SOCCER WSU
Cougs win!
4-2, over
Golden Bears
WSU Lower
Soccer Field
Cal at WSU
in Pullman night of Thursday 10/25/2018
:::::::::::::::::
VOLLEYBALL
WSU Coug No.
19 Volleyball Sweeps Through Utah For Third Straight Win
Tusa, and
Woodford lead the offensive attack in 3-0 victory.
SALT LAKE
CITY --
The No. 19 ranked Washington State Cougars (16-5, 7-4 Pac-12) continued
the winning streak Wednesday night as the Cougs defeated the Utah Utes (12-10,
4-7 Pac-12) on the road inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
Set scores
for the match were: 25-23, 25-18, and 25-21 in favor of the Cougars.
Washington
State found themselves down very early in this contest, until a 6-1 run from
the Cougars, fueled by kills from McKenna Woodford, and Jocelyn Urias for the
11-8 advantage. The Utes staged a 5-0 run late in this set however to see Utah
take the 23-22 lead, forcing the WSU timeout. The Cougars fought right back
with a kill from Woodford, along with a block from Claire Martin, and McKenna
to claim set number one at 25-23.
Second
number two featured an intense battle between these two programs, as eight
total ties occurred early on in the set to put the score at 13-13 overall. The
Cougars began putting together small runs to get out in front of the Utes with
offensive production from Penny Tusa, and Woodford. A 5-0 run capped off the
set two victory for the Cougs as four of those five points were provided by
both Tusa and Woodford, for the 25-18 win.
The
Cougars were in control to open up set number three, as a 6-1 run, fueled by
Tusa, Martin, and Ella Lajos gave the visiting squad a comfortable early lead.
WSU continued to extend that overall advantage out to 15-6 midway through the
contest after kills from Woodford, and Penny surged the offense forward. Utah
began generating a comeback with an 8-1 run, and ultimately cut the Cougar lead
down to just three points on multiple occasions. Washington State refocused and
shut down the Ute run as Jocelyn, and McKenna provided the final two kills to
seal the sweep victory for the Cougars at 25-21 overall.
STAT OF
THE MATCH
Penny Tusa
totaled 15 kills in the match, a career-high for the sophomore as she anchored
the WSU offensive attack against the Utes. Tusa also recorded a .483 hitting
percentage and 13 digs on the night.
NOTES
WSU held
Utah to just a .157 overall hitting percentage to extend the Cougars season
record to 10-1 when opponents hit below .200 during a match.
McKenna
Woodford posted a match-high 17 kills tonight, along with five total block
assists.
Ashley
Brown continued to facilitate the offense with 35 assists, and added 11 digs
for her 11th double-double this season.
Alexis
Dirige totaled 14 digs in the contest also to match Tusa for the team-high on
the night.
MARK YOUR
CALENDAR
Washington
State returns to the court next, Friday, October 26 on the road in Boulder,
Colo., against the CU Buffs university’s Events Center with first serve slated
for 6 p.m. PT.
:::::::::::::::::
A day with
Mike Leach: Unfazed by ESPN hoopla, WSU coach remains inquisitive and eccentric
Originally
published Oct 25, 2018
The
Seattle Times spent a day in the life of WSU coach Mike Leach. Despite his many
obligations and the mounting pressure ahead of the Cougars' big game vs. Oregon
and the ESPN "College GameDay" hype that came with it, Leach was
still the curious and personable man he is portrayed to be.
By Scott
Hanson
Seattle
Times
PULLMAN —
Just three days before perhaps the biggest football Saturday ever in Pullman,
the Washington State band and cheerleaders welcome the trucks carrying the ESPN
set next to Martin Stadium.
Not only
are the Cougars playing Oregon in a Pac-12 showdown of nationally ranked teams,
ESPN’s “College GameDay” is coming to Pullman for the first time.
The hype
level is already at a 10, and it’s only Wednesday.
Meanwhile,
Washington State coach Mike Leach is walking to work.
Featured
Video
The coach
who has a reputation for being quirky, opinionated and curious about subjects
far and wide says it’s “just business as usual” for him and his team. He agreed
to let The Seattle Times spend a day with him and his staff before the game
against Oregon — which Washington State went on to win 34-20 — had become such
a big deal. And even with the high-pressure game looming, Leach was no
different behind the scenes than he is portrayed.
Leach did
several media interviews, and made people laugh. He intently went over film
with his players and staff, but still had time to discuss movie reviews, water
moccasins and the hometown of Baseball Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers. And he
reunited with an old high-school friend.
It was a
full day, in the middle of preparations for a huge game.
1 p.m.
Leach has
finished his 45-minute walk to work, arriving at the football complex later
than normal. He arrives most days between 10 and 11, but today was delayed by
an appointment.
This will
be a short day, unlike the past few. On Sundays and Mondays, the coaching staff
stays until about 1 a.m., dissecting film of the upcoming opponent. On
Tuesdays, the game plan is worked out, and the coaches finish about 11 p.m.
“It tapers
off as the week goes on,” Leach says of the hours of preparation.
Leach has
already done a couple of phone interviews, liking to do those on his walk to
campus. Now, upon arriving, he has an in-person interview with FOX, which is
televising Saturday’s game.
2 p.m.
