Washington State negotiates contract
extensions with football coach Mike Leach, defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys
Wed., Jan. 30, 2019, 2 p.m.
By Theo Lawson Spokane S-R
PULLMAN – On the heels of a banner season,
Washington State’s offensive and defensive play-callers both received votes of
confidence from the school administration Wednesday afternoon through contract
extensions.
WSU and seventh-year coach Mike Leach took
the first step in negotiations, agreeing in principle to a contract provision
that adds another year to his original four-year deal and keeps Leach in
Pullman through the 2023 season.
The Cougars also struck a deal with Leach’s
first-year defensive coordinator, Tracy Claeys, who signed a three-year
extension that keeps him on staff through the 2021 season.
“Coach Mike Leach has built a nationally
prominent football program at Washington State and our student-athletes
continue to excel athletically and academically under his leadership,” WSU
Director of Athletics Pat Chun said in a press release. “His ability to create
and steward a winning culture, combined with his vision and expertise, make him
one of the elite coaches in the entire sport of football.
“Few coaches could have accomplished what
Coach Leach did in 2018. There is no greater head football coach for WSU than
Mike Leach and we are happy to have him leading our program for many years to
come.”
Leach’s offense and Claeys’ defense both
improved categorically in 2018, helping the Cougars notch their first 11-win
season in program history. WSU capped the season with a 28-26 win over Iowa
State in the Alamo Bowl – the program’s fourth consecutive postseason
appearance – and the Cougars finished No. 10 in the final Associated Press Top
25 poll, higher than anybody else in the Pac-12.
……….
COUGARS SECURE LEACH THROUGH 2023 SEASON
From WSU Sports Info 1/30/2019
PULLMAN– Washington State University Athletics
announced Monday that Head Coach Mike
Leach and the University have agreed in principle to a provision
in Leach's contract that extends the agreement an additional year through the
2023 season, bringing it to a five-year contract. Additionally, Defensive
Coordinator Tracy Claeys has agreed to a three-year
contract through the 2021 season.
"Coach Mike
Leach has built a nationally prominent football program at
Washington State and our student-athletes continue to excel athletically and
academically under his leadership," said WSU Director of Athletics Pat
Chun. "His ability to create and steward a winning culture, combined with
his vision and expertise, make him one of the elite coaches in the entire sport
of football. Few coaches could have accomplished what Coach Leach did in 2018.
There is no greater head football coach for WSU than Mike
Leach and we are happy to have him leading our program for many
years to come."
The 2018 season saw
Leach guide Washington State to an 11-2 record, a No. 10 final ranking in both
the Associated Press and Coaches Polls, and a victory in the Valero Alamo Bowl
over Iowa State. The 11 wins in 2018 set a single-season school record, and he
is the first Cougar head coach to lead Washington State to four straight bowl
games.
Additionally, Leach
was named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Coach of
the Year, the first in WSU history. The Cougar Air Raid offense led the nation
in passing while the defense led the conference in sacks and tied for second in
takeaways.
"It has been a great run here at Washington State over the last seven years, but I still believe that our best days are ahead of us," said Leach. "I am just as excited to be the head coach at WSU as I was the day that I was hired here and I look forward to leading this program to big things in the future."
Under Leach's current
agreement, his 2019 compensation will be $3.75 million, while the following
four years he is scheduled to make $4 million per year. Following the 2020
season, Leach will also receive a one-time retention bonus of $750,000. Details
of Claeys' contract were not released.
In his seven seasons
leading the Cougars, Leach has amassed 49 victories, which ranks third in
program history, He has guided the Cougars to five bowl games in the past six
years, also a first for a Cougar coach, and over the past four seasons WSU has
the second-most conference wins of any program in the Pac-12.
:::::::::
:::::::::
Former WSU coach
Graham Harrell about to bring Air Raid to USC?
By Braden Johnson Cougfan.com
Jan 28, 7:33 PM
MIKE LEACH’S
WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS are the only Pac-12 squad that predominately runs the
Air Raid, but could his patented offense be on the cusp of making its way to a
conference rival? Varying reports have
tied former WSU assistant coach Graham Harrell to USC’s vacant offensive
coordinator and quarterbacks coach gig.
Fan site Trojan Sports
reported Harrell, who has served as the offensive coordinator at North Texas
since 2016, is headed to Southern Cal. But Bruce Feldman of The Athletic tweeted
Monday morning that reports of a “done deal” are inaccurate. Harrell’s father,
Sam, told the Los Angeles Times the two sides are still in the “working stages”
of drafting a contract agreement.
If Harrell and the
Trojans make it official in the coming days, it would mark the second time in
two months USC has hired one of Leach’s former Texas Tech quarterbacks to run
its offense. USC tabbed Kliff Kingsbury to be its 2019 offensive coordinator
and QB coach on Dec. 5, but then Kingsbury left in January for the NFL as
Arizona's new head coach.
SHOULD HARRELL TAKE
THE USC JOB, it is not a stretch to assume he will elevate the play of starting
quarterback J.T. Daniels. Harrell, who also served as Leach's "eye in the
sky" in the booth on game days, also worked closely with WSU's
quarterbacks his two seasons in Pullman, first as an offensive quality control
assistant in 2014 and then as outside receivers coach in 2015. Harrell noticeably spurred the development of
Luke Falk. The '15 campaign was Falk’s only season as a full-time starter
working with Harrell, and arguably his best statistically. Here are the
numbers:
2015: 4,566 passing
yards, 38 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 69 percent completion percentage
2016: 4,468 passing
yards, 38 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 70 percent completion percentage
2017: 3,593 passing
yards, 30 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 67 percent completion percentage
::::::::::::::::::::::
WSU TO HOST NATIONAL GIRLS
AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY FEB. 9
The
Cougars will honor female athletes with a day of youth sports clinics.
From
WSU Sports Info 1/30/2019
PULLMAN - Washington State University Athletics will
hold its 16th annual youth sports clinic in recognition of National Girls and
Women in Sports Day, Saturday, February 9 from 9-11 a.m. WSU student-athletes
are volunteering their time to host a circuit like sports clinic for youth in
the community, grades K-8, which will take place at Bohler Gym.
Register via this URL link:
https://www.totalcamps.com/WSUATHLETICS/camps/ngwsd/_dML/registration/options?camps:transition=reset
The WSU Athletics youth sports clinic is one of more than 500 events taking place across the country for National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The Day is devoted to recognizing the progress of girls and women in sports, and the benefits that sports and fitness activities can bring to the lives of all girls and women. The day is organized nationally by the Women's Sports Foundation; to learn more, visit www.NGWSD.org.
Over 100 children are
expected to participate in the youth sports clinic. Tickets for the event are
free. This event will include a short seminar, a two-hour sports clinic, free
admission to the women's basketball game against Arizona, which will tip off
after the completion of the youth clinic, and one free concessions coupon.
For more information
on this event, please email kaitlyn.lilleberg@wsu.edu or raeleigh.earls@wsu.edu
or call (509) 335- 0392.
::::::::::::::::
Minshew
lands another invitation
Moscow
Pullman Daily News
Gardner
Minshew’s appearance in the Senior Bowl today won’t be his last gig as a
collegian.
The
Washington State quarterback has drawn an invitation to the State Farm All-Star
Football Challenge in Arlington, Texas, at 6 p.m. PST on Feb. 1, the Cougars
announced Friday.
The skills
competition features 24 players divided into six teams based on conference
affiliation. In addition to teams representing each of the Power Five leagues,
there will be a wild-card squad.
Minshew
will be part of a Pac-12 team that also includes defensive tackle Greg Gaines
of Washington, receiver N’Keal Harry of Arizona State and defensive end Jalen
Jelks of Oregon.
The other
quarterbacks participating are Ryan Finley of North Carolina State, Trace
McSorley of Penn State, Kyle Kempt of Iowa State, Jarrett Stidham of Auburn and
Tyree Jackson of Buffalo.
Below from
WSU Sports Info:
Minshew
joined the Cougars as a graduate transfer from East Carolina and led WSU to its
first 11-win season in program history, capped by a win over Iowa State in the
Alamo Bowl. Minshew won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (top senior or
fourth-year junior QB) and was named the Pac-12 Conference Offensive Player of
the Year along with a spot on the All-Pac-12 First Team.
Minshew
led the country in passing yards per game (367.6), 300-yard games (11),
400-yard games (six), was second in passing yards (4,779) and total offense
(376.8), and was fourth in touchdown passes (38). Minshew set Pac-12
single-season records for passing yards and completions and set the WSU
single-season record in total offense and tied the record for touchdown passes.
The graduate senior from Brandon, Miss. also rushed for four touchdowns and led
three fourth quarter game-winning drives (Utah, at Stanford, California).
:::::::::::::::::::::
WSU men’s basketball
Following
two more road losses, Washington State looking to recapture its rhythm at home
against UCLA
UPDATED:
Tue., Jan. 29, 2019, 9:53 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson Spokane S-R
PAC-12
MEN’S BASKETBALL
At Beasley
Coliseum, Pullman
➤Wednesday, Jan. 30: UCLA
Bruins at Washington State Cougars, 7 p.m. PST TV: Pac-12 Networks
PULLMAN –
Home sweeps and road splits.
That’s
often the rule of thumb for Pac-12 basketball coaches when they open their
conference schedule, reckoning if their team can win almost every game it plays
on its own court, and go 50-50 on the road – give or take a road win here, a
home loss there – it’ll probably finish with anywhere from 10-14 league wins.
Laying out
the blueprint is one thing, sticking to it is another.
For Ernie
Kent and Washington State, winning outside of Pullman in 2018-19 has been
mission impossible. After a pair of losses at Oregon State and Oregon, the
Cougars (8-12, 1-6) dropped to 0-7 in true road games and 0-12 in games played
away from the Palouse. They haven’t played in a single-digit road game in
Pac-12 play and their five defeats have come by a margin of 20.2 points.
But in a
season that’s becoming more about the silver linings, WSU can still fall back
on its play at Beasley Coliseum. The level of competition considered, the
Cougars are still 8-1 there and have two more opportunities at home this week,
hosting UCLA (11-9, 4-3) on Wednesday (7 p.m., Pac-12 Networks) and USC (12-8,
5-2) on Saturday (4 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).
A home
split would suffice for a WSU team that’s already fallen six games behind first
place in the Pac-12 through seven games played.
The Bruins
haven’t lived up to their preseason billing. A 15-point home loss to Liberty
capped a four-game skid in December, prompting athletic director Dan Guerrero
to terminate coach Steve Alford midway through his sixth season in charge.
The Bruins
recovered to win their first three Pac-12 games under interim coach Murray
Bartow, then dropped three in a row. UCLA regained some of that momentum in a
90-69 win over Arizona at Pauley Pavilion in a game sophomore guard Kris Wilkes
scored 34 points.
Wilkes is
the league’s third-leading scorer, at 17.8 points per game, but freshman center
Moses Brown might be more concerning for a Cougar team that boasts one of the
league’s smallest starting fives and faces a UCLA team oozing with length and
athleticism.
Brown, from
Queens, New York, is fairly springy at 7-foot-1 and sits near the top of the
Pac-12’s rebounding leaderboard with 8.9 per game.
Asked
Tuesday during his media availability how the Cougars will match up with Brown,
Kent responded, “Whew. Have you stand on top of (Ahmed Ali). … You don’t
realize how big they are, long, athletic they are until they get here.”
The
Cougars will look to recapture some of the shooting that allowed them to grab a
four-point halftime lead against Oregon in what eventually turned into a
20-point loss. The ball found the way into the basket 17 times on just 22
attempts in the first half (77.3 percent), but the percentages evened out in
the second half, when WSU made eight baskets and shot 33 percent from the
field.
