WSU, the APR and links
COUGARS
Figured a quick blog post detailing WSU's APR numbers -- which were released for all schools yesterday by the NCAA -- would be a pertinent way to start your Thursday. So here it is. Read on.
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First, to give you an idea of how these things are calculated and what they really mean, here's the explanation from WSU's official release: "The APR is an annual assessment of each team's academic and retention history. The APR awards two points each term to student-athletes on athletic scholarship who meet academic-eligibility standards and who remain with the institution. A team's APR is the total points earned by the team at a given time divided by the total points possible. The overall APR score is based on the most recent four years of data. Every year thereafter, the most current year's data will be added and the oldest year of data will be removed, creating a four-year rolling rate."
As expected, the Cougars finished above the NCAA penalty threshold of 925 in each sport (and a reminder that these numbers reflect eligiblity/graduation progress through the 2010-11 academic year). The football team accumulated a 4-year rolling score of 933. And while that's the lowest score in the Pac-12, it's also the highest for that program since 2004-05, when it scored a 935. (Here's a link to the database if you want to see for yourself, and Bob Condotta has a post with the conference rankings.) Next year might get a little hairier, depending on the academic standing of those scholarship players either dismissed by coach Mike Leach or transferring elsewhere.
WSU is in the middle of the pack in men's basketball with a 961. More on the Pac-12 rankings in that sport here.
Elsewhere ... the Cougars picked up a commitment from a running back yesterday, as Long Beach Poly's Gerard Wicks told Scout.com. Wicks is WSU's ninth verbal commitment for the 2013 class. ... Mike Leach's name was mentioned on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno the other night. ... A short story about a pair of future Cougars from the east side of the west side.
All for now.
Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple