COUG MEN’S BASKETBALL:
WSU loses 6-4 guard, gains 6-10
center
By Barry Bolton, Cougfan.com
6/15/2018
KWINTON HINSON is leaving the Washington State basketball
program for personal reasons and 6-10, 270-pound JC transfer center James
Streeter is joining the Cougars as a walk on, WSU announced today.
Hinson, a senior guard who came to WSU a year ago from Tyler
Junior College in Texas, played in 28 of the Cougars’ 31 games this past season
and made nine starts. He averaged 13.6 minutes and 3.9 points per game. The 6-4
guard's best game in crimson came in a win over St. Mary's when he scored 11
points on 5 of 6 shooting from the field. His quest for a bigger role in
2018-19 would not have been easy given the plethora of long and athletics wings
joining the program (details below).
"We are excited about the size and strength James will
contribute to the team as a walk-on,” Ernie Kent said in the release. “We also
appreciate Kwinton’s contributions over the last year and wish him nothing but
the best.”
Hinson’s departure is the latest move in a massive offseason
makeover for the Cougars. Streeter is the seventh newcomer to the program for
the 2018-19 season — and the fact he's coming in as a walk on means Kent still
has one scholarship slot open if he wants to fill it in this recruiting cycle.
The Cougars are reportedly pursuing top 125 prep guard Jordan Lathan.
Streeter played in 30 games for Lake Region State College in
North Dakota this past season and made 10 starts. He averaged 15.2 minutes, 6.3
points, 3.9 rebounds per game and shot 60.3 percent from the field. He posted
similar numbers s a freshman in 2016-17.
On this game tape, from his freshman year at Lake Region, he
shows good touch around the basket. He’ll need to spend time in the strength
and conditioning room at WSU.
“I know there is a lot of hard work ahead for me but I am
very thankful for this opportunity that I have been given,” Streeter said in a
Lake Region State story announcing his move to WSU.
Lake Region head coach Jared Marshall said of Streeter,
"James is an outstanding young man who I have enjoyed coached these past
two seasons. He was able to provide such a presence in the paint for us on the
offensive and defensive end. His ability to play inside out was a big part of
his success. I am proud of James and wish him nothing but success moving
forward."
Streeter prepped at Totino Grace High in Coon Rapids, Minn.,
and received collegiate interest at that time from North Dakota State,
Mississippi Valley State and others. He sought out WSU in part because of the journalism
program at the esteemed Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: WSU professor lands $500,000 grant
to pursue lignin to biofuel conversion
June 15, 2018 from WSU Insider
Zhang will pursue new conversion pathways to produce
chemicals and biofuels without completely breaking down lignin into monomers.
Photo by Robert Hubner, WSU Photo Services.
By Maegan Murray, WSU Tri-Cities
RICHLAND, Wash. – WSU Tri-Cities associate professor Xiao
Zhang is targeting the use of lignin — a common material that makes the cell
walls of plants rigid — to create affordable biofuels and bioproducts.
Interested in the project, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has granted Zhang, an
associate professor in WSU’s Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory,
$500,000 to complete the research. The laboratory is part of the university’s
Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering.
The project will be conducted in partnership with Xuejun
Pan, a professor in the department of biological systems engineering from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Lignin is one of the largest renewable carbon sources on
Earth. It allows trees to stand, gives vegetables their firmness and makes up
about 20-35 percent of the weight of wood. It also is one of the largest
remnant products left over in the biofuels creation process.
Zhang and his team will investigate new conversion pathways
to produce chemicals and biofuels without completely breaking down lignin into
monomers — molecules that can be synthesized into polymers. In addition to its
potential cost savings, the process could maximize carbon utilization in the
biofuels creation process. It would also provide a profitable use for a waste
product.
“We aim at converting lignin into a skeleton that has a
similar carbon length in jet fuel range,” Zhang said. “The uniqueness is really
targeting a more cost-effective process in taking advantage of the basic lignin
structure of characteristics. Unlike many other processes, we don’t have to
break down the lignin completely to its monomers.”
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Stock report: On ‘panic’ over the revenue gap, summer star
power and a boost for rookie QBs (think: UCLA, WSU)
By JON WILNER San Jose Merc News 6/14/2018
A weekly assessment of Pac-12 news, quasi-news and
(occasional) non-news:
Stock report: On ‘panic’ over the revenue gap,…
Rising:
Freshman quarterbacks.
The NCAA’s new ‘redshirt rule,’ which was announced
Wednesday and allows players to participate in a maximum of four games without
losing the year of eligibility, could transform the quarterback evaluation
process.
