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Posted at the “University of Idaho: Vandal Spirit Fridays”
Facebook page on Wednesday Jan. 17, 2018 at 8:12 am: “We're grieving with our
neighbors across the border. In remembrance of his life, let's wear crimson and
gray on Friday.”
“”””””””””””””””
Men’s basketball trampled by Buffs
Cougars went on 26-5 run in second half before losing to
Colorado
By AVERY COOPER, Evergreen reporter January 18, 2018
WSU men’s basketball was outscored by 15 points in the first
half against Colorado, and trailed by as many as 26 in the final 20 minutes of
the game before ultimately losing 82-73 to the Buffaloes.
Colorado (12-7, 4-3) shot 52 percent from the field while
WSU (9-9, 1-5) made just over 40 percent of its shots.
The Cougars rallied to go on a 26-5 run in the second half
that lasted just over seven minutes to cut the lead to 63-58 after a
three-pointer from sophomore guard Carter Skaggs. Skaggs finished the night
with 17 points off the bench. WSU made 15 three-pointers on 34 attempts in the
game.
Colorado was able to get 13 points from the free-throw line,
while the Cougars were only able to make four free-throws on five attempts.
Two more Cougars finished in double-digit points. Junior
guard Viont’e Daniels had a team-high 18 points and junior guard Kwinton Hinson
finished with 11 points.
Colorado responded to the WSU run by putting up a 12-0 push
which was sparked by an offensive rebound and put-back by senior guard George
King.
King finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, and was one
of five Buffaloes to finish with double-digit scoring.
Colorado outrebounded WSU 39-29. Both teams had eight
offensive rebounds, but the Buffaloes were able to get the rebounding edge on
the defensive side.
Leading the Buffaloes was freshman guard McKinley Wright IV
with 17 points. Wright scored 13 of his points in the second half.
Colorado junior guard Namon Wright had a double-double with
16 points and 10 rebounds. WSU went on an 8-2 run with under three minutes left
in the game, but the Cougars ran out of time.
The team still has two games to go on the road trip. Up
next, WSU travels to face the University of Utah at 5 p.m Sunday inside the Jon
M. Huntsman Center. The game can be seen live on Pac-12 Networks.
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From WSU Sports Info
Men’s basketball = WASHINGTON STATE AT COLORADO
THURSDAY, JAN. 18, 2018, 5 P.M. PT/6 P.M. MT – COORS EVENTS
CENTER (BOULDER, COLO.)
FINAL SCORE: COLO 82, WSU 73
POSTGAME NOTES
Junior Viont’e Daniels led WSU with 18 points on 6-for-9
from 3-point range on his birthday.
Daniels’ 6 3-pointers tie his career high for 3s made.
Daniels’ 6 3-pointers are the most by a WSU player on his
birthday…his 18 points tie for the second most by a Cougar on his birthday.
Sophomore Carter Skaggs had all 17 of his points in the
second half…he finished 5-for-11 from 3-point range.
It marked the first game Skaggs has had multiple 3s since
Jan. 6 against Washington and his most 3s since he also had 5 at USC, Dec. 31.
Junior Kwinton Hinson was the third Cougar in double figures
with 11 points, tying his career high and marking a personal Pac-12 best.
Drick Bernstine had his second-straight game with at least 8
assists (had 9 against California, Jan. 13)…he added 8 points and 6 assists.
Robert Franks finished with 8 points Malachi Flynn had 5
points, marking the first game this season that neither has scored in double
figures…the Cougars are 2-8 when Flynn and Franks do not score in
double-figures.
Franks fouled out for the third time this season (3:40
remaining).
The Cougars finished 15-for-34 from 3-point range, marking
13 games they have made 12 or more 3s…it’s the sixth time WSU has had 15 or
more 3s.
WSU attempted a season-low 5 free throws (4-for-5)…Colorado
went 13-for-18 from the charity stripe.
WSU has never won at Colorado and drops to 0-7 at Boulder.
The Cougars fall to 9-9 overall and 1-5 in Pac-12 play this
season.
