It’s a great day to be a Coug. Being a Coug makes it a great
day.
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Reminder: The same text which is sent from CougGroup gmail
address also is posted at two different public Facebook pages: One of these
Facebook pages is News for CougGroup. The other Facebook page is Die Hard Cougs.
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The Pac-12 is getting its own channel on SiriusXM Radio, and
we have the details
Originally published January 12, 2018 at 10:15 am
SiriusXM is creating channels for the Pac-12, ACC and SEC.
Is it DirecTV? Nope. Is it something? Actually, it’s more than something.
By Jon Wilner San Jose Merc News
Three weeks ago, the conference announced the creation of
the SiriusXM Pac-12 Radio channel. The news was light on details — actually, it
was without details — and many specifics remain in TBD mode.
But the development is significant enough to Pac-12 fans
that I’ve decided to publish what we know, even if holes remain and the project
is weeks, if not months away from launch.
Above all, it’s a triple-victory: A win for the conference,
a win for the schools and a win for the fans.
As many know, those stars do not often align in the Pac-12
world.
It took the conference no time to accept the SiriusXM offer
when executives broached the idea with Pac-12 officials last spring. (SiriusXM
is also creating conference-branded channels for the ACC and SEC.)
“We said absolutely,’’ recalled deputy commissioner Jamie
Zaninovich, who helped coordinate the Pac-12 side of the project. (As we’ll
explain, Sirius is leading the way on numerous fronts.)
“It’s phenomenal exposure,” he continued. “It was an
opportunity for us to be on a leading national provider in an interesting
space. Their user base tracks well with our fans and demographics.”
That SiriusXM user base is “more than 32 million,” according
to the company’s website.
It’s unclear exactly what percentage of that subscriber
total will have access to the Pac-12 channel. Some legacy equipment (i.e.,
prior to the Sirius-XM merger) doesn’t receive all channels available through
the rebranded company.
That issue, from what I can gather, is the reason the
original news release from the Pac-12 indicated the channel would be available
“on select SiriusXM satellite radios.” (It will be channel 373, by the way.)
That same news release, from Dec. 18, said the channel would
launch early in 2018.
Let’s revise the timeframe to early-ish 2018. It will be
some point in the first quarter, according to Zaninovich.
The process is fluid, in part, because of the complicated
nature of the partnership.
Unlike the television rights to live Pac-12 events, which
are owned by the conference (and sold to ESPN and Fox), the radio rights are
owned by the schools (and sold to their multimedia partners, which also handle
sponsorships).
The football and men’s basketball games are already on the
radio — not only on local stations but also, in some cases, on SiriusXM, which
picks up local feeds from schools across the country.
A conference-branded channel relying on programming that’s
not actually owned by the conference creates contractual and licensing
challenges.
For that reason, Sirius, not the conference, is working
directly with the campuses and the multimedia rights-holders to piece this
thing together.
That process includes the approach to broadcasting
overlapping events: If two basketball games tip at 7 p.m., which one is aired on
the SiriusXM Pac-12 channel?
Zaninovich said Sirius executives have promised the
conference and the campuses “equity” in programming decisions.
To that evolving situation, add the task of creating the
non-event programming.
The daily framework will be fairly standard, with talk shows
during morning and evening drive-time and live events at night (and in the
afternoon when possible).
The talk shows will have significant call-in component,
which is great for fan engagement but has the potential to turn shows into
complaint departments. (See: night games, officiating, Pac-12 Networks
distribution, officiating and, um, officiating.)
The live events will focus on football and men’s basketball,
but not at the exclusion of the Olympic sports: There will be a mix, but it
sounds like the two majors will be the prime drivers, which they should be and
must be.
Look for the conference to make maximum possible use of
Pac-12 Networks content and talent, with its analysts appearing not only on the
Pac-12 channel but also other SiriusXM channels.
And it could work both ways, with SiriusXM national
broadcasters appearing on the Pac-12 channel and discussing Pac-12 topics on
their own shows more frequently than they have.
It’s also a potential platform for Pac-12 coaches to reach
recruits and, to a greater extent, fans.
(In theory, the recruits are in school during morning and
afternoon talk shows.)
All in all, there should be a meaningful uptick in exposure
for the Pac-12.
Is it DirecTV? Nope. Is it something? Actually, it’s more
than something.
