WSU WOMEN’S
BASKETBALL:
Cougs head to Los Angles to play UCLA
Information
from WSU Sports Info
7pm Friday
Feb 1 at UCLA
Noon
Sunday Feb 4 at USC
Live Stats | WSUCougars.com
Watch live
stream (at UCLA, at USC)
OPENING
FIVE
> Back
on the road to begin the second half of the Pac-12 schedule the Cougars head to
Southern California beginning with a Friday night showdown with UCLA at Pauley
Pavilion. The Cougs look to snap a two-game skid against the Bruins who enter
the week on a high with wins over No. 16 Arizona State and Arizona last
weekend.
> WSU
dropped a pair of games to the Oregon schools last week and have fallen in
four-straight Pac-12 contests.
>
Borislava Hristova, a Cheryl Miller Watch List nominee, enters the week scoring
21.1 ppg, 4th in the Pac-12 and 14th in the nation. She enters the week 5th
all-time in scoring with 1,523 points and is poised to move into the top-3 this
weekend.
>
Chanelle Molina enters the game with 102 assists on the year. She needs 21 to
reach the program’s single season top-10. She enters the game averaging 5.1 apg
while also scoring 15.7 ppg and grabbing 6.1 rebounds (second-best on the
team).
>
Alexys Swedlund, the all-time leader in career and single season three-pointers
enters the day needing just one triple to post another top-10 three-point
season. She has 49 total on the year.
GAME
INFORMATION - VS UCLA
Back on
the road to begin the second half of the Pac-12 schedule the Cougars head to
Southern California beginning with a Friday night showdown with UCLA at Pauley
Pavilion. The Cougs look to snap a two-game skid against the Bruins while also
looking for the program’s first win on the road at Pauley. Last season, the
Cougs just missed their second upset of the Bruins in as many seasons at home,
falling in a close one, 79-71, in the lone meeting between the two teams.
Borislava Hristova scored 25 in the loss.
The Bruins
come into the week ridin a hot streak having knocked off No. 16 Arizona State
and Arizona (3OT) last week on the road. The wins snapped a four-game losing
streak for the Bruins in Pac-12 play.
LAST TIME
OUT
Never
finding their offensive rhythm throughout 40 minutes of play, Washington State
(7-13, 2-7) struggled to score points against No. 9 Oregon State (17-3, 7-1)
who finished off the season sweep of the Cougars with a 52-35 win at Beasley
Coliseum Sunday afternoon. From the outset the Cougars could not get their
shots to fall, going long swaths of time with a lid on the rim. The 35 points
was a season low for the Cougars and the lowest scoring output since being held
to 30 points at Arizona State on Feb. 21, 2008.
BOBI
BUCKETS QUEST TO BE THE ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER
Etching
her name among the elite all-time in WSU history, Coug scoring sensation
Borislava Hristova, affectionately known as Bobi Buckets, became the 18th
member of WSU’s 1,000-point club on Feb. 2 at Arizona last season. She was the
second fastest all-time to 1,000 points as the sophomore needed just 60 games
to reach the millennial mark (the record, held by Jeanne Eggart WSU’s all-time
leading scorer, sits at 57 games).
With 1,523
points, Hristova is 5th in scoring in program history. Her 17.7 ppg career
scoring average ranks third all-time behind Lia Galdeira (17.8 ppg) and Eggart
(18.4 ppg). The all-time record of 1,967 points is held by hall-of-famer Jeanne
Eggart (1977-82) while Lia Galderia (2012-15) scored 1,710 points in the NCAA
era.
The next
Cougs on the list ahead of Hristova are:
3. 1,541 Tia Presley 2011-15
4. 1,526 Jenni Ruff 1992-96
::::::::::::::
WSU
student regent questions WSU Baseball Clubhouse
With
university in debt, former ASWSU President Jordan Frost says the new baseball
facility prioritizes athletics over academics
By Scott
Jackson Moscow Pullman Daily News
Jan 29,
2019
The
Washington State University Board of Regents’ most junior member spoke out
against the Board Friday — a rarity in such meetings.
