Scroll down:
--Pac-12 officiating controversy: Emails show a
conference in crisis, reaction from commissioner Larry Scott, presidents and
ADs
--Ttranscript of Alamo Bowl 2018 Press
Conference with head football coaches Mike Leach of WSU and Matt Campbell of
Iowa State.
UPCOMING COUG SPORTS
--Volleyball in California at Stanford (NCAA
playoffs) Fri., Dec. 7, at 5:30 p.m.
--Women’s basketball at Gonzaga, Spokane Sun.,
Dec. 9 at 2 p.m.
--Men’s basketball in Kennewick vs. Montana
State, Sun., Dec. 9 at 4 p.m.
::::::::::::::
WSU
volleyball accentuating positives for clash with No. 1 Stanford
Thu., Dec.
6, 2018, 3:54 p.m.
By Jim
Meehan of Spokesman-Review
Washington
State is facing perhaps the toughest task in college volleyball this season.
The
16th-seeded Cougars take their swing at No. 1 Stanford in the NCAA Tournament
Sweet 16 at Maples Pavilion on Friday .
Virtually
every stat favors Stanford, which is 30-1 and hasn’t lost since falling in five
sets to BYU on Aug. 31. Stanford has four top five wins. It posted a 20-0
Pac-12 record with 11 wins over ranked opponents, including a pair over WSU.
“That’s
very difficult to do,” Cougars coach Jen Greeny said. “They’re a really good
team that seems like none of us could test them a whole lot throughout the
year. Just the level of talent they get year in, year out. If it’s not getting
the No. 1 recruit it’s getting a top five recruit, and not just one of them.”
The
Cougars understand all the numbers – Stanford owns a 62-4 edge in the series –
and the challenge ahead, but they do have some talking points of their own.
“I think
we know that Stanford is a high, high-level program and probably that the
(series) is lopsided, but we don’t really talk about that,” Greeny said. “We
did talk about the fact that a lot of these seniors were on the team that beat
them in 2016. The last set Stanford loss was against us (on Nov. 16).”
The
Cougars are familiar with the opponent, the venue and they’re staying at the
same hotel as they do on their annual regular-season trip to the Bay.
WSU (23-9)
also has a healthy roster. All-Pac-12 first-teamer Taylor Mims returned about
three weeks ago from a lower leg injury suffered against the Cardinal on Oct.
12.
“It’s nice
to have everybody healthy,” Greeny said. “We’re playing well, and we played
well against Tennessee last weekend (to reach the Sweet 16). The pressure is definitely
not on us.”
Greeny
said WSU’s chances for an upset probably hinge on serving and serve-receive.
“They’re a
very good serving team so we need to be able to pass well to get our offense
going and we need all of our hitters to produce,” she said. “We need to serve
them tough and try to get them to be more predictable.”
The
WSU-Stanford winner faces the Washington-Penn State winner in the Elite Eight.
::::::::::::::::
Pac-12 officiating controversy: Emails show a
conference in crisis, reaction from commissioner Larry Scott, presidents and ADs
By JON WILNER San Jose Mercury News
PUBLISHED:
December 6, 2018 at 10:16 am | UPDATED: December 6, 2018 at 12:28 pm
The night
he learned of a bombshell Yahoo report that would jeopardize the integrity of
Pac-12 football officiating, Larry Scott began a series of email exchanges with
campus officials that reveal a conference in crisis mode and a commissioner
attempting to defuse the greatest controversy of his tenure.
The
correspondences, obtained by the Hotline via public records request to a
cross-section of universities, provide details on the flawed process that led
to an untrained official influencing a replay decision.
Additionally,
the emails illuminate the internal reaction to the controversy, show a deep
concern about the media narrative and shed light on Scott’s plans to gain
control of the situation.
“While
this is the first time we have encountered this concern and criticism,” Scott
wrote to the athletic directors the night the Yahoo story broke, “and other
conferences also involve conference staff in their replay review processes to
varying degrees, this misperception and the resulting article is regrettable.”
The heart
of the material obtained from five schools — several have yet to respond to the
public records request, which was made in October — is a series of three emails
from Scott that were sent over a 40-hour span and trace the evolution of the
crisis.
Additional
emails lend context on a variety of fronts.
*** The
extra hand.
General
counsel Woodie Dixon wasn’t the only untrained official involved in the replay
review process at the command center in San Francisco.
A video
administrator, Mike Ortiz, also participated, according to an email from Scott.
“Our
Command Center review and collaboration process … includes includes on-site
instant replay officials, as well as the instant replay supervisor and staff in
the command center, including when present Woodie Dixon, (coordinator of
officials) David Coleman and Mike Ortiz,’’ Scott wrote.