The
quarterbacks are seated on either side of a long table, chatting about the
merits of the new version of the movie “A Star is Born.” Leach walks into the
room and quickly joins the discussion.
“Coach,
have you seen ‘A Star is Born’? ” one of the quarterbacks asks.
No, but he
saw the version with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson and didn’t like it
despite generally being a fan of Kristofferson.
There is
plenty of work to do, but Leach isn’t so busy he can’t chat about a new movie.
After a
few minutes, the real work begins. Each play from the previous practice is
being shown from several different angles.
Although
only Gardner Minshew is expected to play Saturday, all of the quarterbacks are
focused. Leach, at the back of the table, uses a laser pointer to show where he
thinks an Oregon defensive player will be on a particular play (often different
from where the WSU scout player is on the film), pointing to where a WSU player
should have been.
Leach goes
back and forth between criticism and praise.
“Horrible
route, and not a good read either.”
“Nice
throw and catch.”
“This is
how it should look.”
Leach
tells Minshew he can’t guarantee the defensive formations Oregon will be in.
It’s clear he is giving Minshew the authority to change plays based on what he
sees.
WSU
quarterback Gardner Minshew. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
“Yes sir,”
Minshew responds.
Leach
emphasizes running plays where the offense has leverage.
“The
offense is trying to create space and the defense is trying to restrict space,”
Leach says. “I don’t think I’ve heard it put that way before, but that is
essentially what is going on.”
The
critique of plays from Tuesday’s practice is over. On the large screen is game
film of Oregon’s defense, from WSU’s 33-10 win over Oregon last year as well as
from Duck games this season.
“What do
you like here?” Leach asks Minshew again and again, while looking at different
Oregon defensive formations.
Minshew
rattles off suggestions rapid fire and confidently, using language only those
who play the game would understand. It seems there is no situation he does not
have an answer for.
“Any
questions?” Leach asks as the film is finished. Meeting adjourned.
3 p.m.
While the
players get suited for practice, Leach has another media obligation — this one
for the Pac-12 Networks.
That
finished, he is ready for practice at 3:30.
After two
hours of closed practice, Leach approaches a few media members standing nearby.
He always starts this meeting with, “Questions?”
He answers
a couple.
“The
energy at practice was good.”
“Oregon’s
defense is similar to what it was last year.”
Is Oregon
a good matchup for Washington State, with the Cougars winning the last three
games? Leach expertly avoids answering.
“They’re a
good solid team. The biggest thing is, they run well so you’ve got to attack
the whole field.”
Silence.
Interview
over. It took just 90 seconds.
It’s
almost dinner time, but another media obligation beckons.
5:50 p.m.
ESPN is
doing a story on the WSU “Popcorn Guy” to use on “College GameDay,” and the
network wants to interview Leach.
The coach
gives ESPN more than it could have hoped for, but its cameras malfunction. No
matter. Leach doesn’t say a word and is even funnier in the second take, making
the entire crew laugh.
A couple
highlights:
“He became
an iconic figure in the midst of all the carnage,” Leach said of the footage
shot during WSU’s 55-17 loss to Stanford in 2013. “It was uplifting to see he
was still having a good day.”
“He’s kind
of a guardian angel to our program and he’s helped us elevate us to the point
we have gone over the years, and we couldn’t have done it without him. And I
would just want to thank him.”
That
finished — and ESPN more than satisfied — Leach heads to dinner.
6 p.m.
The
athletic dining room overlooking Martin Stadium is bustling with athletes from
all sports, plus coaches and professors.
Yes,
professors.
A few
years ago, WSU started a program where football players invite professors to
dinner the week before home games.
One of the
invited professors, John Snyder, knew Leach from growing up in Cody, Wyo. They
were teammates on the Cody High School football team. The two had not seen each
other in decades, and Leach was unaware that they were at the same university.
Leach is
happy to be reacquainted. They go through the cafeteria line and sit with three
other professors. Leach asks most of the questions, showing genuine interest in
each.
“Watching
film can get kind of monotonous, so this is a nice diversion,” he says.
Speaking
of film, he tells them he has to watch some more. Leach clears his plate and
puts his dishes in the appropriate bins.
It’s time
to get back to work.
7 p.m.
The offensive
coaches are in the same room the quarterbacks were in earlier, still awaiting
Leach and receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr.
The
coaches are intently watching the MLB playoffs. Leach walks in and wants a
score update. Spurrier seems to be the lone assistant not interested in
baseball. Somehow, the chatter strays to his story about the last time he went
to a big-league game, in Toronto, and the impressive handlebar mustache seated
beside him.
“Rollie
Fingers,” several correctly identify at the same time. Leach wonders out loud
where Fingers was from (Steubenville, Ohio, a Google search reveals).
That
settled, baseball is turned off and film from today’s practice is turned on.
This is a
friendly, collaborative meeting. Leach is in charge, but everyone makes points.
On one
play shown, a normally sure-handed receiver drops a pass. The position coach
debates whether to bring it up with the receiver.
“Don’t say
anything,” Leach says. “He drops one pass every five practices.”
Leach
changes the subject to one of the team’s student managers, who never drops a
ball.
“I am not
sure I shouldn’t get that guy onto the field, and get him some receptions,”
Leach says.
It’s
amazing how seamlessly the coaches go from seriously analyzing plays to
something completely off topic, then right back to watching film intently as if
there had been no interruption.
“It’s
always like that,” Leach said of the quick topic changes.
With Leach
leading the way, they talk about the TV drama “The Blacklist,” (“You need to
live a little,” Leach tells an assistant who says he doesn’t watch it), the
woolly aphids invading Pullman, the opponents Valdosta State “owned” when Leach
was the offensive coordinator there and the water moccasin snakes he
encountered there in southern Georgia.
“They
aren’t like most snakes,” he says of the water moccasins. “They will stand
their ground or come at you. The people in southern Georgia are tough. They
treat them like roaches.”
8:30 p.m.
WSU sports
information director Bill Stevens enters the room. A print journalist from
Oregon wants to speak to Leach in the morning. National radio broadcaster Scott
Ferrall wants an interview in the evening, and Leach says he will do it while
walking home from his weekly radio show at a local restaurant.
Stevens
asks Leach about possibly making an appearance on “College GameDay” on Saturday
morning. Leach says doing so would upset his game-day routine.
Leach asks
if other coaches appear on the show, and he is told that many do.
“Well,
I’ve got a game to coach,” he says.
As he
begins his walk home around 9 p.m., it’s clear this was just another Wednesday
for him.
But for
most, it was a week like no other in Pullman.
::::::::::
Brandon’s
Minshew, 2,236 miles away, leads the nation in passing
By Rick
Cleveland, Sports Columnist
October
16, 2018
Mississippitoday.org
Brandon’s
Gardner Minshew leads the nation in passing at Washington State.
College
football’s leading passer hails from Brandon, Mississippi, and plays 2,236
miles away in Pullman, Washington. For Gardner Flint Minshew II, there were
many, many stops in between.
Minshew’s
is a story of persistence and an unfailing belief in his own abilities when so
many others doubted him. What you first need to know is that at Washington
State, Minshew indeed leads the nation, having completed 215 of 313 passes for
2,422 yards. He has thrown 19 touchdowns, just four interceptions.
That’s
fairly excellent for a guy none of the Mississippi schools offered after he
shattered passing records in three and a half seasons as a starter at Brandon.
Seriously,
Gardner, nobody in Mississippi offered you a scholarship?
“Heck no,”
Minshew answers. “All three times. I could have walked on, but no scholarship
offers.”
Three
times?
“Yes, out
of high school, then out of junior college and then as a grad transfer,”
Minshew answers.
Strike
three, you’re out – only Gardner Minshew is very much in the spotlight – at
Washington State.
At
Brandon, in 2014, Minshew threw for 3,541 yards and 31 touchdowns, leading the
Bulldogs to the South 6A championship. An honor student, he graduated in
December and signed to play at Troy where he went on an academic scholarship
rather than a football scholarship.
That
wasn’t a good fit, so Minshew transferred to Northwest Community College where
he led his team to a national championship as a freshman, winning the
championship game 66-13. He threw for a gazillion yards and still there were no
offers from Mississippi schools, so he chose East Carolina for the next chapter
of his college football odyssey.
In two
seasons at East Carolina as a part-time starter, he threw for 24 touchdowns vs.
11 interceptions and graduated with a degree in communications. The NCAA’s
relatively new rule on early graduates allowed for him to transfer to another
school without sitting out a year, so he decided to explore his options.
Last
January, Alabama offered him. He committed, as much for the chance to become a
graduate assistant coach under Nick Saban as for the opportunity to play for
the Crimson Tide. Eventually, Minshew wants to be a college coach.
“I think
they thought (Jalen) Hurts might transfer and they were looking for a back-up
for Tua Tagovailo,” Minshew says. “I plan to coach and the chance to get a foot
in the door there at Alabama was really nice.”
But then
Minshew got a call from Mike Leach at Washington State, whose recruiting
approach was unique, if maybe a bit brash:
“Gardner,
how would you like to come out to Washington State and lead the nation in
passing?” Leach asked Minshew.
Minshew
decided he would like that mighty fine.
“My heart
was still set on playing,” Minshew says. “The chance to play for Mike Leach in
his system was too good to pass up. It’s a quarterback’s dream.”
Problem
was, he had already missed Washington State’s spring practice when he signed.
So, Minshew instead spent this past spring attending spring workouts and
meetings at Jackson State where Hal Mumme, Leach’s co-inventor of the Air Raid
offense, was then the offensive coordinator.
“Coach
Mumme and Coach (Tony) Hughes were super-gracious,” Minshew says “I think it
really helped me with the system and terminology when I finally got to
Washington State.”
Minshew
quickly won the job in fall practices, and, as he puts it, “I haven’t looked
back.”
The No. 25
Cougars are 5-1 having lost only to Southern Cal, 39-36. So far, Leach has been
good on his promise, because Minshew is leading the nation in passing.
“Gardner
is one of the smartest quarterbacks I have ever had,” Leach says. “He has a
natural intelligence about him and he is a tremendously accurate thrower. He is
an incredibly confident guy, and a really great decision maker. As a
quarterback, he sees things and removes the clutter. If you can do that, it is
so much easier to play that position. And it helps if you are a good leader and
he is certainly that.”
Minshew
loves playing for Leach, whom he says, “Lets you know exactly where you stand.
If he tells you to fix something, then you better fix it. He has an
authenticity about him, he treats everyone the same.”
