Arco’s surprise: Receiver has made a career of ‘throwing people off.’ But Arconado had to work extra hard to throw off Dad.
By DALE GRUMMERT, Lewiston Trib 12/26/2019
PHOENIX —
About the time Brandon Arconado was beginning high school in Southern
California, his father lost his job in the movie industry.
For 16
years, Mike Arconado had been a precision mechanic for Technicolor film lab,
tasked with the high-pressure job of maintaining a machine that developed a
thousand feet of 35-millimeter film every minute. He worked on movies directed
by Clint Eastwood and others.
Then the
film industry went digital, slowly at first and later with all its might. Mike
Arconado’s precious machine became dispensable and his department was virtually
eliminated. He spent two years trying fruitlessly to find other work in
Hollywood before deciding to switch careers.
Brandon
Arconado, a senior inside receiver whose precise route-running has become one
of the Washington State football team’s primary assets this season, wasn’t
thinking specifically of his father’s spell of misfortune when he began
steering his scholastic pursuits toward management information systems — in
other words, when he plunged headlong into the digital world.
Looking
back, though, he thinks it might have profoundly influenced his thinking. And
although he never really surprised his father with his overachieving success on
the football field, he recently found a way to floor him — through his
academics.
Arconado
will conclude his singular college career when the Cougars (6-6) play No. 24
Air Force (10-2) in the Cheez-It Bowl at 7:15 p.m. PST on Friday at Chase Field
in Phoenix.
He spent a
year at a junior college, accepted a walk-on offer from Wazzu, bided his time
and caught four passes in 2017. He started talking about transferring to a
smaller school to wrangle more playing time, and coaches promptly ponied up a
scholarship to keep him on board. Even then, he failed to crack the eight-man
receiver rotation last season and didn’t make a single catch.
All that
time, however, he was polishing his technique and quietly deepening his
resolve. Now, as a senior, he’s putting it all on display. Despite missing the
equivalent of 3½ games with injuries, he leads the Cougars in receiving yards
and needs only 68 more in the bowl game to reach 1,000 for the year. His 67
catches rank only third on the team, but many of them have been drive-savers.
Is it
dazzling speed and athleticism at work here? No, it’s something more ineffable.
“There’s
just something about Arco, that he just
does different than everybody else, and it throws you off,” WSU cornerback
George Hicks III said recently. “You won’t really see it on film or anything
like that. But once you get out there on the field, you’re like, ‘Damn, he’s
doing something that’s throwing you off in the route.’ He’s a helluva player —
good route-runner, strong hands, he does everything.”
It could
be that Arconado “throws you off” partly with unfailing humility and a kind of
lulling vocal monotone. He never seems to be trying to impress you, but over
time he does anyway. He plays football with an exactitude that’s almost
certainly informed by his studiousness, both on the field and in the realm of
video scouting work.
“Of all
the (receivers) we played last game, he’s probably the slowest,” WSU coach Mike
Leach declared after Arconado’s 109-yard day against Colorado in October. “And
Arconado had the biggest impact of any receiver in that game. Which goes to
show you, a guy who will do exactly what you tell him to do, be exactly where
you want him to be, exactly when you want him to be there — and has a sense of what’s going on — can
flat-out outplay people. And that’s how important that is. The more athletic
the guy who can do that, the better. But you’re better off with a guy who’s
precise and consistent than just somebody who’s athletic.”
None of
this has surprised Mike Arconado, who has watched his son patiently impress
people his whole life — first in soccer and later when his mother finally let
him play football as a freshman in high school.
“He has
such a great outlook on things,” the elder Arconado said by phone from his home
in Chino Hills, Calif. “There aren’t too many things that deter him when he’s
really looking toward his goal. In my years (as an athlete), I would let things
bother me, but his determination is great. Is it a surprise? From a fatherly
view, it’s really not a surprise. ”
Work
ethic, he said, is thoroughly ingrained in the family. His own father, of
Filipino descent, claimed to be the fastest pineapple-picker on the Hawaiian
island of Kaua’i. Brandon’s rich ethnic mix also draws on the Cajun heritage of
his mother, Deanna, a bartender and server.
This
legacy of diligence was something Mike Arconado embraced in 2011 when, thanks
to the digital revolution in film, he found himself unemployed, with a wife and
three children to support. Many movie directors, including Eastwood, still
adored the rich color of traditional film stock, as opposed to digital, but
that couldn’t stop the march of time.
“It was an
exciting gig,” Mike Arconado said of his former career, “but I got laid off
because the division closed, and that’s when things began to spiral and that’s
when we went into some hard times with the family. I tried to find something in
the industry. There were editors, but it was a union job, so there were people
ahead of me. I tried to work as a stage hand. I tried to work as a laborer or
something, just so I stay in and keep the medical benefits for the kids and
stuff. It just didn’t happen.”
He
eventually landed a job in retail and later began to specialize in managing underperforming
stores. He and Deanna regained their financial equilibrium and reached a
milestone when their eldest child, Samantha, earned a four-year college degree.