“… So
while it is true that Woodie, David and Mike weigh in from time to time to
provide assistance and perspective on reviews, the Instant Replay Supervisor is
the ultimate decision maker in the command center.”
The next
day, during public remarks at a basketball media event, Scott announced that
“conference leadership responsible for football (Dixon) and responsible for
officiating (Coleman) … will have no involvement in the realtime decision
making behind replay review.”
Scott made
no mention of Ortiz.
Asked for
clarification of Ortiz’s role, spokesperson Andrew Walker explained via email
that Ortiz didn’t “weigh in” with “perspective” on whether calls should be
upheld or overturned.
“Ortiz
handles all operational and technical aspects of the Centralized Replay Room on
game-day,” Walker wrote, “including all video and audio elements, to make sure
that the replay officials are maximizing use of all available technology, have
access to and are seeing all available shots and angles, and effectively
communicating amongst themselves (both in what they are seeing on screen but
also in what they are communicating about).”
Walker
said the conference determined that Ortiz never influenced a replay decision
and that his role was included in an internal review later approved by the
athletic directors.
Ortiz
continues to lend assistance to replay supervisor Bill Richardson.
“It is
important to note that all in-stadium replay operations have technicians as
part of the operation, and so do centralized replay rooms,” Walker added.
*** The
reaction.
Upon
learning of Dixon’s involvement, Colorado athletic director Rick George wrote
to the school’s chancellor, Phil DiStefano:
“Phil:
This is not good. I would love to talk to you about this at your convenience. I
have heard from Multiple ADs already this am. Rick.”
When
reached for comment, George declined to elaborate. His email is the best
indication of the reaction from athletic directors, who have avoided comment on
an individual basis.
(Collectively,
the athletic directors issued a statement of support for changes to the
process.)
DiStefano
is the new head of the Pac-12 board of directors, having replaced former USC
president Max Nikias this fall.
*** The
internal support.
In an
exchange with Scott, Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson wrote:
“Tough but
appropriate action on your part. Here to support you. Let me know if you need
my direct assistance.”
(Anderson
spent seven years as the NFL’s executive VP for football operations.)
Scott thanked Anderson and said:
“A good,
tough learning experience and we move on,” adding: “It’s been especially tough
on Woodie who is distraught over this and if you haven’t reached out already I
know how much he respects you and would appreciate hearing from you.”
Dixon has
not commented publicly on the situation.
*** The
media narrative.
After the
initial uproar subsided, Scott sent an update to the presidents/chancellors in
which he expressed concern about the media coverage:
“While the
officiating matter appears to be under control, many stories … emerging from
basketball media day suggest a more complex, negative narrative that requires
all of our attention. This narrative includes the fact that six of our schools
have been mentioned in the ongoing federal trial on corruption in college
basketball …”
Oregon
State president Ed Ray responded to the group:
“We have
no interest in letting others define us. We do have so much to be proud of … I
have seen no adverse impact of sportswriter nastiness among supporters of the
university. We should talk about seizing the communications initiative in the
sports world. I think some of your concern is probably due to having to deal
continually with the characters who populate sports media.”
Scott
responded to Ray:
“Thanks
for your note and sharing with the group. We’ve got some CEOs new to this
environment with angry sports blogger mob, and I’m sure some are more sensitive
and reactionary to it. So your not (sic) was very helpful indeed.”
*** The
talking points.
Emails
obtained from Washington State earlier this week do not include correspondences
from coach Mike Leach, who blistered Dixon and Scott over the officiating in
the WSU-USC game in a series of text messages published by Yahoo.
However,
the documents include president Kirk Schulz’s response to Scott’s comments
about the negative media narrative:
“I do
think that as Presidents we could do more to assist with the sports media
around these types of situations. I would like us to discuss ways all of us can
support the conference with our local media sports reporters at our November
meeting. In particular, I thought that (Arizona president Robert Robbins’)
interview recently about Arizona athletics and the Pac 12 was particularly effective
– some additional voices of support in times of media scrutiny can at show
conference unity.”
Schulz
also received a list of talking points from the conference, in case he was
asked about the officiating scandal during an upcoming interview with ESPN
about his appointment to the College Football Playoff’s board of managers.
The
conference responded with two talking points:
1) While
this incident is of course both serious and unfortunate, I’m pleased that the
Conference has both recognized the mistake in our replay command center
procedures and taken an immediate action step to address the issue and to
ensure this doesn’t happen again. Eliminating the involvement of conference
officials in the decision making behind replay reviews in real-time is the
right action, as is the broader review that the Conference plans to undertake.
2) I know
that the #1 priority for the Conference and all of us is student athlete health
and safety, along with the integrity of our officiating. Today’s announcement
by the Commissioner will ensure that that continues to be the case.
