This and that from the Palouse — again
COUGARS
FROM PULLMAN -- No major news on the WSU landscape on Tuesday, but there turned out to be enough to put together a post, pass along some notes and some links, then be on our way. Read on.
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We'll begin by linking this profile we wrote about WSU's top-ranked women's tennis player, Liudmila Vasilieva. Something different, but I think you'll enjoy her story (the accompanying photograph was shot by our newest photographer, Tyler Tjomsland, a good friend of mine with whom I attended middle school and high school). ... In other WSU news, we have a few items. First, the Pac-12 conducted an end-of-spring teleconference yesterday, though Mike Leach was the only coach who wasn't available due to travel. He was in Omaha at a book signing. It's a new era, indeed. Anyway, defensive coordinator Mike Breske filled in on the call and answered a couple of general questions about WSU's spring practices. His most noteworthy observation was that the linebackers will be the strength of WSU's defense, which, as CougCenter explains, might say more about Breske's scheme than it does about the overall talent at each position. ... Breske said the biggest adjustment for him this spring was getting used to seeing the ball in the air 75 percent of the time. He answered a couple of other pretty basic questions, too, but again, nothing we didn't already know. ... There were some stories written as a result of yesterday's teleconference, focusing on the potential of a playoff and the new faces around the conference. ... Leach ranks second in the Sporting News' rankings of the Pac-12 football coaches. ... Ryan Leaf entered a guilty plea in Montana court on Tuesday.
Around the Pac-12 ... Some thoughts from Arizona State's defensive coordinator. ... More notes from Tuesday's teleconference. ... A few former Cal football players have started their own band. ... A Washington running back won't return to the program. ... A rundown of the quarterback situations at each Pac-12 school. ... Words spoken by coaches at Oregon and Oregon State.
That's all for now.
Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple