News for CougGroup 2-10-2019
Football’s
success gives Washington State Athletic Director Pat Chun extra momentum for
Year 2
By John
Blanchette Spokane Spokesman-Review
Sat., Feb.
9, 2019, 11:23 p.m.
Q&A:
Washington State’s Patrick Chun talks about his first year as athletic director
in Pullman
PULLMAN –
In his first 12 months as athletic director at Washington State, Pat Chun has
turned over 25 percent of the staff, overseen a record year in fundraising and
been the grateful witness to a charmed football season that set standards for
everything from victories to GameDay gaga.
What he
hasn’t done: redecorate.
Outside of
some personal snapshots, his office in Bohler Gym looks much like the one Bill
Moos inhabited – right down to the same dark wood bookcases and overstuffed
chairs.
“Bill has
pretty good taste,” Chun allowed.
But Moos,
his critics suggested, had reached a cul-de-sac with his approach at Washington
State. Football was on sound footing, but basketball was foundering. The
facilities he’d built had left an Everest of debt. Personnel and culture issues
were festering under the surface. The president was pushing for bigger
fundraising results.
And when
an opportunity presented itself at the University of Nebraska, Moos seized it –
leaving the furniture behind for Chun, fresh from running his own store for the
first time at Florida Atlantic and with a background steeped in the success of
his alma mater, Ohio State.
Who
couldn’t have had any notion of the year that awaited him – from the
unspeakably tragic to the wildly triumphant, with nearly every imaginable
detour in between.
In the
hour Chun was being introduced to his new constituents, volunteers were still
taking away the last vestiges of the makeshift memorial that had gone up near
Martin Stadium after the suicide of quarterback Tyler Hilinski the previous
week.
“There is
nothing that can prepare you for that type of tragedy,” Chun said. “This one
was unique because this is a close-knit group of student-athletes. I came here
without relationships with anyone on campus, so then you’re trying to get to a
solution – but you realize this is a layered thing and you have to rely on the
experts.”
Even so,
WSU’s response strained relations with the Hilinski family, who expected more
in the way of a tangible tribute to their son at the Cougars’ 2018 home opener.
Meanwhile, the department and school initiatives on the mental health front
have been vigorous and exemplary.
“If
circumstances dictate that we’re the school that’s called to do this, so be
it,” said Chun. “It’s also reassuring that this isn’t a one-person initiative.
This is more driven by our students and how much they care.”
In the
ensuing months, the challenges – and things to cheer – came as if out of a
firehouse.
Responding
to legislative mandate, Chun had to formulate a plan to draw down his
department’s monstrous cumulative debt – projected to reach $85 million by
2022. In September, former WSU quarterback, radio analyst and fund-raiser Jason
Gesser resigned after charges of sexual misconduct, later reaffirmed by a
university investigation. Men’s basketball fortunes – and attendance – sank to
further lows, at least until the Cougars found new life in Arizona this
weekend.
And, of
course, the Cougars were at the center of revelations that Pac-12 football
administrator Woodie Dixon had improperly interfered in replay decisions made
at conference headquarters, which may have played a factor in a late targeting
episode in the USC game that went uncalled – and prompted a flurry of angry
texts from Cougars coach Mike Leach.
Chun said
he’s “confident we’ve taken steps forward” on the Pac-12’s
replay/administrative issues.
Is his
coach similarly confident?
“You’ll
have to ask him,” Chun laughed.
But in the
midst of all that, Wazzu’s remarkable football season – and the cult of
personality that sprouted from arrival of transfer quarterback Gardner Minshew
– generated an era of good feelings and national buzz the school couldn’t buy.
And that culminated with the fan base’s holy grail: ESPN College GameDay’s
truck rolled into Pullman for the first time – and the fire marshal pegged the
crowd for the show at 30,000.
“The line
I like to use is that when Cougs do something, we do it differently,” Chun
said. “That manifested itself in GameDay. And sometimes we do it better than
anybody else.”
But the
real byproduct of the football season?
“Momentum,”
said Chun, “is the best gift an athletic director could ask for in year one.”
And now
the Cougars have to capitalize on it. The staff turnover (”some people left for
different opportunities, some just didn’t fit in with what we’re trying to do,”
he said) is part of a retooled fundraising strategy that, boiled down, amounts
to using more shoe leather to “go see these people.” Because there’s debt to
pay, yes – but the reason there’s that debt is because the Cougs didn’t build
on their success of 20 years ago.
“And
building again is a lot harder than sustaining,” Chun said.
If a new
guy’s bona fides are tied to a paycheck in the hiring honeymoon, there
eventually has to be a sense that he’s become a Coug – particularly if he’s, as
Chun called himself, an outsider. That might not be as difficult as it sounds.
“Someone
said, ‘It’s not going to take a lot for them to accept you here – you just have
to show you like the place,’ ” he recalled. “Whoever gave me that heads up was
on point.”
But
accompanying the football team to the season opener at Wyoming was Chun’s
turning point.
“I love it
when you go on the road and no matter how big or small your crowd is, you take
over the stadium,” he said. “That passion and pride for your institution is
what I grew up in. That was the moment. This is what I signed up for.”
Just more
furniture that turned out to be already in place.
::::::::::::::::
WSU
FOOTBALL
Q&A:
Washington State’s Patrick Chun talks about his first year as athletic director
in Pullman
Sat., Feb.
9, 2019, 4:06 p.m.
Spokesman-Review
columnist John Blanchette talks with Washington State athletic director Patrick
Chun, one year into him taking over the job.
Spokesman-Review:
So what have you put your stamp on here in this first year?
Patrick
Chun: Outside of this office? The reality itself is, I think what happened this
fall is indicative of really a good program that I was fortunate to take over.
The success of this fall was one of the great joys of just being a part of
Washington State.
S-R: What
have you learned here in this year? What’s different about this place than you
might have expected?
Chun: When
I started last year, they had me do the Night with Cougar Football, and when
you study this place, from the outside looking in, I’d tell people you know
nationally this is the reputation of the Cougs – whether the Cougs know it or
not – in my estimation it’s one of the top dozen schools in the country in terms
of the affinity of the alums toward the institution. It’s one of those places
that when you walk around an airport with a logo you get a “Go Cougs.” I was
just at the NCAA Convention and my wife was with me because she wanted to go
see some friends in Florida and we’re in the Orlando airport and we get a “Go
Cougs.” After being here for a year and seeing the fever firsthand, watching
what happened on GameDay, seeing how we travel on the road and meeting with
people one on one, I’d argue there’s almost no place like this in the country.
Simply because the loyalty and love Cougs have for Washington State is really
touching. In today’s day and age where there’s a lot of things that can take
your attention away, the loyalty Cougs have is really incredible and it’s
always going to be what our greatest strength is. We have Cougs that have been
with us through the good and the bad and fortunately for now, people may
interpret this as part of the good years. But this is a place where people
don’t jump off the bandwagon. They stay more firm, more loyal. There’s a grit
to being a Coug.
S-R: But
there’s an interesting there. You’re challenged in terms of resources and
alumni volume and what the level of giving has been. Is some of that attitude
because you’re so challenged on that end?
Chun:
There’s something to the experience you have here in Pullman as a student. It’s
a true college experience. So even compared to my college experience, which I
thought was a true college experience, going to a big, land-grant school,
making a lot of friends but still in a major city – or at least in the Midwest
a major city – here it’s a true college town. Even in the time I’ve been here,
there’s this feeling that people take care of each other inside this cozy
college town. As a newcomer here, we could go out of town for a week and we’d
have three different neighbors know we’re going out of town and offer to take
out our garbage and check our mail. From a student standpoint, when tragedy
hits or adversity hits, this is a place that rallies together relatively
quickly for the greater good. When you choose to come here as a student, you
might be wired a little differently. You’re choosing to be a part of a really
unique college experience that only places like Pullman – especially on the
West Coast – can offer.
