Washington
State Senate wants to move up timeline for SR26 passing lanes
Pullman
Radio News 3/29/2019
The construction of passing lanes for the main route for
Washington State University students traveling to and from Pullman would be
moved up by 4 years under legislation being proposed in Olympia. The bipartisan transportation package
released this week from the Washington State Senate moves up the timeline for
the project.
In 2015 state lawmakers approved the construction of the
first passing lanes for State Route 26.
The sections of passing lane will be built between Colfax and
Dusty. The project will construct 2
sections of passing lane for Eastbound traffic and 2 segments for Westbound travelers. The bill approved 4 years ago called for
construction to begin in 2024. The new
package being proposed in the senate moves up the work to begin in the Summer
of next year.
The 2015 legislation also funded the passing lanes that were
added to U.S. highway 195 between Pullman and Spokane. Those projects were completed last year.
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Sunday's Spring Game Moved to Lower Soccer Field
3/29/2019 | WSU Soccer from WSU Sports Info
PULLMAN - With spring
weather thawing out the Palouse, the Cougars final home spring soccer game will
be played on their home turf of Lower Soccer Field. Washington State will host
University of British Columbia at noon with the game open to the public. The
Cougs have played twice at home this fall with games against Crossfire, a club
team from the West Side, and Idaho last week at Martin Stadium. Last spring WSU
and UBC inside Martin Stadium with the Cougars dropping three goals on the
Thunderbirds.
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Athletics experts address department’s deficit
WSU Athletic Director says low revenue causes lack of money,
not poor management
By RACHEL SUN, Evergreen March 29, 2019
With WSU’s multimillion dollar athletic deficit, WSU
Athletics Director Pat Chun said at a talk Thursday that although the
university is working to reduce its deficit, money spent on athletics goes to
benefit the whole university and not just athletics directly.
“The goal is always to complement what’s going on in the
classroom,” he said. “What athletics does provide is an intensive opportunity
for young people to improve.”
Chun spoke on a panel hosted by The Foley Institute to talk
about university spending in college athletics.
He said that although the university is facing a significant
athletic deficit, the problem is “a revenue issue,” not a spending one.
Towns like Pullman may struggle to bring in revenue just by
virtue of size and location, said co-panelist Andrew Zimbalist, chair of the
department of economics at Smith College.
Pullman’s rural location may limit potential ad revenue
because there are fewer large corporations, he said, and fewer residents mean
fewer people to buy tickets for games.
“Of the 65 schools in the power five, we absolutely have the
lowest amount of money going out the door,” said Nancy Swanger, chair of the
WSU athletics council. “The thing with that is we also have the lowest amount
of money coming in the door.”
But the university’s athletic deficit goes beyond the need
to generate more revenue through donations or ad sales, Zimbalist said.
“This is a systemic problem,” he said. “It’s not a lack of
frugality.”
Schools with an athletic deficit are the norm, not the
exception, Zimbalist said, and the median athletic deficit for Football Bowl
Subdivision schools runs around $14.4 million.
“In that last report, [the NCAA] said there were 24 schools
out of those 129 that were not operating at a deficit,” Zimbalist said.
Those numbers are likely worse for many schools, he said,
because facility costs and indirect costs are not accounted for.
Chun said athletics is working on a five-year plan to
increase revenue without increasing the university’s debt.
“We have a plan that doesn’t take one iota away from our
path to solvency,” he said.
But expecting solvency within five years “might be too
rosy,” Zimbalist said.
One of the reasons colleges struggle is because of
lower-than-expected returns from the Pac-12, he said.
In addition, many universities, Zimbalist said, buy into the
belief that increasing spending in athletics will automatically result in
benefits to the academic side of universities. But that’s not always the case.
He pointed to the so-called “Flutie effect,” named for the
football star Doug Flutie, who made a game-winning Hail Mary pass during a 1984
game against the University of Miami. That pass was credited with a jump in
applicants at Boston College, where Flutie played.
“That 14 percent was on the trend line that Boston College
had been experiencing,” he said.
