WSU hoops:
Charters could be the bridge enticing a new coach
By Barry
Bolton Cougfan.com
THE MORE
THINGS CHANGE, the more they stay the same. The last time Washington State was
looking for a new men’s basketball coach — five years ago — we wrote on these
pages that while “light years from a shambles, it's pretty clear … WSU must
invest in its hoops facilities to keep pace with the rest of the conference.”
Since
then, locker rooms have been spruced up at WSU but that’s about it. And with
the athletic department’s fundraising focus on construction of a new Indoor
Practice Facility, it’s going to be several more years before WSU is in
position to invest notably in basketball.
Meanwhile,
look at what is going on in the competitive landscape.
Since the
Cougars fired Ken Bone, Utah spent $36 million on 101,000-square-foot structure
basketball-only training complex. Arizona, on the heels of locker room, lounge
and film room upgrades, completed an overhaul of the McKale Center. San Diego
State unveiled a $15 million basketball training complex in 2015, Gonzaga added
to its already impressive facilities with the 2018 opening of the $24 million
Volkar Center for Athletic Achievement and Nevada converted its former student
rec center into a basketball training complex.
The year
before Bone was fired, Oregon State opened a $15 million basketball operations
center. And between 2009 and 2012, Colorado, Arizona State, Oregon and UCLA
opened state-of-the-art new basketball centers, and just a few years before
that, USC opened the Galen Center and Stanford renovated and expanded Maples
Pavilion. Washington's $39 million renovation of its Hec Ed complex is ancient
history by sporting standards -- 20 years ago -- but it is holding up nicely.
The world
of college basketball is moving forward and WSU is holding pat with a hand that
has produced two NCAA Tourney invites since Kelvin Sampson left for Oklahoma 25
years ago.
FURTHER
EVIDENCE of the stuck-in-time mode is the fact WSU — located in the most remote
major-college outpost in the West — doesn’t provide any charter flights for
hoops. This was something Dick Bennett wanted addressed when he came on broad
in Pullman in 2003. Tony Bennett eventually secured a handful of them but they
were eliminated from the budget entirely five years ago.
Here's one
example of how that hurts WSU. Did you know that in the just-concluded season
the Cougars had no practices before their Jan. 30 game against UCLA in Pullman
because of commercial air travel snafus? Here’s how it unfolded:
Flight
from Portland to Seattle following Sunday evening’s game at Oregon is
cancelled.
When they
do get to SeaTac very late, there are no more flights to Spokane or Pullman and
all the flights the next day are full.
So they
spend the night in Seattle and then bus back, through the snow, to Pullman.
That meant
Monday was a travel day and under NCAA rules teams must have a day off
following a travel day.
Tuesday’s
practice therefore had to be cancelled. The game with UCLA was on Wednesday.
WSU lost.
That kind
of stuff happens to the Cougars every season. It’s a huge competitive
disadvantage.
The bottom
line, five years after firing Ken Bone, is that WSU is again looking for a head
coach with one arm tried behind its back. The current facilities are fine, but
fine doesn’t compete when the competition boasts great facilities. Flying
commercial isn’t the end of the world, but for a major-conference program to
get zero charters — especially given its location — is second tier.
All of
which, in the absence of a major investment in the program we haven’t heard
about, limits the pool of candidates to succeed Ernie Kent.
Right now,
the best argument for enticing guys such as Travis DeCuire (Montana) is that
they’d make way more money at WSU. The market-rate salary for a Pac-12 head
coach is well north of $1 million so that is enticing for sure, but having the
tools to succeed — or at least the promise of the tools to succeed — is
critical.
Kirk
Schulz and Pat Chun aren’t naive. From their respective work at Kansas State
and Ohio State, they know what it takes to compete at a high level. Each was
brought to Pullman ostensibly because of his fundraising ability.
Related:
No shortage of ideas on who WSU should hire to replace Kent
They need
to do for basketball what Elson Floyd and Bill Moos did for football.
Unfortunately, there’s no bonded financing available, like it was for football,
to help with the effort so it all sits on fundraising. The burden sits with
alums and fans.
Facilities
wise, the new IPF is WSU's focus right now. But charter flights could do
wonders in enticing a new coach to WSU. Charters could be the bridge until the
IPF is done and hoops facilities can be addressed. If memory serves, Floyd
dreamed of building a combination new arena -- in the 6,000-to 7,000 seat range
-- with a training complex. Keep those dreams alive.
Until
then, it should be charters, charters, charters. I haven’t priced anything out,
but you’d have to think $400,000 a year would fly a long way. That’s a
manageable number — hell, at Ohio State, where Chun spent 15 years, that’s just
a rounding error.
It could
be the bridge to the future -- and the key landing an outstanding new coach.