S-R: Your
hire came at a time of unthinkable tragedy on campus, in the wake of the
suicide of Tyler Hilinski. As a virtual stranger in that circumstance, how can
you be a comfort and leader?
Chun:
There’s nothing that can prepare you for that type of tragedy and the reality
is, you would hope that no other school has to go through that. Then you
understand because it’s a real time issue nationally that specific to
Washington State, there have been suicides before Tyler’s passing and there
have been suicides after, sadly. Then you come to learn it’s the second-leading
cause of death for college-aged kids and those numbers are rising. The
immediate responsibility is always your current student-athletes, coaches and
staff. The impact – and I think the term is postvention – after something
traumatic like that, and work with our experts. Fortunately for me coming in,
our sports medicine team led by Dr. Henry, the counselors on campus, Mary Jo
Gonzalez and her staff, our VP, this campus was in my estimation prepared to
handle a situation of that magnitude. Then as an outsider you see the beauty of
Washington State – the alums, the state even regardless of where you went to
school kind of wrap its arms around Washington State University. Then you see
how our student-athletes react, our campus reacts. We recognize the platform we
have as far as bringing more awareness for suicide prevention and mental health
awareness. We all need to work harder to de-stigmatize mental health services and
challenges. With anything you have to try to find the good in any type of
tragedy. This one was unique because this is a close-knit group of
student-athletes. I came here without relationships with anyone on campus, so
then you’re trying to get to a solution – but you realize this is a layered
thing and you have to rely on the experts. I’m proud of what our team and
student-athletes have done. They have this “strength is asking for help” mantra
they’ve been going around with and we’ve been very intentional about creating
more programming. We have this “Behind Happy Faces” and “Step Up” that our
student-athletes are trained on, and they’re going to start training high
schools around here as well.
S-R: These
initiatives on campus and now conference-wide. Why has this been a neglected
area? Can Washington State athletics be a leader in the cause?
Chun: The
more you learn about suicide, what the JED Foundation advises you is, you don’t
look for the reasons why. You just have to move forward and try to create an
environment in which you’re doing something to prevent that from happening in
the future. Our university is well equipped in terms of resources available.
There’s going to be an increase just because the world is changing, young
people are changing. The coping skills and resiliency of high school kids as
technology and devices impact them is changing rapidly. This is a societal
issue. I do believe Washington State and the Pac-12 will continue to take a
leadership role. If circumstances dictated that we’re the school that’s called
to do this, so be it. It’s also reassuring that this isn’t a one-person
initiative. This is more driven by our students and how much they care. This is
something everyone understands that this is something we as a society aren’t doing
right because the numbers of suicides are increasing, so let’s rethink this
thing and figure out what we can do.
S-R: The
Hilinski family was disappointed with some aspects of the school’s response and
tribute to Tyler’s suicide. Have you reached out to the family at all recently
to mend fences?
Chun: We
will have our critics and I recognize that in what we did in postvention. But I
would argue a lot of places don’t have our responsibility. In athletics
specifically, we have 450-500 student-athletes that we’re responsible for and
every single one of them were impacted differently. We have to be versatile
enough to handle 450 different needs. Our focus has been what’s been best for
our student-athletes and students on this campus. It’s awesome – I don’t know
what the right word is – to see how the Hilinskis have reacted. It’s powerful
stuff. Nobody wants to play the what-if game as to being in their shoes. But to
see how they’re using this and trying to make a different, is a message we’re
hearing at Washington State. There’s not a day that goes by here where we
haven’t thought about Tyler and what we’re doing for our student-athletes. It’s
that much of a priority for us at Washington State.
S-R: What
impact did you see from football’s success, whether in fund-raising or
day-to-day operations?
Chun: I’ve
been around the business long enough to know that nothing happens overnight.
For me to come in here and end up working for what I believe is the best
president in the country, but also to be paired up with what I’d argue is a
Hall of Fame football coach and to see the way he operates and builds and
stewards a winning culture, how he communicates with his team and develops
assistant coaches. No matter what, everything is process driven. To see behind
the curtain, or as much as you can in one season, to see what Coach Leach does
in terms of building this environment. On the outside looking in, we’re not
resourced like other schools. Our rivals and opponents will tell everyone we
have all these challenges geographically in recruiting people here and then you
see what the reality is. We have a head coach who can build a winning program,
who knows how to identify players. You look at all the coaches who are
successful here, they all can identify young people who can thrive here
athletically, academically and socially. No matter if you’re trying to attract
kids to LA, Phoenix or Pullman, you have to find kids that can excel in those
environments. Fast forward, you see the results of that process: in contention
for the CFP, in contention to win the Pac-12, GameDay showing up here. Then you
see the impact football has. It allows people to cheer at their loudest pitches
how much they love Washington State. Waving that flag means something. And the
most important thing it should impact is admissions and applications. We did a
study with the impact of GameDay from the minute Kirk Herbstreit sent out the
tweet to the day after the game and I think there were more than 400 million
impressions. To be trending on social media that week in the competitive space
we’re in is incredible. Social media is currency for high school kids. We’re
doing our jobs in promoting the university from an advertising standpoint, from
a giving standpoint. We had our best year ever in the Cougar Athletic Fund. We
were able to fund raise for this baseball project and get 100 percent of the
commitments needed. Momentum is the best gift an athletic director could ask
for in year one. We’re having success academically – we had our highest GPA in
school history. And then what football, volleyball, soccer and cross country
did. We’ve had minimal to zero off the field issues since I’ve been here. We
have all this positive momentum heading into next year. And it’s important that
we keep building on through fund-raising for us specifically because a lot of
our revenue streams are fixed. The size of our stadium is fixed. Until the next
negotiations, our Pac-12 distributions are fixed. So fund-raising and corporate
sponsorships are where we’re going to make the biggest dent. And I’d argue
we’ve never been hotter.
S-R: How
do you build from football’s success? Going back to the early 2000s when the
school had three 10-win seasons, it didn’t capitalize – facilities didn’t get
built. You have the facilities now, or mostly. How do you build on it, especially
with a finite stadium size?
Chun:
Coach Price has let me pick his brain on what he did in a different era to
build a program. Some things are timeless – recruiting high-character
student-athletes, hiring great assistant coaches. But also what coach Price
did, identify a quarterback early, develop that quarterback and then start over
again. What I’ve told Cougs is, that worked then but it’s harder to do now, if
not impossible. Building is a lot harder than sustaining in today’s environment
and how competitive it is. For us, the world has changed. There is a
reinvestment piece that has to constantly happen in all your sports. I do
recognize, we are winning some significant recruiting wars against our peers in
the Pac-12. We have to keep reinvesting. Baseball is our real time example
right now. When the Martin Stadium renovation, that kind of triggered
everything – hiring a Hall of Fame caliber coach, building the operations
center, next is the indoor practice facility. That’s kind of the last piece of
the puzzle. I take a lot of pride and a little awe that on a Friday night
before a home football game if we happen to be home in soccer or volleyball,
it’s standing room only. That’s a pretty special thing, but it takes
reinvestment. Baseball fell behind. The history of that program doesn’t match
the facility it’s in and we have to redo that. In football, we have to get an
indoor practice field built. And even from a human standpoint, locking coach
Leach in as long as we can. He wanted to lock in his defensive coordinator for
the near term, so we were able to do that. You have to reinvest, and then it’s
up to us to grow the other revenue streams.
S-R: Given
the football staff turnover of the previous year, and though it slowed down
this season, how do you keep those people?
Chun:
Continuity helps. You look at the most stable programs in the country, the most
important stability is with your president, AD and football coach. And the good
thing here is, we are stable from a presidential standpoint, Kirk is renown nationally
for his understanding and advocacy of college athletics. But from a coaching
standpoint, the market is always going to be in favor of successful, winning
coaches. You could argue Mike’s coaching tree is top five in the country, maybe
top three. Then you know that one of the great attributes of Mike Leach is the
ability to identify and develop assistant coaches. We’re not naïve to the ebb
and flow. We had big turnover last year, we had minimal turnover this year, we
may have more next year. When you work for Mike Leach, opportunities are going
to come. But what he typically does is recreate the wheel for that position or
improves on it.