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NORTHWEST PUBLIC BROADCASTING OF WSU'S MURROW COLLEGE OF
COMMUNICATION
Northwest Public Broadcasting is a "community service of The Edward R.
Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University."
In email Northwest Public Broadcasting sent Fri, Jan 12,
2018 at 9:26 AM it said:
New Year, New Name, Same Station … Only Better!
Northwest Public Broadcasting. Yes, it’s a new name! This
new year we’re merging with our sister station, Northwest Public Television.
Together, we’re NWPB, Northwest Public Broadcasting. You’ll still hear news,
music and storytelling you value each day, and you’ll find us at a new website
nwpb.org
Northwest Public Radio began in 1922 and Northwest Public
Television came along in 1962. We’ve been working side by side for more than 50
years. And it’s about time we make it official.
We’ve also updated our app. Download it ...
https://www.nwpb.org/nwpb-app
... and enjoy NWPB wherever you go.
If you’ve included
NWPR or NWPTV in your estate plans, there is no need to update the station name
in your will, trust, or other legal document. Northwest Public Broadcasting and
its parent nonprofit organization, the WSU Foundation, retains those legacy
names. And if you decide to update your documents and include NWPB in your
plans: thank you.
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WSU Women’s Basketball:
Cougs Run Out Of Time at Stanford
1/12/2018 from WSU Sports Info
PALO ALTO, Calif. - A slow opening 20 minutes proved to be
too much for the Cougars (8-9, 1-4) to overcome on the road at Stanford (10-7,
4-1) Friday night as the Cardinal held off a late charge by WSU to win 70-57 at
Maples Pavilion. From the outset the Cougs put themselves in a hole as the
Cardinal jumped out to a 10-0 lead just minutes into the game as Stanford's
superior rebounding paid immediate dividends. The early run was one of a handful
of big runs by the Cardinal in the first half as Stanford pushed their lead to
28 by halftime and as much as 30 early in the third quarter as the Cougs' never
could get their offense rolling. Despite the half-time deficit, the Cougs
continued to battle the bigger Cardinal as WSU began to attack the basket while
seeing their shots begin to fall. Over the final 20 minutes of play, WSU
outscored the Cardinal 40-25 as Chanelle Molina, Borislava Hristova, and Caila
Hailey combined for 30 of the Cougs' final 40 points. Unfortunately for the
Cougs, time would run out needing another 10 minutes to complete the comeback.
Stat of the Game: The Cardinal controlled the paint
outscoring the Cougs 46-26 while holding a 53-31 rebounding edge.
Things You Need To Know
The Cardinal extended their record to 63-0 all-time against
the Cougs including 31-0 in Palo Alto.
Chanelle Molina led the Cougs in scoring with 19 points, her
seventh double-digit scoring game of the season and third in the last four
Pac-12 games.
Borislava Hristova finished the game with 14 points, 12
coming in the second half.
Four Cardinal scorers hit double-digits led by Alanna
Smith's game-high 20 points. Kiana Williams added 15 points while Brittany
McPhee chipped in 122 and Kaylee Johnson added 10 to go along with a game-high
15 rebounds.
WSU shot 33.8% from the floor in the game while shooting
44.4% in the second half compared to 22.9% in the first half.
The Cougs forced 22 turnovers in the game turning them into
22 points.
WSU continues its Bay Area road trip Sunday at No. 24 Cal.
The game is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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Area college sports
Stanford women beat Washington State for 63rd straight time
UPDATED: Fri., Jan. 12, 2018, 9:31 p.m.
STANFORD, Calif (AP). – Alanna Smith tallied 20 points and
Kaylee Johnson added 10 points and 15 rebounds to propel Stanford to a 70-57
victory over Washington State on Friday night.
Kiana Williams had 15 points and Brittany McPhee scored 12
with five assists for the Cardinal (10-7, 4-1 Pac-12 Conference), who ran their
all-time record against WSU to 63-0 and won for the fourth time in five games.
Chanelle Molina topped the Cougars (8-9, 1-4) with 19
points, while Borislava Hristova added 14 points but hit just 5 of 19 from the
floor. The Cougars shot a dismal 34 percent (24 of 71) from the floor. Heading
into the final period, WSU had made just 29 percent (15 of 51) of its shots.
The Cougars have lost four of five.
Smith scored four in a 10-0 run to open the game and
Stanford never looked back. The Cardinal led 22-7 after one quarter and 45-17
at halftime.
