WSU
athletics ranked 65th of all 65 Power Five conferences
Slideshow:
Ranking all 65 Power Five schools in overall athletic success
By Pat Forde, Yahoo Sports
July 4th, 2018, 10:07 a.m.
Slideshow: Ranking all 65 Power Five schools in overall
athletic success
#65. Washington State
Top 2017-18 sport: women’s soccer. Trajectory: Up. For the
first time in the current five-year rankings window, the Cougars broke into the
top 100, vaulting all the way to 80th. For a school that made less and spent
less than any other Power Five public university in 2016-17, that’s progress.
The scarcely conceivable No. 170 ranking in 2014-15 will likely keep the
Cougars last until it comes off the books in 2020.
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Apartment building on Pullman’s Military Hill slightly
damaged in fireworks caused brush fire
From Pullman Radio News 7/5/2018
A fireworks caused brush fire damaged an apartment building
on Pullman's Military Hill Wednesday night. Pullman City Firefighters were
called to the blaze around 10:30 on Ann Street. Some junipers next to an
apartment building had caught fire. Crews quickly extinguished the flames. The
fire damaged the exterior of the apartment building. Whitman County Fire
District 12 volunteers also responded.
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NCAA prepares minority coordinators for head coaching jobs
Program includes mock interviews, contract information and
lessons on what to expect
By Stephen Whyno 7/5/2018
OXON HILL, Md. (AP) -
Camera lighting made beads of sweat emerge from Tony Elliott's forehead as he
fielded questions ranging from football philosophy to something he could share
about his private life.
The Clemson co-offensive coordinator paused, smiled and
couldn't hide his joy about riding an all-terrain vehicle through the woods.
The walls broke down as Elliott made a human connection with mock interviewer
Jon Oliver in the best possible preparation he can get for a head coaching job.
Despite helping the Tigers win a national title, Elliott has
never interviewed for a head-coaching job.
"Two phone calls," Elliott said.
College football as a public entity can't institute a Rooney
Rule like the NFL, which compels teams to interview minority candidates for
head coaching jobs. So instead of focusing all its efforts on the schools, the
NCAA is putting some of its rising coaching candidates through its Champion
Forum to better prepare them for the interview process.
It is an effort to increase the diversity in the Power Five
conferences and across the country.
"You can't shame people into hiring people," said
Oliver, a former University of Virginia athletics administrator who now works
with the Champion Forum. "You can't tell (schools) what they need to be
doing. But what we can do is make sure (the candidates) are ready."
Minorities make up only 19 percent of Division I head
football coaches and less across the Power Five conferences: the ACC, SEC, Big
Ten, Big 12 and Pac 12. In contrast, 61 percent of Division I players are
minorities.
The Champion Forum has helped Penn State's James Franklin,
Vanderbilt's Derek Mason, Stanford's David Shaw, Arizona's Kevin Sumlin and
others get head jobs with the aim of pushing along the next generation.
Elliott, Michigan assistant head coach Pep Hamilton, LSU
defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, Florida State defensive coordinator Harlon
Barnett, South Carolina offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon and Navy
offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper are all part of the latest class. Picked by
their conferences and schools to go through the program, they're all in phase
two that includes one-on-one mock interviews, conversations with search firms
and information about contracts and what to expect from being a head coach.
"It's just the knowledge of what goes into becoming a
head coach, what (athletic directors) look for, what search firms look
for," said Jasper, who has been a candidate for jobs at Georgia Southern,
Yale and Rice during his time at Navy. "Having those tools in our toolbox
now and know what people look for, now we can address those issues and work on
getting better at it."
Jasper and Elliott had their mock interviews back-to-back
with their wives seated a few feet away. Oliver played the role of the interviewer
for a job at a fictional Atlantic University in Florida, firing questions at
each coach about a head job and asking for their questions.
Afterward, Oliver critiqued them on everything from how fast
they were talking to what they shouldn't have said. Oliver has seen coaches go
from not being able to finish answers to having a better idea of what to expect
the next time the phone rings about an opening.
"Had I not gone through this process, I wouldn't know
what I was getting into," Elliott said. "I wouldn't have been
encouraged to go prepare in the areas where I needed to prepare to ultimately
be successful. Because at the end of the day, it's not just becoming a head
coach. It's being a successful head coach and building a successful program."
The success of coaches like Franklin helps because Oliver is
well-aware that minority coaches who don't succeed are less likely to get a
second chance. In his eight years running the Champion Forum, director of NCAA
leadership development Curtis Hollomon has seen progress with more minority
coaches being in the mix for openings.
"What we've seen is the awareness of these
coaches," Hollomon said. "That's one of the main things that we're
trying to do: let them know that these coaches are out there, they're in these
positions and they're ready when the opportunities present themselves."
The program includes two steps of interview training, video
clips to show strengths and weaknesses and an in-person follow-up by former
Washington Redskins general manager Charley Casserly and other officials. This
year, the NCAA invited the coordinators' wives to sit in on the program and
welcomed their input.