Studies looking for correlations between athletic success
and academic success found that although strong athletic programs might
somewhat increase application numbers, there was no evidence the extra
applications increased the selectivity of college admissions offices, he said.
Put plainly, the quality of the applications drawn in by
good athletics programs were not necessarily competitive enough to improve the
overall academic performance of the student body.
Similarly, Zimbalist said, there is little evidence to
suggest that strong athletics programs led to more donations for university
programs as a whole.
Some studies showed a link between funding from state
legislatures and university athletic performance, but Zimbalist called it
tenuous.
“If the athletics department is running a deficit of $8
million, that’s $8 million that could be spent elsewhere,” he said. “I’m not
saying that athletics isn’t worth 8 million. It contributes to the culture. But
you need to think hard about where you put that money.”
Chun said the alumni he had talked to expressed a strong
devotion to supporting WSU athletics.
“I don’t think there is anything more important to
Washington State and to our alums than being part of the Pac-12 conference,” he
said. “Cougs take an immense amount of pride in our athletics program.”
Even if the university or WSU President Kirk Schulz were to
decide to spend less on athletics in favor of more direct funding for academic
endeavors, Zimbalist said it would be a difficult change.
“It’s very hard as an individual president or an individual
school to change,” he said.
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Sports economist tackles problematic NCAA money race
He outlines scandals, over-evaluation of college coaches
By CAMERON SHEPPARD, Evergreen March 29, 2019
The Foley Institute hosted Sports Economist Andrew Zimbalist
to speak about the problematic money race occurring in college sports across
the NCAA, citing coach salaries among the reasons some college sports see major
deficits.
Zimbalist emphasized the large amounts of money invested
into college athletics and the focus put on sports programs by university
administrations. Universities have continued to dump large sums of money into
their athletic programs with the hope of gaining competitive advantages over
other programs around the country.
He identified a variety of scandals that were symptomatic of
a system that places a heavy priority on winning.
Zimbalist outlined scandals such as the FBI uncovering of
universities that were paying priority athletes under the table to play for
their team.
He said the median operating deficit for athletic programs
in the Football Bowl Subdivision is $14 million, with maybe half a dozen
programs that actually generate surplus revenue.
College athletic programs operate under a different model
than a traditional business, Zimbalist said. A regular business has the goal of
generating profits to please the stockholders. He said athletic programs do not
have the direct objective of taking in revenue, and instead of stockholders,
they have stakeholders.
“[Stakeholders] are not looking for profits,” Zimbalist
said. “They want victories, they want wins.”
He said universities are always willing to build a new
stadium or renovate athletic facilities because these investments attract the
best athletes to their programs, as well as the best coaches.
“A school needs the top coaches to get the top players,” he
said.
Zimbalist pointed out that college coaches for sports like
football and basketball are often the highest-paid state employees. At schools
like WSU, some coaches are paid far more than the highest-paid academic officer
at the university.
Zimbalist said the cost of college coach salaries is
overinflated as they are part of what he calls an “artificial market.” He calls
the coaching job market artificial for a few reasons.
He said the value of coach salaries is overpriced, as they
are paid at rates comparable to NFL coaches even though the NFL generates three
to four times more revenue than college sports.
He also demonstrated the over-evaluation of college coaches
by pointing out that if a cap was placed to lower coach salaries across the
NCAA, many coaches would not leave their position. Their next best option would
be to coach at a lower level like Division 2, Division 3 or even high school,
none of which would pay better, even after the salary reduction.
Zimbalist said college coaches are essentially paid for the
labor of the athletes they coach.
“Coaches are being paid for the value that players create,”
he said.
Zimbalist estimated that for a team that generates $150
million in revenue, an individual player was likely drawing value at well over
$1 million. Yet athletes are only compensated through scholarships, grants and
aid, and cost-of-attendance allowances.
He said in recent history there has been a movement among
athletes to change their situation through a number of strategies, like
attempted unionization, but primarily through antitrust litigation against the
NCAA.
He said antitrust lawsuits calling for more stipends and
compensation for student-athletes are brought against the NCAA on a yearly
basis, and these lawsuits are costly.