Minshew,
who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 215, has adapted to the Pacific Northwest as
easily as he had to the Air Raid offense.
“I’m
loving it,” he says. “It’s all new. I’ve been to California, Wyoming, Oregon,
all places I’ve never been before.”
It is a
bigger strain on Minshew’s family. His father, who goes by Flint, hasn’t missed
a game, making the cross-country flights. His mother, Kim, has stayed home
because Callie Minshew, Gardner’s youngest sister, is the reigning Mississippi
Gatorade volleyball player of the year at Brandon and in the thick of her
season.
You should
know this is an athletic family. Flint Minshew was a Millsaps football
standout, a member of the school’s athletic hall of fame. Kim played basketball
at Mississippi State. Middle daughter Meredith, who is at Mississippi State, is
an award-winning dancer.
And
Gardner Minshew is a much better athlete than many judged.
Says
Leach, “He’s not a fast runner. My guess is 4.8 or 4.9 in the 40, but he has
quick feet and he has been a productive runner for us.”
The lack
of speed surely is what kept Gardner from being a more highly recruited player
in the past. Most college teams, especially in the Deep South, are looking for
dual-threat quarterbacks.
Mike Leach
gladly will settle for a guy like Gardner Flint Minshew II, who makes up for a
lack of foot speed with a quick mind and an accurate arm. That, and
persistence.
::::::::::::::::;
Is James
Williams the most unsung Washington State football player?
By BARRY
BOLTON Cougfan.com
IS Cougar JAMES
WILLIAMS the most unsung hero on the 14th-ranked football in the nation?
ESPN
thinks so.
In their
compilation this week of the most under-the-radar, unsung heroes from each team
in the Top 25, the Cougars’ fourth-year junior running back from Burbank was
dubbed the man. ESPN writes, “The running backs in Mike Leach's Air Raid
offense often get overlooked, which is why James Williams isn't necessarily the
most well-known name in Pac-12 circles despite playing a significant role for
the Cougars for a third straight year.”
Williams’
twisting, turning, blasting and bumping touchdown run in the first quarter
against Oregon last week seemingly put him on the replay loop at every major
sports network in the nation, so the secret may be out. But ESPN’s point is
well taken.
Williams
is a whale of a producer yet the quarterbacks and receivers tend to dominate
Air Raid headlines. Plus, he shared playing time the last two seasons with two
outstanding, now graduated, backs in Jamal Morrow and Gerard Wicks.
Related:
So how many tackles did James Williams break in that crazy TD run against
Oregon?
This
season Williams is sharing time with freshman Max Borghi but he no doubt is one
of the Cougars’ key engines. Williams is averaging more than 90 rushing and
receiving combined yards per game — earning him a spot on PFF’s Mid-Season
All-Pac-12 second team — and his nine TDs are tied for third-most in the
conference and No. 12 in the nation. He needs on more TD to enter WSU all-time
top 10.
PFF rates
him the top pass-catching back in the nation and reports that he has forced
more missed tackles (18) than any receiving running back in the nation.
As for
being the most unsung hero on the Cougars, do you agree? Do any of the
offensive or defense linemen belong in the discussion? How about edge rusher
Willie Taylor III, who seems to have taken this season by storm? Share your
thoughts on the Cougfan.com premium message board. And if you’re not a member,
you have until midnight tonight to sign up with a heck of an offer: buy 1 month
and get 1 month free.
NOTABLE:
With158
career receptions, Williams is six shy of entering the WSU career top 10. He
also has the second-career receptions by a Cougar running backs, behind Morrow
with 202.
Williams
has racked up 625 total yards so far this season — 320 on 73 carries and 325 on
39 receptions. He averages 4.3 yards per rush and 8.3 per reception.
:::::::::::::::
Guest
column: Let's grab the mo, Cougar fans, and run with it
ByGLENN
OSTERHOUT Cougfan.com
THE ADAGE
IN THE COLLEGIATE world is that athletics are the “front porch” to every
university in the country and successful athletic programs showcase the entire
university in a positive light. Successful athletic programs also raise the
value of a Washington State degree, increase applications for enrollment and
elevate the brand across all departments.
Over the
last week, we showcased WSU’s spirit and campus to literally millions of people
through ESPN’s GameDay broadcast and then the football team’s win over Oregon.
Washington State University literally received millions of dollars worth of the
finest-possible marketing exposure as a result of success on the football
field. That's why it's the "front porch" -- athletics is the highly
visible, first thing you see when you drive up to this very large house that is
a major research university.
So let me
ask you this: Do you like this feeling? Are you proud to showcase our campus
and spirit to the entire country? Would you like to see more of this type of
success going forward?
I can tell
you I participated in nearly every event, gathering and celebration in Pullman
last week and I have never been more proud of WSU — the spirit, the family
feel, the attendance, the marketing, and every fan on their feet cheering our
beloved Cougs all the way to the end.
The path
forward from here is clear. We, as Cougar fans, must increase our investment in
WSU athletics to keep this going. As my
old friend Greg Witter, the publisher of Cougfan.com, told the Seattle Times in
this story today, Mike Leach has delivered what Cougar fans have long dreamed
of — sustained success — and now we can truly focus on winning championships.
That requires all of us to help.
As I
outlined in a prior CF.C column, the ascent has begun, but our donations to WSU
athletics still trail our competition by a substantial amount and even Oregon
State is ahead of us!