The first
of the three emails from Scott to conference stakeholders was sent at 9:08 p.m.
on Wednesday, Oct. 10 — the night the Yahoo story broke.
“Dear
Pac-12 Athletic Directors,
“I wanted
to give you a heads up about an article being written by Pete Thamel of Yahoo!
Sports that could be published as soon as tomorrow.
“The
subject … is our replay review process that took place following a hit to USC
quarterback J.T. Daniels, which resulted in a late hit penalty in the third
quarter of the September 21 Washington State at USC football game. Based on our
conversations with Pete Thamel and a standard replay review report filed by the
in-stadium replay review official that was leaked to Pete Thamel, it is our
understanding that the article will criticize our Command Center review and
collaboration process, and in particular take issue with the involvement of
“third party” Conference staff. This criticism will likely include an allegation
that Woodie Dixon directed the command center Instant Replay Supervisor to not
add a targeting call in this instance.
“Our
Command Center review and collaboration process does not include any ‘third
parties’, but includes on-site instant replay officials, as well as the instant
replay supervisor and staff in the command center, including when present
Woodie Dixon, David Coleman and Mike Ortiz. Discussion with those individuals
as part of the review and collaboration process in sometimes unique and critical
situations provides depth, perspective and further discussion that we believe
gives us the best possibility to make consistent and correct decisions.
“So while
it is true that Woodie, David and Mike weigh in from time to time to provide
assistance and perspective on reviews, the Instant Replay Supervisor is the
ultimate decision maker in the command center. We regret that in this instance
it was interpreted by officials as Woodie directing their decision, which was
not his intent.
“While
this is the first time we have encountered this concern and criticism, and
other conferences also involve conference staff in their replay review
processes to varying degrees, this misperception and the resulting article is
regrettable. We are committed to reviewing and clarifying our processes,
benchmarking against other conferences, and reaffirming that the Instant Replay
Supervisor makes final determinations in all cases after appropriate
collaborative discussion with officials on the field, in the replay booth and in
the Command Center.”
The
Hotline reached out to executives at the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC and asked
specifically about the identity and background of those involved in the replay
review process.
None of
the conferences permit untrained officials to participate in discussions about
the interpretation of rules or the accuracy of calls on the field.
The
following morning, at 9:32 a.m., Scott sent another email to the athletic
directors and coaches:
“ … The
in-depth reporting makes it clear that we made a mistake in our procedures that
we need to acknowledge and address immediately. In this regard, following my
opening remarks at our Pac-12 men’s basketball media day later this morning, I
will clearly share with the media in attendance the mistake we made in our
Command Center procedures in mixing administrative oversight with real-time
replay review calls made by our expert officials on the field, in-stadium and
in the Command Center.
“More
specifically, if we allowed any ambiguity about the relative responsibilities
for decision-making, that was clearly a mistake. I will announce that effective
immediately our conference leadership responsible for football and officiating,
Woodie Dixon and David Coleman, while continuing their important oversight responsibilities,
will not have any involvement in the decision-making behind replay reviews and
collaboration in real-time. This will be in addition to the broader
benchmarking and review referenced in my note of last night that we will
discuss at our upcoming AD meetings in Santa Clara.”
Approximately
an hour later, at the annual basketball media event at Pac-12 headquarters,
Scott acknowledged the mistake and announced the removal of Dixon and Coleman
from the replay review process.
During a
question-and-answer session, Scott was asked if he was concerned that replay
decisions in other games had been influenced by untrained officials.
“I am
not,” he said. “As I mentioned to an earlier question, I’ve had a chance since
the report came out to have direct conversations with our replay officials and
leadership, and I’ve asked those questions point blank, and I’m not aware of
any other incident where our replay officials have had a concern.”
The
following day — approximately 36 hours after the Yahoo story broke and 24 hours
after his public remarks — Scott wrote to the presidents/chancellors.
The
lengthy note begins with an update on the officiating crisis, then casts an eye
to the larger narrative of a conference in crisis.
“While I
don’t expect criticism of officiating decisions to go away in the short term,
the second story on this matter written by Yahoo and many others journalists
suggests that our immediate action and admission of the mistake worked
effectively to address this matter. While the officiating matter appears to be
under control, many stories … emerging from basketball media day suggest a more
complex, negative narrative that requires all of our attention.
“This
narrative includes the fact that six of our schools have been mentioned in the
ongoing federal trial on corruption in college basketball. Writers also are
using the opportunity to connect the football officiating issue and the college
basketball trial to other macro topics like the DirectTV situation and our
institutions’ poor performances in football and men’s basketball postseason in
order to conclude that our Conference is in turmoil. While individual schools
are addressing issues in the trial and DirectTV remains unresolved, I do not
believe any of us would agree these matters are somehow connected, nor that we
are in turmoil.