Next up WSU travels to Salt Lake City to take on Utah,
Sunday, Jan. 21 at 5 p.m. PT/6 p.m. MT…the game will be televised on ESPNU.
……….
Men’s Basketball: Colorado finds answer for big Washington
State rally, defeats Cougars 82-73
UPDATED: Thu., Jan. 18, 2018, 9:51 p.m.
By Michael Kelly Associated Press
BOULDER,
Colo. – Washington State dug a hole that was just a little too deep.
The Cougars fell behind by 26 points to the Colorado
Buffaloes and cut the deficit to five in the second half before losing 82-73 on
Thursday night.
“We changed lineups.
We put more toughness on the floor, we got back into the game, and then we got
into a great rhythm,” Cougars coach Ernie Kent said.
“It’s very difficult
to get down by 26 to any Pac-12 team and think you’re going to come back, but
we were right there with seven minutes to go.”
But after the Cougars closed to within five points
Colorado’s McKinley Wright IV had 10 of his 17 points during a late run that
put the game away for the Buffaloes.
The Buffaloes (12-7, 4-3 Pac-12) have won four of five
conference games after dropping two in Oregon to start the season. Colorado has
wins over Arizona and Arizona State and UCLA.
“Tonight was very
important to our team to keep that momentum going and get above .500 in the
league,” Buffaloes coach Tad Boyle said. “Now it’s a separation game on
Saturday (when Colorado plays Washington).”
Viont’e Daniels tied his career best with 18 points and
Carter Skaggs scored all 17 of his points in the second half when the Cougars
cut a 26-point lead to five.
Washington State (9-9, 1-5) couldn’t build on its 78-53 win
over Cal last weekend. The Cougars hit 53.6 percent from 3-point range in the
25-point victory over the Bears but started cold from long range until catching
fire late in the game.
The Buffaloes led by 15 at halftime and opened the second
half hitting three 3-pointers to extend the lead to 55-32 with 15:54 left. A
free throw by Lucas Siewert gave Colorado a 58-32 lead with 15:04 left, but
Washington State rallied to make it close.
“Just a lack of
defense, lack of concentration and effort,” Wright said. “We know they’re great
3-point shooters and we held them to five in the first half but they got 10 in
the second half.”
Down 21, the Cougars went on an 18-2 run to get within
63-58. Colorado went without a basket for 5:26 before King ended the drought
and sparked a 12-0 that put it away.
There was a moment of silence observed for Buffaloes
lacrosse player Julia Sarcona, who died in a car accident on Saturday, and
Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski, who committed suicide Tuesday.
……………………………………
Coroner: Hilinski's death officially ruled suicide
Jan 18, 2018 Moscow Pullman Daily News
Whitman County Coroner Pete Martin has concluded the
investigation into the death of Washington State University quarterback Tyler
Hilinski and determined the cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound
to the head.
“The manner of death
was suicide,” Martin wrote in a news release distributed Thursday morning.
Hilinski, 21 of Irvine, Calif., was discovered in his
apartment after he didn’t show up for practice Tuesday. A rifle “was recovered
next to Hilinski and a suicide note was found,” according to the Pullman Police
Department.
Hilinski was the presumptive starting quarterback going into
next season. He started Washington State’s Holiday Bowl loss to Michigan State
after Luke Falk was unable to play due to a wrist injury.
He appeared in eight games during his sophomore season,
throwing for 1,176 yards and seven touchdowns. His most memorable outing came
in the second week of the season when he led Washington State from a 21-point
deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Boise State 47-44 in triple overtime.
…………………………
NCAA aims to learn from Hilinski’s death
Researchers, doctors seeking to address mental health of
student athletes
By Michael Marot, Associated Press Jan 18, 2018
NCAA aims to learn from Hilinski’s death
When Dr. Brian Hainline learned about the apparent suicide
of another college athlete, it hit hard. Again.
No, he didn’t know Washington State quarterback Tyler
Hilinski. But he’s heard such stories far too often.