BASED ON
THE WEALTH AND THE SIZE of our alumni base, annual donations to the Cougar
Athletic Fund should be $15 million per year versus the current total of $7.7
million. Yes, we Cougar fans need to double donations to the CAF. In that endeavor to increase support, I ask
all of you consider a donation, whether you can attend games or not. We have literally hundreds of thousands of
WSU alumni and friends that watch our games each and every week, travel to away
games, gather large groups of family and friends to share in the success, but
do not donate to the very teams they are watching – this is a group of people
we need to engage. If we are all
enjoying the benefits of successful athletic programs then why are we all not
donating?
There are
a number of ways to support Cougar athletics, including the purchase of season
tickets and then giving them away if you need to. But the two primary ways to
support the Cougars are:
By
donating to the CAF to underwrite the cost of athletic scholarships. Given that
we all benefit from winning athletic programs, I am asking each and everyone of
you to either join the Cougar Athletic Fund now and/or increase your support.
Contributing
to the cost of new and upgraded facilities. College athletics is very
competitive and both prospective athletes and coaches must have the necessary
facilities to recruit and compete at a high level. Not only do we have to
increase our annual donations to the CAF, but we must also continue to improve
our facilities to keep our coaches and attract to-tier student-athletes.
The next
project we must privately fund is the Indoor Practice Facility (IPF). The IPF
will be utilized by all 16 sports and will be a significant recruiting
advantage for WSU. It is the top priority in athletics for President Schulz, AD
Pat Chun and coach Mike Leach. The IPF
is critical for WSU student-athletes to train on a year-round basis in a
temperature-controlled environment. We need this now!
The cost
for the IPF is $25 million and gifts can be pledged over a number of years. For
example, a major gift of $25,000 or more can be pledged over five years, gifts
of $100,000-plus can be pledged over 10 years and you can make your donations
with appreciated assets such as stocks and real estate. I ask that you consider
a major gift to WSU athletics and please contact one of the development
officers in WSU Athletics. Please note that every Power 5 university in the
Northern U.S. has a a state-of-the-art indoor practice facility as do non-Power
5 universities such as Boise State and Utah State.
Related
story: Cougar Nation earns ESPN host's "most impressive" award for
Week 8 of college season
Thanks for
your time and attention. Let's keep all this Crimson and Gray momentum going by
putting our enthusiasm for the Cougars to work through financial support. Go
Cougs!
:::::::::::
Cougar men’s
basketball: 5 takeaways from the open scrimmage
ByDYLAN
HAUGH Cougfan.com
PULLMAN —
Amid the GameDay and football fanfare on Saturday, Washington State’s men’s
basketball team held an open scrimmage inside the Bohler Complex and the
takeaways were notable. Chief among them? The work of JC transfer Isaiah Wade,
who is proving to be a revelation in the rebounding department. Here are five
observations from the 30-minute, five-on-five scrimmage:
1. WADE FIGURES TO START AT
THE 5
2.
The 6-7
transfer from Iowa Western will log serious minutes down low with Ernie Kent
looking for someone to fill the void Drick Bernstine leaves behind. The
undersized Wade dominated Arinze Chidom and Jeff Pollard on the glass for the
White team, and it wasn’t even a contest, outworking each player on the
offensive and defensive glass. He’s reminds you of Kevin Love rebounding wise,
where he’s more technical with his base and finding the right position when the
shot goes up than simply using athletic abilities.
Wade also
showed touch from deep and in the mid-range; he only attempted and made one
3-pointer, but seeing how often teams gave Bernstine open looks from 15-feet or
deeper last season, opposing teams will have to honor it.
Wade’s
footwork is much refined for a junior college transfer and he should become a
fan favorite because of hustle and grit. Robert Franks said afterward that Wade
is the Cougars’ Dennis Rodman on the court.
“He’s been
that way the last three or four weeks when we just put him at the five. He was
trying to play multiple positions early on and struggled a bit,” Ernie Kent
said. “Since we’ve moved him to the five, 15-rebound (scrimmage), 17-rebound
(scrimmage) — he leads the team in rebounding by about 20 … He’s an under-sized
energy guy that’s vocal. He gives us something we haven’t had before, that kind
of toughness that can go get the ball, he’s really going to benefit us moving
forward.”
2. BOTH
TRUE FRESHMEN WILL PLAY A TON
C.J.
Elleby and Aljaz Kunc each showed they’ll be key contributors this season, both
logged more minutes than junior college transfer and sophomore Marvin Cannon
and both look polished.
“For C.J
and Jaz, one’s 6-7 and one’s 6-6… they have been very well coached but they
understand the game and that’s why they stick out so much. They’re perfect for
the system because there skill-set is so good. Their ability to pass, dribble,
shoot and defend … They’re not your normal freshmen, but just keep in mind,
they’re just freshmen and they’re playing that well.”
Elleby
isn’t going to come in and create for himself right away, that’s not his role.
Kent and company need him to rebound, defend and make a living getting easy
buckets in the paint. His jump-shot is still a work in progress, everything
else is chiseled for a true freshmen.
As for the
Slovenian native who goes by “Jaz” it was tough to analyze his amateur tape
because the competition looked awful but he’s your typical European who’s able
to do much of everything — ball-handling, passing, moving without the ball and
he can really shoot it. Two Cougar players said they were “shocked” with how
well Kunc played from day one, each saying It took them by surprise.