Stanford won the rebound battle 53-31 and grabbed 19 of them
on offense. The Cardinal had 22 turnovers to just 12 for the Cougars, but
Stanford had a 22-10 advantage in points off turnovers
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From WSU Sports Info with slight edits from CougGroup
WASHINGTON STATE men’s basketball CONCLUDES THREE-GAME
HOMESTAND HOSTING CALIFORNIA:
• The Washington State men’s basketball team (8-8, 0-4)
concludes hosts California (7-11, 1-4), Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, at 1 p.m. on
Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum on WSU campus in Pullman.
• Saturday’s game can be seen on Pac-12 Network as Greg
Heister (play-by-play) and Dan Dickau (analyst) have the call.
• All season long, Cougar basketball can be heard on the
Cougar IMG Sports Radio Network as the voice of the Cougars, Matt Chazanow will
have the call.
• Please see page one of today’s notes for the list of
affiliates.
• Live stats are also available at www.wsucougars.com.
COUGARS VERSUS GOLDEN BEARS:
• Saturday marks the 129th all-time meeting between
Washington State and California, as Cal holds the 79-49 advantage in the
all-time series.
• WSU has lost
four-straight and seven of the last eight games to Cal.
• The Golden Bears lead 31-29 in WSU home games as the two
teams did not play at Pullman last season, playing each other just once each of
the last two seasons.
• WSU’s last win at home against Cal came Jan. 12, 2012, a
77-75 win.
• Last season, Cal defeated WSU, 58-54 at Berkeley.
• In that game, WSU’s youth prevailed as then-freshman
Malachi Flynn had 20 points, including a shot at the game-winner, and
then-sophomore Robert Franks had a
then-career high 3 3-pointers made to finish with 9 points.
• The Cougars have won just three of their last 15 games
against the Golden Bears, with each of those wins coming by 4 or fewer points.
• Just three current Cougars have played against Cal during
their careers, Flynn, Franks and Viont’e Daniels.
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Pullman 2040 to launch in February
Group will unveil 60 projects it plans to support
By Scott Jackson, Moscow Pullman Daily New 1/13/2018
The Pullman 2040 steering committee, which has been meeting
for two years, is ready to announce dozens of projects, which, if completed,
could each have "tremendous impact within our community," its leaders
say.
"As a steering committee, we've identified 60 projects
that we want to complete by 2040," Francis Benjamin, co-chair of the 2040
Steering Committee, said. "Out of that, we've identified 22 projects that
are the initial projects that we want to start with."
The committee plans to launch the community initiative at 5
p.m. Feb. 13 at the Encounter Ministries campus on Southeast Crestview Street.
"All these people were doing all these really great
things, but nobody was talking to each other," Marie Dymkoski, executive
director of the Pullman Chamber of Commerce, said of the impetus for Pullman
2040.
This new list should, Dymkoski said, "really pull the
community together and say this is a common goal for others as well."
It is what the committee would "like to see Pullman
become when it grows up," she said.
Dymkoski said the list of projects is the result of work
done by the steering committee with some community input. She said the initial
projects have five themes:
Community and identity: Signage, public art, marketing,
walkability, public participation
Education and learning: Technical training, leadership
training and networking for professionals
Growth and development: Airport, highway, broadband,
business development
Health and safety: Physician residency, community wellness,
youth health, food and housing
Recreation and environment: City Hall expansion, parks,
trail expansion and improvement,
Dymkoski said as the steering committee wraps up its duties
with preliminary planning, the work of Pullman 2040 will be divided among three
subcommittees, for which members are being sought.
She said these include:
A marketing committee, responsible for advertisement-related
responsibilities as well as public outreach
A finance committee that will explore avenues to secure
funding including applying for grants
An implementation committee, which will require the greatest
time commitment
"We need to make sure that we have a committee that is
overseeing all this work" by all these organizations. Dymkoski said.
Items on the initial projects list, Dymkoski said, range
from specific projects like completing the airport runway and terminal upgrades
to more nebulous goals for city improvement like showcasing more art in public
places.
Some of these projects already have leaders and are well
underway, like the airport project, Dymkoski said. For these tasks, she said,
2040 wouldn't attempt to assume leadership but would take on support roles, if
necessary.
"Some of these will be very obvious like, 'of course
the city is going to take the lead on that,'" Dymkoski said. "But who
else would like to help, who else would like to be a part of that
process?"