The NCAA’s first chief medical officer has coped with
friends, patients and other college students who took their own lives and
whenever it happens, the same emotions and questions come racing back. So
Hainline has put together recommendations that may help college athletic
departments understand how to help players.
“What we’re trying to do is get every single campus to
operationalize this,” Hainline told The Associated Press on Wednesday, the
first day of the NCAA’s annual convention. “The same problems regular students
have with mental health are the same problems student-athletes have. They think
they’re unique and they’re not.”
The 21-year-old Hilinski was found in his Pullman apartment
on Tuesday after he didn’t show up for practice, dead from an apparent
self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police also found a rifle and a suicide note.
Police Chief Gary Jenkins declined to reveal the contents of
the note.
Police were interviewing Hilinski’s friends and people who
knew him to try to learn why the Cougars’ presumptive starting quarterback
apparently took his life. “The missing piece here is why,” Jenkins said.
Hilinski’s family in California issued a statement saying
they were in “complete shock and disarray” over his death.
They weren’t the only ones grieving.
A makeshift memorial sprouted near the football stadium on
the Pullman campus, next to a bronze statue of the team’s mascot. Social media
were also filled with comments, including one from former Washington State star
quarterback Ryan Leaf, who said he couldn’t stop crying.
More than 2,000 miles away in Indianapolis, Hilinski’s name
repeatedly came up during a previously scheduled panel discussion on student
well-being. The session on suicide prevention was full of emotion and concern.
“Last night it was 11
p.m. and I was going to work out when my best friend from UCF texted me
pictures of the tweets,” Student Athlete Advisory Committee representative Enna
Selmanovic said, referring to the reaction about Hilinski. “And she said, ‘When
is this going to end?’ ”
Numbers show why mental health has become such a serious
issue on college campuses.
According to National Data on Campus Suicide and Depression,
one out of every 12 college students makes a suicide plan and 7.5 students per
100,000 kill themselves.
Hainline said the stats are similar for athletes, something
Selmanovic found in her own research.
The former swimmer and current pre-med student at the
University of Cincinnati found 35 college athletes killed themselves from
2009-15, which represents 7.3 percent of all deaths among college athletes
during that time. Twenty-nine of the deaths were male athletes and 13 played
football.
Selmanovic revised her prepared remarks after hearing about
Hilinski. But the solutions remain the same.
“The lack of
education that we believe exists right now will make it worse if it’s not
solved,” she said. “Educating staff and coaches is just as important because
they are the ones who are going to know when performance is slipping. And
confidentiality is key.
“Getting athletes to know the resources are out there,
that’s the biggest thing,” she added.
While some athletes may avoid asking for help because of
worries about what coaches and peers think or whether they may lose a
scholarship, the bigger problem might be the long-held stigma attached to
mental illnesses.
Former Clemson football player Jay Guillermo understands.
The starting center on college football’s national runner-up
in 2015 and the 2016 national champions stepped away from football during his
sophomore year so he could be treated for depression. At his worst, he said he
contemplated suicide but never attempted it.
“The struggle, at
least I know for myself, was more admitting that I needed to talk to someone,”
he said in a telephone interview, noting the university and the coaching staff
provided the support he needed. “Especially a male athlete, and a football
player in such a physical rough sport, you never want to be the guy that’s
having to admit that something’s wrong. You get that mindset of always pushing
through. Nothing’s wrong. I’m good to go. I think that’s the toughest part. At
least for me. Not that there wasn’t any resources there, but reaching out to
those resources.”
Hainline said college students are more vulnerable because a
range of illnesses peak during the ages of 18 to 22.
The stress of performing in school and on the field only
ratchets up the pressure and if a student isn’t sleeping well, as often happens
in college, studies show the suicide risk can double or triple even without a
mental illness.
Hainline believes schools shouldn’t just have a plan, they
need to practice the plan and be prepared to help players before dealing with
tragedy.
“What’s it going to
take? Is it going to take having a licensed sports psychologist on campus?