In the
midst of an athletics deficit expected to grow to $85.1 million by 2022 and
other widespread department cuts occurring throughout other university
departments, Jordan Frost, the student regent appointed to the Board, voted
against the construction of a new baseball clubhouse
Frost was
the lone “no” vote.
Despite
his dissent, the Board approved, among other items, the design and construction
of the $10 million clubhouse, which will be erected on the third-base side of
WSU’s Bailey-Brayton Field.
With $4
million in donations already on hand and another $2.5 million pledged, Regents
Chair Ron Sims said the remaining $3.5 million will be covered by a loan from
university reserves with the understanding the sum will be paid back through
donations yet to be procured.
“One of
the things we do — with athletics in particular, but a lot of other departments
— is we say we don’t mind issuing debt as long as you can show us how you’re
going to pay for this so that it’s not being born by students,” Sims said. “If
you look at this project, you can see they’ve been able to secure a lot of the
funding for it. There’s no reason not to anticipate that that will continue.”
The loan
in particular led Frost to voice his dissent.
Frost was
appointed to the Board by Gov. Jay Inslee after heading a range of college
organizations, including serving as Associated Students of WSU president.
Frost, now
a master’s degree candidate, argued that with the university facing budgetary
constrictions and cutbacks in other departments, now is not the time to issue
loans — particularly not to a department that has historically carried a
significant share of the university’s debt.
From his
perspective as a student, he said, he has heard sentiments skeptical of the
move and questioning if the project truly is a need.
“What I
think is certainly more critical is the fact that we’re still losing staff, are
still overstretched in our classes (and) another round of cuts will be coming
to all departments this year,” Frost, 23, said. “I mean, those are the things
that I see as critical yet those are being reduced while we’re building a new
baseball building.”
Frost said
when one regent asked him whether the people he was hearing from were aware
that the department had already secured significant private funding for the
project, he told her it didn’t really matter given the athletics department’s
years of debt and the financial challenges facing the university today.
“I
understand that their positions are a little different than mine — where my
responsibility is actually to directly represent the constituency, that’s not
their primary role,” Frost said. “I can feel and see and I connect with the
people who this is affecting them on a daily basis whereas our regents — the
majority of their contact with the university is through senior leaders — the
university president and the VPs.”
Sims, a
former deputy director of U.S. Housing and Urban Development, said the board
understood Frost’s caution but ultimately disagreed.
Frost is a
one-year member of the Board, while other appointees typically serve six-year
terms — some of whom have served multiple terms.
Sims said
from the perspective of people who’ve been working with the athletics
department and its debt for several years, it does seem like the right time and
the financial risk isn’t quite as as burdensome as it might seem.
“We are
just giving them a very small loan which will be repaid and I have great
confidence in that,” Sims said. “(Athletics Director) Pat Chun has done an
incredible job at raising money this year on a variety of different projects,
so I’m quite optimistic.”
Frost said
even if it is not necessarily representative of irresponsible investment or
ballooning debt, he still feels the loan is the wrong signal for an academic
institution to be sending.
Those
students, staff and faculty who have felt the sting of budgetary recent
constrictions will have a hard time not seeing this allocation as a
prioritization of athletics over academics, he said, noting the building’s
construction will not have a significant effect on the academic side of the
institution.
“Whether
it’s a loan or not, we’re still saying that this is a top priority for our
whole system — the entire university is giving that loan,” Frost said. “I can’t
tell you honestly what the critical urgent need is because I don’t believe
there is one but I’m also looking at the whole system.”
:::::::::::
WSU
football
Washington
State wide receiver, special teams contributor Kainoa Wilson leaves program
Mon., Jan.
28, 2019, 5:40 p.m.
Spokesman-Review
By Theo
Lawson
PULLMAN –
A Washington State walk-on wide receiver and key special teams contributor has
left the Cougars football team.
A school
official confirmed to The Spokesman-Review Monday that Kainoa Wilson, a
5-foot-11, 169-pound inside receiver is no longer with the WSU program.
Cougfan.com was the first to notice Wilson’s absence from the team roster.
The reason
for Wilson’s departure is unclear but the WR had been a non-scholarship player
for the Cougars his first four seasons in Pullman and it was unlikely he would
crack Mike Leach’s inside receiver rotation in 2019.
Wilson
made just three catches in three seasons with the Cougars, but he was in the
middle of a few critical special teams plays in 2018. The Nanakuli, Hawaii,
native blocked a punt that teammate Tristan Brock recovered for a touchdown in
the first quarter of the Cougars’ 56-37 win over Oregon State at Reser Stadium in
Corvallis
In WSU’s
69-28 blowout win over Arizona, Wilson, a gunner on the Cougars’ kickoff team,
recovered a fumble for a touchdown on a kickoff in
in the
second quarter. Wilson made 10 tackles in 2018 – all of them on special teams –
and recovered two fumbles.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
WSU AD
Chun: Wilson to UO stung but Mike Leach will be just fine
By Braden
Johnson Cougfan.com 1/29/2019
WASHINGTON
STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR Patrick Chun was sad to see former linebackers coach
Ken Wilson leave for Oregon last week. But Chun told Cougs in 60 radio host
Derek Deis on Tuesday the Ducks poaching their fourth WSU assistant in three
years confirms Mike Leach has put together one of the best coaching trees in
college football.
“That one
stung because he is a good person,” Chun said of Wilson. “Obviously, you’re
happy for him because this move fits in line with what he wants to do with his
career. He’s a committed person and he does things the right way. That’s why
schools want to keep him around.
“The other
side of it is that it gives us an opportunity to bring someone else in, and
Mike Leach knows how to hire assistant coaches. There’s a reason why Oregon
keeps looking at our coaching tree.”
From a
coaching standpoint, Chun is not concerned on finding a suitable replacement
for Wilson after Leach filled six assistant coaching voids in 2018 and Wazzu
went on to an 11-2 season, posting the most single-season wins in program
history. Chun also said the timing may have been right for Wilson and his wife,
Heather, to move on after spending six seasons in Pullman.
Wilson
told CF.C in an interview last week he has aspirations of becoming a defensive
coordinator or head coach. His daughter, Baylie, is set to graduate from WSU in
the spring.
GARDNER
MINSHEW STRUGGLED in Saturday’s Reese’s Senior Bowl, completing 1-of-8 passes
for 4 yards, but Chun fully expects Minshew to receive an invite to the NFL
Combine in Indianapolis (Feb. 26-March 4).
Chun said Minshew’s leadership (he was one of three captains for the
South team) and the numbers he put up for the Cougars in 2018 speak louder than
his performance in an exhibition game.
“That
winning personality was around NFL coaching staffs and scouts all week,” Chun
said. “That game is one outlier. You have to take those all-star games in a
context. That’s not your team. I think the fact he was named a captain says
more about who he is and what he can do for a team -- and that (WSU) game film
doesn’t lie.”
Minshew in
his only season at WSU threw for 4,776 yards for the Cougars, tossed 38
touchdowns and completed 70.7 percent of his passes.
Was there really any doubt who would
Captain this team? Gardner Minshew continues his captivating story, one of the
best we’ve seen recently in college football https://t.co/RrSYj4ssFg
CHUN SAID
ANDRE DILLARD and his development is a testament to Leach’s niche-recruiting
philosophy. Dillard is now being projected as a first-round NFL draft choice
after a banner week at the Senior Bowl.
“He knows
what type of football player can excel academically, athletically, and socially
on our campus, and we have the tools to make them their best,” Chun said of
Leach.
Dillard
was rated two stars by Scout.com out of Woodinville High in the 2014 class,
with his only other scholarship offers coming from Eastern Washington and Idaho.