The actual function of the committees, Benjamin and Dymkoski
said, will be adapted to the needs of each project, but they hope to position
themselves as a hub of communication, connecting and supporting groups engaged
in projects throughout the city.
Benjamin said while the projects vary dramatically in scope
and time to completion, each project has potential to improve the city. He said
the steering committee made a point of avoiding infatuation with any single
"pet project."
"We really worked hard to set those aside and let this
be data-driven, let this be expert driven," Benjamin said. "Every
single one of these projects, I feel, can have tremendous impact within our
community."
These are spelled out in more detail at
pullman2040.org/task-force-requests.
Dymkoski said Pullman 2040 began as a chamber initiative
because she had noticed a need for more efficient dialogue among different
entities addressing the city's needs. She said some of these groups have
overlapping objectives and could benefit from collaborating.
Benjamin said they spent the first year planning and
organizing the steering committee. The second was spent collecting data and
engaging the public to create and prioritize a list of objectives.
………………………………
FOOTBALL
Former Arkansas specialist Blake Mazza announces transfer to
Washington State, will be eligible to play in 2018
UPDATED: Fri., Jan. 12, 2018, 9:33 p.m.
By Theo Lawson of Spokane’s Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN – Washington State may have found its kicker of the
future.
Blake Mazza, a former five-star recruit according to Chris
Sailer Kicking, announced plans to transfer to WSU on Friday afternoon. Mazza
joins the Cougars after spending his freshman season at Arkansas and told The
Spokesman-Review Friday evening he’ll be eligible to play for WSU in the fall
of 2018.
Mazza could be WSU’s long-term solution to replacing Erik
Powell, the strong-legged senior who earned All-Pac-12 Conference honorable
mention honors after making 20-of-24 kicks his senior season, including three
of 50 yards or longer.
Most transfers are required to sit out one season when
moving from one FBS school to another, but since Mazza was a preferred walk-on
at Arkansas, he’s able to play immediately.
He said he’ll also join the Cougars as a walk-on.
Although Mazza was brought to Arkansas to compete for all
three of the Razorbacks’ specialist jobs – placekicker, kickoff and punter – he
didn’t play during the 2017 season.
A Plano, Texas, native who attended Plano Senior High, Mazza
was highly-regarded by national kicking specialist Chris Sailer, who rated him
the country’s 12th-best placekicker for the class of 2017. The right-footed
Mazza made a 65-yard field goal at one of Sailer’s kicking camps.
Powell handled every field goal and PAT for the Cougars in
2017, but redshirt freshman walk-on Jack Crane appeared in six games and
recorded nine kickoffs, averaging 59.8 yards. Powell, inside receiver Kyle
Sweet and redshirt junior Mitchell Cox split up the punting duties
//////////
Washington State quarterback Luke Falk cleared to play in
Reese’s Senior Bowl, will wear brace on left wrist
UPDATED: Fri., Jan. 12, 2018, 5:58 p.m.
By Theo Lawson , Spokane S-R
PULLMAN – A surgically repaired left wrist apparently won’t
prevent Washington State quarterback Luke Falk from playing in the Reese’s
Senior Bowl on Jan. 27 in Mobile, Alabama.
According to Senior Bowl media relations, Falk received
medical clearance to play in the game on Friday and intends to “fully
participate” in the high-profile all-star event at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Falk
will take precautions and wear the same soft brace on his left, nonthrowing
wrist he’s worn most of the season.
It wasn’t clear if Falk, who missed the Holiday Bowl against
Michigan State because of his injury, would heal in time to partake in the Jan.
27 game, or any of the pre-Senior Bowl practices that give college seniors an
opportunity to showcase their skills in front of NFL scouts and draft analysts.
Falk went through warmups before the Holiday Bowl but didn’t
dress for the game, giving the start to backup Tyler Hilinski. Per policy, WSU
coach Mike Leach didn’t comment on the injury in the week before the bowl game.
Senior Bowl teams, which are split into North and South,
hold three practices that equate to 5 1/2 hours in the days leading up to the
game. Falk, the Pac-12 career passing leader, is one of eight quarterbacks
who’ve accepted invitations to the game, including Oklahoma’s Heisman Trophy
winner Baker Mayfield. Falk has developed a close relationship with Mayfield
over the years at the Burlsworth Trophy ceremony in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Highly regarded Wyoming signal-caller Josh Allen is also
headed to Mobile for the Senior Bowl, along with Western Kentucky’s Mike White,
Troy’s Brandon Silvers, Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph, Virginia’s Kurt Benkert
and Richmond’s Kyle Lauletta.