S-R: Other
than the extra year and salary, did the parameters of Mike’s contract change at
all?
Chun: We
actually did this the first week of December. I’m appreciative of Mike and how
much he communicates. He made it clear to me and the president early on that
he’s happy here. When you have a long esteemed career like Mike and as
self-aware as he is, I think that’s to the benefit of Washington State. He
knows what he has here and the heart and soul he put into this thing to build
it. And to have a year when, what I was told, the team was relatively young and
it was supposed to be something of a bridge year for us, knowing that we had
one of the best years in school history, I think he knows, he’s put a lot of
work into and there are some heights were within reach of now.
S-R: Why
was GameDay such a big deal here? It’s not that way at other college football
venues – they’re always greeted well, but here it was off the charts. Why did
it mean so much to them?
Chun: You
talk to the GameDay guys and they’ll tell you it was an all-timer for them.
They sent me a copy of the show after, starting 30 seconds before it went live
on air. So you hear the producer yell “30 seconds!” and then there’s a
countdown clock. They wanted to get the shot of Tom Pounds and the flag. Then
it goes black – and I’ve used it in some presentations and I tell everyone,
when it goes black and Rece Davis does that opening which every Coug will get
chills from to the end of the time, that was the moment where the whole world
was about to discover everything Washington State felt about Washington State.
It was the stage that amplified what being a Coug meant. I remember the Sunday,
sitting in Shawn Deeds’ office, we were doing a conference call with them and
they asked, ‘Do you think you’d have people who would greet the truck when they
show up?” And I chuckled, saying, yeah, we could probably get some people –
they want this thing bad here. And then seeing the eruption when the trucks
came down and people lined up all the way from Spokane to here, it was
incredible. That’s the one show that everyone goes to, and for whatever reason
there’s an assumption that GameDay coming to your campus validates you as a
football school – a big-time school, with enough fever that GameDay wants to be
there. I knew we’d get a crowd. To get what the fire marshal estimated at
30,000? That was a shock. I came down here at 5:30 for the 6 a.m. start and you
could hear it driving in. The line I like to use is that when Cougs do
something, we do it differently. That manifested itself in GameDay. And
sometimes when we do things differently, we do it better than anybody else. I hope
Cougs embrace that and use GameDay to think, hey, we are different.
S-R: Tough
year on the field for the Pac-12, and off-the field with the focus on football
operations and officiating. Are you confident the league has sorted out its
football administration issues?
Chun: I’m
confident we’ve taken steps forward. We just had meetings last week in Orlando
and the dialogue was healthy in the room. As a conference, everything has to
start on your respective campuses and you take a lot of pride as an AD walking
in and knowing the work our fall teams did. As a league, every school needs to
do that – and in basketball, we recognize we need to be the solution and not
the problem in getting both our men and women back on track. We have to get
unified as a league. I believe we’ve taken steps forward. I believe we have
great presidents that collectively all know the space we’re competing in is the
most competitive space, period. For Washington State to be the best we can be,
we need our league to be the best it can be. We are motivated to do our part to
make sure the Pac-12 is a leader among Power 5 conferences. We have some work
to get there.
S-R: Larry
Scott claims to have a transparent approach – not with the public, necessarily,
but with league membership. Do you feel that’s accurate?
Chun: I’m
relatively new. Being here for a year, I’m comfortable with where I’m at today
as far as understanding even after the replay issues in the fall, we probably
spent maybe three-four hours on the replay process at a fall meeting. That type
of transparency is appreciated. And those types of tough conversations among
the Ads and Pac-12 replay officials and Larry was appreciated. In my year here,
the issues that have come up, we’ve dealt with them. We’ve had some tough
conversations which allow you to move forward. Anything prior to this year, it
would probably be out of turn for me to speak about that.
S-R: Is
your football coach as comfortable as you are with the situation?
Chun:
(Laughing) You’d have to ask him. But I’ve probably been in more meetings than
he has. The coaches won’t meet formally until May, so he hasn’t had the
opportunities I’ve had.
S-R: What
about the ongoing issues with revenue at the conference level, and that the
Pac-12 seems to be slipping further behind other Power 5 conferences?
Chun: It’s
important for Washington State, and for every school. All 12 schools need as
much distribution as possible. None of us are in 100,000-seat stadiums at max
capacity. There are schools in the Big 10 and SEC that can pull both levers
where they get gate revenue at its highest level and conference distribution at
its highest level. We are not that conference. We’re going to look at what
other options there are with our network, at finding an equity partner and
things of that nature. We also recognize this: as a league, in the interim,
having content that is attractive to the networks is going to be a priority
heading into the next negotiations. And that goes back to what our campus
responsibilities are. We have to make sure football keeps growing, and with
men’s and women’s basketball that we’re doing what we need to do field
completive programs competing at the highest level.
S-R: How
do you feel about this possibility of an equity partner?
Chun: No
danger to take a look at it. We’re interested to see if this is a viable
option, and if it isn’t, it isn’t. We have a bunch of new presidents and ADs,
along with those who have been in place, that are going to take a different
look at this. I know from last season, having a football team competing at the
highest level that your play dictates everything. Having a quarterback in the
Heisman discussion, your play dictates everything. But I recognize the fact
that it would be great for everyone to get Pac-12 Network on greater
distribution. When everyone is fighting tooth and nail to make sure Gardner
Minshew gets the recognition he deserves and the football program is getting
the exposure it deserves, having a network that doesn’t have the distribution
of peer conference networks – those are things that are in the back of our
mind. But the good thing is, we’re in a league that doesn’t really accept what
the status quo is, that is willing to think differently. Being a part of the
Pac-12 has to mean that you’re OK with being a little bit innovative – and a
disrupter. It’s healthy for us to look at this and decide if it’s an
opportunity to create more revenue and get more distribution.
S-R: The
budget plan you laid out last May with steps to retire your deficit, still on
course?
Chun:
We’re tracking. We’re on course. Still have a lot work to do. We had a record
year in fund-raising, but we’re going to have to have consecutive years of
record fund-raising. We’ve had record numbers of corporate sponsorships, but
we’re going to have to have record years back to back to back. But like I said,
having momentum is the greatest gift our student-athletes gave this athletic
program and capitalizing on that momentum is something we’re excited to do.
It’s to be able to meet with donors and prospective corporate sponsors with
them already understanding who the Cougs are and the positives surrounding the
program.
S-R: What
progress have you made on things like naming rights?
Chun: The
key thing is that we have assets that we’re trying to match up with the
appropriate corporate sponsor, and the one that’s been talked about the most is
getting a partner to name the field. We’ve had dialogue with multiple
companies. We’ve gone down long paths with a couple companies. I use the
analogy that sometimes it feels like it’s fourth-and-goal, and getting it over
that goal line isn’t as easy as people think it is. The nice thing is, talking
with CEOs and outlining the value of Washington State, it’s no longer a long
conversation because they understand it and it allows you to get right down to
numbers on what the impact is to what their target markets are. We have some
assets around the stadium and even the arena to find more corporate sponsors.
We’ve retooled everything, too. We’ve turned over a quarter of our staff since
I’ve arrived. We’re proud to say that over half of that staff are either women
or ethnic minorities. We’re proud not only of the talent we’ve been able to
attract to Washington State, but the diversity we’ve infused into our
department. Part of that is our revenue side. We’ve had some opportunities to
make some changes. Some people left for different opportunities; some people
just didn’t fit in with what we’re trying to do. We retooled and restrategized
what we’re doing in fund-raising and corporate sponsorships and as these new
teammates come aboard and get acclimated, I think the ceiling will keep rising.