“As we all
know, we have many proud accomplishments of all-around athletic excellence,
including leading the nation in NCAA titles for the last 13 years, and continue
to lead the national conversation on important issues in college athletics like
student-athlete reform, health and well-being. However, we share a collective
interest and responsibility to recognize the way these dots are being
connected, and more importantly, to address these perceptions head on for the
benefit of all members institutions.
“With this
in mind, I would like to devote a significant amount of time during our
November meeting to examine what is driving these collective perceptions and
what we can do proactively to mitigate them. Our performance as a Conference,
school by school, belies the sensational conclusions being drawn by journalists
and influencers.
“We have
started work on and need a deliberate and collective strategy to regain the
positive momentum that we know exists on all of our campuses.”
Read more
here:
https://www.mercurynews.com/tag/pac-12-hotline/
::::::
Men’s
Basketball:
Call it
what you want, Cougs turn tables on UI
WSU races
past Vandals to pay them back for 2017 drubbing in annual showdown on Palouse
By COLTON
CLARK of the Lewiston Tribune Dec 6, 2018
PULLMAN —
When asked about avenging the blowout loss at the hands of Idaho a year ago,
Washington State coach Ernie Kent assured reporters that he wasn’t looking for
revenge.
He said
this game between two schools separated by only 8 miles of highway is a
necessary step in the preseason schedule, and that his Cougars can’t get too
high after any win, regardless of historical significance.
Well, WSU
did upset a recent narrative on Wednesday night at Beasley Coliseum with its
90-70 win, a second-half manhandling of UI in the 114th consecutive Battle of
the Palouse — a 112-year-running scuffle that’s the oldest continuous one
outside the Ivy League.
And even
though Kent might try to brush off the verdict’s significance after such a
decisive win, the eldest of the Cougs will surely enjoy this one. UI might be
completely dissimilar than that senior-laden 2017 troupe that whipped WSU by
27, but vengeance still tastes sweet.
Senior
Viont’e Daniels said they all wanted some payback, and a fresh face expanded on
that.
“Coach’s
been harping on it all week — ‘We gotta get these guys back, they beat us last
year,’” said freshman CJ Elleby, who accumulated 20 points (from everywhere)
and eight boards in his third straight double-figure output. “They won three of
the last four years, so going into this game we brought a lot of intensity,
because that’s what they’ve been giving us all week. (Coaches) were ramping
everything up because they know how important this game is for us and everybody
in the community.”
Certainly,
WSU (5-2) needed to augment itself at the break after a rather lethargic start.
Kent said his Cougs played without much “rhythm” and lacked defensive “energy.”
Wazzu led
an incredibly green Vandals team by just five at intermission, but an 11-0 run
to start the second effectively put the nail in the coffin, and the Cougs
coasted with a revived transition offense and 3-point-hitting spree — they went
13-of-35 overall — that UI (3-5) and its erring attack had hardly an answer
for.
“When you
start coming down that floor and wanting to go one on one and just pulling 3s,
that’s not rhythm,” Kent said. “The ball needs to move two or three times. …
I’m constantly telling them about sharing the ball, staying in rhythm. They
have a green light — all of them do — to shoot the 3.”
It wasn’t
only the long-ball that buried the Vandals, whose standout freshman, Cameron
Tyson, was locked up (three points on 1-of-9).
The
rock-sharing Cougars (17 assists to nine for UI) “shut down the lanes,” Elleby
noted, “disrupted (UI’s) offense” via ball pressure — said Daniels — and
overall, put out a cohesive second half that saw most contribute.
Robert
Franks had a game-high 22 points on 53 percent shooting; Ahmed Ali contributed
14 on 50 percent; Jervae Robinson added 10 and Daniels dished out nine assists.
“We’re
starting to know where each other likes the ball,” said Elleby, who Franks
commended for his ability to free scorers up. “When we can feed each other
where we know we’ll be successful, then it makes everybody look better.”
Daniels
concurred, acknowledging that apportionment had been stressed by Kent and Co.
in the game’s lead up.
It was no
more apparent than during that double-digit run. All 11 of those initial
tallies came by way of distribution — a Coug would force one of WSU’s 12
takeaways, for example, and off to the races they went, rationing out touches
until either Franks or Elleby dashed into the lane and capped off the momentary
possession with a flip-in.
“In this
system, if you play hard, if you play defense and if you run, you’re gonna
score,” Kent said. “These guys did a pretty good job of tonight — I thought
settling down and playing.”
It was a
different story in the back-and-forth first. The two traded an edge until the
Cougs began to wear UI down and “(get) the running game going,” Kent said.