Maybe,” Selmanovic said. “But we have to hit the mark or sadly more (athletes)
will end up like Tyler. I’m not sure about you, but I can’t take another
Tyler.”
/////////
WSU mourns Hilinski
QB remembered for sunny disposition
By DALE GRUMMERT of the Lewiston Trib Jan 18, 2018
PULLMAN - His calling card was a modest but bright smile,
often visible beneath his helmet and made more so by his 6-foot-3 stature. His
coach once called him "One of the most optimistic guys on Earth."
But remembering these qualities about Tyler Hilinski only
made it more difficult for people connected to the Washington State football
program Wednesday to make sense of his death.
The 21-year-old quarterback, who would have entered spring
drills as the presumed starter for the Cougars' 2018 season, was found in his
Pullman apartment Tuesday, the victim of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot
wound.
"Very sad, very shocked, totally perplexed by this
whole deal," former WSU quarterback Jack Thompson said by phone Wednesday.
"I just hurt for a young man who by all appearances seemed to have the
world by the tail."
On a chilly, blustery day in Pullman, it was nonetheless dry
enough for mourners to turn a large statue of a cougar on Stadium Way into a
memorial for Hilinski, placing dozens of candles there and leaving notes of
condolence on miniature footballs to the athlete's family in Southern California.
Among the items was a copy of the WSU student newspaper, the
Daily Evergreen, bearing a front-page headline, "Cougs stun Broncos in
triple overtime." In that remarkable 47-44 win over Boise State last
September at Martin Stadium, the sophomore backup replaced senior starter Luke
Falk and led a comeback from a 21-point deficit in the final eight minutes of
regulation time.
A smaller memorial outside the Cougar Football Complex
featured a sign that said, "RIP Tyler. You will forever be our Comeback
Kid."
To then-WSU receiver Tavares Martin Jr., Hilinski's
perpetually upbeat attitude played a key role in the triple-OT win. Speaking
from his home in Florida, Martin Jr. described Hilinski as a friend who always
lightened the mood at practice and, in his own case, offered support during a
difficult time a few weeks ago when Martin Jr. was dismissed from the team
after a disagreement with coach Mike Leach.
"Every day he would come to practice and work his tail
off," Martin Jr. said. "If he had a bad day in practice, you never
saw him down, or get mad or frustrated. He always stayed positive. That's what
I liked about him. He was positive in every negative situation."
Leach typically described Hilinski the same way.
"He's one of the most optimistic guys on Earth, so I
think that helps him and I think it rubs off on the rest of the huddle"
the coach said in 2016 as Hilinski was entering his second-year freshman
season.
He threw for 245 yards as Falk's understudy that year and
spelled him more frequently in 2017 as he passed for 1,176 yards and completed
nearly 73 percent of his passes.
Police released no new information on Hilinski's death
Wednesday, confirming the presence of a suicide note at the scene but declining
to divulge its contents.
"At this point everything that we have seen points to
suicide," Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins said.
Football team activities are relatively light in January.
The Cougars met for weight training Tuesday, and Hilinski's absence from that
session is what led to the discovery of his body, police said.
Numerous former and current WSU players and coaches
expressed surprise and grief through social media, several of them offering
condolences to the athlete's family in Claremont, Calif. Tyler was the second
of three sons of Mark and Kym Hilinski. The oldest, Kelly, is a former Weber
State quarterback and the youngest, Ryan, plays the same position at the
high-school level.
"I can't even comprehend how his folks and his brothers
are coping," Thompson said. "They'll lean on one another, but they
also have a very amazing extended family called the Cougar family."
Speaking along similar lines was former NFL cornerback
Charles Dimry, whose son CJ concluded his career as a WSU receiver in 2017.
"Our entire family love(d) Tyler," he said via
text. "He was a brother to CJ and part of every Coug memory we have. We
are praying for Mark, Kym, Kelly and Ryan."
Katie Short of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News contributed
reporting.
