Cougar Basketball:
--Women’s
basketball: Sun. noon in Palo Alto, WSU at Stanford
Cougars Indoor
Track & Field in indoor facility:
--Friday, Field
Events Start: 4 p.m.
--Saturday,
Field and Running Events start at 10 a.m.
--Sunday,
open meet
::::::::::::::::::
Coug
football defensive line coach Jeff Phelps and his love affair with gourmet food
Read
entire story (see photos) here (link below):
https://247sports.com/college/washington-state/ContentGallery/Washington-State-football-WSU-Wazzu-Coguars-Cougs-Jeff-Phelps-128004169/#128004169_8
By Branden
Johnson, Cougfan.com, 1/18/2019
JEFF
PHELPS IS KNOWN around Pullman as Washington State football’ss defensive line
coach on fall Saturdays, and an ace recruiter all year long. He may also be the
Cougar coaching staff's ace chef and biggest foodie.
On
Twitter, Phelps has posted dozens of images of homemade dishes, and of the
restaurants he has visited. Scroll through his feed and a picture is painted of
a man who knows his way around a kitchen and has developed a gourmet palette
over a coaching career that has spanned four states.
Phelps
integrates his love of food with football as well. He'll frequently snap photos
of dishes he tries while hot on the recruiting trail and some of his best
barbecue creations - sometimes with video clips included - from his smoker.
Instead of
staying glued to his phone while anxiously waiting for news of WSU's bowl
destination on Dec. 2, Phelps fired up his smoker and did a brisket. Not a bad
way to kick off Alamo Bowl preparations and fuel up before hitting the road for
a recruiting trip.
Phelps hit
up Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe while recruiting in Phoenix on Dec 4. In fact,
the barbecue was so tasty that Phelps went back for round two the next day and
opted for the smothered pork chop.
Anytime
WSU receives a verbal commitment from a defensive lineman, Phelps celebrates
with ice cream. He received three pledges between Nov. 3-5 following WSU's
19-13 win over Cal and took his wife and two kids out to Dairy Queen.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WSU TO
HOST INDOOR TRACK & FIELD MEET THIS WEEKEND IN PULLMAN
From WSU
Sports Info
Washington
State returns to action this week at the WSU Indoor Track & Field Meet, which
will be held on the Pullman campus of Washington State inside the Indoor
Facility. The event will begin Friday, January 18 and run through Saturday,
January 19, and there will be an open meet day Sunday, January 20 as well. The
Cougars will look to keep the early success of the 2019 indoor season rolling
as WSU competes at home this weekend.
…………
WSU MEN’S BASKETBALL
Robert
Franks fuels Washington State with 24 points in dominant 82-59 win over Cal
UPDATED:
Thu., Jan. 17, 2019, 11:03 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson Spokane S-R
PULLMAN –
Robert Franks checked into Thursday’s Pac-12 home opener against Cal nearly 2
1/2 minutes into the first half and made his final exit with about 2 1/2
remaining in the second.
The impact
of having the league’s top scorer back on the court? It was packaged into the
35 minutes between.
Fully
healed from the hip injury that kept him off the court for almost a month,
Franks helped Washington State repair many of its own wounds Thursday night at
Beasley Coliseum – most of them on the offense end – and guided the Cougars to
a dominant 82-59 win over the Golden Bears in a matchup of the only two teams
without a Pac-12 win.
Franks
helped the Cougars (8-9, 1-3 Pac-12) overcome many of the offensive fits they’d
experienced in four games without their 22 point-per-game scorer in the lineup
– a putrid stretch of basketball that saw WSU average just 67 points and shoot
the lowest field-goal percentage in the Pac-12.
The
Cougars weren’t counting on Franks to solve every one of their problems, but
WSU’s offense certainly looked functional – and at times lethal – with him back
in the fold.
Franks
didn’t get the starting nod – WSU coach Ernie Kent had said he wanted to ease
his top player back in – but just 2:26 elapsed before the 6-foot-9 forward made
his way to the scorer’s table, with the Cougars up 6-4.
“Now
entering the game, Robert Franks Jr.,” announcer Glenn Johnson bellowed.
“Welcome back.”
The
senior’s wind wasn’t a problem – he played 31 minutes , more than everyone but
guard Viont’e Daniels. And putting the ball in the bucket seemed to come even
easier for someone who’d yet to score a point in 2019, and not since a Dec. 23
game against New Mexico State.
Franks
finished with 24 points, on 10-of-18 shooting from the field, and knocked down
3 of 7 3-pointers. He finished with eight rebounds, dished out two assists and
also had a steal.