“I felt
like our whole team was really comfortable in the first half, in fact it’s the
best basketball we’ve played offensively in a Pac-12 game this year just in
terms of our ability to move the ball, shoot in the rhythm, make the extra
pass,” Kent said. “… Then in the second half of the game, it becomes contagious
when you knock a team out of rhythm. You take a bad look, or a hurried shot or
you don’t make that extra pass. It can look the other way. That was the tale of
the two halves.”
::::::::::::::::::::
WSU med
student elected to national medical education association role
By Addy
Hatch, WSU News, 1/30/2019
Medical
students at Washington State University have a national voice, thanks to David
Choi.
Though the
WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine is one of the newest medical schools in
the country, Choi was elected last spring to represent med students in nine
states as western region chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges’
student branch.
AAMC
represents all 152 accredited medical schools in the nation and their 89,000
medical students, plus VA medical centers, major teaching hospitals and health
systems and academic societies.
Choi, a
devoted Coug who graduated from WSU Vancouver, said he got involved in AAMC’s
Organization of Student Representatives as a way to participate in the ongoing
work of building the College of Medicine. He’s had a longtime interest in
policy and was involved in student government in Vancouver, including a stint
as president of the campus.
He chose
the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine because he feels like it does a good job
of taking care of students and focusing on patients, “and trying to minimize
the stuff in between that,” Choi said. “For me that was powerful.”
John
Tomkowiak, founding dean of the college, said, “It is a proud moment for the
Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine to have David Choi represent the college
with the AAMC. This would be an honor for any medical student to be chosen by
their peers for such an important role, but is especially notable given that we
are a new medical school. Gaining such a prominent voice in academic medicine
at this early stage says a great deal about the leadership and trust that David
and all of our students are establishing with their regional peers and
important organizations like the AAMC.”
Choi,
who’s 24, said going to medical school wasn’t always his dream.
“I didn’t
think I could go to college,” he said. “My parents are awesome, very
supportive, but financially we had some rough times.”
A state
College Bound Scholarship changed that trajectory, and he majored in biology at
WSU Vancouver. He’s considering the field of psychiatry because of a
longstanding interest in mental health.
His goal
in medicine is to serve, whether that’s service to under-represented communities
as a doctor; to WSU as a preceptor; or to the state that helped him get to
medical school, in health care policy.
“I want to
set myself up in ways I can help empower those around me,” he said, apologizing
that “it sounds so cheesy.”
AAMC’s
student branch addresses big issues in medical education, Choi said. For
instance, he’d like to see more emphasis on wellness, citing statistics on the
incidence of anxiety and depression among medical students.
Right now,
however, his main focus is medical school.
“I’m
thankful I’m able to do this,” he said of his position in AAMC. But mostly, “I
just want to make sure I’m a good health care provider.”
::::::::::::::::::
WSU
grad/former Coug men’s basketball player
Klay
Thompson could consider Lakers in free agency
By MICHAEL
KASKEY-BLOMAIN
Jan 29,
10:45 AM
Cougfan.com
Klay
Thompson is expected to remain with the Golden State Warriors when he hits
unrestricted free agency this summer, but there is apparently one scenario
where he would consider signing with the Los Angeles Lakers.
According
to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN - via an appearance on SportsCenter - Thompson
would consider joining the Lakers if they were able to add disgruntled New
Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis through a trade, and if the Warriors
didn't offer him max money.
“The
best-case scenario for the Lakers is that they add Anthony Davis and then
Golden State doesn’t offer Klay Thompson a max contract," Wojnarowski
said, via Silver Screen and Roll. "They try to get Klay to take a little
bit less than the max. And if that happens, I’m told Klay’s attention will be
on the Lakers if they have Anthony Davis.”
At the
start of the season, Thompson said that it would be "hard" to leave
Golden State when discussing his upcoming free agency.
"I've
been to the mountaintop," Thompson said in a 1-on-1 sitdown with Shams
Charania of the Athletic in October, via NBC Sports Bay Area. "I know what
it feels like to win and win with some of your best friends. And that's why it
would be hard for me to leave just because I've put so much blood, sweat and
tears in this building and with this franchise. I've had my ups and downs but I
couldn't imagine myself being somewhere else."