Coaches without an obvious starter now have the ability to
insert a hotshot freshman into early-season games to determine if he’s ready to
take over immediately, if he needs 12 months of refinement … or if he might not
be of service for several years.
With depth charts in mind, the Hotline believes UCLA stands
as the biggest immediate winner from the redshirt rule.
The Bruins have a handful of players competing for the
starting job, and one, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, is a hotshot freshman.
Coach Chip Kelly has the option to play Thompson-Robinson
for several series (or quarters) against Cincinnati, Oklahoma and Fresno State
and determine whether he should start or sit in 2018.
To a slightly lesser degree, Washington State will benefit
from the rule, with newcomer Cammon Cooper getting a shot to prove he’s worthy
in a crowded field.
Some might argue for USC as a winner, as well, but the
presumption here is that JT Daniels would play, and start, regardless of the
new rule.
Rising:
Pac-12 hype.
The vast majority of fans do not care about conference media
events, and they shouldn’t … except that the mid-summer gatherings provide a
foundation for attention that, in turn, elevates the profile of a player/coach/team/conference.
And elevated profiles impact the success of the overall
brand, which fans should care about.
The Pac-12 took an important step this spring by
strong-arming … err, requiring … err, urging the schools to send their top
players to the late-July festivities in Hollywood.
The list of attendees, released Tuesday, includes all of the
conference’s marquee players, from Khalil Tate and N’Keal Harry to Justin
Herbert and Jake Browning … oh, and Bryce Love and Cameron Smith, too.
This shouldn’t be news; the schools should always bring
their biggest names to the event. Except that hasn’t been the case.
Many Pac-12 coaches prefer to distribute media attention
evenly and have opted to showcase dedicated upperclassmen instead of their
stars.
That approach isn’t in the best interest of the conference,
and the conference obviously made that clear.
Rising:
Washington State president Kirk Schulz.
Schultz was quoted at length earlier this week in a USA
Today article on Pac-12 finances — it wasn’t pretty, folks — and he had some
sound advice for the other 11 schools.
Regarding the likelihood that distributions from the
conference will lag those of other Power Five schools by a significant amount
(more on that below), Schulz said:
“As I told our fans, we’ve got to stop worrying what the
Pac-12 is providing to the conference and start doing some of our own creative
things to bring in additional revenue.”
That’s spot-on: Don’t expect a magic revenue train to pull
into the station anytime soon.
Aside from the escalator clause in the Tier I deal with ESPN
and Fox, the payouts from the conference office are largely fixed for the next
half-decade.
(Also fixed: The enormous Pac-12 Networks expenses; those
six regional feeds aren’t going away anytime soon.)
If schools want to increase revenue to support larger
budgets, they had best get creative.
Schultz’s comments echo those of USC athletic director Lynn
Swann, who made note of the Pac-12 Networks’ shortcomings a few months ago and
suggested: “Let’s move on and continue to do the best we can.”
Schulz also went out of his way to let commissioner Larry
Scott off the hook, saying Scott “continues to do a great job for our
conference.”
That high-road approach undoubtedly brought a measure of
relief to Pac-12 HQ, which has taken a beating from its own campuses and, per
sources, has asked school officials to take a unified, positive stance when
commenting publicly.
Falling:
Pac-12 reputation.
Now, about the guts of that USA Today article …
The headline, to a greater extent than the content within,
was suboptimal PR for Scott’s operation:
“Panic in the Pac-12 as conference quickly falls behind
rivals.”
Yep, a national media outlet — a mere seven million readers
per day! — declared “panic” in the Pac-12.
Hoo boy!
The article used payout projections by Washington State to
underscore the conference’s weak position relative to Power Five rivals:
* The Pac-12 sent $30.9 million to the campuses in FY17 and
is expected to distribute $31.5 million in FY18, per WSU’s estimates.
In five years, that figure will be $38 million.
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Cougs receiver Kyle Sweet & safety Jalen Thompson to
join Coach Mike Leach at Pac-12 media day July 25
By COUGFANCOM June 13th of 2018
==Exact location of media day is Hollywood & Highland
Center shopping mall/entertainment complex at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland
Avenue in the Hollywood district in Los Angeles. It’s in the heart of
Hollywood, along the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The complex sits just across Hollywood Blvd.
from the El Capitan Theatre and offers views of the Hollywood Hills and
Hollywood Sign to the north, Santa Monica Mountains to the west and downtown
Los Angeles to the east.==
THE ANNUAL GATHERING of football coaches and players for
Pac-12 media day is set for July 25, 2018.
Joining Mike Leach for Washington State in Hollywood, Calif., will be
junior safety Jalen Thompson and senior wide receiver Kyle Sweet.