“It felt
great, it felt just like a season opener for me,” Franks said. “Being out there
with the guys and especially getting the win, it felt really good.”
The
Vancouver, Washington, native lifted the Cougars to a 19-12 lead with his first
bucket – a pull-up 3-pointer from the shoulder midway through the first half.
Late in
the second, he was involved in the sequence that allowed WSU to stretch its
lead to 21 points.
Franks
pulled down a defensive rebound after a Cal miss, sent an outlet pass to a
teammate then ran the length of the floor before getting the ball back from
Jervae Robinson and slamming a one-handed dunk.
Robinson
found Franks on the next possession for a transition 3-point shot that made it
69-48.
“The
biggest thing you noticed about him, that you noticed in practice two days ago,
is the calm,” Kent said. “The team calms down. The reason it calms down is
because you have another veteran player that understands your system. … He puts
up numbers, but he allows us to play fast again.”
The
Cougars scored 24 fast-break points after combining for just 20 in games
against Washington, Colorado and Utah.
As a team,
WSU had its most accurate shooting game of the young Pac-12 season. After
shooting 46 percent, 44 percent and 36 percent in the first three contests, the
Cougars made 30 of 56 attempts from the field for a 56 percent clip.
WSU’s
3-point shooting percentage through three games sat at 26 percent (18 of 69),
but the Cougars made amends for that, too, hitting on 45 percent (9 of 20) of
their long-range shots against Cal.
“When you
lose that many games in a row, it definitely hangs on the minds of everybody
and it definitely feels like there’s kind of a weight lifted off everyone’s
shoulders in the locker room now that we’ve got that first conference win,”
forward Jeff Pollard said.
Four other
Cougars finished in double figures. Daniels, CJ Elleby and Marvin Cannon all
had 11 points while Pollard added 10.
WSU, still
unbeaten in Pullman with an 8-0 record, plays host to Stanford (8-9, 1-4) on
Saturday at noon (Pac-12 Networks).
POSTGAME
NOTES from WSU Sports Info
Senior
Robert Franks returned to the lineup after missing four games due to a hip
contusion…he led WSU with 24 points and 8 rebounds.
Franks
reached the 20-point plateau for the ninth time this season.
Junior
Jeff Pollard finished with 10 points for his second double-figure scoring game
in the last three games…he was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2
from the free throw line.
Pollard
had 12 points at Colorado, Jan. 10, a season-high.
Sophomore
Marvin Cannon finished with 11 points for his sixth double-figure scoring game
of the season.
For the
first time since Dec. 22 against San Diego, WSU had 5 players score in
double-figures.
Senior
Viont’e Daniels returned to double-figure scoring with 11 points, his most
since scoring 14 Nov. 27 against CSUN.
Freshman
CJ Elleby had 11 points, marking his 14th double figure scoring game of the
season.
Franks did
not start in a game he’s played in for the first time in two seasons…no Cougar
has started every game he’s played in this season.
WSU’s
23-point win over Cal marks its second-straight 20-plus win over Cal at
Pullman…the Cougars had their biggest win over Cal last season, winning by 25,
Jan. 13, 2018.
WSU
improved to 8-0 in home games at Beasley Coliseum this season.
The
Cougars remain at home to play host to Stanford, Saturday, Jan. 19 at noon.
::::::::::::::::::
Below from
WSU Sports Info about WSU Men’s Basketball
WSU LOOKS
FOR BAY AREA SWEEP SATURDAY: Fresh off snapping its six-game losing streak,
Washington State men’s basketball (8-9, 1-3) looks to complete the home sweep
of the Bay Area schools as it hosts Stanford (8-9, 1-4) at Beasley Coliseum,
where the Cougars are 8-0, Saturday, Jan. 19 at Noon.
• The game
will be televised on Pac-12 Network as Guy Haberman (play-by-play) and Dan
Dickau (analyst) have the call.
• All
season long, Cougar basketball can be heard on the Cougar IMG Sports Radio
Network with the Voice of the Cougars, Matt Chazanow on the call.
• Live
stats are available at www.wsucougars.com
COUGARS
VERSUS CARDINAL:
• WSU and
Stanford are meeting for the 139th time as Stanford holds a 78-60 advantage in
the all-time series against Washington State.
• Stanford
has won four-straight and 11 of the last 14 meetings in the series, with WSU’s
last win coming at home, 89-88, Jan. 31, 2015.