S-R: How
have you retooled? What’s the philosophy?
Chun: Bill
Moos did a wonderful job in terms of building the foundations of the Cougar
Athletic Fund. Leveraging seat location with giving to the athletic department.
Now we’ve got to go see these people. At the end of the day, people give to
people. The person we hired worked at Ohio State and he understands we’re going
to be externally faced and focused and we’re going to go see people. Internally
we’re as good as any program in the country. Externally we have revenue
challenges that have to be addressed. I don’t think there’s a magic formula to
that. There never was. It’s still relationship driven. You have to go see
people and build those relationships.
S-R:
What’s the status or progress on a student fee? That was part of your strategy.
Chun:
Right now, no movement. There’s a process in place for the students to move
that forward. My focus this year has been to try and build a relationship with
our students. I’m a big fan of our student body president and vice president,
and spent some time with our ZZZU Crew president. We had coach Leach go speak
to the ASWSU senate. I spoke to the senate. We’ve done things like give food to
students who are first in line for football games. If I heard when I got here
that athletics did not have a relationship, at least in year one our focus has
been, all right, whether you guys recognize it or not, especially where we sit
geographically, all of our marketing has to start with students. If we get
students to come out to support our games, we will have an edge. Our students
make a difference at games. This year was more about letting them know, we are
going to build this thing inward out. But students are going to be our focal
point in all our marketing.
S-R: What
about facility needs? If the indoor practice facility is the next one, how hard
is it to generate funds for facilities when your debt on the current ones is so
great?
Chun: The
good thing is, they’re done on different tracks. When it comes to giving, it’s
almost impossible to get someone motivated to donated to something that’s
already up. People want to give to the future, to progress. The indoor practice
facility represents progress. I believe there is a group of Cougs and we’ve
been in discussion with a bunch of them, that understand that this reinvestment
has to happen in our football program.
S-R:
Thoughts on Gardner Minshew?
Chun: I
told Gardner, I’m so fired up to see what Gardner Minshew does after football.
I believe he’s going to have a long career playing professionally. I think
Cougs identified with Gardner so much because he’d been told what he couldn’t
do his entire career, was undervalued for most of his career, and faced
failure. But he never quit. Even when he had an opportunity to go to Alabama
and maybe set himself up for a coaching career, something inside him said, you
know, I’m not going to quit on my dreams of playing quarterback at the highest
level. I think Gardner Minshew needed Washington State as much as Washington
State needed Gardner Minshew. There’s something in our DNA, that grit, is able
to flourish at Washington State. I don’t care what Gardner Minshew does in
life, if somebody hires him after football, they’re going to get that guy who
makes a difference in your company and makes everybody else better around him.
Those people are great in theory, but hard to find.
S-R: What
are your concerns with the struggles of the men’s basketball program?
Chun:
Ernie Kent has been wonderful to work with. I’m one of the people who gets to
see behind the curtain and he’s recruited a really good team that does the work
academically, they get along really well. We all know the wins have to come.
Ernie knows he has to win. The good news is, it’s still early February. Our
record, I’m sure Ernie isn’t happy with it. He’s still got time to get this
thing going this year. We need to get basketball moving forward. I’m comforted
by the fact that I know the character of the kids he’s recruited. And you see
the ceiling for these players – it’s a lot higher than what our record is.
We’ve got to get going and Ernie knows that and we’ll see where we’re at at the
end of the year.
S-R: How
will attendance, or lack of it, impact any decisions you make?
Chun: Take
everything else out of it, we’re taking a deep dive into what we’re doing in
marketing basketball. As we retooled our external teams, we have begun the
process, we want to look and feel different from an environment standpoint. We
hired a new marketing director. We’re retooling our marketing staff. We have to
figure out how to make students want to come back, and how to make it a fun
environment and bring the energy back. I know this, Beasley is still the type
of old-school barn that you don’t have to sell out to have a home court
advantage. We’re going to take a look at what we’re doing in terms of game
atmosphere, game presentation, marketing to students, faculty and staff. The
theory is, if we make it fun, winning will happen over time because we know we
have to win. There’s an entertainment piece to basketball. I look at the little
things at games. I think our drumline introduction of the team is one of the
most unique things in college basketball and brings a certain energy. I watched
our dance and cheer team compete nationally and finish in the top 10 in
multiple events. We have a bunch of pieces in place. Everything is going to
start with getting college students out to support the basketball team. I know
they want to see results, so the key is getting them to understand that can
actually help us. When they show up, they make a difference.
S-R: Why
do you say you like the culture of the program?
Chun: When
do all student-athlete events, when I look in the front row, I see men’s
basketball. We’ve had most of them over to our house. Being able to hang out
with them, even for just a couple hours, and to see how much fun you have with
those guys, how they interact with our kids and with each other. I get to see
different layers of these teams. The next off-the-court issue I get with men’s
basketball will be the first one I’ve gotten. I know culture doesn’t guarantee
winning, but I also know if you don’t have a great culture you’re not going to
win period.
S-R:
Beyond the indoor practice facility, what would be your facilities wish list?
Chun:
We’re going to focus on the indoor practice facility and then we’re going to
shift focus to Bohler Gym. This building is going nowhere anytime soon. When
they built it, I think they built it with the expectation it would be around
for 500 years. We do some of the best work nationally, I believe, in strength
and conditioning, academic counseling and nutrition. We just don’t look the part
because this building has been piecemealed through the years. Big picture: we
need to add some pieces to volleyball. We have some locker rooms that haven’t
been updated in years. We have some service-oriented things, if we can redo
their space, it sends a vibrant message to recruits and allows us to do more
with our student-athletes.
S-R: When
you get feedback from athletes, what are their concerns? What do they say their
needs are?
Chun: I
hear mostly positives. I do know when I talk with our Student-Athlete Advisory
Council that we do need to figure out how to do more in the mental health
space. I think everyone does. We added a fulltime clinical psychologist. It’s
cool to see our student-athletes do some things themselves, campaigns to make
sure they are part of the solution as well. They’re cognizant of what their
needs are, but the also want to be part of the solution and not just coming in
and telling me what the problems are.
S-R: What
do your coaches tell you their concerns are?
Chun: We
have a competitive group that’s all invested in being at Washington State. So
it’s all about what can make Washington State better at their respective
sports. You never get the sense it’s about them leveraging Washington State to
get other opportunities. A lot of it is the community. By this fall, we’re
going to unveil a strategic plan. We’ve just begun that process. That’s going
to allow us to have a tangible plan that’s going to be designed the entire
department to achieve some goals that hopefully are going to make us a little
uncomfortable. We all want to win more Pac-12 championships, so we need to
think a little differently. But also embrace who we are. Our uniqueness has to
become our strength. It’s one thing to say we’re the underdog, but it’s also
one thing to use that to defeat yourself. If we’re going to be an underdog,
it’s going to be in the sense that we’re David against Goliath and at the end
of the day, David trained with that slingshot his whole life so that when he
stepped into the arena with Goliath it was a mismatch. He was more prepared.
I’m OK with being the underdog as long as I know we’re preparing differently
and if our one edge is the slingshot, we’re going to train harder than
everyone. We have to figure out who we are and embrace what our strengths are
and having that set us apart. We’re going to set some markers and we’re going
to keep growing and developing our program.
S-R: What
do you get out of strategic plan?
Chun:
We’re going to take a deep dive into, one, what our mission is as a department,
and two, identifying what our core values. The word family really means
something to Washington State, at least to this program and the people who
support our athletic department. It’s an exercise to figure out who we are,
what our purpose is and let’s have a plan. Five years from now, we have to see
a new indoor facility or at least be close to completion. We have to be well on
our way to getting Bohler renovated. We have to have services and programs that
evolve and adapt to our student-athletes’ needs. We have to help our coaches.