Cougars right tackle Cole Madison accepted an invitation to
the game and will be one of 11 offensive tackles at the event.
Seven WSU players are participating in senior all-star games
over the course of January. Eight accepted invitations, but running back Jamal
Morrow won’t play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl because of broken bones in his
left foot, according to The Seattle Times.
…………………..
FOOTBALL
Former WSU CB Marcellus Pippins preps for Tropical Bowl,
says new WSU assistant Darcel McBath was a great hire
Marcellus Pippins is hoping to perform well in front of NFL
scouts at the Tropical Bowl all-star game on Sunday. He says the Cougars' DBs
are in good hands with newly-promoted assistant coach Darcel McBath
By Stefanie Loh Seattle
Times 1/12/2018
Marcellus Pippins concedes that his senior year was not his
best one at Washington State. While he played in every game, Pippins lost his
starting cornerback spot to Marcus Strong midway through the season, and for
the first time since his freshman year, did not intercept a pass.
However, Pippins in a phone interview this week that he’s at
peace with how his final season played out, and is still hoping to get a chance
to play in the NFL.
He could help himself by putting on a good showing at the
FBS Spiral Tropical Bowl all-star game in Daytona Beach, Fla. this Sunday.
“I feel like I did more my junior year than my senior year,”
said Pippins, who was a four-year starter for WSU at cornerback. “I felt like I
could have done more my senior year for the team and stuff. My senior year was
more the closing point. My senior year was more about getting the guys behind
me right and bonding with my teammates.”
Strong, a sophomore, earned the starting job in the week
leading up to the Colorado game on Oct. 21, and never relinquished it.
“That wasn’t hard for me at all,” Pippins said of losing his
job to Strong. “He’s gonna have to play now. He was hurt at first and so wasn’t
able to play. The rotation thing was good for us. When the season starts now,
it’s gonna be easier for him. It’s gonna be fun to watch him this year.”
Pippins also had high praise for Darcel McBath, who helped
Alex Grinch coach the cornerbacks as a defensive quality control assistant last
season, and was just promoted to full time assistant coach this week. McBath
will likely oversee the defensive backs.
“He’s gonna be all
over the place. You’re gonna notice the competitiveness all year because of
McBath being an assistant coach,” Pippins said. “There’s gonna be a big
difference with him being out there. He’s kinda like me, but older and wiser,
with a lot of energy.”
McBath played for Mike Leach at Texas Tech from 2004-08 and
was a second round draft selection of the Denver Broncos in 2009. He spent two
seasons in Denver, one in Jacksonville and two in San Francisco, where he
played in Super Bowl XLVII against Baltimore.
Pippins said McBath brings a wealth of knowledge with him,
and his playing resume gives him immediate credibility as a defensive backs
coach.
“Coach McBath is
super cool, just coming off the NFL and he played in the Super Bowl. He had a
whole bunch of stories for us,” Pippins said. “McBath was really focused on us.
Just getting our techniques right, and us being the best. That was a big deal
for us – having him come with his energy.
“McBath gave coach Grinch the opportunity to focus on the
defense and on schemes. Coach McBath knew the DB drills because he played, and
he played with Leach in college so he knew all the practices and stuff and how
it all went.”
Pippins earned an invitation to the Tropical Bowl right
after the Cougars’ Holiday Bowl defeat to Michigan State, and he sees the game
as an opportunity to help get on the radar of NFL teams
Pippins (5-10, 178 pounds) has just begun training for Pro
Day (March 8) with Tracy Ford of Ford Sports Performance in Bellevue. He left
Seattle for Florida on Thursday, and will participate in practices in front of
scouts before the Tropical Bowl game on Sunday.
“It’s another chance
to play football and get that exposure,” Pippins said. “Just to show that I can
play with everybody, because of my size — I’m kinda small. So just to show I
can move around and all that.”
Other names on the Tropical Bowl roster that might be
familiar to WSU fans: Oregon receiver Charles Nelson, Oregon State defensive
back Kyle White, Boise State quarterback Montell Cozart, Arizona running back
Zach Green and Cal linebacker Raymond Davison.
#