Thompson
has also previously stated that he would like to play his entire career in a
Warriors uniform.
“I’ve said
it many times before: I would like to be a Warrior for life," Thompson
said in August, via Mark Medina of the Bay Area News Group. "Contract
negotiations are way down the line. But I think we all have the same interest.
I would love to be here for the rest of my career... I’m going to be a free
agent in 2019. Number one on my list would obviously be to stay with the
Warriors.”
It is
clear that Thompson would like to remain with the Warriors, especially if they
are able to win yet another NBA title this June, but the Warriors will have
their hands full when it comes to paying players in the near future, as
Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green are all slated for free agency by
2020. If Golden State decides, for whatever reason, that they can't pay
Thompson max money, things could get interesting.
:::::::::::::
WSU Track
& Field returns to action this weekend in the Cougar Indoor
WSU set to
be host of its second indoor meet of the season.
From WSU
Sports Info Wed, Jan 30, 2019 at 3:14 PM
COUGAR
INDOOR
Friday-Saturday,
Feb. 1-2 | Pullman, Wash. |
Indoor Practice Facility
Fri. Event
Start - 12:30 p.m. (Pacific)
Sat. Event
Start - 10:00 a.m. (Pacific)
>>
Washington State Track and Field will be back in action on the Pullman campus
inside the Indoor Practice Facility for the 2019 Cougar Indoor meet. The event
will take place Friday through Saturday, and will be the final indoor home
event for WSU this season, until the Cougars begin outdoor competition. The
Cougar Indoor will begin at 12:30 p.m. Friday, February 1, and day two will
commence, Saturday, February 2, with a start time of 10 a.m.
COUGARS
CONTINUE BIG INDOOR SEASON
>> The Washington State University Track and
Field program was in action as a split squad at the New Mexico Team
Invitational, inside the Albuquerque Convention Center. Freshman Charisma
Taylor continued to look dominate throughout the indoor season, posting a WSU
Track and Field women's indoor record of 42-feet 6 1/4 inches (12.92m) in the
triple jump. Taylor took first in the event at the invitational, and landed
herself on the Washington State all-time top ten list in the event as well at
third overall. Charisma also placed first in the long jump at 19-feet 9 1/2
inches (6.03m), ninth best in Washington State history. Chrisshnay Brown had
herself a phenomenal day as well, placing first in the shot put, after a PR of
51-feet 3/4 inches (15.56m), which was the third best all-time throw in WSU
history.
>>
The WSU men turned in a great day as well at the Albuquerque Convention Center
with Jake Ulrich and Emmanuel Wells Jr. leading the way for the Cougars. Ulrich
won the 400m dash with a PR of 46.75, a time that currently sits at 18th best
in the nation in the event. Wells continued to climbed up the WSU men's
all-time list in the 60m dash after running a 6.67 to take first at the
invitational, and also ranked in a tie for fourth best overall in Washington State
history. A handful of wins followed throughout the day for the Cougars with Sam
Brixey winning the 60m hurdles (PR, 7.84), Peyton Fredrickson in the high jump
at 6-feet 10 3/4 inches (2.10m), and the team of Christapherson Grant, Noah
Wallace, Corey Allen, and Ulrich who won the 4x400m relay.
>>
The Washington State University Track and Field program was also in action last
weekend inside the Dempsey Indoor at the UW Invitational. The WSU women were
led by Emma Jenkins in the 3000m race, where Jenkins went on to post a 9:43.66,
setting the Washington State women's freshman indoor record in the 3000m event,
along with a PR for Emma. Kaili Keefenotched a PR run in the mile event at
4:52.17 also. Mackenzie Fletcher went on to finish 12th overall in the 60m
hurdles event on the road as well. The
Cougars on the men's side were also anchored by distance, with Paul Ryan and
Zach Stallings each recording PR runs in the mile event. Ryan finished 12th
overall at 4:02.85, while Stallings finished 23rd at 4:06.09. Kyler Little
posted a PR in the 5000m at 14:28.36 for a 14th place finish.
#