:::::::
$cientific
method
WSU
employee applies scientific approach to economic development in Pullman and
beyond
By Elaine
Williams of the Lewiston Trib 3/17/2019
PULLMAN —
Early in his career, Francis Benjamin used his talent as an electrical engineer
to help race horses run faster.
Benjamin
was on a team that developed sensors that were placed between the hooves and
shoes to measure pressure. The data helped horse trainers make their animals
more efficient in competitions.
Out of
that experience, Benjamin learned how to evaluate systems, identify weaknesses
and correct deficiencies.
As a
Pullman resident for more than 30 years, he’s applied those skills to the
region’s economic development, at the business he founded and as an information
systems coordinator for the psychology department at Washington State
University.
One of his
present projects is co-leading Pullman 2040, an initiative of the Pullman
Chamber of Commerce to shape the community’s future.
“Pullman
has historically backed into opportunities,” Benjamin said. “Through the
community visioning process, (we) identified what is it we want Pullman to look
like in 2040.”
Business
Profile talked with Benjamin about how his work at WSU led to his involvement
in economic development, Pullman’s new momentum, what to expect from Pullman
2040 and changes in the Be The Entrepreneur Boot Camp, a program he helps
organize.
Business
Profile: What is your job at WSU?
Francis
Benjamin: The psychology department hired me to develop research apparatus.
This is both with humans and animals like mice, pigeons and macaque and
Capuchin monkeys.
I work
with the faculty in order to determine what’s the best process for measuring
things they’re trying to study. Say someone wants to measure fear. Then I’d
say, “What are we measuring about fear? Is this a physiological response, or is
this a self report?” If it’s physiological, do the sensors exist in order to
measure what it is we’re trying to measure within the body? If not, then I
would design the sensors. Does the software exist in order to record the data?
If not, I’d write the software. I have a full wood, metal and electronics shop.
BP: How
did that lead to you opening your business, Fab Consulting?
FB: I
started getting requests from other units in WSU and then outside of WSU
because people started seeing my skill set. With that company, I improve
business productivity through technology. It might be that a business has a
specific application they’re looking at. They may be looking at business in
general. I’ve been out in the field with loggers.
BP:
Pullman has a vibrant feel right now. What’s behind that?
FB: If you
go back three years, people would say, “Well I don’t like this about Pullman,”
and they would just leave it at that. Now what you hear is, “I didn’t like
this, so this is what I’m now doing about it.” They feel they have the liberty
now to invest in the community. WSU President Kirk Schulz (is a big part of
it).
BP:
Pullman 2040 is helping channel the town’s momentum. What is an example of a
challenge that effort is tackling?
FB:
Pullman is actually a commuter community. Over half the people who work in
Pullman don’t live in Pullman. Some people live outside (of town) because
that’s where they’d like to live. For other people, it’s because they haven’t
been able to find the type of home they can afford within Pullman.
Our first
step is developing an understanding of the housing ecosystem, looking at types
of housing such as affordable, workforce and emergency housing. Then we’ll
figure out where the needs are. What we’re looking at is who has which areas
already covered? Where are the gaps, and where are the overlaps? If we have
overlaps, we’re not being efficient. One group may be interested in doing a
shift into an area where there is actually a need. Then we’re able to
accomplish more with what we’re already doing.
BP: In
April, Pullman 2040 will unveil a business web portal. Could you give us a
sneak peek?
FB: It’s
for entrepreneurs. It will have information about city and state regulations.
If someone is interested in starting a business, it will highlight needs we
have. As a city reaches 25,000 people, 30,000 people and 35,000 people, there’s
actually new business opportunities that result from that growth.
BP: Pullman
2040 also is looking at business recruitment. What approach is being pursued?
FB: We
have a whole lot of potential business owners that come to town for all of our
football games. They are alumni who had really great experiences here as
students. They’re like, “You know, I’d like to spend a little more time in
Pullman.” They’re realizing how much of a gem Pullman is compared to where they
are now.
We’re
going to do a business tour. It’s going to be for a select group of people who
are interested in starting or moving a business to Pullman. Our first one will
be April 20 for the spring scrimmage football game, and we’ll do a couple in
the fall on football game weekends.
It will
start at the alumni center. Then we’ll have a bus tour that goes throughout the
town. Speakers will talk about opportunities with WSU’s intellectual property
and investments in business startups coming out of WSU with students and
faculty.
BP: How
did your research influence how you approached your role in Pullman 2040?
FB: If you
go through this process of community visioning, there’s going to be winners and
losers. Not everybody’s idea is going to rise up to the level of one that gets
initiated. But if people trust the process wasn’t underhanded, then they’re
going to trust the outcome.
The thing
I communicated very clearly a number of times was, I’m not in this because I
have this list of these four projects I want to make sure end up on the list. I
had to step back. Even though there were some things I would have loved to see
happen, if they didn’t make the list, they didn’t make the list.