• Last
season, Stanford swept the season series with a 79-70 win at Pullman, Jan. 11,
and an 86-84 victory at Stanford, Feb. 24.
• In the
game at Stanford, Stanford then-freshman Daejon Davis hit two free throws with
10 seconds to go to seal the win for the Cardinal…WSU missed a last-second 3-point
shot that would have won the game.
• At home
against Stanford, Franks struggled with just 8 points, 5 rebounds and 6
turnovers…he led WSU with 19 points on the road.
• The
Cougars lead the all-time series at home, 37-28, including a 1-0 WSU advantage
in Spokane.
::::::::::::::::::::::
Men’s
Basketball WSU
Coug freshman
found comfort in Pullman
WSU men’s
basketball CJ Elleby has become a key player on the court, his passion leads to
his success
By TAYLOR
DUNLAP, Evergreen Jan 17, 2019
Since he
was in a stroller, CJ Elleby has been near a basketball court. The freshman
forward has only been in Pullman for a few months, but his family history and
experience in the sport has made him a dangerous threat this season.
CJ stepped
on the court at a young age. His father, Bill Elleby, played collegiate
basketball and coached CJ growing up.
“I’m just
from an athletic family,” CJ said. “Since I was young, I have played
basketball. I mean, they have stories about me playing basketball when I was 2,
just with the ball in my hand.”
CJ grew up
playing multiple sports competitively with his older sister and two younger
brothers. However, he could tell one sport was going to be a big part of his
life — basketball.
“Growing
up, we were competitive with each other and that kind of pushed me and gave me
that edge,” CJ said. “I was always around them, I never got away from them.”
Throughout
his life, CJ said he followed his father as a role model. CJ has always been
inspired by Bill’s collegiate success and he said his father pushed him to be
the player he is today.
Bill began
his basketball career in 1988 when he committed to University of California,
Berkeley. He remained at Cal until 1992 and during his collegiate career, Bill
started his sophomore through senior year.
Bill said
from an early age he could tell CJ would excel in whichever sport he put his
mind to.
“He had a
lot of natural talent and natural ability,” Bill said. “He was just really
exceptional at an early age on the basketball court.”
CJ earned
four varsity letters at Cleveland High School in Seattle under coach Jerry
Petty, who he’s known most of his life.
In his
sophomore year, CJ recalled playing against Garfield High School multiple
times. Current WSU assistant coach Ed Haskins was the head coach of the
Garfield basketball team at the time.
Haskins
has seen CJ grow and develop as a leader on the court over the years.
“I’ve
watched him since he was probably in the fourth or fifth grade,” Haskins said.
“I just love him because he plays the game with passion and an extreme amount
of toughness.”
When it
came time to choose a college, CJ had several offers from teams in both
Washington and California including UW. However, the college tours were cut
short after his first stop in Pullman when he immediately decided WSU was where
he wanted to play.
“I just
loved it and then I also just felt at home,” CJ said, “with Coach Haskins being
here and just the staff as a whole.”
Bill, who
played in what was the Pac-10 at the time, was thrilled when his son declined
offers from other universities and decided to play for a team in the Pac-12.
When CJ
told his family his decision, the emotions seemed to pour out.
“Me, my
wife and daughter were there when he said he was going to Wazzu,” Bill said.
“He teared up, we all cried and I knew it was going to be something special,
because you’re not going to cry if it’s not.”
When CJ
first arrived on campus, he had to learn how to compete at a high level while
adjusting to a new environment. He said it was hard at first being away from
his family, but eventually he felt at home thanks to his teammates.
Despite
adapting quickly to living in Pullman, CJ still had concerns about how to
balance being both a student and an athlete.
“I was
mostly nervous about just managing school and just sports too,” CJ said. “Once
I got used to that, I think it made everything become easier.”
In his
first few months as a Cougar, CJ has already become a key player on the team.
Averaging 16 points along with 7.1 rebounds, his ability elevated him to a
leadership role on the court.
With his
agility and energetic style of play, CJ proved himself as a consistent player
who would do nearly anything for his team. Haskins believes bringing CJ to
Pullman was the right choice for the Cougars.
“I feel
like he is exactly what Washington State needed, “Haskins said, “and needed in
a really bad way.”
CJ has a
strong work ethic and passion not only for basketball, but also academics. He
plans on studying civil engineering.
CJ said he
gives the sport of basketball all he has because he wants to make his family
proud.
“This is
the biggest part of my life, this is what I am here for,” CJ said. “So, I feel
like I kind of have to work hard. Not even for myself but for my family because
they raised me and I want to show the world that the person they raised me to
be is someone that could be successful.”
