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Transcript:
Conference call with Washington State defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys
UPDATED:
Tue., Jan. 16, 2018, 1:32 p.m.
By
Theo Lawson, Spokane S-R
New
Washington State defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys held a 15-minute conference
call with reporters Tuesday afternoon – his first media availability since
being announced by the Cougars last week. Claeys spoke about how he spent his
year away from the game, what he plans on doing with WSU’s defense and his
first impressions of Mike Leach.
Below is a
full transcript of the teleconference.
What were
you doing during your year off and do you miss being around the game
Oh yeah.
Every day, when you do it this long, you miss being around the players and the
staff and the interactions and that. But I will say that I hadn’t been home – I
moved back to Clay Center, Kansas, and I hadn’t been home for more than 20
years for just a few days at a time. And so I had a great time catching up with
my family. Me and mom went to yard sales about every weekend and auctions and
found things to do. I had a chance to do bank lines again on the river, which
is something that was illegal in Minnesota. Me and my brother got into a few
cattle. Obviously a much slower-paced life, but it was a great time to catch up
with my family.
When did
the opportunity to coach at WSU present itself?
I’d have
to say it was – whenever it first started to break about Alex possibly leaving.
Shortly after that, I got a message to give coach Leach a call and we talked
just to see interest both ways and what he was looking for. So I don’t know the
exact day or that, but it was shortly after it first broke that there was a
possibility Alex was leaving.
Did the
2016 Holiday Bowl help your case and strengthen your relationship with coach
Leach?
Yeah, I do
think it started a good relationship. And coach Phelps came up here and coached
the defensive line and I think coach Leach was pretty pleased with the way he
did things. So that’s another connection on it. But obviously breaking down our
teams and seeing our teams play, so I don’t think there’s any doubt that
relationship helped.
Will you
run your typical 4-3 defense with multiple looks or are you going to have a 3-4
option?
Well, not
all the specifics but the staff, we’re all doing recruiting now and haven’t had
a chance to sit down. I will tell you that there’s a place for both. At
different times during games or different opponents and we’ve done both where
I’ve been in the past and so I think we can piece that together. The one thing
I’m going to do and I told coach Leach, is I’m going to learn their terminology
and fit the things I know into their terminology. And that way the kids and the
staff that are here, they don’t have to re-learn everything. But I am a big
believer in, I don’t like to try to take a square peg and put it into a round
hole. We get to spring ball and we know what we have and find out what our kids
do best and whatever that is, that’s how we’ll line up and play on Saturday.
Will you
also coach a position here at WSU?
Yeah, I
probably will. Again, that’s not finalized yet until we get everybody here, but
actually my first year I did linebackers at Saginaw Valley State, then I went
to the D-line for a few years. But being a coordinator the last 10-12 years, I
still have been – I like to be involved in the secondary with the way everybody
spreads the field and the things they’re doing with formations and motions and
the hurry-up. So I feel comfortable filling in wherever needed, so we’ll play
out the staff strings no different than the players and then I’ll fill in.
How nice
it is to come to a team with young playmakers and what is it like to reconnect
with Jeff Phelps?
To be back
with coach Phelps means a lot to me. I trust him with my life. We hired him at
Northern Illinois and we’re good friends and he’s a great coach. He had a lot
of influence on my decision to come here as much as I’m sure he had on coach
Leach to offer it. The players, there’s no question, I’ve got some young,
athletic kids. I haven’t had a chance to be around them much and get to know
them personally, but I will. But I would take young, athletic defensive kids
coming back over older, slower guys any day.
You spoke
about learning the terminology … are you going to run a system similar to what
coach Grinch ran last year?
Well, they
ran a lot of quarters and they ran some man, so there’s a lot of things in the
secondary they did the same. Whether it’s 3-4 or 4-3, the secondary was all
pretty similar. So all of that, and any of the blitzes we have that was in his
system, whatever names that are already there, we’re going to use them. And I’m
going to change and we’re going to add in terminology. Then obviously, there’ll
be a piece of it of things that I like to do or are comfortable doing that I
think will fit some kids. So there will be some new terminology, but there
won’t be a lot. But you have to be who you are and you can’t be somebody else.
So we’re going to do things that I’m comfortable with and I feel like fit our
players and give them the best chance to win on Saturday. But as soon as
everybody goes one back on offense, you line up, everybody lines up pretty
similar for the most part. And so all of that will be common.
You spent
all of your career in the Midwest. What are some of the challenges that come
with going to the west coast?
Well, so
far the weather’s a lot better so that’s an easier adjustment. And recruiting
is about relationships and the one thing it will do is it’ll be something new
and open up a few more doors. These first couple years, I’m going to have to
work at it and whatever areas that I’m in, it will take some time to establish
some relationships. But where we’ve been, we’ve had a good name and I don’t
worry about it. As long as you’re willing to work hard, there’s plenty of kids
out there and it’s just about getting those relationships established. The
other thing is this time zone. I’m ready to go at 5 in the morning now and everyone
else is still in bed. At the same time, by 8:30 at night I’m kind of worn out
right now, so it’d be interesting to see how long it takes my body to adjust.