Zimbalist suggested policy that would conditionally exempt
the NCAA from these antitrust lawsuits in exchange for better accommodation for
student-athletes and a focus on academic integrity. He suggested benefits for
athletes like health insurance, which most universities do not offer to their
athletes.
He said there has been increasing congressional interest in
solving this issue as costs for academic programs continue to rise, deficits
increase and student-athletes continue to be abused.
Zimbalist said it will take collective pressure on
legislators from university trustees and presidents to resolve this issue.
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Baseball Cougs battle No. 2 Stanford at home -- WSU returns
to Pullman to face Cardinal after playing 20 of its first 23 games away from
Bailey-Brayton Field
By SAM GRANT, Evergreen March 29, 2019
WSU baseball returns home for only the second time this
season to take on No. 2 Stanford in a three-game series starting Friday.
The Cougars (6-17, 0-3) are coming off a 3-2 loss against
Loyola Marymount on Monday and a three-game sweep at the hands of No. 22 UC
Irvine this past weekend.
WSU is on a nine-game losing streak and needs to step up to
compete with a Stanford (15-3, 3-0) team that is currently on a six-game
winning streak after completing a three-game sweep of Utah last weekend.
The Cougars have played 20 of their 23 games this season
away from Bailey-Brayton Field and have a 4-16 record in those contests.
Junior outfielder Danny Sinatro said the team is excited to
play in front of a Cougar-friendly crowd.
“It’s huge, we’re usually a different team when playing at
home,” Sinatro said. “I love playing at home in front of our fans. It’s big for
us, we love it.”
The Cougars have played on the road for the last nine games
and lost all of them by a combined score of 69-30.
Sinatro said he is optimistic about the Cougars’ chances of
competing with the top-ranked Cardinal.
“We’re feeling pretty good going into this,” Sinatro said.
“We have already played competitive baseball against [Arizona State] who was,
at the time, ranked ninth. Playing this series at home is huge for us too, just
having that advantage.”
WSU was swept by then-No. 9 ASU earlier this season, but lost
the final two games of the series by a single run.
Sinatro said the team needs to work on running bases
smoother and coming up with hits in crucial situations to end its losing
streak.
“I think we just got to keep on playing baseball, taking it
one game at a time,” Sinatro said. “We need to play clean baseball.”
Sinatro is hitting .276 this season with 21 hits and 10 RBI.
Freshman infielder Kyle Manzardo leads the team with 17 RBI this year.
Stanford has a 2.43 ERA this season and features sophomore
right-handed pitcher Carson Rudd who has not allowed a run in eight innings of
work this season.
The Cougars will look to improve their hitting against the
Cardinals as they only have a .256 team batting average this year. Sophomore
outfielder Collin Montez leads the team with a .318 batting average and is the
only WSU player hitting over .300.
First pitch for the series opener is set for 5:05 p.m.
Friday at Bailey-Brayton Field.
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Change WSU reputation, no alcohol at games
Alcohol should not be offered at WSU sports venues,
potentially harmful to perception as research institution
One long-term goal at WSU is to be best known as one of the
top 25 research universities nationally instead of as a party school. Keeping
alcohol out of our sporting events prevents this reputation from being made
even more public.
By BRUCE MULMAT, Evergreen columnist March 26, 2019
A riot occurred when WSU became a dry campus and for twenty
years administrators upheld that policy. Yet to fully commit to keeping alcohol
off campus and work toward a reputation of research, we must make our sporting
events dry as well.
The alcohol policy is far from outdated and should be kept
as is. How it’s enforced now will have a serious impact on our university’s
future. WSU administrators are trying to reshape the university academic image
while at the same time revisiting the idea of expanding alcohol sales at Martin
Stadium.
While alcohol sales may provide short-term economic
benefits, serving alcohol at games is counterproductive to WSU’s long-term
plans and will have negative consequences down the line.
ASWSU Vice President Tyler Parchem has insight into WSU’s
long-term goals and knows where it’s headed.
“WSU is now on the ‘Drive to 25,’ ” Parchem said. “We want
to be a research institution, but there is this past history of WSU being a
party school.”