The
Vandals “controlled the tempo,” as observed by Kent, with their zone defense
that limited WSU’s shot clock and prevented it from forcing the ball inside.
Plus, UI was winning on the glass (it outrebounded Wazzu 42-37).
“I thought
we had the game at the right speed,” UI coach Don Verlin said. “We did a great
job of spreading them out. We were able to drive our ball to the basket and get
some easy looks, and when they collapsed in on drivers, we were able to kick it
out.”
UI took a
few first-half leads on fair showings from Trevon Allen (17 points, seven
boards), along with Geno West, Jared Rodriguez and Marquell Fraser, who
combined for 31 points. However, WSU’s depth and dimensions proved too much.
“(UI’s)
gonna be really good,” Kent said. “The difference in the game tonight was —
obviously (Elleby) and (Franks), their points — our depth in the bench and just
a little bit more experience.”
IDAHO
(3-5)
Rodriguez
4-7 0-1 10, Blakney 1-5 5-8 7, Allen 7-14 2-2 17, Fraser 5-12 0-1 10, Tyson 1-9
0-0 3, Smits-Francisco 3-3 0-1 6, Smith 0-0 0-0 0, West 4-7 1-2 11, Mitchell
2-4 0-0 4, Garvin 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 28-63 8-15 70.
WASHINGTON
ST. (5-2)
Pollard
1-1 1-1 3, Elleby 7-14 4-5 20, Franks 8-15 4-6 22, Cannon 0-4 1-2 1, Ali 5-10
2-2 14, Kunc 1-2 0-0 3, Wade 0-1 3-6 3, Chidom 1-2 0-0 2, Daniels 2-4 0-0 6,
Robinson 4-5 0-0 10, Skaggs 2-7 0-0 6. Totals 31-65 15-22 90.
Halftime_Washington
St. 45-40. 3-Point Goals: Idaho 6-21 (Rodriguez 2-2, West 2-4, Tyson 1-5, Allen
1-7, Fraser 0-1, Mitchell 0-1, Garvin 0-1), Washington St. 13-35 (Robinson 2-2,
Elleby 2-3, Daniels 2-4, Ali 2-7, Skaggs 2-7, Franks 2-8, Kunc 1-1, Wade 0-1,
Cannon 0-2). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds: Idaho 39 (Allen 7), Washington St. 32
(Elleby 8). Assists: Idaho 7 (Allen 3), Washington St. 17 (Daniels 9). Total
Fouls: Idaho 16, Washington St. 17. A: 2,748 (11,671).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Basketball
Men’s College
COMMENTARY:
Battle at the border lacks usual luster
By Stephan
Wiebe
Moscow
Pullman Daily News
Dec 6,
2018
For being
the longest continuous rivalry this side of the Mississippi, Wednesday’s
edition of the Battle of the Palouse felt less like a big rivalry game and more
like just another game.
Sure,
there were some flashes of brilliance in Washington State’s 90-70 men’s
basketball win at Beasley Coliseum. The Cougars flew out to an 11-0 run to
start the second half and put Idaho away behind 22 points from star Robert
Franks.
Idaho’s
young, rebuilding team can hang its hat on a solid first period in which it
took a brief lead on back-to-back 3-pointers by Jared Rodriguez and Cameron
Tyson and trailed only 45-40 at the break.
And then
there was the bright yellow-clad Idaho fan who enjoyed some loud,
back-and-forth banter with the Washington State band throughout the game.
But
overall, the excitement wasn’t there — on the court and off it. The announced
2,748 fans at Beasley were the smallest crowd in the border rivalry since 2,723
fans watched the Vandals beat the Cougars 77-71 at Beasley in 2014. The loudest
they got was with 7:42 to play when cheerleaders ran onto court for a T-shirt
toss.
Well into
the first period, there was an entire block of seats without a single fan in it
as pointed out by a fellow reporter (although a few stragglers did sit in the
section later into the game.)
Meanwhile,
as I wrote this column in the media room, I glimpsed another Pacific Northwest
rivalry contest on the lone television set in the back. I watched as thousands
of Gonzaga fans jumped up and down in the stands right after the buzzer in an
81-79 Zags victory over Washington at the packed Kennel less than a couple of
hours away in Spokane.
A little
bit of a different scene, to say the least.
Of course,
it is somewhat understandable that 2018 would be a down year for the rivalry
when considering Idaho (3-5) came in without its top seven scorers from last
season’s 22-9 squad that beat WSU 91-64 at the Cowan Spectrum; and that the
Cougars (4-2) are searching for their first winning season since 2012.
But it’s
not like the rivalry has been lopsided in recent years. Heading into the game,
Idaho had won three of the previous four contests.