In 2018, he became the third offensive lineman in four years, and sixth
offensive tackle all-time, to garner All-American recognition for the Cougars,
after being named to the Associated Press’ third team.
CHUN
CANNOT MENTION potential graduate transfers – say, Gage Gubrud – by name until
it becomes official, but thinks Leach is as good of a judge of that batch of
talent as any coach. Gubrud, who quarterbacked Eastern Washington from
2016-2018, is reportedly transfering to WSU provided the NCAA grants him a
sixth year of eligibility.
Chun
pointed to Leach emphasizing fit as much as talent when recruiting another grad
transfer in Minshew. “He’s going to get someone that fits our locker room and
he will not promise anyone a job,” Chun said. “But if someone wants to come in
and compete and make our team better, that’s great. Competition is good, and
we’ll see where we land with all that.”
For what
it’s worth, Chun, who spent 10-plus years at Ohio State from 2002-2012, said he
has only seen two graduate transfer quarterbacks pan out at the Power Five
level. One is Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who transferred from
North Carolina State to Wisconsin in 2011. The other is Minshew.
THE
SECOND-YEAR ATHLETIC DIRECTOR also dished on his time at the 2019 NCAA
Convention last week and the WSU men’s basketball team’s recent sweep at the
hands of Oregon and Oregon State. Chun met with other Pac-12 athletic directors
in Orlando to discuss the state of the conference, namely fundraising efforts,
and the national perception of and performance in football and men’s
basketball.
He
retained his supportive stance of coach Ernie Kent and his players, though
perhaps not as enthusiastically as he has on previous radio shows. Chun said he
watched all 40 minutes of WSU’s 78-58 loss to Oregon on Sunday and that the
Cougars need to find consistency, even if the roster carries just three
seniors.
“The
second half (against Oregon), we ran into some adversity and ran out of gas,
which you cannot have as a young team,” Chun said. “There’s still time to get
this thing together and see how good we’re supposed to be. The optimist in me
says, ‘Let’s see how good this team can be.’”
WSU was
outscored 43-19 in the second half against the Ducks, fell to 1-6 in Pac-12
play with the loss and has dropped 9 of its last 10 games. The Cougars (8-12,
1-6 Pac-12) play host to UCLA (11-9, 4-3) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on the Pac-12
Network.
On the
gridiron, the Cougars’ 11-2 season and No. 10 finish in the final AP and
Coaches polls were a point of pride for Chun.
“The
league is very aware we need to improve – both football and men's basketball,”
Chun said. “It’s nice being a Washington State AD because we did our part in
football this fall.”
:::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nebraska
A.D. Moos calls rumors of misuse of alcohol 'disgusting' and without merit
By STEVEN
M. SIPPLE
Lincoln
Journal Star
Jan 29,
2019
Calling
rumors about him harmful and disgusting, Nebraska athletic director Bill Moos
on Tuesday dismissed the notion that alcohol has negatively affected his
performance during his 15 months on the job.
"I've
heard the rumors and started seeing the stuff last night," Moos told the
Journal Star. "It's disgusting and obviously it doesn't have merit."
His
bosses, NU system President Hank Bounds and UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green, said
earlier Tuesday in a joint statement that Moos "has done a great job
guiding our Athletic Department. He has our full support, and we look forward
to his continued strong leadership."
Moos
expressed appreciation for the show of support.
"That
was nice," he said. "But the rumors are harmful. If I deserved it,
I'd take it like a man."
Moos came
to Lincoln after spending seven-plus years as athletic director at Washington
State. That followed previous stints in the same role at Oregon and Montana.
"I
think my performance in 36 years in this business -- 26 as a Division I A.D. --
speaks for itself," he said. "I'm a man of the people. One of my
goals when I got here was to be accessible to you guys, the media, but also to
the fans. I want to be out with the people of Nebraska and be a regular guy
with them and promote the program, and that's what I've done since I've been
here.