The “Drive to 25” is WSU administrators’ pursuit of becoming
one of the top 25 public research universities in the nation by 2030. While
still a long way off, steps are being taken now to improve the public image of
our school to seem more professional.
“In recent years there has been a push to move away from
saying ‘Wazzu’ because there is negative party connotations with that,” Parchem
said.
It would be good to lose a tainted nickname, but people need
to see more change than just correcting phrases.
Telling the public in a press release most students won’t
read will not help WSU recruit more students interested in research who would
carry WSU to the goal. Our sporting events are where we receive the most
publicity, so it is important that we present our school well at these times.
Though alcohol sales can be a huge cash cow at athletic
events, they set a poor example of how prospective students should see the
university. Any changes made to help shape the future of our school will be
constantly undermined by vocal students who enjoy binge drinking and reckless
behavior being broadcasted at our sporting events.
Changing the image of WSU gives our school more credibility
as an academically intensive school, giving us more opportunities for grants
and other funding. This would easily rival the economic benefits of allowing
alcohol to be sold at our sporting venues.
There are plenty of universities that balance the image of a
place to party and still are a respected institution of research, so alcohol
isn’t the sole cause of our image issues. Attempting to change student culture
only alienates students from their university and plenty of students who party
push themselves to succeed.
Our school can have a party atmosphere and challenge
students academically, but people need to see which of these we put first. By
promoting the research done by WSU, we can show how not every important
accomplishment done at WSU is finishing a Smirnoff Ice before the snap or
winning a sports title.
We need to distance the university from its party-hard
reputation and the best way to further separate it is to keep our sporting
events clear of alcohol.
Responses to “Change WSU reputation, no alcohol at games”
Steve Grover on March 26th, 2019 4:36 pm Having a beer at a football game is fun. 99%
of those who have a beer do not abuse this privilege.
It does not make WSU a party school. By far the majority of
the people at football games are not students. So bring in on and let people
have fun. It is not going to hurt the school in any way.
Tom Marier on March 26th, 2019 5:03 pm Let’s be realistic here. It’s not just
students who attend games. Alumni and adults attend games as well and quite
frankly, THOSE are the people who pay DECENT money for the expensive seats,
which helps pay for a lot of the entire cost of the ENTIRE athletic department
budget. Football games typically make money – basketball is supposed to –
although recently at WSU, that hasn’t been the case. Most of the other sports
LOSE money – they cost more money than they bring in at the gate. If you start
giving adults with spendable money in their pockets a reason NOT to come to
football games, there will be a HUGE ripple effect on the entire athletic
department – which is NOT what is needed at this point in time. If you want to
cut down on alcohol-related problems and trust me, every university has them,
then be creative and come up with some other solutions without hurting the
athletic department – which needs every dollar that it can extract from every
person willing to attend a game.
Bowe on March 26th, 2019 6:32 pm Drinking age is 21. Most undergrad students
are 18 – 20… Limiting sales of alcohol at games will have next to no impact on
the reputation of the school. Seems like you should research other schools and
the impact before implementing since you want to tack course and make it a
research University.
Bob Giantonio on March 28th, 2019 9:11 am There was not a riot when WSU opted to become
a dry campus.
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Manzardo earns starting role in first year at WSU
Freshman grew up on a baseball field, father helped him find
passion
Freshman infielder Kyle Manzardo started practicing with a
Wiffle ball and bat at 3 years old and hasn’t stopped playing the sport since.
“He was born into baseball,” his father Paul said.
By DYLAN GREENE, Evergreen March 29, 2019
Kyle Manzardo was surrounded by baseball since before he
learned how to walk.
While his father, Paul, was the head baseball coach at North
Idaho College from 1998-2002, Kyle crawled in the dugout as a baby and took in
the sights and sounds of the game he would come to love.
At 3 years old, the freshman infielder was in the backyard
practicing with a Wiffle ball and bat. A year later, he started playing
Tee-ball in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and he hasn’t stopped swinging a bat since.