Brandon matched that accomplishment last spring, securing a bachelor’s degree
in finance, and is now working on a master’s.
Inherent
in his academic career is a determination to view finance through a digital
prism, and he believes he subconsciously moved in that direction as a result of
the adversity that struck his father.
“He had a
good job, a pretty steady job, but film going digital forced him out of the
business,” he said. “Everything is moving toward more digital technology. I
don’t want to be caught in something that’s going to be outdated by the time
I’m ready to find a job and get on with my life. From a career standpoint, I
want to do something in technology that’s going to be around for a while.
“But
that’s where I learned my work ethic,” he said. “From my dad.”
About two
weeks ago, Mike Arconado received a text from his wife, a screen shot of the
first unit of this year’s Academic All-America team in NCAA Division I
football, as chosen by sports-information directors. It was a disorienting
sight.
Mike did
some research and some math, hoping to gauge how many college students play football
at various levels of competition. Many thousands, he concluded. And there on
his cellphone, listed among the top 25 student-athletes competing in the top
tier of the game, was the name of Brandon Arconado.
“Are you
kidding me?” he said.
::::::
Leach OK
with shorter bowl trip
By DALE
GRUMMERT, Tribune of Lewiston,26 December 2019
GILBERT,
Ariz. — Compared with previous years, the Washington State football team is
spending about 48 fewer hours at its bowl site in anticipation of the game.
That
wasn’t Mike Leach’s decision. But he approves.
“I think
it’s worked out really well,” the coach said Wednesday after the Cougars’
second practice at Campo Verde High in Gilbert, southeast of Phoenix. “I was
kind of curious about it. I’ve talked to teams that have done it. Shoot, the
longest I ever stayed was 10 days. And at the end I thought that was too long.”
Washington
State plays Air Force at 7:15 p.m. Pacific (8:15 Mountain) on Friday in the
Cheez-It Bowl at Chase Field in Phoenix.
The
Cougars, who are playing in a bowl for the fifth straight year, generally
arrive about five days before the game. This year it was three.
The
reason, an official said, was financial. The school is trying to reduce a
significant deficit in its athletic budget.
“I agreed
with everything as it unfolded,” Leach said. “They said, ‘What do your think of
it?’ I said, ‘It sounds good.’”
As it
happens, the bowl arranged relatively few official team activities. The Cougars
will participate in a “community outreach” session today but otherwise have
been on their own. Leach said players have spent much of their time in a
“gigantic game room” at their hotel.
Also
unusual is the large security presence at the Cougars’ practice site. Several
officers were on hand for both practices so far, and half a dozen of them
whiled their time Wednesday by making distinctive use of the Campo Verde
athletic facilities, playing a form of baseball with a tennis ball on a
basketball court.
One of
them later said the security presence wasn’t unusual for a bowl in Phoenix.
The
Cheez-It Bowl these days is being run in conjunction with the Fiesta Bowl,
which will pit Ohio State and Clemson on Saturday at nearby Glendale Ariz.
“It’s the
same organization that runs both bowls,” said Mike Nealy, who serves as
executive director for both. “I think you’ll find that, as a team coming here
and playing in either bowl, we treat them the same way. You might think the
Cheez-It Bowl isn’t at the level of the Fiesta Bowl. And of course it isn’t at
the competitive level. But we treat them the same way.”
This isn’t
the first time the games have been staged on successive days, but Nealy
acknowledged the challenge of such an arrangement.
“We have a
major parade on Saturday morning between the two games,” he said. “And so all
three of our events in 24 hours is going to be pretty much our limit. But we
have great volunteers and yellow jackets (bowl officials). We’re 3,000 people
strong on the volunteer side.”
::::
ANALYSIS
Just one more non- conference test on tap for Cougar men basketball
With
Pac-12 play looming, WSU, Smith still trying to sort out their rotation
By Colton
Clark, Lewiston Tribune
It’s back
to a hard truth for the Cougars: Pac-12 play is looming, and they surely wish
they had more time.
Above all,
the Washington State men’s basketball team is still ferreting out its rotation
with one nonconference game to go.
“Pretty
important position where we’ve been spotty — availability,” Cougs coach Kyle
Smith said before his team took a break for the holidays. WSU returns to the
Beasley Coliseum hardwood at 5 p.m. Sunday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
“One of
your best abilities is availability.”
Wazzu
(8-4) will most likely enter its league opener with middling depth in the
backcourt and a to-be-determined minutes spread.
Smith said
Texas State transfer point guard Jaylen Shead will at least miss the Cougars’
games next week against the L.A. schools with a reaggravated hip injury,
originally sustained when he took a rough tumble during a Nov. 17 win over
Idaho State.
Shead, a
senior who’s dictated offensive tempo well but hasn’t quite found a scoring
touch, has missed two games this season. His per-game averages stand at 3.5
points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists.