I’ve always been of the belief you get better at coaching as years go on, but
your ability to motivate and teach 18-to-22-year-olds is what gets coaches out
of the business. Once you lose that ability to connect and motivate and teach,
you become obsolete – even though you know more about the game. So we have to
give our coaches the tools to be able to connect with college and high school
kids to have them want to come play for us, and to help them achieve goals when
they’re here.
S-R: How
have you gotten better at your job in this last year?
Chun: This
place fits me and my family well. Some of it is because our roots are Midwest
and another is just how nice this community is. Having your family fit a place
this seamlessly has allowed me to have a different level of focus on my job. On
the other side, I grew up in an athletic department at my alma mater of 15
years, then I went to a place for the last five years as AD at a program that
was really stressed and underperforming on every level. Then you come here and
look around and you have some of the best coaches in their respective sports,
some of the best people in their professions. If anything, how have I improved?
That might be a Kirk Schulz question. When I met with the search firm in Dallas
about a year ago at this time, and from the airport I called Gene Smith, the AD
at Ohio State who’s mentor, friend and advisor and he asked how it went, and I
said, I don’t know what it was, but I just felt a connection in that room.
After being here a year, I kind of feel what they might have felt in me that it
does fit. It’s nice being a part of something that if you’d told me 20 years
ago that you’d end up AD in Pullman and my only connection then was rooting for
them when they played Michigan in the Rose Bowl, I would have said no way
that’s going to happen. It’s odd how things work out. We turned over 25 percent
of the department, but the 75 percent that are still here – that’s a pretty
amazing group of people. I’m even more motivated and more inspired by the group
you work for, the student-athletes and the staff here.
S-R: Any
specific point when you felt you’re a Coug?
Chun:
Someone said, it’s not going to take a lot for them to accept you here – you
just have to show you like the place. Whoever gave me that heads up was on
point. If anything, it was probably on the road at Wyoming. Just because we
took up like two sections behind our sideline, maybe three. And I’d grown up at
a place where fans traveled to games. Then you’re at a mid-major where you
can’t get people to come to home games. But winning that game and how we played
and I love it when you go on the road and no matter how big or small your crowd
is, you take over the stadium. And you saw that all throughout the year. That
passion and pride for your institution is what I grew up in. The GameDay thing
kind of took it over the top because no one else has done it like that before.
I think that first road game, just because you start in January and it’s like a
sprint to try and meet as many people as humanly possible and get your family
here. It’s a sprint from February to the start of fall sports – the spring is
just a blur and you know you’re not going to be in the office much because you
have to see as many people as you can. Then going to that first game and seeing
the pride people have and the excitement that was the moment, this is what I
signed up for.
#
News for
CougGroup 2-10-2019+
WSU
FOOTBALL
Gage
Gubrud transfer saga ends on positive note: ex-EWU QB finalizes move to WSU
UPDATED:
Sat., Feb. 9, 2019, 11:03 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson S-R of Spokane
PULLMAN –
Gage Gubrud made the first start of his career against the Washington State
Cougars. Now he’s one of them.
After a
long and at times strenuous process for the FCS All-American and two-time
Walter Payton Award finalist, Gubrud got the clarity he was looking for
Saturday. The former Eastern Washington quarterback will spend his final season
of college eligibility in the Pac-12 Conference, at WSU, after earning a
medical redshirt from the NCAA.
The
Cougars officially introduced Gubrud from their official Twitter account: “And
the final piece of the Class of 2019 is in! Welcome to the WSU Cougar Family,
@Gagegubs! #GoCougs #JoinTheHunt”
“We’re excited about it,” WSU coach Mike Leach
told The Spokesman-Review by phone Saturday morning. “I think we’ve got three
real quality quarterbacks in that class, so I think it’ll be a heckuva battle
over the spring and I think it’ll be a heckuva battle in camp, too.”
According
to Leach, Gubrud will enroll in graduate courses on Feb. 18, which allows him
to participate in spring football and get a head start on learning the Cougars’
high-volume passing offense.
Gardner
Minshew picked up Leach’s Air Raid schemes in a hurry after transferring from
East Carolina, though he didn’t begin practicing with the Cougars until August.
Gubrud has time on his side but doesn’t have Minshew’s background knowledge of
the Air Raid, which helped the eventual WSU starter fend off challengers Trey
Tinsley and Anthony Gordon.
Unless
former four-star recruit Cammon Cooper or early enrollee Gunner Cruz make an
unexpected push, Gubrud will be in the same position Minshew was last year,
auditioning for WSU’s starting job alongside two QBs – Tinsley and Gordon – who
have significantly less game experience but a decent understanding of the Air
Raid and the respect of the locker room.
“We’ve got
all the film, all the resources, all those things and it’s going to have to be
pretty quick,” Leach said. “He’ll have a little more time than Gardner did, but
not a lot more.”
Gubrud was
a three-year starter at EWU who collected just about every accolade available
to an FCS quarterback. But his journey wasn’t as easy as it looked on paper.
Gubrud, a native of McMinnville, Oregon, didn’t earn a scholarship out of high
school and may become the third straight former walk-on to start for the
Cougars, following in the footsteps of Minshew and Luke Falk.
“He’s come
from quite a ways, too,” Leach said. “He walked on at Eastern Washington, I
believe, and of course clawed his way in there.”
Only 70
miles separate the schools, but getting the dual-threat Gubrud from EWU to WSU
came with some major hurdles. Five days ago, the QB confirmed to The
Spokesman-Review his efforts to obtain a medical redshirt had been denied by
the NCAA, although Gubrud was planning to appeal the decision, citing “unusual
circumstances.”
The NCAA
moved swiftly to overturn the initial decision, granting Gubrud his sixth year
of eligibility less than a week later, although it’s unknown what criteria was
used to reverse it.
Nonetheless,
the QB’s situation may be unprecedented at any level of college football.
Gubrud
suffered a season-ending toe injury during EWU’s fifth game of the year, at
Montana State. Explosive sophomore backup Eric Barriere took over and guided
the Eagles to the FCS playoffs, then carried them to the national championship
game, which EWU lost to North Dakota State 38-24.
The NCAA
states that a player is eligible for a medical redshirt if he played in
one-third or fewer of his team’s games. Gubrud fell under that umbrella, but
only because the Eagles advanced to the national title, and therefore played in
15 games.
The S-R
learned on Jan. 10 that Gubrud had entered his name into the NCAA’s transfer
portal, and the QB later confirmed that he’d narrowed his choices down to WSU
and Utah. The school down the road piqued Gubrud’s interest – which was telling
by his social media activity and the numerous WSU football-related Twitter
accounts he began following.
Over the
years, Gubrud had also become close with a few WSU players – namely linebacker
Peyton Pelluer.
“Not sure
how we found out (Gubrud was transferring), could’ve been word of mouth,” Leach
said. “A lot of times this stuff gets out word of mouth. I think we were on his
list to begin with. Look forward to it being a heckuva battle, but he’s
certainly a really talented guy that’s had a lot of success in the past.”
Gubrud
will be back in Martin Stadium three years after making the first start of his
career there. He and wide receiver Cooper Kupp, now with the Los Angeles Rams,
charged the Eagles’ offense in a 45-42 upset win that saw Gubrud contribute six
touchdowns – five passing and another rushing. He completed 34 of 40 attempts
for 474 yards in the game and rushed for 77 yards.
Minshew’s
elusiveness gave WSU’s offense a new dimension in 2018, but Pac-12 defenses may
have an even tougher time tracking down Gubrud.
“When he’s
on the move, he’s fairly threatening,” Leach said. “Some guys, when you get
them on the move and you say, ‘Good he’s on the move, he’s liable to screw this
up.’ … Then other guys kind of put you in that screwy bind of, OK you’ve got to
affect the quarterback, because if you don’t affect him there won’t be any bad
throws and you won’t sack him.
“But if
all the sudden he breaks the pocket and – some guys you’re afraid may run, but
in (Gage’s) case not so much that. He might, but he throws it pretty well on
the run. Once he takes off and breaks the pocket, that’s when he gets some of
his explosive plays.”
