Towering over opponents
Robert Franks dreams of making it to NBA one day, but focuses on leading
Cougars
By JACKSON GARDNER, Evergreen
January 12, 2018
To fill the void left by the departure of the 2016-2017 WSU men’s
basketball senior class, junior forward Robert Franks has stepped up to become
a leader on the team.
“I knew coming into this year that I would have to be the head of the
snake for this team,” Franks said. “Me and Malachi [Flynn], we always talked
about it and we just try and lead this team in the right direction on and off
the court.”
Just a year ago, Franks was coming off the bench for the Cougars, with
former WSU forwards Josh Hawkinson and Conor Clifford seeing more time on the
court. Franks played about 16 minutes a game and averaged just over six points
per contest.
Following the 2016-2017 season, Franks dedicated his offseason to his
physique and his diet. He credits his strength and conditioning coach Jason
Dudley for doing a “tremendous” job getting him into peak condition. Franks said
he has never been in better shape in his life following last offseason.
Better conditioning and a larger role on the team paid off during
Franks’ performance on the court. He is now the leading scorer for the Cougars
this season, averaging about 18 points per game.
Franks said his ability to shoot from behind the three-point arc has
expanded his game, making him a much more versatile forward. The 6-foot-7-inch
Vancouver native has knocked down 19 three-pointers this season.
Franks is quick to attribute his success in game to others close to him
for helping him accomplish his goals.
His relationship with Head Coach Ernie Kent is one that benefits him
greatly both on and off the court, he said.
“He helps me with anything in life and that’s what I love about him the
most,” Franks said. “He cares about every player the same. We set goals going
into the season and just try to keep meeting them.”
Playing in the NBA is the ultimate goal for Franks, but it is a goal he
tries not to think about too much. When the season is going, Franks said his
team can’t afford for him to have his mind on anything but winning.
With all the effort that goes into preparing for basketball, there is
hardly any down time. But Franks said he and his teammates love to play video
games when they aren’t on the hardwood or in class.
He claims to be the best FIFA player on the team, although he
acknowledged senior forward Drick Bernstine can give him a run for his money.
He also likes NBA 2K18 and Fortnite, but he admits that sophomore point guard
Malachi Flynn is the best 2K player and Bernstine is a superior Fortnite
player.
Among others who are very supportive of Franks are his parents, Shannon
Franks and Robert Franks Sr. Whether it is basketball advice or consultation
after a tough game, his parents are always there for him.
“It’s always good to call Mom, Dad and know there will be a heartwarming
call,” Franks said. “They keep me up, they never keep me too low or too high,
they just keep me right in the flow of things.”
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Margetts passionate about pool, protecting ocean
Junior swimmer was only Cougar selected to USA college challenge
By RYAN MOSHER, Evergreen
January 16, 2018
Jasmine Margetts spends a lot of time in the water, whether it’s
swimming for WSU or safeguarding beach-goers as a Los Angeles County life guard
in the summer.
It doesn’t stop there. The junior environmental science major hopes to
one day work as an oceanographer and protect aquatic environments.
Margetts started this season with an invitation to participate in the
USA Swimming College Challenge in October. She was the only WSU swimmer
selected, and said she knew her team and assistant coach Becky Jager were
supporting her as she competed in California.
“It was a really good experience,” Margetts said. “I told coach Becky I
was super nervous, because you’re swimming against the best, the national
teams. But it was super cool and I think it was a good meet.”
Margetts faced opponents from Team USA during the college challenge. She
finished fifth in the 1,000-meter freestyle, placing ahead of a Team USA
member. She set two season-best times in the tournament.
Head Coach Tom Jager said the junior backstroke and butterfly swimmer
may be the smallest person in the pool, but she’s always the toughest.
She loves to swim because it helps her destress and she enjoys being
part of the team. Growing up in Southern California, she was always finding
ways to spend time in the water. Margetts said the biggest difference between
her hometown and Pullman is the weather, but she fell in love with the school
spirit and the college-town community.
Margetts said her work ethic is important to her team, and as an
upper-classman, she is a leader for her teammates. She said her confidence to
be a role model on the team comes from her experience of balancing classes and
swim.
Jager said Margetts keeps her teammates honest and helps them bond by
making them laugh.
“Her tenacity is big. Her tenacity is 6’4”,” Jager said. “That’s what
makes her great even though she’s not 6’4”.”
WSU swim just returned from a training camp in Florida, where they began
preparing for Pac-12 Championships. However, their focus is still on the
season’s remaining matches.