"It made me realize how much he has grown,"
Elliott's wife, Tameka, said. "Just watching him grow and seeing his transition
and seeing how he has to interact with more people than he was used to
interacting with - not just the player and the family. Now you've got the A.D.
and fundraisers, stuff like that."
Jasper learned from his Rice interview to have questions
prepared, and Oliver told Elliott not to broach a topic and expect it to be
brought up by the interviewer. Recognizing they're getting plenty of help from
the process, coaches also understand they have to do their homework and earn
the jobs they're being prepared for.
"It's a great initiative in what they're doing in
giving guys an opportunity to just be considered," Elliott said. "And
then from there, we've got to do our part. We've got to go get the job, we've
got to be the best person for the job and then when we get the job we've got to
be successful."
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(WSU Mike Leach quoted in story below.)
Report: Big Ten ADs seeking national college football injury
report
By STEVEN M. SIPPLE Lincoln Journal Star Jul 2, 2018
Former Nebraska football coach Mike Riley was as cooperative
with the media as almost any coach you'll find anywhere -- even when it came to
reporting injuries.
During the course of a season, Riley routinely would provide
a list of injured players -- then ask reporters if he had forgotten anyone.
In other words, Riley likely would have had no issue with a
proposal that Big Ten athletic directors recently made to the NCAA Football
Oversight Committee. According to cbssports.com, the conference's ADs have
asked the NCAA to consider developing a national injury reporting system in
reaction to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that allows states to
legalize sports gambling.
Such a system for reporting injuries has never been used in
the college game. Big Ten athletic directors claim an injury report is
necessary to protect the integrity of the sport, according to the cbssports.com
article (click here).
Some coaches are like Riley and perfectly willing to release
injury information. But others try to conceal as much of the information as
they can, with some citing student privacy laws.
"Whatever weaknesses or vulnerabilities that we have as
a team, I can't possibly fathom why I would have any interest in revealing that
to my opponent," Washington State head coach Mike Leach told USA Today in
January.
One potential issue in the discussion is how to navigate
around student privacy laws, most notably the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA). Essentially, athletes would have to consent to have
their injury information released publicly.
According to cbssports.com, the NCAA oversight committee was
receptive to the Big Ten ADs' proposal, but tabled further consideration
following its June meeting. It's not clear how soon the proposal could become
permanent legislation because it first needs to be reviewed and approved by the
committee.
"It would be a modified version of what the NFL has in
place," Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said. "If any of our
members have any ideas, we need to get that in place now. I see some of these
things being implemented to be pretty simple."
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SPOKANE
Spokane County’s population passes 500,000 mark following
strong job growth
Thu., July 5, 2018, 5 a.m.
By Becky Kramer Spokane S-R
Spokane County’s population has passed the half-million
mark, with an estimated 507,950 people living here, according to new state
estimates.
Over the past 12 months, the county’s population grew by
8,150 people. Hiring in the region and affordable housing costs were likely
drivers, local economists say.
“I don’t think it’s due to a lot more babies,” said Patrick
Jones, executive director of Eastern Washington University’s Institute for
Public Policy and Economic Analysis.
While there were modest net gains from births, Jones said,
the 3,500 new jobs created in Spokane County last year were probably a bigger
influence.
“Regionally, the economy is doing pretty well, which has
created the ability or reason for people to move here,” said Grant Forsyth,
Avista Corp.’s chief economist.
Population growth has followed the county’s post-recession
recovery, with the past three years showing strong gains, Forsyth said.
In 2015, Spokane County had 488,310 residents. In 2016, the
county’s population was 492,530; and in 2017, it was 499,800.
The figures from the state’s Office of Financial Management
reflect estimates on April 1 of each year.
The national economic recovery also is helping attract new
residents to the Spokane area, Forsyth said.
“This is a desirable area for retirees that are currently
living in high-cost areas,” he said. “Because of the recovery, they can sell
their home in a high-cost area, take that money and move to Spokane.”
For retirees, Spokane County’s reputation as a regional hub
for hospitals and health care is part of the draw, Forsyth added. For people
relocating here for jobs, local school districts’ reputation is a
consideration, he said.
The past year’s population growth was scattered throughout
Spokane County, Jones noted. The city of Spokane added 2,800 residents, for an
estimated population of 220,100. Spokane Valley’s population grew by 920 people
to 95,810 residents.
Smaller communities also shared the population growth.
Airway Height’s population grew 7.4 percent to 9,085 in the past year. Liberty
Lake’s population grew 4.8 percent to 10,380. And Cheney’s population grew 2.7
percent to 12,200.
“We’re seeing growth like other areas in Spokane County,”
said Katy Allen, Liberty Lake’s city manager. “I think it’s the healthy
economy.”
Allen credited part of Liberty Lake’s population gain to the
wide range of housing products, including new construction, in the city.
Liberty Lake has everything from large custom homes to 55-plus communities,
apartments and 1,000-square-foot homes. The number of home occupation permits –
for people who work for companies in larger metro areas but live in Liberty
Lake and telecommute – is growing, she said.
“Housing products are affordable and our schools are good,”
Allen said. “We cater to the families and home ownership and (outdoor
recreation) with parks and trails.”
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