By the end
of his sophomore season, Gubrud had become one of the most electric
quarterbacks in the nation, turning heads with his legs when he wasn’t doing it
with his arm. He was twice named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award (2016,
2017) – the FCS equivalent to the Heisman Trophy – and earned FCS All-American
honors in 2016. That same year, he shared Big Sky Player of the Year honors
with Kupp.
Without
Kupp, Gubrud and the Eagles were flattened 59-24 this season by a much stronger
WSU team, although the QB found humor in watching snippets of that game when
coaches pulled up the season highlight reel all recruits watch when making
their official visit.
“Kind of
highlights of the season, the locker room, the pageantry and things – and he’s
one of the victims,” Leach said. He said, ‘I’ve never gone on a recruiting
visit where I was on the highlight film – the one where bad things are
happening.’ ”
If Gubrud
can recapture the level of play that made him one of the most captivating
players in the FCS, the Cougars – fresh off the first 11-win season in school
history – should again stake their place as a contender in the highly
competitive Pac-12 North. On offense, WSU returns four of its five starting
offensive linemen, seven of the eight rotational receivers and a special talent
at running back in sophomore Max Borghi.
Over an
EWU career that spanned 32 games, Gubrud completed 753 of 1,165 passes (64
percent) for 9,984 yards, 87 touchdowns and 32 interceptions. The 6-foot-2,
205-pound QB also has 259 career rushing attempts, 1,042 yards and 13 TDs.
:::::::::::::::::::
WSU
FOOTBALL
Transcript:
Washington State coach Mike Leach offers his thoughts on Eastern Washington
transfer QB Gage Gubrud
UPDATED:
Sat., Feb. 9, 2019, 3:15 p.m.
Spokesman-Review
By Theo
Lawson
The
Cougars got possibly their best news of the offseason Saturday morning, when
Washington State announced that former Eastern Washington quarterback Gage
Gubrud had been granted a medical hardship waiver and earned a sixth year of
college eligibility.
He’ll
spend that year with the Cougars and Mike Leach, whose quarterbacks have
authored four of the top six passing seasons in Pac-12/10 Conference history.
Leach was
supposed to be traveling to Vancouver Saturday morning for a booster event, but
due to a flight cancellation, the WSU coach was able to spend 12 minutes on the
phone talking about his newest transfer quarterback, who plans to enroll Feb.
18 and participate in spring camp.
(On
bringing in a quarterback with Gubrud’s experience/accolades)
“We’re
excited about it. I think we’ve got three real quality quarterbacks in that
class, so I think it’ll be a heckuva battle over the spring and I think it’ll
be a heckuva battle in camp, too.”
(On if
Gubrud will be able to participate in spring camp)
“It looks
like he can get into his graduate courses Feb. 18.”
(On
Gubrud’s transfer timeline/when the QB first reached out to WSU)
“It was
quite sudden. I still don’t understand that portal business. What are portals
anyway? People are throwing that around all the time. Well all the sudden I’m
in this portal. What is that? What is a portal? People just walk the street and
are throwing around that word portal all the time. But what’s it mean? It’s
like an alternative universe thing that you see on science fiction, or what is
it? I think people using that term and stuff – I’ll be perfectly honest, I
don’t think they know anymore about it than you and I do. They just like saying
it. Not sure how we found it, could’ve been word of mouth. A lot of times this
stuff gets out word of mouth. I think we were on his list to begin with. Look
forward to it being a heckuva battle, but he’s certainly a very talented guy
that’s had a lot of success in the past.”
(On his
pitch to Gubrud being similar to the one he gave Gardner Minshew last season)
“Yeah, it
was quite similar. He was more familiar with us than Gardner. Gardner was
familiar with us, but Gage a little more firsthand I would say. Said that all
great teams are competitive one way or the other. He’s going to have to compete
for everything he gets, just like if he’s lucky enough to go to the next level,
we all have to. So I don’t know, I think it should be very competitive because
we really have three quality guys.”
(On how a
second graduate transfer in as many years affects the morale of the QB room)
“Well, it
should make it really competitive. It should make it really competitive and I
hope that it does. The other thing is, is that’s the biggest thing. You want to
be as competitive as you can at all your positions and that’s kind of the
environment we’re trying to create.”
(On if he
worries about how Gubrud will be able to adapt to the Air Raid offense)
“Yeah, I
worry about that. We’ve got all the film, all the resources, all those things
and it’s going to have to be pretty quick. He’ll have a little more time than
Gardner did, but not a lot more.”
(On the
stigma that the Cougars are relying too heavily on grad transfer QBs)
“Well,
we’re a little out of sequence a tiny bit as far as the class, which that
happens. We’ve got three seniors and, what, several sophomores and a freshman.
So we’re a little out of sequence I suppose, and that typically happens. The
grad thing, regardless of position, that’ll always be something we look at as a
resource but with that said, you’ve still got to win your spot. With that said,
other positions it’s the same thing. You know what I mean? In our case in particular,
I wouldn’t think we’d be stigmatized by it even if it were to happen twice in a
row given all the quarterbacks we’ve produced here and will continue to
produce.”
(On
Gubrud’s excitement)
“He seems
excited about coming here, he seemed excited about what we were doing, he
seemed excited for the opportunity to play another year and was excited to see
what he could do here in the Pac-12.”
(On if he
thought the NCAA would approve Gubrud’s medical redshirt)
“Well I
wanted him to. I wanted him to for sure, but I feel like we’ve also got two
quality guys with a chance to have three and one of them with a little more
experience was pretty appealing.”
(On
Gubrud’s first career start – at WSU in a 45-42 upset win during the 2016
season)
“I thought
they were a good overall team. I thought they were a really good team. Like
think of the draft picks they had off of that team. And they weren’t just draft
picks, they were kind of high consequential ones and I thought (Gage) did a
real good job of leading that unit. I think he does a really good job – he’s
one of those guys that’s awfully dangerous when he’s on the move. Because when
he’s on the move, he’s fairly threatening. Some guys, when you get them on the
move and you say, ‘Good he’s on the move, he’s liable to screw this up.’ Some
guys really don’t well throw it very well on the move. Then other guys kind of
put you in that screwy bind of, OK you’ve got to affect the quarterback because
if you don’t affect him there won’t be any bad throws and you won’t sack him.
But if all the sudden he breaks the pocket and – some guys you’re afraid may
run, but in (Gage’s) case not so much that. He might, but he throws it pretty
well on the run. Once he takes off and breaks the pocket, that’s when he gets
some of his explosive plays.”
(On
Gubrud’s accuracy)
“You can
improve it, but you can’t go from zero to something I don’t think. I’ve always
thought he was pretty accurate.”
(On
Gubrud’s mobility)
“I think
he’s kind of Connor Halliday mobile is what he is. You know what I mean? And
sort of quick feet, not real fast. But the thing is, when he’s on the move,
he’s good. He does good things when he’s on the move and he’s quite dangerous
in those situations.”
(On
Gubrud’s personality and leadership)
“Well he’s
got some experience doing it and he’s kind of a laid back guy. But he’s come
from quite a ways too. He walked on at Eastern Washington, I believe, and of
course clawed his way in there.”
(On if he
spoke to other coaches about Gubrud during this process)
“Some,
just in general. Part of it is just sort of cumulative over the years since
they’re right up the road there. Then of course I saw him this year, he played
against us. It was funny because on his visit, he’s sitting there watching the
highlight tape of him getting knocked around. So the recruits come in, we show
the highlights of the season, offense and defense. So there’s a highlight tape
that, I don’t know, lasts 15 minutes or so. Kind of highlights of the season,
the locker room, the pageantry and things – and he’s one of the victims. He
said, ‘I’ve never gone on a recruiting visit where I was on the highlight film
– the one where bad things are happening.’”