Did you
have any say in hiring the defensive staff?
All the
staff hasn’t been established just yet, so we need to get that finished. But
Darcel McBath, that was decided before I got here.
The
situation before the 2016 Holiday Bowl (player boycott) was probably messier
than you would’ve liked. In hindsight, how do you look back at that situation?
I put out
a response thing awhile ago to the media and that. A little piece on leadership
and that. That’s all been printed, I don’t have anything to add to what’s in
there. So I think the best way is to go back and check that out and I’ll stick
with that response.
Your
predecessor put a lot of emphasis on turnovers. How do you view turnovers?
Well, I
think that’s important. There’s no question we’re going to go after the
turnovers, but at the same time I don’t want to be a bad defense that’s going
to rely on just the other team turning the ball over all the time. I look at
them more as takeaways, we’re going to go to and take the thing away from them.
And you’ve got to have those. Overall, there’s three or four stats that if you
looked at, the top defenses in the country do every year. The most important
one, bottom line, is scoring defense. You defend every inch, they don’t get any
points or get into the end zone. You win ballgames with low-scoring defense,
but the takeaway part helps. The tackles-for-loss is a big part along with
sacks. But third-down defense, you’ve got to play well on third downs. So you
combine all those together, then you’re going to have a good defense that gives
you a chance to win the ballgame.
When you
look at the WSU program, what did you see?
Well about
every time I’ve been with coach Kill and we’ve moved, it’s been a rebuilding
process. And so I was excited about the chance to get into something where the
groundwork’s already been done and it’s moving forward. So, with the players
that are coming back, that was really exciting to me. And the Pac-12, I think
it’s a wide-open conference and I’m excited to be a part of that.
What were
your initial impressions of Mike Leach and what have you learned about him
since taking the job?
I’ll tell
you what, he’s an awfully good, genuine person. I enjoyed meeting with him.
He’s very similar as far as being genuine and all that to the guy I worked for,
coach Kill. And then football-wise, you talk football and he’s extremely
intelligent. What he does, I can tell you from preparing in the bowl game, it’s
extremely difficult to prepare for. Where I’ve been before, where we’ve been,
we’ve run the ball a lot more and if you get too far behind, you’re going to
have trouble winning. So I’m excited to be a part of somebody that I think is
on the cutting edge of what football has become today and he’s one of the first
ones to start doing it. So I look forward to being a part of that. Besides
that, I really hadn’t met coach Leach before last year’s Holiday Bowl, but he
treated me very well. And like I said, we started a relationship there and I
have a tremendous amount of respect for him.
How do you
think your short time of being a head coach helps you in this new role?
He hired
me to run the defense and I know he likes to coach the offense and that. I
think having that control of the defense and already being a head coach will no
question will help out down the line with just the different experiences I went
through and dealing with kids.
Did you
receive any other interest from other schools?
I had some
other opportunities, I’m not going to get specific about them, but yeah I had
some other opportunities. But after being contacted by coach Leach there was no
doubt that this was my first priority,
Have you
had any opportunity to watch film on the 2018 recruiting class?
Yeah, I
did. I’ve been through it and watched their videos and that. There’s some
athletic kids there, they can run and they play hard and they like football, so
I think they’ve done a good job of really finding kids that will continue to
make us better on the defensive side of the ball.
Where can
WSU’s defense improve heading into next season?
Well, from
a stats number, probably the red zone defense. That’s the one. And it’s simple,
a lot of things are simple ideas – if you make teams at least kick field goals
when they’re in the red zone, it gives you an opportunity to win in the fourth
quarter. Of all the stats, that’s probably the one that stuck out to me, that
can use the most improvement. We need to play better in the red zone. That’s
where we’ll practice a lot.
/////////////
WOMEN’S
BASKETBALL SUNDAY 1 o’clock in the afternoon Cougs at UW
On
Sunday Jan 21 at 1:00 PM PT Pacific it’s
Pac-12 women’s basketball in Seattle on UW campus in Hec Ed: Washington State University
Cougars vs. UW Huskies.
Watch
on Pac-12 Network:
Listen:
http://wsucougars.com/sports/2016/8/16/live-audio.aspx
Live
stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=190136&vislive=wast
Story
below from UW student newspaper …
Washington
falls in overtime in Pullman
By
Kyle Gehler Jan 17, 2018 UW Daily
The
Washington women’s basketball team went over to Pullman to face Washington
State and fell in a heartbreaker to the Cougars in overtime by a score of
78-75. The loss extends the team’s losing streak to seven games and moves its
overall record to 6-12 and 0-7 in Pac-12 play.
Washington
kept it close throughout the entire game. The biggest deficit was eight points
midway through the second quarter, but the Dawgs were able to claw back and
tied it up at the half, 36-36.