:::::::::::::::::
WSU Women’s Basketball
Hristova's
21 not Enough as Washington State Falls at Cal
1/18/2019 from
WSU Sports Info
BERKELEY,
Calif. - A big fourth quarter run ended Washington State's (7-10, 2-4) chances
of the comeback on the road at Cal (11-5, 2-3) as the Golden Bears finished
with a 77-63 win over the Cougars Friday afternoon at Haas Pavilion.
Battling
back from a double-digit deficit, the Cougs closed within seven points with
just over six minutes to play in the game only to see the Bears go on an 18-2
run that broke open the contest and put an end to WSU's chances.
Prior to
the Cal's finishing sprint, the Cougs stayed within reach of the Bears thanks
to a big first half out of redshirt-junior Borislava Hristova who scored 14 of
her 21 points in the opening half.
With the
rest of the team struggling, Hristova pressed the issue scoring at will while
assisting on a pair of three-pointers to account for 20 of the 26 first half
points. As the rest of the team began to find its offense the Cougs climbed
back into the game, but hit a wall in the fourth as the Bears used their
advantage in the paint to finish the game off. Leading the attack for the Bears
in the paint was Cal's all-american Kristine Anigwe who finished the game with
29 points and 23 rebounds including posting 18 points and 12 rebounds in the
second half of the game.
WSU Coach Kamie
Ethridge Quote:
"We
played a really good team that does some things that we're not very good at. I
thought we gave away some possessions and easy baskets that let them get to 77.
We weren't good enough in the first half. We had two assists in the first half
and that tells you everything about us. Bobi was incredible but really didn't
have much around her. I liked a lot of the shots we got in the first half they
just didn't go in. I also didn't like a lot of the things we did. We came out
in the second half and didn't start the game well. Then I thought we bounced
back and played pretty hard. It's a tough environment to not go very deep. I
wore my guys out playing the same kids the whole time and that's going to bite
us. I think we ran out of gas. (Cal) is a good team that has a great player
that can hurt you in a lot of ways."
Info:
WSU
dropped its third-straight against the Golden Bears.
Borislava
Hristova posted her 17th-consecutive double-digit scoring game, tying for the
sixth longest streak in WSU history, while netting her 10th 20-point game of
the year and second-straight.
Chanelle
Molina ended the game with 13 points, her eighth-straight double-digit game.
Molina scored seven of her 13 in the third quarter as the Cougars mounted their
comeback. She would add a game-high seven rebounds as well in 37 minutes of
action.
Freshman
Shir Levy made the most of her shots, hitting a pair of threes and finishing
with eight points while grabbing a career-best six rebounds.
Cal
finsihed the game with four in double-figures led by Anigwe's game-high 29. The
senior center ended the day 11-of-18 from the floor while also making 7-of-10
from the line. The Cougars as a team went just 4-for-6 from the line with all
six attempts coming in the game's final nine minutes.
In
addition to Anigwe, Asha Thomas added 13 point while Jaelyn Brown posted 12 and
Recee' Caldwell chipped in 10.
The
Cougars head to Palo Alto Sunday, Jan. 20 to take on No. 6 Stanford. The game
is scheduled for noon on the Pac-12 Networks.
:::::::::::::::::
WOMEN’S
BASKETBALL:
Bears Get
Haas Rocking With Win Over WSU
Cal Comes
Home, Earns 77-63 Victory On School Haas Rock Day
Game
started 11:30 am Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
From Cal
Sports Info 1/18/2019
BERKELEY,
Calif. – With the youthful enthusiasm of the fifth-annual School Haas Rock game
providing an energetic backdrop, the Cal women's basketball team turned to its
veterans to earn a key home victory in Pac-12 play as Kristine Anigwe poured in
29 points, Asha Thomas added 13 and the Bears notched a 77-63 win over
Washington State.
Anigwe
collected yet another double-double, her 16th of the year, by adding a season
high-tying 23 rebounds to her game-high point total. The effort also represents
the second 20-point, 20-rebound game of the season and third career for the
senior from Phoenix, Ariz. Jaelyn Brown contributed 12 points while Recee
Caldwell chipped in with 10 to round out Cal's double-digit scorers.
With
nearly 3,000 elementary and middle school-aged kids from schools across the Bay
Area in the house, Cal (11-5, 2-3 Pac-12) turned that energy into a first
quarter lead. A 14-9 advantage after one period came courtesy of a defensive
effort that limited Washington State (7-10, 2-4) to just 4 for 16 from the
floor as well as an offensive stretch in which Anigwe grabbed a pair of
offensive rebounds and led all scorers with six points.
That lead
grew larger by halftime and Cal's senior leaders were right in the middle of
the action yet again. A three-point play with 46 seconds left in the half gave Anigwe
her 17th double-double in a row as a Golden Bear (dating back to last season)
and ties her for the ninth-longest streak in Division I women's basketball
history. Cal ultimately took a 37-26 advantage to the locker room and the trio
of Anigwe, Thomas and Caldwell combined to contribute 27 points to that total.
Anigwe's
determination showed through again at the end of the third quarter as a
hard-fought putback came as the result of a pair of offensive rebounds and
yielded a three-point play that helped the Bears carry a 52-45 lead into the
fourth. A 25-18 Cal advantage in the final period helped provide the final
margin of victory.
"We
would've taken a win in seven overtimes or by 20 (points)," Cal head coach
Lindsay Gottlieb said. "To be honest, with the depth and strength of this
conference, it never feels comfortable because you have some scorers on that
team that can heat up quickly. That being said, I think it was good to be able
to spread some minutes around, it was good to be able to make a lot of
offensive plays in succession with getting stops and that's what you need to do
to get some separation."
Friday's
proceedings also provided yet another example of the off-the-court qualities
that have become a hallmark of Cal women's basketball throughout Gottlieb's
tenure. With educational elements, this year focused on fire safety and
prevention, folded into the game day experience, kids from around the Bay Area
got a chance to see the Bears in action while also taking away more than just a
Cal victory.
"When
we went through that point in the fourth where we really stretched it out, we
couldn't hear ourselves on defense or offense," Caldwell said. "We
fed off that energy and it really helped us
:::::::::::::::::
FOOTBALL
WSU QB
Gardner Minshew selected as one of seven finalists for Lombardi Award
Originally
published January 17, 2019 at 3:43 pm Seattle Times website
The award
recognizes NCAA Division I football players who exhibit “performance and
leadership honed by character and resiliency.” The Lombardi Award will be
presented Jan. 25 in Houston.
By Theo Lawson Spokesman-Review Spokesman
PULLMAN —
Awards season may not be over for Washington State’s Gardner Minshew.
Minshew,
the graduate transfer quarterback who led the Cougars to their first 11-win
season in program history, was named one of seven finalists for the 2018 Lombardi
Award, the Lombardi Honors announced recently.
The award
recognizes NCAA Division I football players who exhibit “performance and
leadership honed by character and resiliency.” The Lombardi Award will be
presented Jan. 25 in Houston.
The six
other finalists are Oregon safety Ugo Amadi, Notre Dame cornerback Julian Love,
Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, Kansas State offensive tackle Dalton Risner,
Alabama offensive tackle Jonah Williams and Clemson defensive tackle Christian
Wilkins.
Minshew,
the winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, was also a finalist for the
Walter Camp Player of the Year, the Davey O’Brien Award and the Manning Award.
He was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year after guiding the Cougars
to a 10-win regular season and leading the country in passing yards per game
(367.6).
Behind
Minshew, the Alamo Bowl’s Offensive MVP, WSU beat Iowa State 28-26 at the
Alamodome in San Antonio to grab a program-record 11th win. Minshew threw for
299 yards, completing 35-of-49 passes against the Cyclones to set a new Pac-12
single-season record for passing yards (4,779).
The
Brandon, Mississippi, native also led the nation in 300-yard games (11),
400-yard games (six) and was second in both total passing yards (4,779) and
total offense (376.8). Minshew’s 38 touchdown passes ranked fourth nationally.
Minshew,
who came to WSU after stints at Troy, Northwest Mississippi Community College
and East Carolina, broke a variety of other records during his stop on the
Palouse. Those included the Pac-12 single-season completions record and the WSU
single-season record for total offense. Minshew tied the school mark for
single-season touchdown passes.
:::::::::::::
New
recruiting video spotlight’s WSU’s national appeal
January
18, 2019 from WSU News
In case you
missed WSU Pullman’s newest recruiting video, which debuted on the university’s
social media accounts during the Valero Alamo Bowl, you can watch it at this
link:
https://youtu.be/MRInYKx6AkU
The video
features current students from around the United States telling why they chose
WSU. The priority deadline to apply to the Pullman campus is Jan. 31 at the
Office of Admissions and Recruitment website.
The video
was produced by the University Marketing and Communications Video Services team
in partnership with the Office of Admissions and Recruitment.
#