(On if the
toe injury will be fully healed by the time the Cougars begin spring camp)
“As far as
I know.”
:::::::::::::
WSU MEN’S BASKETBALL
Robert
Franks scores 34 again, Washington State beats Arizona 69-55
UPDATED:
Sat., Feb. 9, 2019, 11:15 p.m.
TUCSON,
Ariz.(AP) – Make it an unexpected desert
sweep for Robert Franks and the Washington State Cougars.
Franks
matched his career high for the second straight game with 34 points and
Washington State ended a 13-game losing streak against Arizona by beating the
Wildcats 69-55 on Saturday night.
“Once we
get it figured out, which we did, we’re a pretty good team,” Franks said.
Washington
State (10-4, 3-8 Pac-12) won at Arizona State on Thursday, sweeping the Arizona
schools on the road for the first time since the 2006-07 season and won in
Tucson for the first time since Jan. 8, 2010.
“This trip
gave us an opportunity to find out who we are,” Cougars coach Ernie Kent said.
“ … We literally fed off our opponents’ crowds to get our game to another
level. The key thing now is to keep it at that level now that we know, have
seen and experienced the blueprint.”
Arizona
(14-10, 5-6) never led in its fifth straight loss, the Wildcats’ longest losing
streak since 1983-84, Lute Olson’s first season as coach.
“We don’t
have a lot of confidence right now,” Wildcats coach Sean Miller said.
CJ Elleby
added 17 points for the Cougars. Justin Coleman led four Arizona players in
double figures with 14 but shot just 5 of 14. The Wildcats shot just 32 percent
from the field.
The
Wildcats again were without freshman guard Brandon Williams with an ankle
injury.
Franks,
who also scored 34 in Washington State’s 91-70 victory at Arizona State on
Thursday night, made 12 of 19 field goals, including a season high 8 of 10 3s.
“Man, it
feels good, it feels amazing,” Franks said. “Just hats off to my teammates and
my coaches, just believing in what we can do, playing hard and buying in, and
anything is possible.”
Miller
said the Wildcats “didn’t really have an answer for Franks. … He’s certainly
one of the better offensive players that plays college basketball.”
Much as
they did in their 91-70 win at Arizona State, the Cougars took advantage of
poor shooting by the opponent.
The
Wildcats shot 27 percent (9 of 33) in the first half, trailing 33-21 at the
break.
Arizona
got within single digits only once in the second half, 51-42 on Luther’s two
free throws with 9 minutes left. But Elleby was fouled on a 3-point try, made
all three, and the Wildcats never seriously threatened again.
Washington
State scored the first seven points of the game as Arizona missed its first
seven shots. Franks’ 3-pointer gave the Cougars their biggest lead of the half,
28-14, with 4:12 to play. Five straight points by Coleman cut the lead to 30-21
before Franks sank a 3 at the halftime buzzer to make it 33-21.
Franks had
20 first-half points on 7-of-10 shooting, 6 of 8 3-pointers.
He sank a
3, then scored from inside, to give the Cougars their biggest lead, 47-31, with
13:03 to play.
Arizona’s
Chase Jeter missed all six of his shots and didn’t score. Teammate Brandon
Randolph was 1-for-6 shooting.
Franks
should be a safe bet for Pac-12 player of the week and Washington State is
nobody’s pushover if the Cougars can match these types of performances, beginning
with a home game next week against Pac-12 leader Washington.
Miller has
never had a team lose five in a row before and it’s going to be tough sledding
for the Wildcats from here on out, especially without Williams.
Arizona
athletic director Dave Heeke voiced strong support for Miller and his
basketball program in the wake of the school’s move to fire assistant coach
Mark Phelps.
Heeke,
speaking to reporters at halftime, wouldn’t talk about the Phelps case or any
other issues related to a possible NCAA investigation.
“We’re
fully supportive of the coaching staff, the leadership of the basketball
program,” Heeke said. “We’re supporting, as I have said before, we support
coach Miller. Those things that have been said to t
he
contrary to that are not true.”
::::::::::
WSU
baseball: Lees says 21 new faces a strength, not a concern
By BRADEN
JOHNSON Cougfan.com
Cougar
head man Marty Lees enters his fourth season at WSU. (Photo: WSU)
WASHINGTON
STATE'S BASEBALL team includes a whopping 21 new faces on its roster this
season, but fourth-year coach Marty Lees isn't fretting about growing pains
this spring. At least, Lees appears visibly confident ahead of the Cougars’
season-opener at St. Mary’s on Friday.
In between
batting practice and bullpen sessions inside the hitting barn adjacent to
Bailey-Brayton Field this past week, the skipper told Cougfan.com his biggest
reason for optimism is that the newcomers are talented enough to play immediately
and mesh with returning starters. “We’ve got a bunch of returners,” Lees said.
“There’s some pieces that can be put together. I wish we had a little more
depth in terms of our position players, but I feel like at each spot, we’re
really solid.”
It has
been tough sledding since former athletic director Bill Moos tabbed Lees to
replace Donnie Marbut as WSU’s head man in 2015. The Cougars are 57-91-1 under
Lees, and the athletic department has been mired in a decade-long struggle to
fundraise for a desperately needed new clubhouse facility to compete in a
conference that has produced five College World Series champions since 2006.
The WSU
Board of Regents recently gave the green light to construction of a $10 million
state-of-the-art clubhouse that will open in fall 2020. Lees hopes Year Four of his tenure marks a
turning point for the Cougars on the diamond as well.
WSU WILL
LIKELY be a team that thrives on speed, timely hitting and defense. The Cougars
lose their top-three offensive players from 2018 -- outfielder/DH Blake
Clanton, OF/2B JJ Hancock and OF Justin Harrer -- who combined for 25 home runs
and 88 RBI so Lees has revamped in a variety of ways.
But senior
shortstop Andres Alvarez (.263, 25 runs scored, 18 RBI last season) remains a
constant. He was the only Coug to start
all 50 games last season, committing just one error in conference games,
leading the team in doubles (16) and finishing second in multiple-hit games
(16). What will be different this season for him is where he bats in the order.
He is penciled in at No. 3 after serving as the leadoff man for the majority of
last season. A significant jump in strength and plate approaches is the reason
for the move, said Lees.
Alvarez
agrees he is much stronger and says he went to school this offseason learning
from past at-bats. "Just staying within myself and trying to do anything
possible to win,” is his aim for 2019.
Sophomore
Garrett Gouldsmith will be WSU's primary second baseman after transferring in
from New Mexico. Gouldsmith (.270, 10 RBI in 2018) is a player Lees and Alvarez
say brings a palpable energy to the infield defensively and can hit near the
top of the batting order.
Alvarez
committed just one error in 2018 at shortstop and Lees said Gouldsmith’s hand
skills are on par with Alvarez’. “You add Garrett Gouldsmith, who is just as
good an infielder (as Alvarez) but a much better bat than we had at second base
last year, and we feel really good about at least starting with a strong middle
infield,” he said.
LEES IS
MOVING DILLON PLEW, who has split time between second and third since his
freshman season, to first base. The 6-3 Kennewick product is a career .285
hitter with 105 total hits but committed 20 errors over the past two seasons.
He will replace two-year starter James Rudkin at first.
Part of
Lees’ motive behind moving Plew likely stems from the emergence of freshman
infielder Kyle Manzardo, who projects as WSU’s third baseman. From Coeur
d’Alene. Manzardo was listed as the 25th-best freshman prospect in the Pac-12
by D1Baseball last week and Alvarez said Manzardo looks the part of an everyday
bat.
“(He’s)
really strong, lot of pop. He works hard, and we’re glad he’s on our team.”
Senior
Robert Teel and junior Cal Waterman were expected to split time behind the dish
but Waterman underwent two hip surgeries in the offseason and will miss all of
2019. Lees said Teel will catch the majority of games and freshmen Anthony
Notaro (Anacortes) and Bradley Polinsky (San Diego) are competing for the
backup job.
