By Nina Mandell ForTheWin USA Today
14 Decembre 14, 2017 5:23 pm PST
What started as an awkward
exchange between one broadcaster and Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio about a
recent (failed) auction of Jim Harbaugh’s khakis was saved by Mike Leach being,
well, Mike Leach.
The conversation began with
KUSI’s Brandon Stone asking Dantonio and Leach how much they thought Harbaugh’s
khakis went for at auction.
Dantonio did not want to
answer.
“It’s sort of irrelevant to
this conversation really, so I’ll pass on that one,” he said.
But for Leach, it sparked a
new realm of possibilities when it came to revenue streams.
“I hope he got something for
it because I’ll start wearing khakis. I’ve got a pair on now, but that’s just
ceremonial.”
Is that an effort to be
intimidating?
“I’m just a sharp-dressed
guy. The clothes make the man. I’m trying to be as polished and main-streamed
as a I possibly can.”
(Thanks to the Big Lead for
bringing this to our attention)
.....................
Gov. Inslee's budget
includes money for WSU projects
Lewiston Trib 12/16/2017
PULLMAN - Washington Gov.
Jay Inslee included two small funding requests for Washington State University
in the 2017-19 supplemental budget he unveiled this week.
The first would provide
$1.27 million to the WSU Energy Program to administer a new renewable energy
incentive program that lawmakers approved during the 2017 legislative session.
A second line item would
provide $500,000 to hire a full-time director and staff for the Joint Center
for Deployment and Research in Earth Abundant Materials, an advanced materials
research initiative the Legislature created in 2015. WSU is collaborating with
the University of Washington and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on
the project.
The additional appropriation
also would fund a competitive research grant program for the center, which
focuses on ways to reduce dependence on the rare, difficult-to-obtain materials
that are increasingly important to the modern electronics and energy
industries.
Inslee's plan serves as a
mid-course correction to the state's $43.7 billion general fund budget. Besides
boosting education funding, it includes more money to cover
higher-than-expected Medicaid caseloads, mental health services and
unanticipated wildfire costs.
Lawmakers will consider
Inslee's supplemental budget recommendation after the 2018 session, which
begins Jan. 8.
…………………..
Report: Washington State
defensive coordinator Alex Grinch a candidate for 10th assistant job at Ohio
State
UPDATED: Fri., Dec. 15,
2017, 8:24 p.m.
By Theo Lawson Spokane S-R
PULLMAN – Washington State
defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is a potential candidate to join Urban
Meyer’s staff at Ohio State, FootballScoop reported Friday morning.
Sources told the website
Grinch would not replace an existing staff member, but rather serve as the
Buckeyes’ 10th assistant coach. Starting on Jan. 9, the NCAA is permitting all
FBS programs to add one coaching position to their current staff. Grinch is an
Ohio native who played college football at Division III Mount Union College in
Alliance, Ohio.
The Cougars became one of
the nation’s best defenses in year No. 3 under Grinch, holding opponents to
just 313.6 yards per game – good enough for 15th in the FBS – while ranking
sixth in the nation with 27 turnovers and seventh in tackles-for-loss per game
(8.2).
Therefore, it’s no surprise
WSU’s DC has become a hot commodity since the regular season ended in late
November.
Grinch’s name has also been
tossed around in relation to defensive coordinator openings at Alabama, Texas
A&M, Florida and Arkansas. 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock Huard said on Wednesday
the WSU DC “is weighing multiple job offers” and would be surprised if Grinch
was back in Pullman for the 2018 football season.
Asked if he had any reason
to believe Grinch wouldn’t be with the team for the Dec. 28 Holiday Bowl, or
next season, Cougars coach Mike Leach said “not really.”
“The biggest thing is
anytime you have success, there’s going to be rumors like that,” Leach said
Friday. “If we were bad at some position, then they would suggest someone might
get fired. And then if you’re really good at some position, then they suggest
he’s going to go somewhere else. So one way or the other, they’re on one of two
lists.”
Grinch was not made
available to reporters following the team’s bowl practices on Thursday and
Friday.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg
recently reported that Grinch “is very much in demand” and that he “could be on
the move after the Cougars’ bowl game.” Rittenberg also wrote: “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.”
A USA Today salary database
shows that Grinch is being paid an annual base salary of $600,000, with max
bonuses no higher than $125,000. That makes him the 10th highest-paid assistant
coach in the Pac-12 Conference, but those earnings are only good enough for
67th in the FBS.
WSU President tweeted
Thursday that the school is “committed to putting the financial resources in
place to ensure continued success for (WSU) – including enhancing our salary
pool for our coaching staff. The only way we can continue our positive trend is
for Cougs to stop worrying and contribute to Cougar Athletic Fund.”
…………….
Washington State’s Drick
Bernstine has special rooting interest in game between Gonzaga, North Dakota
UPDATED: Fri., Dec. 15,
2017, 8:01 p.m.
By Theo Lawson Spokane S-R
PULLMAN – Mark Few and his
Gonzaga assistants have presumably spent their week skimming through game film
on the North Dakota basketball team, installing the Fighting Hawks’ schemes and
singling out the players most likely to make a dent in tonight’s 5 o’clock game
at the Kennel.
A phone call to Drick
Bernstine could’ve also done the trick.
Bernstine, a fifth-year
graduate transfer at Washington State, joined the Cougars after spending two
seasons with the Fighting Hawks and was a central figure in UND’s school record
22-win season that ended in the first round of the 2016-17 NCAA Tournament.
Bernstine is still friendly
with his ex-teammates – and he’d certainly be qualified to give Gonzaga an
in-depth scouting report on the 2017-18 Fighting Hawks.