Both
coaches touched on the rivalry in their postgame news conferences.
“What you
do in the rivalry games is you obviously educate (the players) on the rivalry,
’cause we have a lot of young and new guys — how important the rivalry is
because it’s gone on for 114 years,” Verlin said. “How important it is to the
fans and the alumni of the University of Idaho.”
Said
Washington State coach Ernie Kent, “I’ve been in this business too long, as
well as (Verlin). It’s not about revenge or anything about that. We’re playing
the game cause the people here have had this rivalry and I don’t think you
should take it off the board.”
Washington
State and Idaho first met in men’s basketball on Jan. 13, 1906 — a 28-11 WSU
win in Pullman. Since then, the teams have played 273 times over 114 straight
seasons, with a 163-110 advantage for the Cougars.
The only
schools that have been playing each other longer?
The Ivy
League schools. Columbia and Yale own the longest continuous rivalry at 119
years followed by Princeton-Yale, Penn-Princeton, Columbia-Penn and
Cornell-Penn.
On the
football field, the Cougars and Vandals have played only twice since 2007.
If the
basketball rivalry is going to continue for another 114 years, fans will have
to show that they want it.
:::::::::::::::::::
Men’s
hoops:
Franks,
Elleby help Washington St. beat Idaho 90-70
Robert Franks
and CJ Elleby each reached the 20-point plateau in the victory.
PULLMAN,
Wash. (AP) Robert Franks scored 22 points as Washington State beat Idaho 90-70
on Wednesday night.
Freshman
CJ Elleby had 20 points and eight rebounds for Washington State (5-2) and Ahmed
Ali added 14 points in 18 minutes.
Trevon
Allen scored 17 points with seven rebounds for Idaho (3-5).
Elleby
scored 10 of the last 13 first-half points, giving the Cougars a 45-40 halftime
lead.
The
Cougars went on an 11-0 run in the first four minutes of the second to push
their lead to 16 points.
Idaho
trimmed its deficit to 62-52 but WSU hit four 3s in a 14-2 run that made it
76-56 with eight. Ali started the run with a 3, followed another by Viont'e
Daniels. Franks drove the lane for an easy bucket and hit a 3 on the next
possession before Ali ended the run with another trey.
BIG
PICTURE
Washington
State: The Cougars stay undefeated at home and will stay in the state of
Washington for their next three games and then head to the Las Vegas Classic
before returning home to face Santa Clara on Dec. 29. The Cougars, who finished
11th in the Pac-12 last season, open conference play at Rival Washington on
Jan. 5.
Idaho: The
Vandals completed their road trip and will head back home for the next two
contests looking to get back to .500 on the year.
UP NEXT
Idaho
plays CSU Bakersfield on Saturday.
Washington
State plays Montana State on Sunday in Kennewick, Washington.
::::::::::::::::::::::
WSU
FOOTBALL
Dynamic
duo: Washington State’s Gardner Minshew, Mike Leach named Pac-12’s Player of
Year, Coach of Year by Associated Press panel
UPDATED:
Thu., Dec. 6, 2018, 3:50 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson of the S-R of Spokane
Two days
after coaches in the Pac-12 Conference voted Gardner Minshew as the league’s
offensive player of the year and Mike Leach as its coach of the year, media
members came to a similar consensus.
Minshew,
the Cougars’ fifth-year graduate transfer quarterback, was named the Pac-12’s
Offensive Player of the Year and its Newcomer of the Year when the Associated
Press All-Pac-12 teams were unveiled Thursday morning. Additionally, the WSU QB
was unanimously chosen as the Pac-12’s top quarterback by the voting panel,
comprised of 10 sports writers who cover the league.
Leach, who
led WSU to a 10-2 regular-season mark and extended the Cougars’ bowl streak to
four games, was selected as the Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
WSU placed
three other players on the AP All-Pac-12 teams. Senior left tackle Andre
Dillard was named to the first team offense, while senior defensive end Logan
Tago and junior safety Jalen Thompson were both named to the second team
defense.
The
Evergreen State once again swept the major awards, as Washington linebacker Ben
Burr-Kirven was named the AP’s Defensive Player of the Year in the conference.
Behind
Leach and Minshew, WSU had the nation’s top passing offense in 2018 at 379.8
yards per game and the Cougars were the top scoring offense in the Pac-12 at
38.3 points per game and led the league in total offense at 461.8 yards per
game.
Dillard
was a 12-game starter on an offensive line that conceded just 11 sacks in 12
games – a number that ranked seventh in the FBS. A first-year starter on WSU’s
defensive line, Tago finished with a team-leading 10 tackles-for-loss and had
three sacks. Thompson was second on the team with seven pass breakups. He had
one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery while tallying 61
tackles.
