COUGARS

Where were we? Oh ya, football is over, in Pullman at least. Basketball moves to center stage. So we'll be adjusting the morning post as well. Read on for today's entry.
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• It's tough to tool around the Pac-10 during basketball season as we did in football. There just isn't as much coverage. So we'll start transitioning to basketball mode by just giving you everything out there we found interesting, whether it's about basketball or football. ...

• WSU: Klay Thompson was named Pac-10 player of the week for the second consecutive time. A fitting reward for Thompson as he led the Cougars to three wins and a tournament title. But in one way, it illustrates the inability of some to get past anything but offensive numbers. I can remember a couple times when Kyle Weaver was dominate – as in controlling a game dominant – on the defensive side of the floor while filling up the stat line, only to be ignored by the conference. Big scoring numbers always dominate. ... By the way, in case you missed them, we had a review of WSU's weekend after talking with Ken Bone, and the same from football and the Apple Cup. ... The Cougars' volleyball coach, Andrew Palileo was named the Pac-10's coach of the year. He's led WSU from ignominy to the NCAA Tournament. ... John Blanchette catches up with former Cougar Shaumbe Wright-Fair for our Then and Now feature. ...

• Around the Pac-10: ESPN.com's Ted Miller reflects on the football season as we near the end. ... The Civil War is still to come, but the game won't settle this debate in Oregon. ... The Pac-10 and Big 12 get together for its annual Hardwood Series this week – WSU's game at Kansas State on Saturday is part of it – with the future of the series unclear. ... A couple of transfers may play key roles for ASU's football team next year, including one with a name familiar to WSU fans. ... And, finally, Arizona finishes its season at USC. Quarterback Nick Foles will play again with his left hand bandaged.

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• That's all for this morning. We're heading down to Pullman to speak with WSU basketball coach Ken Bone, some players and watch practice. Then coach Paul Wulff will hold his end-of-the-season press conference. We'll share some thoughts about that and have a story for Thursday. Until then …

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