“If I anchor her on any relay, anyone is happy to be on that relay,”
Jager said. “When they put Jasmine in charge, they trust her … and that’s the
most important thing on a team is to trust each other.”
Margetts and the swim team will face Oregon State University at 5 p.m.
Jan. 26 in Gibb Pool for the second home meet of the spring semester.
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NFL draft projections on Hercules Mata'afa all over the map
Raiders scout reportedly likes reel, concerns over tweener
By Dylan Haugh – Cougfan.com
THE NFL DRAFT is still three months away and scouts and prognosticators
may need all of that time to 1) peg what round Hercules Mata'afa will be
drafted and 2) where Mata'afa, who played primarily on the interior of the
defensive line for Washington State, best fits positionally in the NFL.
A Raiders scout reportedly says Mata’afa is a prime example of a
tweener. Still, could a Raider reunion
with former Cougar safety Shalom Luani be in the cards?
#Raiders scout told me about Hercules Mata'afa, DT, Wash. State,
underclassman, "he should've stayed in school, his reel is nice, but he's
a classic tweener. This is the sort of kid that should stay in school instead
of putting us scouts in tough spots to project where he plays."
— Victor Cotto (@RaidersSource) January 8, 2018
Pundits are intrigued by the possibilities for the Cougars’ consensus
All-American at the next level. But there isn't anything close to a consensus
when it comes to the draft (April 26-28) or NFL position.
Listed at 6-2, 252 pounds by WSU this past season, one reporter says
he's more like 6-1, 240. Whatever he
weighs and measures in at the NFL combine, Mata’afa does seem to have the
attention of many.
He's going to be a tough guy to figure out, regarding positional fit.
His initial burst is among the best in this class, but not a full-time interior
DL in the NFL.
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 3, 2018
#WAZZU DL Hercules Mata'afa is skipping his final season of eligibility
to enter the NFL Draft. Will be an interesting eval. Super tough kid. Very
quick & relentless but is really undersized at about 6-1 240 & will be
lots of skepticism of his ability to drop into coverage.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 1, 2018
Hercules Mata’afa, slam dunk first round EDGE defender.
— Jonah Tuls (@JonahTulsNFL) January 7, 2018
late night draft thought: take hercules mata'afa top 10
— charles mcdonald (@FourVerts) January 6, 2018
Meanwhile, a writer who covers the 49ers says Mata’afa fits the mold of
what San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh likes in his trenches.
Keep coming back to Hercules Mata’afa. Everything I’ve gathered about
Saleh and his system this year tells me that’s his kinda guy.
https://t.co/MflhJ2yZ5O
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) January 15, 2018
Saleh needs a DL that wins with speed around the edge and he covets
explosive, violent players. That’s Mata’afa
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) January 15, 2018
Best get-off in college football. pic.twitter.com/vLqPc2X8eX
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) January 15, 2018
One thing most do agree one: Mata'afa used his quicks and natural
strength to post 121 tackles in three seasons at WSU, including 46 tackles for
loss and 21 1-2 sacks. While it remains
a question how NFL teams will project Mata'afa's size and skills transitioning
to the NFL, his quickness off the snap should serve him well during the coming
evaluation stage.
How’s this for movement from a DT? Dang Hercules Mata’afa is an interesting
name. Undersized but so explosive #WSU pic.twitter.com/F1K25obpvi
— Daniel Parlegreco (@DTPDraftScout) January 3, 2018
Mata’afa figures to have ample opportunities to impress scouts leading
up to the draft. Including whatever private workouts he may choose to schedule,
there will be two group events available.
The NFL Combine runs from Feb. 27-March 5. The invites won't be made official for a
while (last year the NFL released the list on Feb. 15) but Mata'afa is a lock
to receive one. Pro Day at Washington
State will be held soon after the combine, likely on Thursday, March 8.
NOTABLE NOTE:
Today is the final day for underclassmen to declare for the NFL draft.
///////////////////////////
WSU cheer squads make history at national competition
By RYAN MOSHER, Evergreen
January 16, 2018
WSU Cheer and the Crimson Girls competed in the Universal Cheerleaders
Association and Universal Dancers Association College Cheerleading and Dance
Team National Championships on Sunday in Orlando, Florida.
Both squads placed highest in school history. The cheer team placed
sixth in the Cheer Coed Division IA against 21 other teams, while the Crimson
Girls placed eighth in Dance Division Jazz IA facing 22 other teams. Both Cheer
and the Crimson Girls had just around two minutes for their routines.
Spirit Coordinator and Head Cheer Coach Chris Opheim said the heart of
his athletes propelled them to success.