Thompson, who has never redshirted, is a postseason awards
candidate. The 6-0, 185-pounder led the
Cougars in tackles last season with 73 and was tied for third in the Pac-12
with four interceptions. He also tied for the conference lead with three fumble
recoveries. Thompson this past season was named second-team all-conference, and
first-team Associated Press All-Pac-12.
Sweet also has never redshirted. The 6-0, 190-pound inside receiver caught a
personal best 58 passes last year for 533 yards with two TDs. He also led the
team with 33 punts for 1,266 yards (38.4 yard average) and six of his
rugby-style boots traveled 50-plus yards. But if spring ball was any indication
under new special teams coach Matt Brock, the punting chores this year may be
handled by others with Sweet instead putting all his efforts into the receiving
game.
THE BIG CHANGE for the Pac-12 media day this year -- it's
going back to a one-day format for the first time since 2014. The Pac-12 didn't
offer a reason for the change that we could find. The SEC, meanwhile, will have
four times the exposure as it spreads its 14 teams over four days.
The Pac-12 media poll will be released on the morning of July
25, and commissioner Larry Scott will hold his customary media session on stage
before the coaches and players take the mic.
For WSU fans, Leach and Co. figure to be most visible in the
morning. Here’s how the day will unfold
per the Pac-12 release:
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS (Hollywood & Highland - Ray Dolby
Ballroom, 5th Floor)
6:00 a.m. – Registration opens
8:00 a.m. – Local television/radio interview circuit begins
8:00 a.m. - Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott Opening Remarks
8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. - Pac-12 North Division Head Coaches
and Student-Athletes (order to be determined)
CALIFORNIA – Head Coach Justin Wilcox, Patrick Laird (RB),
Jordan Kunaszyk (ILB)
OREGON – Head Coach Mario Cristobal, Justin Herbert (QB),
Jalen Jelks (DL)
OREGON STATE – Head Coach Jonathan Smith, Blake Brandel
(OL), Kee Whetzel (OLB)
STANFORD – Head Coach David Shaw, Bryce Love (RB), Alijah
Holder (CB)
WASHINGTON – Head Coach Chris Petersen, Jake Browning (QB),
Jojo McIntosh (DB)
WASHINGTON STATE – Head Coach Mike Leach, Kyle Sweet (WR/P),
Jalen Thompson (S)
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Q&A with Pac-12 Commissioner
Larry Scott
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Lunch and additional one-on-one
interview opportunities with the North Division
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Pac-12 South Division Head Coaches
and Student-Athletes (order to be determined)
ARIZONA – Head Coach Kevin Sumlin, Khalil Tate (QB), Colin
Schooler (LB)
ARIZONA STATE – Head Coach Herm Edwards, Manny Wilkins (QB),
N’Keal Harry (WR)
COLORADO – Head Coach Mike MacIntyre, Steven Montez (QB),
Rick Gamboa (ILB)
UCLA – Head Coach Chip Kelly, Theo Howard (WR), Josh Woods
(LB)
USC – Head Coach Clay Helton, Cameron Smith (ILB), Porter
Gustin (OLB)
UTAH – Head Coach Kyle Whittingham, Chase Hansen (LB), Lo
Falemaka (OL)
4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Additional Q&A opportunities TBD
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. – Additional one-on-one interview
opportunities with the South Division
NOTABLE NOTE:
Washington State has not announced its fall camp dates yet
but if prior history is any indication under Leach, and with the opener
scheduled for Sept. 1 at Wyoming, Wazzu appears likely to kick off its fall
camp during the first week of August.
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WSU BASEBALL: Cougar flamethrowing pitcher Paker McFaddener
signs with the Orioles
Parker McFadden is ready to begin his pro career
By Scott Cresswell Coug Center Updated Jun 14, 2018, 12:24pm PDT
Washington State Cougars right hander Parker McFadden was
one of the highest touted recruits WSU baseball has signed in the last decade.
He was rated as one of the top 100 high school prospects in the country coming
out of Yelm High School where he was the Narrows League MVP. Wazzu fans held
their breath on whether he would sign with the Mariners, who originally drafted
him. He came to Pullman and three years later he finally realized some of his
huge potential and is now headed to the pro ranks.
Jim Callis of MLB.com has reported that McFadden signed with
the Baltimore Orioles for a $125,000 bonus. The team selected McFadden in the
16th round and gave him a bonus in line with the allocated money for that point
in the draft.
McFadden compiled a 3.56 ERA this past season while striking
out 46 batters in 30 innings and only allowing 18 hits. He also unfortunately
walked 27 batters, hence the likely move to the bullpen where his primo stuff
can be unleashed. Hopefully his control and command will improve in shorter
outings.
Best of luck to Parker in his pro career!