:::::::::::::
Transcript:
Washington State’s Mike Leach and Iowa State’s Matt Campbell talk football,
parenting, San Antonio history during Alamo Bowl press conference
UPDATED:
Thu., Dec. 6, 2018, 4:24 p.m.
From Theo
Lawson of the Spokane S-R
Washington
State’s Mike Leach and Iowa State’s Matt Campbell held a joint press conference
Thursday morning in San Antonio. Here’s everything the coaches of the Dec. 28
Alamo Bowl had to say.
(Opening
statement)
Campbell:
“First and foremost, we couldn’t be more honored to represent Iowa State
University, our athletic program and to be honest, to be able to play in such a
prestigious bowl game. I know when these bowl announcements got made on Sunday,
the excitement our university and especially our student athletes, were second
to none. We’re humbled and to be here and grateful to be able to represent Iowa
State University and quite honestly to be able to play a program like coach
Leach has built at Washington State. The season that they’ve had, we certainly
know the opportunity and the challenge ahead of us, but really looking forward
to the opportunity to be here.”
(On
winning Pac-12 Coach of the year)
Leach: “I
haven’t thought about it very much. I’m going to ask Matt what he thinks and
then I’ll pretty much pair it with that. But it’s excitin, we have great
coaches in the Pac-12 and to get that distinction is an honor. In the end, it’s
a team honor. I think it says a lot about our team. Al awards are team awards
and I guess I don’t feel like I earned coach of the year, I feel like our team,
the Washington State Cougars earned conference coach of the year. I think
that’s a team award. There’s a lot of people involved, we’ve got players
throwing balls, catching balls, blocking, tackling and creating turnovers. So
all awards are team awards and I’m very proud of our team to win that
distinction.
(On what
Matt Campbell has accomplished at Iowa State and the Cyclones’ defense)
Leach:
“Well I think it’s really impressive. I’ve played at Iowa State a number of
times and they played at our place before coach Campbell was there, so I know
it’s an impressive and unique place and I think he does a great job on defense.
The biggest thing is, they just keep playing extremely hard. Whether you’re on
offense or defense, you face a certain amount of adversity and one of the
biggest strengths I think they have is they just keep playing no matter what
and just relentlessly till the clock says :00 and I think that’s one of the
highest compliments you can give any team or any side of the ball. But they’re
certainly good on defense, a very complete group, but also offense and as a
team.
(On facing
Mike Leach and the nation’s best passing attack)
Campbell:
“Well again, I think you go back to what coach Leach has done really in terms
of shaping and changing the game of football in a lot of ways in terms of
passing attack and you watch the success that they’ve had and being able to
build a tremendous foundation and again, I think it goes down to fundamentals
and details and like coach said, playing hard. I think also what’s critical in
this sport is fundamentals, details and having really a great foundation to
what you’re about. You turn the videotape on and you see a really well-coached
football team in every aspect of the game.
(On
1,000-yard ISU rusher David Montgomery and receiver Hakeem Butler)
Campbell:
“They’re two young men that certainly have guided a young freshman quarterback
from the middle of the season on and they’re two guys that have unique leadership
ability as well as talent, and so those two have played the best when we’ve
needed them the most to kind of usher in a really young quarterback in terms of
giving our football team the best opportunity to have success.”
(Any
parenting advice for coach Campbell?)
Leach:
“Well, I’ve got four older children so you’ve got to be a little like coach
Campbell’s defense, you’ve got to just keep persevering. Just keep signing up
and showing up. I’ll tell you this though, it goes pretty fast, they’ll be out
of the house before you know it. Boys? Girls? What do you got?”
Campbell:
“Two and two, coach.”
Leach:
“Two and two, see that, consistency. Very consistent. I’m three and one, but
it’s an impressive deal. The thing is, though, it’s funny that it goes quick
and when they’re leaving you don’t want them to leave and then when you get
down to the tail end, you’re kind of saying hey we’re going to have this house
to ourselves. So that part’s good, too.”
(On
reading Leach’s ‘Swing Your Sword’ book)
Campbell:
“Well, I did. For me, I’ve got a lot of respect as a young coach looking at
coaches that have sustained success and coaches that build programs and I think
sometimes in our profession, there’s guys that are trying to be somebody or
guys that are trying to do something. And from afar, watching coach Leach and
how he’s built his programs and the way he’s done it has been really
impressive. So I did have the opportunity to read his book, I’ve got so much
respect for what coach has done not only at Washington State but at Texas Tech
and the way he’s come up and built programs. So just a lot of respect and certainly
enjoyed reading the book.