“He was born into baseball,” Paul said. “He was always
extremely competitive as a young child, and he really liked anything that had
to do with sports.”
Kyle’s passion for the game grew from his father, who played
baseball collegiately at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan.
After college, Paul found his way to North Idaho College and
has been working within the physical education department at the university for
the last 25 years.
Paul was also the head baseball coach until 2002 when the
program was cut. This allowed him to devote more time to helping Kyle get into
the sport and eventually get involved with the Coeur d’Alene Little League.
Paul guided Kyle through the sport and instilled the
fundamentals of the game in his son. He also taught Kyle the unwritten rules of
baseball and how to carry himself on and off the field.
“Our big thing was respect the game, and be humble in defeat
and gracious in victory,” Paul said. “I constantly preached that in the house.”
Paul has coached his son for his entire baseball career
except for the past three summers, during Kyle’s freshman year in high school
and now, as he is in the midst of his first season with the Cougars.
The 18-year-old realizes how much of an impact his dad had
on Kyle becoming the player he is today.
“He taught me everything I know,” he said.
In his sophomore year at Lake City High School in Coeur
d’Alene, Kyle won the baseball 5A state championship in his dad’s first season
as the team’s head coach.
Fellow freshman infielder Kodie Kolden was also on that
team. He said it was a special moment, and he remembers seeing a picture in the
Coeur d’Alene Press of him on the mound with his hands up and Kyle running
toward him.
The duo started playing together around the age of 14, and,
prior to that, they competed against each other in Little League.
“I’ve known [Kyle] forever it feels like,” Kolden said.
Kyle and Kolden were a one-two punch in high school as they
typically hit back-to-back in the batting order and drove each other in. The
duo also played on the left side of the infield on defense, and their opponents
did all they could to avoid hitting in their direction.
The tradition carried over to WSU as both of them have
started every game for the Cougars this season.
As the designated hitter, Kyle is hitting .256 with two home
runs and a team-best 17 RBI. Kolden said what makes Kyle so good is the
baseball always finds the sweet spot of his bat.
“He can definitely swing it,” Kolden said. “I don’t how, but
he gets barrels every time. Every at-bat, it’s like another barrel.”
Kyle said the transition to Pullman and living away from
home was smooth due to Kolden.
“If I didn’t know him … it would’ve been a lot tougher,” he
said.
Kyle also has a younger brother named Marcus who is
currently a sophomore at Lake City and is starting at second base this season.
Marcus, 15, said his big brother has had a major influence
on his baseball career and that Kyle gives him advice whenever he can. He
admitted it has been difficult to follow in Kyle’s footsteps in high school due
to the legacy he left behind.
“At times it’s pretty challenging because people just know
me as his brother, so they expect the same stuff from me,” he said.
The brothers stay in constant contact, and Marcus watches
every one of Kyle’s games. When Kyle gets some free time, the pair make the
most of it and plays Fortnite.
Marcus said he is clearly the better gamer.
“It’s pretty proven,” he said. “In all of the Fortnite
stats, I’m just the superior player.”
Going into his first season, Paul didn’t expect anything
from his son, but he knew he would have to earn a starting spot on the team. He
also isn’t surprised Kyle has quickly become one of the key players on the
team.
“I have a high expectation for him,” Paul said, “and Kyle
has a high expectation for himself, and I’m confident that he can perform at
that level.”
Before the season even started, Head Coach Marty Lees was
already praising Kyle and believed he was going to be one of the best hitters
to ever step on Bailey-Brayton Field.
Kyle said his coach’s statement meant a lot to him, but he
knows he just needs to remain humble and focus on improving.
Kyle doesn’t have any personal goals for this season, he
said, and just wants to do whatever it takes to make sure his team wins.
Paul said the Manzardo’s lives have revolved around
America’s pastime since their sons were born, but he has always had a passion
for the sport.
“When I had boys, I guess my wife didn’t have a choice: it
was baseball,” he said.
Paul is extremely proud of his son and the dedication he has
shown to get to where he is today.
“Kyle earned everything he got,” he said. “Kyle made my life
easy because he was really good, to say the least.”