“That hip
has been chronic. Just shutting him down (for a couple of weeks) is probably
the best,” Smith said. “It’s been a yeoman effort in trying to play injured. At
some point, you just gotta make a decision. He’s a tough kid, not gonna use
that as an out.”
In Shead’s
stead, Smith must divvy up minutes at the point between Jervae Robinson — a
capable defender but spotty shooter — and Isaac Bonton, also a shooting guard,
and also a player who’s been nicked up.
Really,
Shead is the lone natural point guard who’s prepared enough to play 25-plus
minutes each night. Smith is trying to expedite freshman point guard Ryan
Rapp’s development to pick up the inevitable slack. Rapp has also dealt with an
injury since the preseason.
But should
he stay consistent, Bonton might make a competent floor general.
Bonton was
enthusiastic about the prospect of more playing time at point guard — he’d done
it often and well in junior college, and he’d relish the chance to prove he’s
capable.
“That was
a knock on my game to start (my career),” Bonton said.
The Casper
College (Wyo.) transfer seemed to snap out of his month-long offensive funk
with a well-rounded outing against Incarnate Word on Dec. 21. He chalked up 19
points, 12 rebounds and six assists. The majority of his minutes came at the 1
spot.
Despite
his five giveaways, Bonton deftly paced an offense that was at its most
well-rounded of the year. Maybe his finest contributions came on penetration
plays, when he drew attention to open opportunities for teammates, and doled
out quick dishes.
“We’d seen
that in practice,” Smith said of Bonton, who began his career at Montana State.
“There’s an adjustment for a JC guy. He’s really aggressive. He had a rough start
and I said, ‘Just keep playing, make sure you’re guarding. If we’re guarding,
we’re OK.’
“He’s
getting better. He’ll see more things. He can do it.”
Wazzu is
hoping its renewed defensive gusto under Smith, coupled with steady production
from another player or two, can make it competitive on all fronts in the
Pac-12.
It’s why
Smith’s been so adamant about prepping Rapp and Seattleite frosh Noah Williams,
who’s come along nicely on defense. Also of note is the bump in springy
forward-turned-guard Marvin Cannon’s playing time.
Earlier
this season, his minutes floated around the mid-teens, but have climbed into
the 20s as Smith searches for some kind of offensive continuity.
The
6-foot-7 Cannon adds another dimension, scoring-wise. Thanks to his length,
he’s a tough defensive assignment inside. Cannon has played safe ball and
flourished in transition, putting up 19 points in the past two games on 75
percent from the floor.
“We’ve
been kinda chopping away the last three weeks or so (on offense),” Smith said.
“Trust me, it’s been a focus. The goal was to get the competitive spirit on
(the defensive) end of the floor. We’re definitely transitioning.”
THE RUNDOWN
— The Cougars know they’ll probably be trotting out a big lineup with Shead
injured, which could be good news: The paint is where they’ve become markedly
more comfortable, restructuring passably the last month after Colorado State
transfer big man Deion James announced he’d likely miss the year with a heart
issue.
The
frontcourt isn’t as sizable as one would hope, and sometimes toils on the
glass, but its rotation is becoming sound.
Lanky
Slovenia-born sophomore Aljaz Kunc is steadily refining his game, especially as
a spot-up 3-point sharpshooter from the corners. Montana transfer Tony Miller,
albeit undersized, is one of WSU’s most efficient scorers (6.4 ppg on 66.7
percent) and a stout defenseman. Senior forward Jeff Pollard has morphed into
one of WSU’s most dependable players. Pollard averages 10 points and five
boards per game, and shoots 52 percent.
“I love
that guy. I think he’s good every night,” Smith said of Pollard, who nearly
left the program after former coach Ernie Kent was fired in the spring. “He
really anchors our defense. He’s smart. He’s always covering stuff up. He’s a
good rebounder, dependable rebounder, and he blocks out every time.”
But WSU
needs help on the back end from someone who isn’t named CJ Elleby, the star
sophomore small forward who’ll take the ball up even more now.
He’s third
in the league at 19.9 points per game, but has taken more 3s than anyone in the
Pac-12 (74) and is shooting 29 percent from afar. WSU is last in the conference
in long-ball percentage (40.8).
Rushed 3s
have contributed to the Cougs’ offensive tempo rating. WSU is 58th in the
country in possessions per 40 minutes (72), which indicates:
The Cougs
are scoring a lot in transition, their offensive M.O.
When the
offense is set up, their shots are quick, and maybe not ideal looks.
Recently,
they’re committing turnovers early in the shot clock.
“Hopefully,”
Smith said, “we get in a little rhythm and play consistently.”
::::
:::Alert: News for CougGroup will attend WSU vs. Air
Force Cheez-It Bowl in Phoenix. But, because of that, there will be no News for
CougGroup email reports about Dec. 27-29. However, during that time there will
be postings (especially photos) at News for CougGroup Facebook page of things
related to the game. Go, Cougs!:::
::::
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