“Robbie
Teel is our starting catcher and he’s going to catch as many games that will
allow him,” Lees said.
JUNIOR
DANNY SINATRO will start in center field for the second straight year and is a
player Lees is looking at to help offset the losses of Clanton, Hancock and
Harrer and jumpstart a WSU offense that ranked ninth in the Pac-12 in 2018. WSU
posted a .258 team batting average, had the fewest total RBI (201) and
second-fewest total bases (643).
Sinatro
began his career as a utility player but quickly became one of the best
defensive outfielders in the Pac-12. He had a perfect fielding percentage in
2018 so his bat (.225, 10 RBI) is where Lees needs him to make the jump.
“We’re
planning on Danny Sinatro having a very good year,” Lees said. “He’s been very
solid the last two years, but it’s time for him to step up and take a
leadership role. I think he’s one of the top 2-to-3 centerfielders in the
league.”
Formerly a
two-way player, sophomore Brody Barnum is now exclusively an outfielder and
will be the Cougars’ starter in right. Barnum (6-4, 223) only saw 9 at-bats in
2018 but played 36 games in the outfield in the West Coast League over the
summer.
“We feel
like Brody can be an anchor in the middle of the order,” Lees said. “Brody has
made huge improvements. He’s a very good hitter, he’s got a very strong arm.
It’s the kind of look we want in a corner outfielder.”
In left
field, Lees said sophomore Collin Montez is in the running to fill the void
left by Clanton as is freshman Tyson Guererro, also a two-way player. Koby
Blunt, a freshman from Clarkston, is expected to split time between the
outfield and catcher but will miss the first month of the season due to injury.
THE
COUGARS WILL BE at their youngest on the mound, but Lees said his pitching
staff has potential to develop on the fly. “I’m very happy with how far our
pitching has come,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of young kids who are going to
get thrown into the fire, but they’re ready.”
Pitching
has been a big issue for the Cougs in recent years. They had the second-worst
ERA (5.66) and posted the fewest saves (6) in the Pac-12 last season. Opponents
posted a glossy .303 batting average off them.
Gone are
weekend starters Scotty Sunitsch and Parker McFadden to the MLB Draft. Lees has
tabbed junior lefty AJ Block as WSU’s Friday night starter to open the year.
Block (4.91 ERA, 48, IP, 44 strikeouts in 2018) played in the Cape Cod League
over the summer and said he is ready to anchor the rotation after bouncing
between the bullpen and spot starts in his first two seasons.
“The first
two years here, I've kind of been trying to adjust,” Block said. “This being
year three, I think I'm ready now. (Coach Lees) has thrown a lot at me, but
over the two years, I’ve kind of gotten used to it.”
Fourth-year
junior Isaac Mullins began 2018 as the Cougars’ Friday night starter but is
moving to middle relief. Sophomore righty Hayden Rosenkrantz, who made four
Pac-12 starts last year, will likely pitch out of the rotation in Mullins’
place. Lees said freshmen Brandon White and Kyler Bush, who were selected in
the 2018 MLB Draft, will be starters at some point in 2019 but project as
relievers to begin.
White
(6-8, 212) and Bush (6-5, 240) are arguably WSU’s two most-talented arms and
Block said they have made an immediate impact in practices. “They don’t walk
around here like freshmen,” he said. They’re already bigger than most freshmen.
When they step on the mound, they’re ready to go.”
LEES SAID
MIDDLE and late-inning relief roles will be decided by committee during the
Cougars’ four nonconference series. “With four-game series’, it’s always a
‘we’ll see how the game goes,’” Lees said. “But I like what we have back in the
middle of the bullpen.”
A closer
has yet to be identified, but Lees said freshman righty Connor Barrison (6-2,
188) may get a chance to finish games. In addition to Mullins and Guererro,
Lees said freshmen Zane Mills and Sam Lauderdale impressed in fall practices
enough to earn bullpen roles. Alvarez said Mills, a righty from Portland, was
particularly tough in scrimmages
“I never
like facing Zane,” Alvarez said. “He has a really good slider. I’m pretty
hyped.”
THE
COUGARS' 16-33-1 overall record and 8-21-1 mark in Pac-12 play last season was
disappointing after the program won four straight Pac-12 series in 2017 and
appeared to have turned a corner. As to what has changed, Lees said the talent
pool is better and he is coaching a team comprised exclusively of players he
and his coaching staff recruited.
“Based on
what we saw in the fall, we’ve got a whole new team.”
:”::::::::::::::
WSU MEN
BASKETBALL
A big win
in Arizona has Cougs experiencing Kent's blueprint
By DYLAN
HAUGH Cougfan.com
PRIOR TO
THIS WEEKEND, you would have thought WSU simply didn't possess a
"blueprint" for success. After Wazzu completed its first conference
road sweep since 2009 by a combined 35 points over the Arizona schools, Ernie
Kent spoke on said blueprint that his team successfully put into action
following a 69-55 upset victory at Arizona.
“Anytime
you can have some success doing what we are preaching and teaching every day,
not only do they hear the blueprint and see the blueprint, more importantly,
they experience the blueprint,” Kent said. “And now they know how to duplicate
it.”
In the
first three minutes of the game Wazzu made clear its 21-point win against
Arizona State on Thursday was no aberration. The Cougs ran out to an early 7-0
lead and didn't look back once. Largely on the back of Robert Franks’ monstrous
34 points, it was the Cougars' first victory against Arizona in their last 14
tries.
Franks had
his best two-game stretch of his career during this road trip to the desert,
carving out dueling 34-point nights and tying his career high. And Franks got off to hot start again,
posting a 20-point first half against the Wildcats just after putting up 23
first-half points against Arizona State on Thursday. Franks finished 11-of-17 from
the field and 7-of-9 from distance against UA.
LETS NOT
GET IT TWISTED, the Cougars have shown they can put the ball in the hoop all
year long. It was the defense and hustle plays – stuff that doesn’t show up in
the box score – that proved to be the true outlier in the team's success over
their two-game run in Arizona.
WSU held
Arizona to 19-of-60 shooting (31.7 percent) and mystified Arizona big man Chase
Jeter with howling double teams all evening long, effectively taking the former
top-10 recruit out of the game from the whistle. Jeter finished his night
0-of-6 from the field in 29 minutes of work.
According
to what I’m seeing, no team has won at Arizona and Arizona State by double
digits since at least 1998. Congrats, Washington State. — Ken Pomeroy
(@kenpomeroy) February 10, 2019
Pac-12
Networks analyst Don MacLean was particularly fond of the new-look Cougars,
even tabbing Franks as the best offensive player in the conference. MacLean,
like many who have been following Cougar hoops, took notice to WSU's
revitalized defensive effort.
“WSU …
they’ve found something with their defense,” said MacLean.
Another
great insight from MacLean was with WSU freshman C.J. Elleby.
“Franks
will get the headlines, but Elleby has been a major factor in this one,” he
said.
Elleby
finished his night with 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists. The frosh
canned contested jumpers late, found open Cougs on the break and came down with
two emphatic blocks late in the second half to really punctuate the Cougars'
heightened defense on the Arizona road trip.
JEFF POLLARD
CONTINUED his rock-solid play, he should be known as Mr. Consistent from here
on out. Pollard finished the night with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting and had
countless lunges on the hardwood to keep possession in WSU’s favor.
Over his
last 10 games, Pollard is 26-of-39 from the field (66 percent) and has shown
quite arguably the most improvement out of any Cougar on the roster. Even with
the two thrilling wins, the junior tried to keep things even keeled with Matt
Chazanow on the Cougar postgame show.
“We’ve
definitely made a lot of steps, especially this road trip, Pollard said. “I
still think there’s room for growth. But to come down here and play like we did
these last two games, in two really tough arenas and come out with a desert
sweep. It’s just unbelievable. It just shows the growth that this team has gone
through.”
##