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WSU Vet Med dean will resign by the end of the year
School will begin search process for Slinker's position over
summer; Slinker retires at end of year
By JAYCE CARRAL, Evergreen March 26, 2019
Filed under Administration, Faculty, News, Top-feature, WSU
Pullman campus
The WSU College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) dean announced
he will step down from his current position.
CVM Dean Bryan Slinker said he does not want to leave CVM
with an interim dean. He said WSU will begin a search process for a new dean
this summer and expects interviews for the position to begin in the fall.
“Whether I actually retire or not is not yet [determined],”
he said. “I stated my intent to not be dean at the end of 2019, so that’s not a
hard and fast timeline.”
Slinker said deans are the academic leaders of a college and
are responsible for the teachers and students in the college. He said managing
the budget is also a large part of his position.
Slinker said he became interim dean in 2008 and was then
offered the dean position on a permanent basis.
“Eleven years is a long time to be a dean,” Slinker said. “I
just think I need to do something else.”
Slinker said he attended WSU as a student from 1976 to 1982.
He later returned as a faculty member in 1992.
Slinker said in 1999 he became chair of the Department of
Physiology and Neuroscience.
He said CVM has grown remarkably during his time as dean.
This includes occupying three new buildings and adding two departments into the
college.
“We pride ourselves on having that community feel,” Slinker
said. “Maintaining that culture gets harder as we get bigger.”
He said one of his main goals has been to maintain and
strengthen the college’s teaching ability. Slinker said he created a teaching
academy of faculty and annual special guests who work on ways to improve the
learning environment they create.
“It’s not so much about classes and curriculum as it is how
to do a better job teaching,” he said.
Slinker said some challenges he has faced include the
geographical location of WSU.
“We are in a fairly remote location. We live in a relatively
low population area,” he said. “It’s sometimes difficult to provide the
caseload we need for our students’ education.”
Slinker said it is common for fourth-year CVM students to
leave Pullman to further develop practical skills. Slinker said this led him to
develop partnerships with the Seattle Humane Society and the Idaho Humane
Society.
He said he had hoped to make more progress on integrating
more advanced technology into the academic curriculum and programs.
Slinker said he is not certain of his future after leaving
WSU.
“I’m worthless as a scientist, so research is not going to
be part of that,” he said. “There’s a variety of things I’d like to teach. I
want to stay engaged in the university.”
Slinker said he will continue to make progress with CVM, but
is also aware that someone else will finish what he started.
“I do hope they continue wanting this vet school to be on
the cutting edge of improving teaching and student environment,” Slinker said.
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Editorial board: Undressing the university address
President Schulz should give naked assessment of state of
the university, not just outline successes
President Kirk Schulz’s State of the University Address
primarily focused on the successful side of the year, keeping a wide distance
from any shortcomings the university is facing. This address shouldn’t be just
a celebration; it should be a reflection.
EDITORIAL BOARD, The Daily Evergreen March 28, 2019
WSU President Kirk Schulz concluded his third State of the
University address on Tuesday doing what most bureaucrats do: telling little
more than half the story.
During his approximately 28-minute address, Schulz spent
most of his time congratulating departments and faculty and outlining progress
on the Drive to 25 goal.
Under Schulz this year, WSU experienced a record-high
enrollment of 31,000 students system-wide, received $110 million in federal
funds to build a new agricultural research facility in Pullman, and the College
of Veterinary Medicine was ranked third in the nation in terms of federal
research funding, among other developments.
Schulz should not be blamed for talking about positive
performance but when reporting on the state of their institution, every
president has an opportunity to speak candidly and make their report authentic.
In former President Gerald Ford’s first State of the Union
address, he was the only chief executive who gave the nation a complete,
balanced assessment of the Union, according to an article from the Huffington
Post.
No president should be blamed for touting their
accomplishments or the prosperity of their constituents, yet failures and
inadequacy cannot be just an afterthought in a speech meant to represent the truth.
One notable exception to this trend was when Schulz
described the number of African American faculty on campus as being “criminally
low.” But that statement was only prompted by a question during the Q&A
portion of the event, not in Schulz’s speech.
