A little this, a little that on Thursday
COUGARS
FROM PULLMAN -- Our WSU coverage is a bit more diverse than usual today. And it's about to become even more so. Read on for the details.
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We attempted to wrap up WSU's spring practices in today's newspaper with a breakdown of how each position is shaking out. And, if you haven't heard, the NFL draft begins today, so we spoke with Alex Hoffman-Ellis for this story detailing his rising draft stock. He's projected by at least one service as a fifth-round pick, so he's certainly got a shot. And you can review our final live chat of the spring here. ... CougCenter had a couple of items yesterday -- one projecting Marquess Wilson's potential numbers this season, and one taking a look at Tuesday's basketball news. ... Howie Stalwick has a great feature on former WSU baseball coach Bobo Brayton, who will be inducted into the Washington Sports Hall of Fame and honored prior to Friday's game against Arizona State. ... Athlon ranked the Pac-12's running backs, with Rickey Galvin coming in 12th and Carl Winston 19th. And similar to the way Vince wondered about Athlon's QB rankings, I wonder if Marcus Mason winds up the starter, does that make him 11th? ... Mike Leach spoke with KJR 950 AM in Seattle yesterday, and once again said that it's possible Sekope Kaufusi could return to the team eventually. "We haven't forgotten about him," Leach said. You can listen to the entire interview below. ... About that diversity -- we'll be covering the Pac-12 women's golf championships from Friday through Sunday, and will have a preview of those happenings in Friday's newspaper.
Around the Pac-12 ... Former Arizona receiver Juron Criner remains an enigma, even on draft day. Both Arizona and Arizona State should be well-represented in the draft this weekend. ... The draft's star, of course, will be Andrew Luck, whom the Indianapolis Colts have already announced as their selection with the No. 1 pick. Another Stanford player looks forward to being drafted despite his concussion history. ... A walk-on cornerback has looked good for Washington this spring. A big offensive lineman is hoping to snag the right tackle spot. ... A former USC quarterback -- one you might not have heard of -- is a draft sleeper. ... Oregon has a competitive spring game planned. The Ducks continue the search for Eddie Pleasant's replacement. ... James Rodgers isn't sure what to expect on draft day. ... A former Utah offensive lineman is ready for the draft to just get here already. The Utes picked up a coveted basketball recruit. Far as anyone can tell, he plans to sign his letter on Wednesday, and -- get this -- Utah actually plans to honor it. ... A Colorado lineman awaits the draft, as well.
For our non-related link today -- and with apologies to SpectreCoug, I'll try to keep this feature going this time -- we'll pass along this story from ESPN New York about Michael Pineda being shut down for the season. I'm sure Vince will link you to the news, but I wanted to bring it up, too, if only to say that it's pretty sad to see some Mariners fans rejoicing over Pineda's injury, as if it somehow means they "won" the Jesus Montero trade. Come on, guys. Be better than that. Injuries are never good news, but if you know anything about Pineda as a person, it's especially tough to see. He's as genuine as they come.
All for now.
Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple