KANSAS
STATE AT WASHINGTON STATE men’s basketball
WEDNESDAY,
DEC. 20 – 8 P.M.– SPOKANE ARENA (SPOKANE, WASH.)
FINAL
SCORE: K-STATE 68, WSU 65
POSTGAME
NOTES from WSU Sports Info
·
Sophomore
Carter Skaggs led WSU with 24 points, he had 13 in the first half on 5-for-7
shooting from the field and 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
·
Skaggs
finished 6-10 from 3-point range and made a career-high 9 total field goals.
·
It
marked Skaggs’ second 20-point game of the season/career, two points shy of his
career high of 26 done against Seattle U, Nov. 15.
·
Sophomore
Malachi Flynn had 18 of his 23 points in the second half…he finished with 4
3-pointers made, 3 in the second half.
·
His 23
points marked his third 20-point game of the season.
·
Flynn
and Skaggs combined to go 10-24 from 3-point range, rest of team was 1-10.
·
Junior
Robert Franks had his streak of 8 consecutive games with double figure points
end, as he finished with 6 points.
·
The
Cougars trailed at halftime for the sixth time this season, are 3-3.
·
Next
up, WSU closes out nonconference play hosting Bethune-Cookman, Friday, Dec. 22
at 6 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum.
……………..
Cougs can't hold lead
WSU can't protect its edge, as Kansas State charges to 68-65
win at Spokane
By Nicholas K Geranios, AP
SPOKANE - Barry Brown Jr. seemed to do everything for Kansas
State when the game against Washington State was on the line.
Brown scored the last six points during a 10-0 run in the
closing minutes that lifted Kansas State to a 68-65 come-from-behind victory
over the Cougars on Wednesday night at the Spokane Arena.
Brown finished with 23 points and six rebounds. Makol Mawien
added 15 points and nine boards for Kansas State (10-2), which has won six of
its past seven games.
"Down the stretch we really executed," Kansas
State coach Bruce Weber said. "The most important thing is we got stops
when we needed stops, and rebounds.
"It was a good win for our guys," Weber said.
Carter Skaggs had 24 points and Malachi Flynn 23 for
Washington State (7-4), which overcame a dreadful first half to take the lead
in the second half.
"This team has come a long way after getting picked
last in the conference," Washington State coach Ernie Kent said.
"As much as we took control, that veteran team grinded
out the game," Kent said of the Wildcats.
Neither team shot well. Kansas State finished at 42 percent
shooting while Washington State shot 38 percent.
Mawien scored eight points as Kansas State jumped to a 21-9
lead.
The Wildcats led 35-25 at halftime, after holding Washington
State to 29-percent shooting (9-of-31). Kansas State wasn't much better,
shooting 39 percent in the first.
Skaggs had 13 first half points for Washington State.
Washington State found its shooting range in the second
half.
Skaggs hit a pair of 3-pointers as Washington State opened
the second half with an 11-4 run to cut its deficit to 39-36.
Flynn's layup and free throw gave Washington State its first
lead at 49-47 with 10 minutes left. Flynn sank a pair of 3-pointers to give the
Cougars a 57-49 lead.
"We handled ourselves well to get back in the
game," Kent said.
But the Wildcats closed with a 19-8 run to win.
"They closed it and we didn't," Kent said.
Brown made six straight points as Kansas State cut the
deficit to 63-62 with 1:26 left.
Brown's dunk put the Wildcats ahead 64-63 with 51 seconds
left.
Flynn missed a long jumper and Kansas State rebounded. Brown
hit a pair of free throws and the Cougars missed another long jumper.
THREE'S HARD TO GET
Kansas State hit just 4 of 24 from 3-point range.
THE BOARDS
The Wildcats won the rebound battle 43-37, and outscored the
Cougars in the paint 38-24.
BIG PICTURE
Kansas State: Former Kansas State president Kirk Schulz is
now president of Washington State. The Wildcats have scored at least 80 points
six times this season. Against Tulsa, Xavier Sneed led the Wildcats in points,
rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Four starters average at least 12.5 points
per game.
Washington State: The Cougars are something of a question
mark. They opened with six straight wins, then lost three in a row before
beating IUPUI last weekend. The Cougars are outscoring opponents by an average
of 42-35 in the second half this season.
UP NEXT
Kansas State plays at Iowa State on Dec. 29 in their Big 12
opener.
Washington State hosts Bethune-Cookman on Friday in their
final non-conference game before opening Pac-12 play.
KANSAS ST. (10-2)
Wade 3-7 3-5 9, Mawien 6-10 3-4 15, Sneed 1-8 0-0 2, Brown
8-17 6-6 23, Stokes 3-10 2-4 9, Sallah 0-0 0-0 0, Wainright 3-5 0-0 7, Diarra
0-1 0-0 0, Patrick 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 25-60 14-19 68.
WASHINGTON ST. (7-4)
Bernstine 2-5 0-1 4, Franks 2-10 2-2 6, Daniels 1-4 0-0 3,
Hinson 1-2 0-0 2, Flynn 8-20 3-4 23, Chidom 0-1 0-0 0, Pollard 1-3 0-0 2,
Acquaah 0-3 1-2 1, Skaggs 9-14 0-0 24. Totals 24-62 6-9 65.
Halftime-Kansas St. 35-25. 3-Point Goals-Kansas St. 4-24
(Patrick 1-2, Wainright 1-3, Stokes 1-4, Brown 1-5, Diarra 0-1, Wade 0-2,
Mawien 0-2, Sneed 0-5), Washington St. 11-34 (Skaggs 6-10, Flynn 4-14, Daniels
1-4, Acquaah 0-1, Pollard 0-1, Franks 0-4). Fouled Out-Bernstine.
Rebounds-Kansas St. 37 (Mawien 9), Washington St. 32 (Bernstine 7).
Assists-Kansas St. 12 (Stokes 7), Washington St. 10 (Flynn 4). Total
Fouls-Kansas St. 16, Washington St. 19.
………..
A new Utah QB headlines WSU early signees
By DALE GRUMMERT , Lewiston Trib
Merely by landing a scholarship from Washington State as a
prep senior, Camm Cooper is already setting a faster pace than the other
Utah-bred quarterback to which he's being compared, Luke Falk.
In both cases, the Cougars believe they recognized the
fellow's talent before other schools did.
Cooper, the most prolific high-school QB in Utah history,
headlined a group of 18 Cougar signees Wednesday as the NCAA's new early
football signing period began.
Mike Leach, who will conclude his sixth season as WSU coach
next week in the Holiday Bowl, called it "the best signing class that
we've had, at least since I've been here." It includes 16 prep signees and
could be bolstered by seven more players when the traditional signing period
begins in February.
The headliner of the crop is Cooper, a 6-foot-4, 202-pound
QB from Lehi, Utah, who is being mentioned in the same breath as Falk, who will
wrap up his college career in the Cougars' bowl game against Michigan State on
Dec. 28 at San Diego.
One early difference: Falk was a walk-on who didn't receive
a single Division I scholarship offer. Cooper is a four-star recruit whom Leach
calls the best QB prospect in the country, though he was flying under the radar
early during his prep career.
"When we first started recruiting him, he didn't have a
lot of attention," Leach said Wednesday. "Of course, as time went on,
he became one of the most decorated quarterbacks in America this year, and
broke so many records I can't keep track of all of them.
"From the beginning, we thought Camm Cooper could
play," he said, "because, beside the fact that he's a statuesque
passing quarterback, he's fast - runs the 200-meter. And the other pleasant
surprise was that he kept growing. He kept getting taller and he kept getting
bigger."
It doesn't seem a complete coincidence to see the Cougars
signing Cooper just as they bid farewell to Falk, the all-time leading passer
in the Pac-12. Cooper orally committed to WSU last spring.
"I would be guessing a little - I think this would be
accurate that Luke Falk having success here, coming out of Logan, Utah,
probably drew some attention," Leach said. "Utah people became more
aware of Luke, and players in Utah became more aware of our program."
It's already easy to imagine Cooper throwing often to
Rodrick Fisher, a 6-2 receiver from East Valley High in Spokane Valley who's
one of the top prizes of WSU's recruiting class.
"Extremely fast," Leach said. "We've got a
lot of really fast players (in the class), and I'm not saying Rodrick is the
fastest, but it would be hard to find somebody faster than Rodrick Fisher. When
you consider how big he is, that's all the more impressive."
Even taller is highly regarded 6-3 Texan receiver Kassidy
Woods who is "first of all, a big target," Leach said. "Second
of all, a fast guy. Runs great routes."
Yet another impressive new receiver, also from Texas, is
Drue Jackson, who is "very polished right now," Leach said, "and
I think is going to be a very important part of (the) receiving arsenal."
The Cougars' primary disappointment Wednesday was the
nonsigning of running back Max Borghi, who had orally committed last June but
has since drawn compelling interest from Stanford. He's not expected to reach a
final decision until February, telling Cougfan.com on Wednesday that "I'm
still committed to the Cougs. I'm just not ready to sign."
Among the Cougars' 11th-hour triumphs was the signing of
defensive back Halid Djibril of Cathedral High in Los Angeles, the school that
produced WSU slotbacks Renard Bell and Jamire Calvin.
"Among the most complete defensive backs on our
recruiting list," Leach said. "Very athletic, very explosive, great
sense for where the football is. Both fluid and physical in the way he
plays."
Another late coup for the Cougars was the signing of
junior-college linebacker Kendrick Catis, who had decommitted from Arizona
State last week.
HIGH-SCHOOL SIGNEES
CADE BERESFORD - offensive lineman, 6-7, 270, Woodinville
(Wash.) High ... three stars from 247, ESPN and Rivals ... Seattle Times
all-state.
CAMM COOPER - quarterback, 6-4, 210, Lehi (Utah) High ...
four stars by Scout and Rivals ... set Utah single-season records for
completions, passing yards and TD passes ... rated No. 14 pro-style QB in
country by 247.
AHMIR CROWDER - defensive lineman, 6-3, 280, Crenshaw High,
Los Angeles ... three stars by ESPN, 247 and Rivals.
HALID DJIBRIL - defensive back, 6-1, 185, Cathedral High,
Los Angeles ... three stars by 247, ESPN and Rivals ... named Angelus League
defensive MVP as senior.
RODRICK FISHER - wide receiver, 6-2, 205, East Valley High,
Spokane Valley ... four stars by 247, three by ESPN and Rivals ... caught 49
passes for 805 yards and seven TDs as senior.
BRANDON GRAY - wide receiver, 6-5, 190, Cass Tech, Detroit
... three stars by 247, ESPN and Rivals ... all-state honorable mention by
Detroit Free Press as senior.
MYLES GREEN-RICHARDS - defensive back, 5-11, 180, Churchill
High, Eugene, Ore. ... three stars by 247, ESPN and Rivals ... 5A all-state
second team as senior.
BRENNAN JACKSON - defensive lineman, 6-4, 240, Great Oak
High, Temecula, Calif. ... three stars by ESPN, 247 and Rivals ... All-Southwestern
League first team.
DRUE JACKSON - wide receiver, 6-1, 190, Sachse (Texas) High
... four stars by ESPN and Rivals ... caught 41 passes for 625 yards and five
TDs as senior ... rated No. 65 WR in country by ESPN.
JARRETT KINGSTON - offensive lineman, 6-5, 260, Anderson
(Calif.) High ... three stars by 247 and ESPN ... 11 pancake blocks as senior
... on defense had 15 sacks and 30 TFLs as senior.
D'ANGELO MCKENZIE - defensive back, 5-11, 185, Valley
Christian High, San Jose, Calif. ... three stars by 247, ESPN and Rivals ...
rated No. 71 overall propect in California by 247.
PATRICK NUNN - athlete, 6-3, 206, Junipero Serra, San Mateo,
Calif. ... three stars by 247, ESPN and Rivals ... caught 61 passes for 843
yards and nine TDs as senior ... league WR of the year.
SYR RILEY - offensive lineman, 6-4, 323, Pacific Palisades
High, Los Angeles ... three stars by 247 and Rivals ... 55 pancake blocks as
senior ... returned interception 63 yards on defense.
R.J. STONE - rush linebacker, 6-4, 215, Valley Christian
High, San Jose, Calif. ... three stars by 247,ESPN and Rivals ... made 71/2
sacks as senior ... rated No. 50 DE in country by 247.
KEDRON WILLIAMS - linebacker, 6-1, 205, St. John Bosco High,
Bellflower, Calif. ... three stars by 247, ESPN and Rivals ... rated No. 85
prospect in California by Rivals.
KASSIDY WOODS - wide receiver, 6-3, 200, Greenhill High,
Addison, Texas ... four stars by ESPN, three by ESPN and Rivals ... caught 37
passes 589 yards and eight TDs as senior, giving him 117 career catches for
2,262 yards and 23 TDs.
JUNIOR-COLLEGE TRANSFERS
KENDRICK CATIS - linebacker, 6-1, 235, Deerfield Beach High,
Pompano Beach, Fla., Highland (Kan) C.C. ... three stars from 247 and Rivals
... ranked No. 2 JC ILB in country by 247.
JONATHAN LOLOHEA - defensive lineman, 6-3, 310, Maui High,
Copiah-Lincoln C.C., Lahaina, Hawaii ... three stars by 247, ESPN and Rivals
... rated No. 19 JC DT in country by 247.
……………….
Carter Skaggs delivers surge, but Washington State falls to
Kansas State 68-65
Wed., Dec. 20, 2017, 11:26 p.m.
By Theo Lawson S-R of
Spokane
With about 11 minutes left at the Spokane Arena, Carter
Skaggs rose from the Washington State bench and trotted toward the scorer’s
table. A loud chorus of cheers followed him there.
Within six seconds of his arrival on the court, Skaggs
caught a pass from Malachi Flynn about chest level, hoisted the ball over his
head and pulled the trigger. It sliced through the net and the crimson-painted
crowd bellowed again.
For a 25-minute window of Wednesday’s nonleague contest
between WSU and Kansas State, Skaggs was the life of the party. The super sub
squeezed all of his game-high 24 points into that 25-minute span, shooting an
efficient 9-of-14 from the field while helping the Cougars climb out of a
17-point hole.
But the party died midway through the second half, KSU
waited out Skaggs’ surge and the Wildcats charged hard in the final minutes to
emerge with a 68-65 victory.
“Kansas State is a veteran basketball team … and as much as
we took control down the stretch, that veteran team just grinded out the game,”
WSU coach Ernie Kent said. “And there was probably 10 plays in the last three
minutes of the game that could’ve closed the game out for us. We made two of
them, we made eight of them.”
In hindsight, the Cougars (7-4) might wonder why Skaggs
wasn’t involved in any of those.
“Unfortunately, we could’ve found him a little bit more,”
Kent said.
For much of the season, Skaggs has been second or third on
the substitute totem pole, playing just more than 15 minutes per game and
averaging under seven points per game.
But his eruptions are something to behold, something former
Eastern Washington coach Jim Hayford and Seattle U learned when Skaggs poured
in a career-high 26 on seven 3-point makes in the second game of the season.
The Logansport, Indiana, native checked into the game with
13:10 to go in the first half and jolted the offense immediately, scoring 10
quick points on a flurry of dribble-drives and catch-and-shoot 3’s. He finished
the first half an efficient 5-of-7 for 13 points.
“My job is to make shots and bring energy and make sure the
crowd’s having fun,” Skaggs said. “I take pride in that and that’s what I try
to do.”
But the Cougars went into the break trailing 35-25 because
eight other players not wearing No. 35 managed just 4-of-24 from the field.
Skaggs jumpstarted WSU in the opening minutes of the second
half with his fourth triple and nailed his fifth only minutes later to make it
a three-point game. Malachi Flynn chipped in three treys – two of those from
the top of the arc with a hand in his face – and the sophomore point guard gave
the Cougars their first lead with a pair of freebies with 10:02 left.
A deep heave from Flynn put WSU up eight points with 7:19
left, but KSU’s experience started to kick in and the Wildcats kept the Cougars
within two posessions until Barry Bown flushed home an open-court dunk to give
the visitors a 64-63 lead with one minute on the clock.
Flynn opted to counter with a deep, contested 3 from the
elbow but it fell short and the Wildcats closed out the game from the free
throw line.
“I definitely was confident in that shot, but it just didn’t
fall,” Flynn said.
Acknowledging Flynn’s success in moments like that, the WSU
coach still would’ve liked to see his point guard take a higher-percentage
shot.
“He’s such a competitor and wanted to hit the shot,” Kent
said. “Unfortunately it didn’t go down.”
Behind Skaggs, Flynn was the top WSU scorer with 23 points,
though he didn’t do it nearly as efficiently, connecting on just 8-of-20 shots
from the field and only 4-of-14 from three-point range.
Brown had KSU-high 23 points, while forward Makiel Mawien chipped
in 15 points to go with nine rebounds.
…………….
John Blanchette: Cougars’ positive buzz turns to sting of
defeat
UPDATED: Wed., Dec. 20, 2017, 11:47 p.m.
By John Blanchette Spokane S-R
Hey, remember when Washington State was the buzz of the West
in college basketball?
Oh, right that was Arizona State. Still is.
But the Cougars were in the conversation for a while –
rocking a 6-0 start, knocking Saint Mary’s out of the Top 25 and shocking the
world by winning the Wooden Legacy tournament, which could have put some
bookies out of business had anyone a notion to bet on Wazzu.
And it lasted about as long as it took to shake Thanksgiving
reflux.
Since then, the Cougars – well, here’s the Ernie Kent take:
“They were very pleased with themselves and they kind of
forgot how hard they had to play to do it,” WSU’s head coach said. “They went
down there with something prove. Then they came how and didn’t realize, ‘We’ve
got to do this again.’ ”
And again and again and again. It’s called a season.
But these Cougs – to this point anyway – are all about
figuring things out. In nearly every game, it seems to take an entire half or
more – not a particularly admirable habit – but then they can show their work
and sometimes even come up with the right answer.
Just not Wednesday night.
Oh, their second-half work against Kansas State was
exemplary, wiping out a 17-point Wildcats lead. Then the Cougs reverted to
their first-half selves in the final minutes and lost a painful 68-65 decision
in front of a surprisingly riled up 4,165 witnesses.
So somebody in Spokane obviously took notice when the Cougs
were in their November glory, and they were rewarded with an entertaining night
out.
Plus a folk hero.
Carter Skaggs is a Kent scoop off the recruiting trail, not
a coup necessarily in the sense that no other Division I team bothered to offer
a scholarship. On Wednesday, he’d been on the floor for all of 35 seconds when
he rifled in a 3-pointer from right corner.
In the second half, it was even more ridiculous. When Kent
gave him a breather – he played the last 13 minutes of the first half, then
started the second – he returned and hoisted in a 3 within 6 seconds.
Skaggs did this earlier in the season against Seattle
University, too, but that game tape must have got lost in delivery to the
K-State basketball office in the Christmas rush.
Now, if Skaggs doesn’t appear to have any other purpose on
the floor, he doesn’t really need one if he can go 6 of 10 from the arc and
carry the night with 24 points. But he did put the ball on the floor a couple
of times to get to the hole, too.
“I don’t want to be known as a one-trick pony,” he said.
Hey, if it’s the right trick, people will keep paying good
money to watch.
Even Skaggs’ air balls were heroic. When he missed badly
from the corner with 3:22 to play, teammate Malachi Flynn was there underneath
the hoop to collect the ball and lay it in for a 61-56 lead.
Which happened to be the last field goal the Cougars made
until Flynn was given uncontested leave for a runner at the buzzer, the outcome
decided.
So it was a case of snatching victory from the jaws of
defeat, and then handing it back.
“It sucks,” Skaggs admitted. “At the end of the day, it came
down to toughness plays – offensive rebounds, layups. You’ve got to make the
plays at the end of the game.”
Kent echoed that notion, noting that “There were probably 10
plays in the last 3 minutes that could have closed the game out for us – we
made two of them, they made eight.”
First it was stops – after Flynn’s 3 that gave WSU a 57-49
lead with 7:48 to go, the Wildcats scored on 10 of 14 trips down the floor.
Then it was choices – clinging to a one-point lead, Flynn turned the ball over,
then had an ill-advised 3-point jack with a hand in his face.
For a team picked to finish last in the Pac-12, the Cougs
could have had another nice bauble in the building program, though Kansas State
did not exactly play like an NCAA Tournament team with three starters back –
until it had to.
So this will probably happen to the Cougars a few times in
the Pac-12 campaign, too. But maybe they’ll pick off a few they shouldn’t.
“This game, like the UTEP game, are microcosms of your
season – almost a season within the game,” Kent said. “You have some adversity,
you learn about yourself, you fight through it, you come back, you toughen up,
you take a lead, you’re gritty, you’re tough, you lose a lead.
“It’s like a season. You’re 6-0, you lose three in a row,
you come back. Over the course of a year, teams do grow.”
And maybe get people talking. Sometimes, that’s a start.
………………..
Future of Washington State Air Raid in good hands with QB
Cammon Cooper, legion of wide receivers
Wed., Dec. 20, 2017, 8:45 p.m.
By Theo Lawson of the Spokesman-Review of Spokane
PULLMAN – For the camp of Washington State fans who’ve grown
concerned about the productivity of the Air Raid offense in a post-Luke Falk
era, it probably wasn’t any more reassuring to learn earlier this month the
Cougars will also move forward without two wide receivers who were essential
members of the cast in 2017.
How does an offense that accumulated nearly 4,500 passing
yards recoup? It replenishes.
And over the last decade-plus, few coaches in college
football have restocked at QB and WR as well as Mike Leach. The WSU coach and
his assistants got most of their heavy lifting out of the way during the NCAA’s
early signing period – which was introduced this year – and on Wednesday the
Cougars unveiled a class of 18 players that should help easy any worries about
the Air Raid’s future prospects.
The headliner is Cammon Cooper, a four-star quarterback from
Lehi, Utah, who was one of the Cougars’ earliest targets. Cooper recently led
Lehi High to a Utah 5A championship and spent his senior season rewriting the
state records books – a few of which were held by Falk, who spent his formative
years in Logan, Utah.
“When he first started recruiting him, he didn’t have a lot
of attention but then of course as time went on, he became one of the most
decorated quarterbacks in America this year,” Leach said, “and broke so many
records I can’t keep track of all of them.”
At 6-4, 202 pounds, Cooper brings ideal measurables to the
quarterback position and as an early enrollee, it’s possible he’ll have a
better chance to push Falk’s presumed replacement, Tyler Hilinski, for starting
reps.
“Besides the fact that he’s a statuesque quarterback, he’s
fast,” Leach said. “Runs the 200 meters.”
If Cooper ever does assume the QB1 duties, he probably won’t
be working with an empty cupboard. WSU signed four wide receivers on Wednesday
– three of which stand 6-2 or taller, giving the Cougars a few options to
replace Tavares Martin Jr. and Isaiah Johnson-Mack.
Of those four, scouting services are the highest on Drue
Jackson, a four-star wideout from Sachse, Texas, who’s “very polished right
now,” according to Leach, and “is going to be a very important part of our
receiving arsenal.”
The quartet also includes Spokane’s Rodrick Fisher (East
Valley), an Army All-American who blends blazing speed with good size – “we got
him down at 6-2 … but he’s taller than that,” Leach said – and physicality.
“I’m not going to say that Rodrick’s the fastest (of the
class),” Leach said. “Somebody on here might be faster but it would be hard to
find somebody faster than Rodrick Fisher.”
Brandon Gray, a rangy 6-5 wideout from Detroit, Michigan,
and Kassidy Woods, a 6-3 receiver from Addison, Texas, round out the group.
Jim Mastro’s recruiting ties to the Bay Area netted the
Cougars three skill players from the prestigious West Catholic Athletic League:
defensive back D’Angelo McKenzie and linebacker R.J. Stone of Junipero Serra,
as well as DB/WR Patrick Nunn of Junipero Serra.
With three starting offensive linemen on the way out, the
Cougars made that position group a priority during the early signing period
with the additions of 6-7, 270-pound Cade Beresford, 6-5, 260-pound Jarrett
Kingston and 6-4, 323-pound Syr Riley.
The Cougars got everything on their wish list, with the
exception of one position: running back.
There weren’t many surprises for WSU on Wednesday – good or
bad – but the Cougars didn’t get an autograph from Max Borghi, the three-star
tailback from Colorado who’d been locked into a verbal commitment since late
June. Stanford is reportedly making a late push for Borghi, who could stall and
wait to make his decision on the Feb. 7 National Signing Day.
Borghi or no Borghi, the Cougars, who graduate Jamal Morrow
and Gerard Wicks, are determined to add a running back.
“We’ll recruit a running back,” Leach said. “We need one
running back.”
…………
Cougar FootballCougarsPac-12Sports
Anchored by Lehi QB Cammon Cooper, WSU reels in its best
signing class of the Mike Leach era
Originally published December 20, 2017 at 5:58 pm Updated
December 20, 2017 at 6:37 pm
WSU had some nice surprises on Wednesday, the start of the
early signing period. But the absence of running back Max Borghi from the
Cougars' signee list overshadowed what was otherwise a solid haul
By Stefanie Loh Seattle
Times
The inaugural early signing period for Division I football
recruits opened with a bang for Washington State when linebacker Kendrick
Catis, originally an Arizona State recruit, surprisingly signed with the
Cougars and was the first player to send in his NLI.
More good news followed as the highly-recruited four-star
Lehi (Utah) quarterback Cammon Cooper followed through on his commitment and
signed with the Cougars as expected, and Cathedral (Calif.) safety Halid
Djibril picked WSU over Oregon State and Utah in a signing day ceremony.
WSU also inked East Valley (Spokane) High four-star receiver
Rodrick Fisher mid-afternoon to sign two four-star recruits in the same class
for the first time in Mike Leach’s six years at WSU.
“I’m very proud of this signing class,” Leach said in his
Signing Day news conference. “This is the biggest portion of what’s the best
signing class we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
Pac-12 recruiting rankings
TEAM 24/7 SPORTS RIVALS
Arizona 51 38
Arizona State 70 75
Cal 39 36
Colorado 43 37
Oregon 13 11
Oregon State 87 90
Stanford 50 66
UCLA 32 47
USC 24 33
Utah 77 79
Washington 11 13
Washington State 38 30
By the day’s end, WSU had added 18 recruits to a signing
class that the Cougars expect will hit the full allotment of 25 by National
Signing Day on Feb. 7. But the Cougars’ success was overshadowed by the absence
of one, very important member of this recruiting class: versatile Pomona
(Colo.) running back Max Borghi, who’s seen as the next coming of Christian
McCaffrey.
Borghi was originally commited to Colorado, but in June, WSU
got him to flip. He visited Pullman with his family this fall, loved what he
saw, and remained firmly committed to WSU … until Stanford came calling in
mid-November.
Stanford which helped McCaffrey – also a Colorado native –
hone his talents, was said to be Borghi’s dream school. So an offer from
Stanford complicated his situation with WSU immensely.
“It’s a tough decision,” said Pomona football coach Jay
Madden. “He loves WSU, but Stanford is hard to say no to.”
What Borghi does now is anyone’s guess, but he isn’t
expected to sign until February.
Leach is not allowed to comment on recruits who have not
signed, but in response to a general question, he said, “We’ll recruit a
running back. We’re looking for one running back.”
Borghi’s absence aside, this appears to be WSU’s best
recruiting class in more than a decade. Despite Leach’s reported dalliance with
Tennessee a few weeks ago, and the ongoing rumors about other schools
expressing interest in defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, WSU managed to keep
this recruiting class mostly intact.
“I didn’t find it to be much of a problem,” Leach said.
“This class, I’m sure, would be different if it was a problem. Football is a
dynamic game, coaches come and go. But I’ve been (in the Pac-12) second-longest
of everybody who’s hear, and I think that’s pretty good and is a tough act to
follow. We’re excited about this class and everyone that’s here.”
The Cougars’ 2018 class ranks fifth in the Pac-12 and 38th
nationally, per 247Sports.com and features eight offensive players, nine
defensive players and one very intriguing athlete.
That, would be Junipero Serra’s Patrick Nunn, who played
receiver and safety in high school, but is athletic enough to rush the passer
too.
“He’s an unbelievable athlete,” said WSU running backs coach
Jim Mastro, who recruited Nunn. “There’s so many things he can do. … To me,
he’s the steal of this class.”
Leach said Nunn (6-3, 206 pounds) will likely start out on
defense and could play either linebacker or safety.
The crown jewel of the class is Cooper, a 6-foot-4,
210-pound Elite 11 quarterback who capped off an illustrious career at Lehi
High with a state football championship, and who leapfrogged Luke Falk in
several categories in the Utah prep record book in the process.
“When we first started recruiting him, he didn’t have a lot
of attention, but as time went on, he became one of the most decorated
quarterbacks in America,” Leach said. “From the beginning, we thought Cooper
could play because besides the fact that he’s a statuesque quarterback, he’s
fast. He runs the 200m.”
Cooper is ranked the 14th-best pro style quarterback
nationally by 247Sports.com, and he’s certainly won over his future head coach.
Leach called him “the best quarterback in the country this year.”
Cooper, Catis, Fisher and defensive tackle J. Pono Lolohea
will all enroll at WSU in January and join the Cougars for spring ball.
Lolohea and Crenshaw High’s Ahmir Crowder filled what was
arguably WSU’s biggest need this year – defensive tackle.
With Daniel Ekuale and Garrett McBroom graduating, and
Hercules Mata’afa deciding whether to leave school early for the NFL, WSU
desperately needed to shore up its depth on the defensive tackle position.
Lolohea (6-3, 310 pounds) hails from Mata’afa’s hometown of
Lahaina, Hawaii, but spent the last two years at L.A. Valley College and
Copiah-Lincoln (Miss.) Community College. He joins the Cougars as a junior.
Crowder (6-3, 280) played his high school ball at Crenshaw
in Los Angeles, with current WSU defensive end Derek Moore. He’s big and
explosive, and, could compete right away for playing time.
“I don’t want to crown this guy just yet, but his get-off is
as good as Hercules Mata’afa’s,” said Cougar football analyst and former WSU
quarterback Jason Gesser. “He’s got great hands, long arms and strong hands.”
WSU’s 18 signees hailed from eight states, with two from
Washington – Fisher and Woodinville OT Cade Beresford – nine from California,
two from Texas, and one each, from Hawaii, Florida, Utah, Oregon and Michigan.
…….