3.
POSITION BATTLE AT POINT GUARD
Junior
college transfers Ahmed Ali and Jervae Robinson each manned the point for their
respected teams. Ali is lightning quick while Robinson plays more methodically
with ball fakes and hesitation dribbles to get inside the paint. Ali doesn’t
need much room in the pick and roll to get around a defender and get the paint.
Ali should
hang with Franks, Daniels and Skaggs in the 3-point department. He’s a better
outside shooter than Robinson and has a quicker and more refined release.
Kent says
the point guard position battle will come down to defense in the end. “I told
people early on that was the most important portion to fill with the departure
of Malachi (Flynn), I think we’ve done it quite nicely with these two players.
The key thing now is letting that translate over into competition when the
bright lights come on and we start to play competitively… they’v got to to
figure out between the two of them who’s going to defend… when they figure that
piece I’ll feel real comfortable that position.”
4. BENCH
AND LENGTH ARE DEEPER
Last
season WSU finished 11th in the Pac-12 in offensive rebounding, 12th in
defensive rebounding and was the only Pac-12 team to not register at least 100
blocks in the season — finishing with 71. Kent and company attacked their
offseason hoping to fill these needs. “That’s one of the things we talked about
last spring going into the summer … we need to get bigger and we need to get
deeper if we’re going to continue to play this way and set the pace. When we go
to the bench we really don’t drop off much, that was the key thing.”
Arinze
Chidom added weight to his 6-9 frame, add Elleby, Kunc and Cannon who are each
6-6 or taller and suddenly, WSU, at least has the size to rebound and defend
better. How those pieces come together in non-conference and into conference
play remains to be seen.
Related:
Kent switches up recruiting & defensive identities to remake Cougs
5. ROBERT
FRANKS WILL CARRY A HEAVY LOAD
With Flynn
opting for the beach over the Palouse, Franks will have a heavy plate this
season. Teams are going to game-plan around him, double-team and force Franks
into making decisions with the basketball. The offense will flow through him
and NBA teams will certainly observe how Franks handles the added
responsibilities.
Physically,
Franks looks fantastic. His shot is NBA-ready. Rebounding at a higher clip,
defending and making plays off the dribble are where he’ll need to check some
boxes, not only for NBA scouts but his team.
QUOTABLE:
Kent on what he wants to see in the non-conference portion the season: “The
biggest thing, starting now, is the consistency of defending … any piece we put
on that floor, they play at the intensity level we’ve set for ourselves. They
do that, we’re going to be extremely successful with this team.”
NOTABLE:
At
Saturday's scrimmage, the White team was made up of Ahmed Ali, Viont’e Daniels,
C.J. Elleby, Marvin Cannon, Robert Franks, Isaiah Wade and James Streeter; and
the Crimson team included Jervae Robinson, Aljaz Kunc, Carter Skaggs, Arinze
Chidom, Jeff Pollard and Davonte Cooper. White prevailed 79-76.
Franks is
recently was named to the watch list for the Julius Irving Small Forward of the
Year Award, the Naismith Hall of Fame announced. Franks, a senior from
Vancouver, Wash., was seventh in the Pac-12 in scoring (17.4 ppg) last season
and 15th in rebound (6.6 per game).
The early
signing period in basketball recruiting is next month, from Nov. 14-21. The
Cougars are expected to sign two, both JC transfers: small forward Daron Henson
and combo guard Ryan Murphy. This past weekend, high school shooting guard
Jarred Hyder of San Bernardino, Calif., was on an official visit to WSU and
managed to swing by the GameDay set for a photo with his parents .
::::::::::::
Grip on
Sports: The pressure continues to mount on Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott
Thu., Oct.
25, 2018, 8:57 a.m.
By Vince
Grippi Spokane S-R
A GRIP ON
SPORTS Want another piece of evidence times have
changed (as they always do)? One of my friends used to have a toy, a blow-up,
hard-rubber clown that was weighted at the bottom. No matter how hard you
slugged it, it bounced back. And always did. I thought about it this morning
when reading about Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott. Read on.
• I guess
the toy’s existence doesn’t prove anything about the changing times. Believe it
or not, it is still available for purchase. Who would have thought? I guess, in
a way, it is even more applicable as a metaphor for Scott’s recent tenure.
Who would
have thought he would still be there, smiling, taking punches and bouncing
back? After all, some of the recent blows would be enough to deflate most
careers.
Last
night, the conference sent out a press release saying, in part, the Pac-12’s
athletic directors were endorsing recent changes in the replay system. You
think? The group, meeting this week, agreed with Scott that changes had to be
made. And that certain, unnamed, conference officials, were to be reprimanded.
(Contrast this with the public nature the conference used during the day to
reprimand and fine Arizona State defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales for his
comments after the Sun Devils loss to Stanford.)
The litany
of problems in the league office has grown recently, with the impetus supplied
by controversy over a couple of replay calls – or non-calls – in USC’s 39-36
win over Washington State.
But the
recent kerfuffles are just the tip of a huge iceberg – in more ways than one.
The core
of the problems were frozen in place long ago, from a TV contract that looked
good at first but, over the years, turned out to be inadequate. OK, that’s
putting in mildly, isn’t it, those of you who love your DirecTV? There have
been other issues over the years issuing from Scott’s domain, from a bounty put
on a basketball coach to the proliferation of late-night football games. In a
vacuum, none of the problems are enough to cause lasting damage to the
commissioner, but add them up and it starts to chip away at his ability to
lead.
Nothing
illustrates that as to documents related to the replay incidents this season.
Someone, probably connected in some way to the conference office, leaked a
proprietary report from the game to Yahoo. That began the firestorm. And then,
when Scott was making the rounds explaining the fixes he was implementing,
another document was leaked to The Oregonian’s John Cazano, making Scott look
ill-informed – at best.
It’s
almost as if there is a cabal trying to push Scott out the door.
None of
this is new, either. Such things happen all the time in all major corporations.
It’s just that most of us don’t care about the behind-the-scene machinations at
Kimberley-Clark or Charmin. All we want them to do is produce high-quality
toilet paper.
And all
most sports fans want out of their favorite Pac-12 school is it produces
successful football and basketball programs. That hasn’t happened, on a
national scale, all that often under Scott’s watch either. It’s not entirely
his fault, certainly. There are a lot of reasons why the Pac-12 probably won’t
have a team in the football playoffs again this season or the basketball
showing in the NCAA Tournament will be lackluster as it has been the past few
years.
But the
buck finds its way to his desk – literally, when you realize he made almost $5
million last year – as does the criticism.
Sooner or
later it will end up being too much. And change will happen. After all, after
all the hits it absorbed, even the painted-on smile wore off the clown’s face
back in the day.
::::::::::::::
WSU
FOOTBALL
With running
back Bryce Love hobbling and options aplenty at wide receiver, Stanford offense
has taken on different look in 2018
UPDATED:
Wed., Oct. 24, 2018, 9:48 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson of the S-R of Spokane
PULLMAN –
It isn’t a typo or submission error. Wipe the dust from your reading specs and
the same numbers pop up on the NCAA’s statistical database. Select “Rushing
Offense” from the team statistic dropdown menu and click on the third page,
which lists the teams ranked in the bottom third of the country in rushing
yards per game, Nos. 101-129.
Scroll
down some, keep scrolling and eventually you’ll stumble across both of the
teams that will be squaring off Saturday in a 4 p.m. Pac-12 North showdown in
Palo Alto, California.
It’s no
surprise No. 14 Washington State (6-1, 3-1) sits at No. 128 nationally with
72.6 rush yards per game. The Cougars are quite familiar with page three of the
NCAA’s rushing offense database and have been since Mike Leach and his Air Raid
arrived in Pullman seven years ago.
Two spots
higher than WSU – and this is the kicker – is No. 24 Stanford, a school that’s
long been synonymous with power run schemes and All-American tailbacks. The
126th-ranked running team in the country is averaging 91.6 yards per game – and
that’s after a 127-yard rushing effort against Arizona State. Stanford, on 59
more carries, has six fewer rushing touchdowns than the Cougars. The Cardinal
average 3.07 yards per carry. The Cougars average 3.39.
It’s a
two-fold dilemma for Stanford’s offense this season. The centerpiece of a
usually potent backfield is wounded and the Cardinal have stumbled across a few
wide receivers capable of taking the passing game to new heights.
“Those big
receivers, the way they pin people on their backs and make plays – I’ve said
all along they’re good coaches,” WSU defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys said.
“They play to their strengths and this year with the receivers they have, it
obviously makes more sense for them to use them more.”
Bryce
Love, the running back that glided through Pac-12 defenses for 2,118 yards and
19 touchdowns last season and captured the attention of college football fans
every time he ripped off a 50-yard run – of which there were 13 – has spent
most of his senior season hobbled with a sore ankle. That’s still the case this
week, as the Cardinal host the Cougars at Stanford. Per the San Francisco
Chronicle, the senior, who’s already missed two games this season, is “day to
day.”
Love’s
broken off just one of those 50-yarders this year and he’s accumulated 348
rushing yards after five games. Through five games of the 2017 season, he’d
already crossed the 1,000-yard barrier.
After a
DNP against Utah, Love returned to the field last week against Arizona State,
carrying the ball 11 times for 21 yards before being pulled from the game for precautionary
reasons.
“It’s hard
to put a percentage on it. I’d say he was somewhere approaching 90 percent, not
quite 90,” Shaw said Thursday after Stanford’s 20-13 win in Tempe. “But once he
got warm and got loose, there were a couple 4- or 5-yard runs in there that
were really impressive. His acceleration in short areas was impressive.”
The
Cougars are playing it safe and approaching Love the same way they did last
year when he was soaring up Heisman polls and climbing NFL Draft boards as the
nation’s most dangerous ball-carrier.
“I know
he’s a good player and I expect him to be 100 percent,” middle linebacker Jahad
Woods said Tuesday.
But Love’s
regression has coincided with the gradual rise of junior quarterback K.J.
Costello and to a greater extent, senior receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside. It’s
been a season-long game of pitch and catch for those two, who’ve hooked up 37
times for 632 yards and nine touchdowns.