“They have a lot of scorers,
they have a lot of scorers,” Bernstine said after Thursday’s WSU practice in
Pullman. “They’re undersized but they’re going to play hard, I do know that.
They’re going to play hard, they’re going to come out and fight and they’re not
going to quit. That’s basically what I’d tell them, honestly.”
The Fighting Hawks are
clearly still adjusting to life without Bernstine, who had a 20-point,
15-rebound double-double in an opening-round NCAA tourney loss to Arizona last
season, and All-Big Sky First Team selection Quinton Hooker, who many felt
should’ve been the conference’s 2017 Player of the Year.
UND brings a 4-6 record into
tonight’s game against GU. The Fighting Hawks have stumbled in each of their
last three contests and have lost their last five games against D-I opposition.
That includes a 111-68 loss to the same Creighton team the Zags cruised past
two weeks ago.
“I think they’re going
through growing pains and having a lot of guards and having a lot of departures
whether it be through a grad transfer like me or through seniors leaving,”
Bernstine said. “They also lost another power forward this year. I’m looking
forward to the game. I hope it’s closer than I’m sure it’s expected to be.”
The Cougars have IUPUI at
home this afternoon, otherwise Bernstine would probably make a short drive up
snowy Highway 195 for the clash in Spokane. Of course he’ll be pulling for a
UND upset, but Bernstine might also let out a cheer whenever GU guard Josh
Perkins gets to the basket.
Bernstine’s hometown of
Aurora, Colorado, is 7 miles away from the Park Hill neighborhood of Denver
that Perkins calls home. The two were AAU rivals throughout their childhood and
linked up to play for the same Colorado Miners club team for two years before
attending separate colleges.
Bernstine stayed nearby at
first, playing one season at Denver University, before taking a year off and
joining the Fighting Hawks for the 2015-16 season. Perkins has been a staple
for GU’s backcourt since the start of his redshirt freshman season.
On Thursday, Bernstine
mentioned he’d visited his “little brother Josh” at GU last weekend.
“Our relationship got closer
and closer,” Perkins said. “He actually lives in the neighborhood where I went
to high school (Regis). I would be at his house every day. He’s a guy I call a
brother to this day.”
………………………….
December 15, 2017 /WSUs
Soccer
Soccer's Winter ID Camp
Slated for Jan. 27
The camp is a great
opportunity for the staff to see interested individuals on site at WSU.
From WSU Sports Info
PULLMAN, Wash. -
Registration for Washington State Soccer's Winter ID Camp, held January 27 and
featuring instruction from the Cougars' Sweet 16 coaching staff, is currently
open online at www.WSUCougars.com.
The Cougars' ID camps are
great opportunities for the staff to see interested individuals on site. The
camps are designed to develop tactical and technical skills that are essential
to making it to the next level. The Cougs' experienced staff will run a typical
collegiate training session, including possession exercises, passing patterns,
and shooting drills.
The Winter ID Camp is
scheduled for January 27, 2018 and will run from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., with lunch and
a Cougar Soccer Academy T-shirt included. The cost of the camp is $110, and
will be held on campus at Washington State University.
WSU finished the 2017 season
ranked No. 19 in the United Soccer Coaches' poll after making a run to the
third round of the NCAA Championships.
Camp Registration is
available online.
http://www.athletics.wsu.edu/SoccerCamps/IdCamp.asp
To register for camp or to
find out more information on all of the Cougars camps, click www.wsucougars.com/camps.
Washington State University soccer camps do not provide medical insurance, each
player must have their own medical coverage.
……………….
WSU MEN BASKETBALL NEXT
THREE GAMES
--Dec 16 (Sat) 3:00 PM PT vs
IUPUI Beasley Coliseum TV: PAC-12 NETWORKS … IUPU = Indiana University–Purdue
University Indianapolis
--Dec 20 (Wed) 8:00 PM PT vs
Kansas State Spokane Arena TV: ESPN2
--Dec 22 (Fri) 6:00 PM PT vs
Bethune-Cookman Beasley Coliseum TV: PAC-12 NETWORKS
………..
WSU WOMEN BASKETBALL NEXT
THREE GAMES
--Dec 18 (Mon) 6:00 PM PT at
Boise State BoiseTaco Bell Arena
--Dec 22 (Fri) 11:00 AM PT at
Nebraska Lincoln Pinnacle Bank Arena
--Dec 29 (Fri) 3:00 PM PT Pac-12
at Oregon Eugene Matthew Knight Arena TV: Oregon Live Stream
……………….
FOOTBALL
4-star recruit Matthew Tago
reportedly heading to Pullman this weekend
Joins current Cougar commit
as last official visitors before early signing day.
By Scott Cresswell Coug
Center Dec 14, 2017, 5:00am PST
Matthew Tago, a big-time
athlete and 4-star recruit out of Lancaster, California, recently de-committed
from UCLA after the coaching change and now is visiting Pullman this weekend,
according to 247sports.com.
The 6-foot-3, 228 pounder is
taking one last official visit before the new early signing day next week and
that is to the Washington State Cougars. He took a visit to the Utah Utes
earlier this year, so they could be in play as well. He is considered one of
the top 50 players in the state of California and was selected to the
Polynesian Bowl. 247 considers him a four star recruit, while composite
rankings have him at 3 stars.
Tago has been offered by the
USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins, Oregon State Beavers, Colorado Buffaloes and Utah. He
is a high school quarterback who can play just about any position on the field.
This would be a great last-minute get for Mike Leach and company.
A longtime Cougar commit out
of Eugene, Myles Green-Richards, is also visiting this weekend. The 5-foot-11,
175-pound cornerback is a 3-star recruit and is considered the 13th best player
in the state of Oregon. Richards has been committed since July. Eric Mele is
running point on Richards’ recruitment.