BP: You
are one of the organizers of the Be the Entrepreneur Boot Camp, which is in its
sixth year. What is a success story from that program?
FB: Trent
Geotze with Airway Hills Golf Center near Pullman went through the program. At
that time, he had a par 3 driving range and mini golf. Out of the boot camp,
that’s where he started the conversation around these golf simulators. Since
then, he has built his event center with three golf simulators. The boot camp
helped him to be willing to take the risk.
BP: The
boot camp is sponsored by the Palouse Knowledge Corridor, which is backed by UI
and WSU as well as municipalities and economic development organizations on the
Palouse. How is the boot camp changing this year?
FB: Our
first five years, we focused on a one-time training that was almost a week.
We’ve had some people say they can’t get four to five days off. We’ve broken it
into three weekends this year. One is this weekend. The next one will be in
June, and the last one will be in the fall. The first one is an ideation
weekend for people who have ideas, but don’t know if they’re viable products.
The one in June is a deeper dive. The third one gets into the marketing piece
and team members that the startups need to recruit.
BP: You
are one of two principal investigators on a research project that will look at
how much sleep Washington state’s legislators get. Why does that matter?
FB: One of
the things we’ve found within Washington state, is that legislators and their
staff members sleep less during the session. They’re getting up earlier,
staying up later and not falling asleep as fast. We’re working with Sleep and
Performance Research center at WSU in Spokane.
Our
initial research indicates sleep has a tremendous impact. The longer the
legislature goes, their quality of life, relationships and decision-making
diminish. We surveyed lobbyists, staff members and legislators. The legislators
did not say their decision-making diminished, but the other two groups said
their’s did and also said the legislators’ did. We’re trying to find solutions.
::::::::::::::::
Cougars
Ninth-Inning Rally Held Off by No. 9 Arizona State
From WSU
Sports Info
TEMPE.
(March 17, 2019) –Washington State loaded the bases with one out in the ninth
inning but could not bring the tying run across in a 6-5 defeat to No. 9
Arizona State Sunday afternoon.
The
Cougars (6-13, 0-3 Pac-12) left 16 runners on base and saw four players record
multiple-hit games led by a three-hit effort by Collin Montez. Garrett
Gouldsmith, Rob Tell and Kodie Kolden each tallied two hits while Kyle Manzardo
drove in two runs. Arizona State improved to 19-0 and is the last undefeated
team in the country after North Carolina State lost earlier in the day.
In the
first, WSU took advantage of a two-out Sun Devil error as Montez drove a 2-0
pitch into the right-centerfield gap that scored Kyle Manzardo all the way from
first who beat the tag at the plate for a 1-0 Cougar lead.
In the
second, a dropped fly ball by a Cougar outfielder that would have ended the
inning allowed a run to score on the play and the next hitter doubled in a run
for a 2-0 advantage.
In the
third, Dillon Plew was hit by a pitch and Gouldsmith singled off the ASU third
baseman and both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Manzardo gave the Cougars a
3-2 lead with a two-run single into right centerfield. Later in the inning, WSU
loaded the bases with nobody out but ASU ended the threat with a lineout double
play and a strikeout.
In the
fifth, the Cougars loaded the bases but the ASU bullpen kept WSU off the board
with a flyout and strikeout. In the bottom of the inning, the Sun Devils took a
4-3 lead after the Cougar bullpen hit a batter, allowed a single and a two-out
bloop single into left field. ASU added two runs in the sixth on three hits for
a 6-3 advantage.
In the
seventh, the Cougars pushed two runs across on a wild pitch and a Kolden
RBI-groundout. WSU threatened later in the inning with runners on first and
second but ASU ended the inning with a strikeout.
In the
eighth, WSU put a runner on second after Montez reached with a bloop double to
left field but Alvarez hit a rocket right at the centerfielder and Teel lined
out shortstop to end the inning.
In the
ninth, the Cougars mad things interesting with one out as Kolden singled back
up the middle, Koby Blunt singled off the pitcher and Plew was hit by a pitch
to load the bases with one out. The ASU bullpen buckled down and ended the
rally with a pair of strikeouts.
INSIDE THE
BOX SCORE
Collin
Montez doubled in the 1st to extend his on-base streak to 15 games
Dillon
Plew was hit by a pitch in the 3rd, has reached base in all 19 games in 2019
and in 22 straight dating back to last season
Kyle
Manzardo singled in the 1st to extend his hitting streak to 7 games
Montez
matched a career high with 3 hits, did so at Santa Clara earlier this season
Relievers
Owen Leonard and Davis Baillie combined to close the game with 3 scoreless
innings
NEXT UP
Washington
State will head to southern California for a nonconference series at No. 22 UC
Irvine.
#