"The
irony is I get labeled because I have a beer with some guys in Valentine or
Beatrice or Alliance or Scottsbluff. That's what I've intended to do, and in my
opinion it's endeared me to folks. I'm not stuffy. I'm a cattle rancher and a
former college athlete, and I love what I'm doing and I love people."
Moos said
at no point has he felt like his job was in jeopardy, nor has he ever
considered resigning or retiring.
"There's
too much to do," he said. "In my life, I've had these obstacles --
not necessarily this specific one -- but others that pop up. You just have to
address it and move on."
One of
Moos' jobs is an ongoing evaluation of Nebraska men's basketball coach Tim
Miles' program. Moos in April gave the coach only a one-year contract
extension, saying he wants to see "stability and consistency" in the
program this season. He planned to attend the Wisconsin-Nebraska game Tuesday
night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
"I
get to every game I realistically can," he said, adding that he tries to
keep a healthy distance in his role.
"I'm
not down on the field during a football game," he said. "I'm never at
a practice. I'm not in the locker rooms. My practice is to make sure my coaches
have the resources and facilities they need, and the support from me. They have
a senior administrator that is specifically assigned to them and are getting
answers they need right away.
"When
I can get to a game or match or meet, I go to enjoy it. It's not like I'm going
to PBA (Tuesday night) to critique Tim specifically. I want to watch and see
how we play, how we rebound from a tough loss and an injury. It's not like I'm
sitting down there taking notes down on the scorer's bench, for crying out
loud."
Last week,
he attended his first Husker rifle competition.
"I
figure if people are going to take shots at me, I've got to figure out how to
shoot back," he said with a laugh, while noting that he takes time to
visit with recruits of various sports when they come to campus.
That's a
rarity among athletic directors, he said.
"Hey,
I'm not going to change my style this late in the game," Moos said.
"It's worked for me, and I think it's working here, too."
::::::::::::::::::::
Trouble
brewing for former Coug AD Bill Moos at Nebraska?
By Zach
Anders, Cougfan.com
1/29/2019
SCHOOL
OFFICIALS AT NEBRASKA on Tuesday morning reiterated their support of athletic
director Bill Moos. The statement came seemingly unprompted — almost preemptive
— as few stories have hit the wire in previous weeks even mentioning Moos'
name. But according to KLKN-TV in Lincoln, “widespread rumors” have been
circulating online surrounding Moos.
“In his
first 15 months, Bill has done a great job guiding our Athletic Department,”
Nebraska president Hank Bounds and UNL chancellor Ronnie Green said in a joint
statement. “He has our full support, and we look forward to his continued
strong leadership.”
According
to Omaha.com, NU spokeswoman Melissa Lee replied through texts that Moos is
“not getting fired” and “has not quit.”
Regents
Chairman Tim Clare also replied through texts that there was “no validity to
the rumors.”
Local
media, searching for the comments that prompted the university statement,
uncovered unsubstantiated rumors into Moos’ personal behavior and interaction
with donors. Few specific or concrete incidents were mentioned in users’ posts
on social media. Additionally, none of the online hearsay accused Moos of
specific wrongdoing.
With the
rumors mostly isolated to users on twitter and reddit, local media in Nebraska
has thus far largely avoided reporting the specifics of these internet-based
claims.
Regardless,
Nebraska felt compelled enough to respond, and to affirm its support of Moos,
who is now 16 months into a five-year contract that pays him a little over $1
million each year before bonuses.
The
Cornhuskers' football team went 4-8 this past season under Moos' hire and
first-year coach Scott Frost, tying the program record for least wins, but finished
the season winning two of the last three games.
The Omaha
World-Herald published a story on Jan. 16 exploring Moos’ absence at Huskers
men’s basketball games. Moos told the newspaper he had been to “three or four”
games by that point in the season.
Nebraska, after an 11-2 start to the hoops season, now sits at 13-7 (3-6
Big 12) and sits ninth in the conference standings.
Moos, the
former AD at Washington State, left for Nebraska in the middle of the 2017
football season, the day after the 37-3 upset loss to Cal.
#
