nearly nine months to find his replacement. A wait of roughly a third
that time for a hire that’s on the podium of importance at your institution,
uneasiness on your football coach’s part be damned, is perfectly acceptable.
The search for a new athletic director at Washington State
University is, and always was, going to take some time.
I'm not interested in quick, I'm interested in right. You
should be too.
………..
Two WSU coaches extended, Leach next
By DYLAN GREENE, Evergreen sports editor December 15, 2017
Volleyball Head Coach Jen Greeny and Director of Cross
Country/Track and Field Wayne Phipps each agreed to new contracts this week
that extended their stay with WSU through June 2023.
With those two coaches locked up for years to come, WSU
President Kirk Schulz and the athletic department have shift their focus to
Head Coach Mike Leach. Schulz said he met with Leach for over an hour on
Saturday and discussed a new contract with the sixth year head coach.
“I’m not sure when we’ll have an extension finalized,”
Schulz told Cougfan.com. “We’ve had a proposed extension on the table for four
weeks now and we continue to talk with Mike’s agent and the conversations are
collegial.”
Schulz said he kept in contact with Leach when rumors
swirled about his potential departure from WSU. He even offered Leach a raise
and a contract extension prior to his meeting with former University of
Tennessee Athletic Director John Currie but Leach was underwhelmed by the
offer, sources told ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura.
“While I know a lot of fans and others are eager to get that
extension signed and out there, we are just going to remain patient and work
with him,” Schulz told Cougfan.com.
On Thursday, ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg reported that WSU
plans on reducing its football spending which could affect their ability to
match offers from other schools looking to hire their coaches. Schulz disputed
these rumors over Twitter.
“We are committed to putting the financial resources in
place to ensure continued success for [Cougar football] - including enhancing
our salary pool for our coaching staff. The only way we can continue our
positive trend is for Cougs to stop worrying & contribute to [the Cougar
Athletic Fund],” Schulz tweeted.
////////////////////////////
WSU Cougars Football
Alex Grinch rumors starting to swirl
The WSU defensive coordinator’s name is popping up around
desirable vacancies.
By Jeff Nusser Coug Center Dec 14, 2017, 5:55pm PST
Now that the head coaching carousel has slowed considerably
— last we checked, Mike Leach is still the coach of the Washington State
Cougars — it’s time for the assistants to take their turns.
After a season in which the WSU defense surged ahead of the
offense in terms of on-field performance, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is
starting to be mentioned in connection with some higher profile jobs.
CougCenter sources (yes, sometimes we have those) said that
Grinch interviewed this week with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Texas A&M
Aggies and Florida Gators. Radio/TV personality Brock Huard had this to say:
Then ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg said that maybe we should be
looking a little further north for a possible landing spot.
Washington State defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is very
much in demand and could be on the move after the Cougars' bowl game. While
he's been mentioned for SEC openings, Grinch is an Ohio native who may end up
back in the Midwest. It's unlikely WSU, which I've heard is reducing its
football spending, could match some of the offers Grinch will receive.
Now, FootballScoop eventually said, “Sources tell
FootballScoop Texas A&M has their eyes on another person and that Grinch
was never offered Texas A&M defensive coordinator.” It’s possible there’s
some parsing of words taking place here; perhaps Grinch has been offered a
position in College Station, but not defensive coordinator.
Whether such an arrangement would be attractive to Grinch —
get a raise, but take a step back in prestige — is obviously unknown. It would
seem counterproductive if his end goal is to become a head coach, but there’s
an argument to be made that expanding his network at a more high profile
program might land him a bigger fish eventually.
And for what its worth, WSU president Kirk Schulz weighed in
on Rittenberg’s speculation:
Whatever happens, I certainly would hope no move is made
until after Dec. 28, which would allow WSU to get the majority of this class
signed next week and have Grinch coach in the Holiday Bowl.
…………..
This week in WSU hoops: Kent in search of Cougs of old
Fastest Coug on the court is a surprise
By Dylan Haugh – Coufan.com
PULLMAN - Remember that Cougar basketball team that raced
out to a 6-0 start? Ernie Kent says he hasn’t laid his eyes on it in more than
two weeks.
“We won the Wooden Classic and believe it or not I think
they thought they won the NCAA Tournament because they haven’t played
since," said Kent. "They shut
their 'mental' down, and we need to get their mental back."
Mired in a three-game losing streak, Washington State (6-3)
has looked a step late on defense, careless with the ball in late-game
situations and lacking offensive rhythm in the first half. averaging just 32.6
points in the first half this season (and leaving too much second-half heavy
lifting with WSU averaging 77.3 ppg).
Kent said the mental slippage has cost the Cougs dearly over
the last three games where WSU has averaged 14 turnovers per contest and
allowed 82 ppg.
ONE POSITIVE FROM last time out in a 76-69 loss to UTEP,
Kent said, was forward Drick Bernstine (13 pts, 7 reb, 3 assists). Bernstine is 6-foot-8, but he can fly, said
Kent.
“He is the fastest guy believe it or not on the team with
the ball in his hands from Point A to Point B ... He’s so good at getting the ball down the court, and not only getting
to the hole, but finding people. He puts a lot of pressure on you,” Kent said.
Bernstine has the green light to shoot, Kent said, now that
he's got his legs under him. Bernstine
started the season on the injured list but that's now a distant memory. Now, it's about high expectations.
“We need him to get into form that we saw on tape when he
contacted us about coming here," Kent said of the senior. "Here’s a
young man that has a tremendous body ... he’s smart, he’s a great voice on this
team. I think he’s only going to get better and
I think he’s a big key to where we go this year.”
Junior guard Kwinton Hinson recorded his first start of his
WSU career at UTEP. He recorded 10 points, 4 assists and 2 steals -- but he
also committed 4 turnovers and fouled out. Kent said Hinson hasn't quite
figured it out with the move this season to Pac-12 competition from JUCO ball,
but effort and a strong desire to be coached go a long way with Kent..
“He’s not perfect but he tries to do everything you tell him
to do -- that’s the reason you’re starting to see him get more minutes. He’s
going to start to have more success because he’s on the same page as you as a
head coach,” said Kent
THE COUGARS' OPPONENT on Saturday is Indiana University–Purdue
University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Its lost its last four and is 2-6 on the
season but Kent said he’s never put much faith in a team's record. When he
looks at the Jaguars, he sees a balanced inside and outside attack. Saturday's game gets underway at Beasley at 3
pm (Pac-12 Networks).
Kent said the Cougars must play better defense in order to
push the pace on offense. And that in turn will help with rhythm and better
shot selection. When the Cougars aren’t getting stops, Kent said, that allows
opposing defenses to sit and wait for the Cougs.
Kent also took a moment to offer his thoughts on former WSU
Deputy AD Mike Marlow, who after seven years at his alma mater was named the
new AD at Northern Arizona on Wednesday.
“Mike I thought was just as good, if not better, than
everyone in the group,” Kent said. “I’m happy for him, to see him get that
opportunity, and that’s a tremendous tree for Bill Moos to have that quality of
personnel that are in those key positions right now.”
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