As people who stake time and money on the quality of their
education, we shouldn’t have to be the only ones who point out flaws. We
shouldn’t have to wait for public comment to hear what is being done to fix
issues.
During his speech, Schulz said the university shouldn’t shy
away from discussions about how best to represent Washington and what our
values are as an institution.
In the same way, Schulz should not shy away from telling the
community when the state of the university is a mix of good and bad.
WSU is proud of all Schulz does for the university, and for
dedicating a majority of his time to answering questions, but giving a speech
that does not balance failure and success makes the speaker seem out of touch
and alienates listeners who have not seen the same WSU Schulz sees.
At the end of his speech the presentation slide proclaimed
that “It’s a great time to be a Cougar.”
This just isn’t true for everyone at WSU. Acknowledging that
takes humility and transparency, two qualities people should expect of their
leaders.
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WSU MEN’S BASKETBALL
Washington State freshman CJ Elleby declares for NBA draft,
won’t hire agent immediately
UPDATED: Fri., March 29, 2019, 5:47 p.m.
By Theo Lawson Spokane S-R
CJ Elleby will declare for the NBA draft, but the Washington
State freshman won’t immediately hire an agent, leaving him the option to
return for a sophomore season with the Cougars and new coach Kyle Smith.
ESPN first reported Elleby’s intentions to declare,
receiving a lengthy statement from the forward who played in all 32 games as a
rookie and ranked second on the Cougars in scoring.
In a text message to ESPN, Elleby wrote: “My plan is to
chase my dream of playing professionally in the NBA. To showcase my talent at
the workouts I attend and to potentially be drafted. Also to be able to
experience entering my name and testing the water and receiving necessary
feedback. I will use the new NCAA rule allowing me to have representation while
maintaining my college eligibility.”
The 6-foot-6 Elleby scored 14.7 points per game in 2018-19,
led the Cougars with 28 starts and was one of five players named to the
All-Pac-12 Freshman Team. Elleby’s scoring average ranked 10th in the
conference and his rebounding average (7.1) per game was 11th.
Statistically speaking, Elleby had the best freshman season
in program history, breaking Steve Puidokas’ rookie scoring record with 471
points in his 32 games. Golden State Warriors All-Star shooting guard Klay
Thompson scored 414 points during his freshman season on the Palouse.
“Being off the radar of most, if not all NBA scouts, my
mindset was to shock a lot of people,” Elleby wrote in his statement. “… I
always believed in my ability to compete at the highest of levels, and the big
picture I have been focusing on is only an arm’s reach away now, as I’m
declaring for the NBA Draft after one year which is such a blessing.”
Elleby also thanked Ernie Kent, who recruited the Cleveland
High standout and beat out Mike Hopkins and Washington for WSU’s first 4A/3A
Metro League prospect in more than five years.
Kent was fired by the university one day after WSU’s
33-point loss to Oregon in the Pac-12 Tournament and the Cougars announced the
hire of Smith, formerly the coach at San Francisco, on Wednesday.
Despite his freshman numbers, Elleby isn’t considered to be
someone who’ll be selected in the NBA draft on June 20. Senior teammate Robert
Franks led the Pac-12 in scoring this season and is only considered a fringe
draft prospect.
But Elleby will still gain valuable feedback and evaluation
from NBA scouts by going through the predraft process – intel that proved
useful for Franks after the 6-8 forward declared without an agent prior to his
senior year in Pullman. Other Cougars players, including Josh Hawkinson, Conor
Clifford and Ike Ioregbu, all did the same, each choosing to return for their
final year of eligibility.
Elleby has until June 1 to withdraw his name from the draft
pool. If he chooses not to, the Cougars could be in a real bind during Smith’s
first season at the helm, potentially losing five of their top seven scorers.
Franks and Elleby combined for more than 36 points per game
in 2018-19. Viont’e Daniels and Davante Cooper are graduating, Carter Skaggs
has announced he plans to graduate transfer and Jeff Pollard has entered the
NCAA’s transfer portal.
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