Seattle Cleveland High SChool ’s C.J. Elleby is latest in
his family to make mark on Seattle basketball scene
Originally published January 18, 2018 at 7:23 pm
The 6-foot-7 Washington State commit comes from a long line
of standout basketball players. He’s having a standout season averaging 22.4
points and 12.1 rebounds per game.
By Jayda Evans Seattle
Times
Scrolling down this year’s list of McDonald’s All-American
Game nominees was affirming for Bill Elleby.
“There’s definitely some Washington players being left out,”
he said after a review of the 24 Washingtonians who received a nod for the 41st
annual game. None were named to the final rosters.
“You look at California and they have all of these players
(nominated),” Elleby continued. “Our kids aren’t being looked upon the same.
That’s kind of why I started my service. To get these guys represented and the
exposure they need.”
Elleby established Seattle Basketball Services (SBS) in
2013, an NCAA-compliant scouting site for boys and girls basketball. It’s not
difficult to rattle off notable college, WNBA or NBA players from the state.
But many don’t know the depth of talent is more comparable to the Puget Sound
than a swimming pool.
“This is really guard central,” said Elleby, a two-time
state champ for Garfield who played the position at California (1988-92). “We
have the best guards in the nation in basketball and they’ve proven it time and
time again. And the list goes beyond guards.”
One of the most underrated is Elleby’s son C.J. When born,
the story is doctors bundled up the gangly boy, handed C.J. to his parents and
declared, “There’s your basketball player.”
Bill Elleby repeats the story with pride. His oldest of
five, Victoria, did play college basketball, but C.J. embodies most of the
family’s basketball talent.
Immersed in Seattle’s basketball lore, it’s a wonder how the
6-foot-7 lefty is overlooked. C.J.’s paternal great uncle is Carl Ervin, who
had a two-year record of 50-1 as a point guard for Cleveland, winning state
titles in 1975 and 1976.
It’s because of Carl that C.J. also plays at Cleveland. The
Washington State commit is ranked third behind four-star athletes Kevin Porter
Jr. (Rainier Beach) and J’Raan Brooks (Garfield) as the top players in the
state, according to SBS. Elleby, a senior shooting guard, is second to Porter
in scoring this season, averaging 22.4 points per game with 12.1 rebounds.
“He’s under the radar, but C.J. has always been one of the
best in Washington no matter what grade it was,” said Porter, who grew up
playing AAU ball with Elleby. “It’s crazy how much he’s progressed from
freshman year to now. Really, he got used to his body, realizing how easy it is
for him to score.”
C.J. jumped from averaging seven points per game as a
freshmen to working alongside classmate Jahleel Breland to clinch Cleveland’s
first state tournament berth since 2004 the following year. The Eagles placed
sixth.
Cleveland didn’t advance last season, which motivated Elleby
during the offseason. Since birth, he’s been able to learn from Seattle stars
such as Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson and Brandon Roy, who now coaches at
Garfield.
“I can base what I’m
able to do by learning about their work ethic,” Elleby said. “Because since I
was a kid, I’ve had a basketball in my hand. I remember playing in this rec
league and I scored 32 points, so they made a rule that the most points you can
score in 16. I’d always get taken out the game or just couldn’t shoot the
ball.”
Elleby grew five inches as a high schooler and gained muscle
mass that’s helped make him a force as a shot blocker on defense. Yet, it’s his
ball handling and shooting skills contained in a forward’s body that makes
Elleby a marvel.
Cleveland coach Jerry Petty, who also was Elleby’s youth
coach, said this is a pivotal season in terms of the future of Eagles
basketball. The team recently suffered Metro League losses to O’Dea and
Eastside Catholic, which are also in The Seattle Times’ Class 3A rankings, but
hopes to advance to state via strong play in the SeaKing District tournament.
“We have woken up a lot of people,” said Petty, who won a
state title for Garfield in 1998. “But you have to go out and prove it. So, we
talk about him leaving his mark. C.J.’s a kid that stayed at his school for
four years, went through losing and has done great things. Now, we definitely
want to put the icing on the cake. It’s not his whole legacy, but would be
really good for him to put on his résumé.”
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