Early
in the third quarter, the UW was dealt a blow as freshman Missy Peterson had
her ankle rolled up on and had to be helped to the locker room. Peterson was
seen on the bench with ice on her knee in the fourth quarter.
The
two teams went back and forth in the final period, Washington led 67-65 with
under 30 seconds remaining before Washington State’s Chanelle Molina nailed a
big three pointer to put WSU up 68-67 with 16.9 seconds remaining. Washington
had a chance to win it late in regulation. The Huskies inbounded the ball to
sophomore Amber Melgoza and she took it to the rack. Her shot attempt rimmed
out but she was able to draw the foul with 3.4 seconds left. After missing the
first from the line, Melgoza was able to drain the second one and tie the game
at 68-68. Washington’s defense held strong on the last possession of regulation
and forced WSU to a deep three pointer that missed, sending the game to
overtime.
Overtime
was a different story for Washington, as the Huskies were unable to find the
basket until the final minutes of the extra period. Washington’s defense kept
the Dawgs in it though, along with some costly WSU errors, especially at the
line — the Cougars went just 7-of-18 on
free throws. The Huskies were able to trim the lead to two a couple times late
in overtime but were unable to narrow the gap any more.
With
5.3 seconds remaining, Washington got the ball under its own basket, down by
three. Melgoza was unable to get a shot attempt off in time, though, and the
Cougars took the victory.
The
story of the game was from behind the arc as WSU shot 41 percent while holding
UW to just 24 percent. The 12-3 advantage for Washington State in the block
column was also a major story of this game.
Melgoza
led the Huskies with 22 points. Hannah Johnson tallied a double-double with 13
points and 16 rebounds. WSU’s Borislava Hristova led all scorers with 25
points, including four three-pointers.
The
Huskies will look for revenge on Sunday as the Cougars come up to Seattle.
…………
Candlelight
vigil to mourn Tyler Hilinski to be held Friday
The
event will take place at 7 p.m. in front of the Cougar statue
By
Chet Broberg Coug Center Jan 19, 2018
Members
of the Cougar family have the opportunity to mourn the loss of Tyler Hilinski
together on Friday. ASWSU is holding a candlelight vigil by the Cougar Statue
on Stadium Way at 7 p.m.
Hilinski
was found dead in his apartment Tuesday, his death has been ruled a suicide.
Candles will be provided for 4,000 attendees but you may also bring your own.
There will also be cards available to sign that will be sent to the Hilinski
family.
Students
and other members of the WSU community have placed flowers, sign, and WSU flags
at the Cougar Statue throughout the week. The vigil provides another
opportunity to pay respects to Hilinski.
……….
Tyler
Hilinski's parents talk with Cougar football team
On
day of the tragedy, Jason Loscalzo led team meeting to break the news
COUGFANcom
TYLER
HILINSKI’S parents spoke to the Washington State football team in an
"emotional" gathering in Pullman on Thursday, but coach Mike Leach
wasn’t on hand as he remained grounded in Atlanta this week by inclement
weather, multiple people in and around the program tell Cougfan.com.
The
details of the Hilinskis’ comments were not shared with CF.C, but the gathering
was characterized as "emotional," “comforting,” and “a step in the
healing process for something we can’t quite get our heads around.”
Said
one person, who requested anonymity, “These are very special people. It’s easy
to understand why Tyler was the most popular guy on the team … For them to
bring us all together and get up and speak about this loss was brave.”
Leach
is believed to be arriving back in Pullman tonight (Thursday) after being stuck
at snow-racked Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta the past two days.
The
Whitman County coroner ruled on Thursday that Hilinksi, the heir-apparent to
Luke Falk as quarterback of the Cougars, took his own life Tuesday. He was found
in his apartment in the Aspen complex with a rifle and note next to his body.
By all accounts from everyone Cougfan.com has talked with, there were no
obvious signs the rising third-year sophomore from Claremont, Calif., was
struggling within.
One
source said a team meeting was called by Cougar assistant coaches Tuesday to
break the news to players. Strength and conditioning coach Jason Loscalzo, who
effectively spends more time each year with every player on the team than
position coaches, “was kind of the obvious choice” to lead the meeting and
“stepped up in a major way.”
NOTABLE:
Cougar offensive lineman Cole Madison will
be wearing (and bringing extra) #3 helmet stickers to the Senior Bowl on Jan.
27 to honor his good friend Tyler, Rob Rang of NFLDraftScout.com reports.
Meanwhile, FootballScoop.com, the national
clearing house of coaching moves, today noted Hilinski's shocking death in an
impassioned column asking everyone in the national coaching community to spend
time each day checking in on current and former players during the offseason.
"Ask them how they're doing. Ask them about life, Ask them about their
plans for the future," FSC wrote. "Let them know that there are
people out there that love and care deeply about them and that you're just one
of those people."
ASWSU is organizing a candlelight vigil at
the Cougar Pride statue at 7 pm Friday in memory of Hilinski.
ICYMI, our own Zach Anders put together a
wonderful two-minute video of Hilinski from this season. Link below to watch:
#
