COUG
FOOTBALL PLAYER WILLIE TAYLOR III ONE OF THE
‘UNDER-THE-RADAR’
STARS ON WSU, ONE OF THE TOP 25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAMS
The stars
on the nation's Top 25 teams are easy to recognize and the focus of attention,
even in the offseason.
But what
about key players who are under the radar? Here are some names to remember for
the upcoming season.
http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/26518222/the-radar-star-top-25-college-football-team
No. 13
Washington State: Linebacker Willie Taylor III
As a
redshirt freshman, Taylor played his way into the starting lineup early last
season and ended the year as one of the most productive players on the Cougars'
underrated defense. He finished the season with 7.5 tackles for loss, four
sacks, a team-high six quarterback hits and three forced fumbles.
-- Kyle Bonagura
::::::::::::::
WSU MEN BASKETBALL
Dan
Thompson: Washington State fans find way to forgive Tony Bennett, cheer his
success
Tue.,
April 16, 2019, 6 p.m.
By Dan
Thompson for the Spokesman-Review
FIFTEEN
YEARS AGO, in the middle of Dick Bennett’s first season as Washington State’s
men’s basketball coach, a band of loyal students was calling for more Randy
Green.
Green, an
exciting sophomore holdover from the Paul Graham era who never fully meshed
with the new regime, had a fervent, unique following at the time.
After the
game, Dick Bennett crossed the court and looked up at the outspoken front row.
“Look,
you’re either a fan or you’re not,” Bennett said to them. “We’re doing the best
we can.”
It was a
burst of emotion that Bennett, ever classy, apologized for after the 65-58 loss
to Oregon State, which was then as lowly a program as Washington State was in
the 2003-04 season.
It was a
moment that came to mind watching the now 75-year-old father of Tony Bennett
cheer wildly behind the Virginia bench last week, as his son guided the
Cavaliers to the national championship that had eluded their family tree for 35
years.
It’s an
odd thing, really, the way Cougs faithful feel about Tony Bennett. Sentiments
about Dick are more straightforward: He was the man who revitalized a derelict
program, then stepped aside so his son could see it through.
Only Tony
didn’t.
That’s
what makes the Tony cheers from the Palouse a bit odd.
Didn’t he
abandon the Cougs? He had just concluded a third winning season. He had a
seven-year contract. He had Klay Thompson, with more promising recruits on the
way.
A great
coach could win anywhere, even in Pullman, right?
Well, just
as Indiana had in 2008, Virginia came calling in the spring of 2009. Bennett
was ready to turn it down. But as the story goes, as he gave it more thought,
his mind changed. He was headed to Charlottesville.
It was
just a lot easier to coach at Virginia: a new arena, more money, better travel.
More than
that, Virginia plays in the ACC, a conference that is never forgotten or
irrelevant the way the Pac-12 can be. Bennett pitched Pullman well, but
Charlottesville is an easier sell.
Without
something to counterbalance those professional upgrades, who wouldn’t take that
offer?
The NCAA’s
68-team bracket compels teams to control the variables they can and navigate
the madness by mitigating risk.
For all
its benefits as an underdog strategy, Bennett Ball is inherently risky for a
favorite. It is vulnerable against a hot-shooting team – something of which the
NCAA Tournament has no shortage – and until this year, Bennett teams usually
left the Dance early.
In six
appearances with Wisconsin and UW-Green Bay, only twice did Dick Bennett take a
team past the second round.
As a No. 1
or No. 2 seed four other times this decade, Tony’s Cavaliers fell short of the
Final Four each time.
Even this
run was only possible because of a miracle finish against Purdue and a missed
traveling call against Auburn in the semifinals.
But that’s
the tournament. The more often a team can put itself in position to win, the
better its odds of eventually winning.
That’s
what Mark Few has done at Gonzaga. It’s what Tony Bennett has done at Virginia,
and it’s what no coach has done at Washington State.
Not George
Raveling, who bolted for Iowa. Not Kelvin Sampson, who left for Oklahoma.
Cougs
understand the limitations of Bennett Ball, and they love that it made Pullman
relevant enough for a few Andy Katz visits.
When faced
with the options of loving Bennett, hating him, or – hardest of all – admitting
Pullman isn’t the most amazing place on Earth, well, there’s really only one
choice for Cougs fans.
By
choosing to love him, they can claim some part of Virginia’s title, because
Wazzu gave Tony his first crack at coaching.
Simply
put, the respect for Tony outweighs the sadness of his departure.
Still,
it’s hard not to wonder what Bennett could have done in 2010 or 2011 with this
core:
Marcus
Capers, DeAngelo Casto and Brock Motum, capable starters in the Pac-10.
Xavier
Thames, the point guard who transferred to San Diego State and became the
Mountain West Player of the Year.
Thompson,
soon to be WSU’s permanent No. 1.
And Joe
Harris, the commit from Chelan, Washington, who followed Bennett east and is
now five years into an NBA career.
That’s a
group with as good of a chance as any to make a run in the tournament.
Recruiting
that sort of talent regularly is something few programs can do. It takes an
elite coach with his own talent and a resume to match – something Tony Bennett
now has.
Dick
Bennett was right: He and Tony did the best they could in Pullman. Which makes
it easy for the Cougar faithful to choose to still be a fan.
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