“This has been the best group of kids I’ve coached here at WSU,” Opheim
said in a WSU news release. “This is why heart and effort matter so much. One
of our ending pyramids had a bobble and it could have fallen down, but they
kept it up. That was the difference between sixth and 14th.”
This year’s competition marked the fifth straight year WSU Cheer and
Crimson Girls competed in the national championships. It was held at ESPN’s
Wide World of Sports Complex.
Crimson Girls coach Kaila Wallace said the team received lots of
compliments on their routine.
“The Crimson Girls really executed their emotionally-charged routine,”
Wallace said in a WSU news release. “We had people say the routine was
emotionally eye-catching and that they couldn’t watch it without feeling every
emotion. That was our goal, to bring emotion to the spectators.
//////////////////////////
Keith Jackson was a mentor to many Murrow students
Two personal reflections on a legend's never-ending connection to fellow
Cougs
COUGFAN.com
BY KEITH SHIPMAN/WSU Class of 1983
I received an email Saturday morning from Turi Ann Jackson that her
husband, Keith, had passed away with his family at his side. Another of the
legends is gone.
I was inspired to become a sportscaster after watching the 1972 Munich
Olympic games, when Keith Jackson called Mark Spitz’ record setting gold medal
performance for ABC. I was mesmerized by his description of the events in the
pool, the way in which he built drama with clarity, punctuation, brevity.
Little did I know that he would become a personal friend and professional
mentor.
I first met the Voice of College Football while at Washington State
University, when Rod Commons, WSU’s Sports Information Director, took Carl
Click, Loree Wagner Schoonover and me to Seattle for a pre-season football
event. A few years later I received the Keith Jackson Scholarship from the
Murrow College – an award that helped pay part of my tuition during my senior
year, and forged a friendship that I treasured for four decades.
I have many fond memories of Keith, but a couple stand out.
The first was in Salisbury, N.C., the evening before he was inducted
into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in 1995. I was
walking off the golf course with the late Bill Teegins (Oklahoma State’s radio
voice, who died tragically in the OSU basketball plane crash) at the Country
Club of Salisbury and Keith waved us over to join him for dinner and drinks.
Moments later Frank Broyles joined us. Bill and I were instantly in awe and sat
quietly for hours listening to Keith and Frank share stories about the games
and personalities they had covered together.
The second was at the UCLA-WSU game in Pullman in October of 2003. My
eight-year-old son Greg was clad from head-to-toe in Crimson and Gray and while
we were waiting at will-call to pick up our tickets he tugged on my arm, looked
up at me and declared, “Dad, I am so going to Washington State when I grow up!”
Imagine how proud I felt. Then, from behind me, I heard the cadence of
the distinctive voice of college football say “Well, I guess we’re going to have
to get him academically eligible!” I turned around to see Keith laughing with
Dan Fouts, who were calling the game for ABC that day. I introduced my eight
year old to both, and Greg, without missing a beat shouted “I know you – you’re
the Gatorade guy!”
Keith, you see, had recently begun serving as the spokesperson for the
legendary sports drink. Without missing a beat, Keith leaned over to me and
whispered “for 50 frickin’ years I’ve been the voice of college football, and
now I’m the f***ing Gatorade guy!” And every time — every time — we visited
after that day, he asked me how my little Gatorade guy was doing.
I last spoke with Keith in early December, to pass along word of Bruce
King’s passing. He was reflective about life, and he conveyed that he was
excited to have had ESPN spend a week with him to include him in a documentary
they are working on about the history of college football. Sadly, the man who
chronicled the sports history won’t get to see the finished product.
“Amplify, clarify, punctuate and let the viewer draw their own
conclusion.” That philosophy described so many treasured memories for my
generation – the original voice of Monday Night Football, Olympic moments from
Mark Spitz to Eric Heiden, Wide World of Sports and of course, college
football. He was the soundtrack for autumn Saturdays, which haven’t been the
same since his retirement.
Keith once told me that of all the many accomplishments he enjoyed
professionally through his 89 years, none held a candle to walking through life
with his lovely wife, Turi Ann.
Please keep her and their entire family in your thoughts as you
celebrate him well.
Whoa Nellie. And Go Cougs!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Keith Shipman, a 1983 Murrow graduate, is the
president and CEO of Horizon Broadcasting and the president and CEO of the
Washington State Association of Broadcasters. From 1983-1999 he was a sports
broadcaster in Seattle, at KOMO and KCPQ, and at one time had the unique
distinction of hosting The Jim Walden Show and The Don James Show at the same
time.
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