It’s given
Stanford another reason to break tradition and, at least temporarily, swap out
power-run schemes for a revived passing game. The Cardinal have put the ball on
the ground 209 times this season and thrown it 216. In 2017, Stanford ran it
480 times and passed it 363. In 2016, with Christian McCaffrey and Love on The
Farm, Stanford logged 523 pass plays and only 304 runs.
“Stanford’s
kind of changed their style of play. They’re throwing it a bunch now,” Leach
said Monday. “They always used to be grind, grind, grind, play-action and now
they’re throwing it quite a bit, so it’s a little different dimension.
Offensively, it’s a different Stanford team than we’ve played.”
Arcega-Whiteside,
not Love, is probably the single player the Cougars would like to contain if
given the choice. The 6-foot-3 wideout opened his senior season with six
catches for 226 yards and three touchdowns against San Diego State. He averages
better than 90 yards per game and constantly creates matchup issues in the red
zone.
“They do a
good job, and they’ve been like this a long time, of almost treating it like a
basketball rebound,” Claeys said. “They pin you on their back and throw that
ball up and go get it. So one thing is, hopefully, they don’t get down around
the red zone and keep them out of that area and take that throw away from
them.”
:::::::
Jon Wilner
Pac-12 Hotline /San Jose Mercury News
What’s the
best football coaching job in the Pac-12? Even coaches say there’s an obvious
hierarchy
Originally
published in Seattle Times October 25, 2018 at 1:55 pm Updated October 25, 2018
at 3:12 pm
It's clear
Washington is in the top tier, but is Chris Petersen's job the most coveted in
the conference? Pac-12 Hotline's Jon Wilner asked the coaches. How do they view
UW compared to USC, Stanford and Oregon? How about Washington State?
This might
come as a surprise to anyone outside the USC fandom bubble, but frustration
with Clay Helton is not universal.
He has
supporters, who view the Rose Bowl at the end of the 2016 season and the
conference title in 2017 as evidence of Helton’s fitness for the job; who point
to his maturity as “the adult in the room”; and who attribute the ’18 stumbles
to playing a rookie quarterback.
They also
have little use for history: The landscape has changed, Helton’s advocates
argue. The Trojans won’t ever replicate the success they experienced in the
2000s under Pete Carroll, or in the 1960-70s under John McKay and John
Robinson.
Is USC no
longer the unquestioned coaching jewel of the Pac-12?
Have I
somehow missed an undercurrent that has permanently undermined a program that
owns 39 conference titles, seven national titles and seven Heisman Trophies?
Which got
the Hotline thinking a bit more (run!): What are the best coaching jobs in the
Pac-12? The order seems fairly obvious from the outside, but how do the coaches
view the hierarchy?
So I
asked.
I
conducted an informal survey of current and former Pac-12 coaches to rank the
jobs in the conference.
Participants
covered all geographic regions, both sides of the ball and each level of
experience (assistants, coordinators and head coaches).
I
guaranteed anonymity but gave no criteria, although the coaches naturally
prioritized access to recruits, tradition and facilities.
The
results made sense, but I was a bit surprised by the limited range for most
schools: The pecking order, even for coaches, is abundantly clear.
As one
coach said: “The top five are head and shoulders above the rest.”
The
results also lend context to our assessment of coaching performance past and
present.
Points
were allotted in reverse order: 12 for first, 11 for second, etc.
1. USC –
106 (8 first-place votes)
Highest
ranking: 1st
Lowest
ranking: 3rd
Comment:
“The L.A. schools are 1-2 for me because of where they’re located with all
those players. And if you’re from out of town, it’s easy to get to for parents,
and the flights are cheap.”
2.
Washington – 96 (1)
Highest:
1st
Lowest:
3rd
Comment:
“Oregon and Washington are close, but it’s slightly easier to get kids to go to
Washington because of the tradition and being in the city.”
3.
Stanford – 83
Highest:
2nd
Lowest:
4th
Comment:
“It’s great because it has a niche unto itself. It has a great location and
appeal with the brand.”
4. Oregon
– 81
Highest:
3rd
Lowest:
5th
Comment:
“The facilities, sure. But Eugene is hard to get to.”
5. UCLA –
80
Highest:
2nd
Lowest:
6th
Comment:
“The new (football operations building) is amazing. It’s like Oregon-B.”
6. Arizona
State – 63
Highest:
5th
Lowest:
7th
Comment:
“I can’t tell you the reason they haven’t been consistently better. I’m shocked
Dennis (Erickson) didn’t kill it there. But there are a lot of distractions
that keep kids from focusing on school and football. USC and UCLA have the same
issue.”
7.
Colorado – 45
Highest:
5th
Lowest:
10th
Comment:
“It’s a romantic destination if you can get the kid with the right profile.”
8. Utah –
43
Highest:
7th
Lowest:
9th
Comment:
“It’s not going to have any appeal at all to some kids.”
9. Cal –
39
Highest: 6th
Lowest:
11th
Comment:
“The football program gets no help and look at what you’re dealing with from an
admissions standpoint.”
10.
Arizona – 32
Highest:
8th
Lowest:
11th
Comment:
“Not a big city and doesn’t have a big recruiting base around it.”
11.
Washington State – 25
Highest:
9th
Lowest:
11th
Comment:
“It’s clear who does the best job with what they have and where they are.”
12. Oregon
State – 9
Highest:
12th
Lowest:
12th
Comment:
“It’s so tough to even have a winning year.”
#