(On 11th
win being a rallying point for Washington State)
Leach: “I
think so. The biggest thing is, we talk a lot about improving and just getting
a week better and that’s important to us. And then like Matt said, I think
virtually everybody in America needs a couple copies of the book Swing Your
Sword and they make great Christmas gifts as we’re coming into the holidays. I
think we’re thrilled to be in a bowl, we’re thrilled to have a game, we’re
thrilled to have a challenge and our team’s done a good job about just being
fired up about having a game and playing it.”
(On ISU’s
theme music at practices and plans for San Antonio)
Campbell:
“Well, it’s the holiday season so I think Christmas music will get us at least
down here through Christmas, but after that we’ll have to figure that out. But
at least the holiday music this time of year is pretty good.”
(On
experience in San Antonio and knowledge of city’s history)
Leach:
“I’ve always loved San Antonio because they’ve got these old, gorgeous
buildings. One of my favorite places is the hotel bar at the Menger looking at
the pictures and all the history going on there, everything from Teddy
Roosevelt to Babe Ruth to ghosts. I’ve heard just little bitty things on how the
city’s designed, how the river was developed and stuff like that. I’d like to
know more about that and I don’t know as much about that as I’d like. I’ve read
and studied some on the Alamo and it’s always been an omission. I’ve gone past
the Alamo constantly about, ‘Well, I’m going to go to the Alamo.’ Then I run
out of time. ‘Well, next time, then next time.’ Well I have to make sure I go
this time, because I have read some and studied about the Alamo, which is
captivating and pretty much when you get right down to it, because it only took
a couple years of statehood, the settlement of statehood of Texas and it was
almost a microcosm of our country in just dynamic from the standpoint that it
took a short period of time. So I’m very interested in that, but then just San
Antonio kind of looks and feels right with the unique buildings, unique
architecture and just that whole setting. And a lot of places, you go downtown
and it’s a mess and it’s kind of an ugly gun and knife area. San Antonio’s got
a gorgeous downtown. San Antonio’s kind of one of those places where you’d like
to live downtown, or at least I would.
(Do you
have a preferred carwash spot in San Antonio?)
Leach:
“There’s a lot of places in San Antonio. I don’t have one specific one, though
Bohanan’s (Steakhouse) was very good last night and we got to meet the
owner/founder and what an impressive place that is. That’s one thing about San
Antonio, food-wise you can’t go wrong. I haven’t seen it co-mingled with
carwash food here in San Antonio, but I’m not saying that it’s not and I’ll bet
you somewhere that it is. In LA, I had a great carwash food place I used to go
to right by my house. So anyway, carwash and food is a good combination and if
somebody is looking for a business in San Antonio, that’d probably be a good
one.”
(Would you
rather leave your house with a lunch that included a meal with onions or forget
your watch?)
Campbell:
“Well, I don’t like onions so forgetting my watch I think would be the way I
go.”
::::::::::
You missed
the WSU Press holiday book fair in Pullman, but you can still get discount on
WSU Press books… read on!
Dec. 5:
WSU Press hosts holiday book fair
From WSU
Insider
The WSU
Press will host its 27th annual holiday book fair 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Wednesday,
Dec. 5, in the Terrell Library Atrium on the Pullman campus.
The fair
highlights books published throughout the year and is open to everyone.
Festivities include discounts of 20‑50 percent on all titles, drawings for free
books, and complimentary refreshments.
The fair
also feature new titles on a variety of subjects—stories behind Seattle’s
monuments; Tri‑Cities communities
before plutonium processing; the Seattle 7 conspiracy; Captain Cook’s final
voyage; low dose radiation; Pacific Northwest Volga Germans; Palouse railroads;
and more.
Founded in
1928 and revitalized in the 1980s, WSU Press concentrates on telling unique,
focused stories about the Northwest. For information about the book fair,
contact WSU Press at 335‑7880.
Throughout
the Holiday Book Fair week, Dec. 3‑7, sale prices will be valid for phone orders of
all titles as well as online orders of new titles released since last year. Use
coupon code HBF2018 to get the new titles discounts online.
For more
information, see the WSU Press website:
:::::::::::::::::::::::::
Inland
Folk Is Live: Sing Along With Dan And Anjuli
Calling
all fans of Inland Folk and Jam with Dan. Tune in for a special show at 9 a.m.
December 8 on Northwest Public Broadcasting radio.
https://www.nwpb.org
Enjoy live
music from host Dan Maher and classical music host Anjuli Dodhia. They will
share some sneak previews of Jam with Dan season two. You can also watch a
special edition of Jam with Dan on NWPB television at 4 p.m. December 9 and 8
p.m. December 15. Celebrate and support folk music on NWPB. As Dan likes to
say, keep traveling your good roads!
Northwest
Public Broadcasting is a community service of the Edward R. Murrow College of
Communication at Washington State University.
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