Gesser sees some Hercules in new Coug DL
Lots of nuggets from Brink and Gesser on new Cougs
By Zach Anders, Cougfan.com
PULLMAN – Jason Gesser loves newly signed Cougar defensive
lineman Ahmir Crowder (6-3, 280) comparing his quickness off the snap to that
of a 2017 WSU consensus All-American. Alex Brink pointed to the quality of
competition Washington State beat out on the recruiting trail in announcing all
the early signings on Wednesday.
Those were just two of the insights coming out of the
signing day broadcast featuring Gesser, Brink and Matt Chazanow, live on the
air from Mike Leach’s office. Coaches from both sides of the ball joined the
program to weigh in on an announced signing class that numbered 18 by the
afternoon.
Brink is high on WR Kassidy Woods, noting his ability to
break tackles after the catch. Gesser
said Woods reminds him of a wideout he threw to back in the day: Devard
Darling.
For Brink, it was a statement class.
“For me as an alum, we have a blueprint now … Look at who we
are competing for with these guys, to know that we’re bringing them in. These
guys are coming from great programs too where they’re winning games. I think
that’s really important.” Brink said.
“There’s a lot of athleticism and a lot of speed, it’s a lot
like last year’s class," said Gesser. "You don’t know how these
athletes will develop but having them come into the class with size and speed
already gives a lot of flexibility."
Dave Emerick, WSU’s recruiting coordinator, joined the
program towards the end of the broadcast that ended before some of the late
additions had come on board.
“The last month or so has been rushed but we’re excited
about the results. The signing period goes through Friday … We signed three
(offensive) linemen today and in February we’ll probably sign a couple more.
When it’s all said and done (in the early period) about 17-18 guys,” Emerick
said.
QUOTABLE:
on QB Cammon Cooper
“I love that he throws a catchable ball, he’s not always
throwing a laser on a drag… And he can get outside the pocket and still be very
accurate on the run. Plus, when you have an offense like this that spreads the
field like it does, and he can run and get outside (the pocket), that can be
deadly.” Gesser said.
“As far as recruiting goes, he shut down his commitments and
stopped talking to other schools. Coach Leach and the offense was a big factor
for him, he liked the college feel, coming on and being the main guy is what he
did a bit at Lehi high, building a program there, and he’s a great kid too,
great family,” special teams coach Eric Mele said.
“Ball comes off his hands quick, comes out of the pocket
well and you can just see his demeanor on film, he takes charge. He’s got that
leadership quality and he wants to come in and compete right away,” Brink said.
on DL Ahmir Crowder
“What he’s been able to do with his size in high school is
great. He can get off that line, great hands, long arms, has very strong hands.
He possesses a lot of ability out there ... a lot like Hercules Mata’afa,”
Gesser said.
on OL Cade Beresford
“Great pedigree, big guy and fun to watch, he’s got room to
grow and is going to be a 300 plus pounder. Cade’s father played left tackle
for Boise. It was fun recruiting him, dad had tough questions … The great part
about that is he understands, and it lets you feel better that they won’t be
surprised by the flash and dash some other schools that come in with offers in
the last few days,” Mele said.
on RUSH R.J. Stone
“He had a lot of options, but he really liked Coach Manning
and the fit here. Long, freakish and can play a lot of positions. Won his state
championship too. To me, he’s a steal in this class. Very physical, great edge on the outside,
attacks the quarterback. He has a great story, his dad is Ron Stone, former NFL
Super Bowl lineman,” running backs coach Jim Mastro said.
on Safety D’Angelo McKenzie
“The angles he’s taking on tackles, it shows he’s a very
smart football player. He’s the No. 36 rated safety in the country. If D’Angelo
can do the same things Jalen Thompson can do - very versatile, very rangy –
then he’s going to be a threat. When you’re 5-11, smacking guys the way he has,
you’re a good player which makes everyone very excited about bringing him in.
Him and R.J. Stone went to the same high school too.” Mastro said.
on LB Kedron Williams
“He’s all of 6-1, I’m watching his feet, he’s got great
feet. When you see these guys on film with this size at the high school level,
you need to see them dominate. If they dominate at that level, they have a
chance at our level, and he is,” Brink said.
on CB Myles Green-Richards
“He has great speed, he’s the guy that we’ve made hay on
last couple of seasons … funny part here is mom’s a Beaver and dad’s a Duck and
we're happy to have him,” Mele said.
…
............
18 NEW COUGS ARE IN! Fast and furious early signing period!
Who's in? Who are we still waiting on?
From Cougfan.com
Click on link below:
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