Browsing through the Seattle Times today I saw Craig Smith's last Sideline Smitty column. He took a voluntary buyout the current sign of the times in the newspaper industry. His columns were always entertaining and it was fun getting together at the various state meets…
COUGARS Isn't college athletics fun? Last Friday, WSU's women's basketball team handed the University of Hawaii an 18-point defeat. The two teams played again Monday. Read on to find out what happened this time.
Kirk Earlywine did his best to convince his Eastern Washington men’s basketball team that Evergreen College was a special kind of NAIA Division II opponent.But once again, the Eagles failed to get the message.
COUGARS A Monday evening in Spokane. It's beautiful. Plus the ride from Pullman wasn't too bad. There's nothing like a day when 195 blends into the surrounding fields, and only the grooves in the snow tell you where to go. We have a story to…
COUGARS Got back to Pullman last night around 9 p.m. after writing my story, posting it to this blog and driving slowly down the highway. Come to find out an hour or so later that I beat the Washington State team bus back to town.…
COUGARS • UPDATED: 10 P.M. With Aron Baynes dominating inside – 18 points and nine rebounds – and Taylor Rochestie controlling the perimeter on both offense and defense – 11 points, five assists and limiting Mac Hopson to 10 points – the Cougars raised their…
COUGARS WSU gutted out a 55-41 win behind the inside play of Aron Baynes and the outside shots of Taylor Rochestie. We'll be back in about 90 minutes with a game story.
COUGARS Halftime in the Cowan Spectrum and this one isn't going according to plan. It's being played at a slow pace and Idaho is staying close. A big reason is WSU is shooting so poorly. The shots are there, the Cougars are just not knocking…
COUGARS Good evening from snowy Moscow ... and snowy Pullman … and snowy just about anywhere in the Palouse. I'm hoping I'll be able to get back to Pullman after the game, but who knows? As long as the snowplows are working, I'm OK I…
Stuck in Seattle because of the latest round of storms, so we'll get the day after Connecticut post up.
As promised, I've posted links to several accounts of Eastern's 83-50 men's basketball loss to Washington in Seattle on Saturday.The Associated Press game story that ran in Sunday morning's S-R is here; the gamer published by the Seattle Times is here, and the game story…
COUGARS We're still searching for the best way to present our posts on this new SportsLink site, so we're back to leading off with the Cougar label. Hope that helps you find each individual WSU post. We have a few story links for you on…
Just finished watching the Washington Huskies dismantle Eastern Washington in Seattle, and I will link to stories as soon as they become available.I would like to say I wish I had been there, but after witnessing the way the Eagles played and the nastry weather…
Gonzaga couldn't finish off what it started Saturday. The Bulldogs overcame a double-digit deficit in the first half and appeared to be on their way to a win over second-ranked Connecticut, but guard A.J. Price's 3-pointer put a hold on Gonzaga's plans. Connecticut won 88-83…
The Gonzaga Bulldogs had an 11-point lead near the midpoint of the second half. They led by four with 2 minutes left and three with 24 seconds remaining. But Connecticut's A.J. Price hit an off balance 3-pointer with eight seconds left to tie it and…
• As I promised earlier today, here's my feature on former Cougar and current Vandal Mac Hopson. You can read the unedited version on the link.
Connecticut raced out to leads of 13-2, 24-13 and 33-23 before Gonzaga roared back to move in front, 37-36, late in the first half. A.J. Price's two free throws with 4.1 seconds left that gave UConn a 38-37 edge at halftime in the Battle in…
• Well, we're finally back in Pullman. I won't bore you with death-defying travel stories (though the slide show will be available for purchase in the spring, as soon as the snow melts enough for me to find my camera), but suffice to say it…
Already checking weather forecasts (supposed to be high winds here later today, which probably means another fun day of air travel), but thought I'd post John Blanchette's column on UConn coach Jim Calhoun. It might already be pasted on the Zags' locker room wall.
Time for a renewal of the short, but thoroughly entertaining series between Gonzaga and Connecticut. The teams will tangle at 1 p.m. Saturday in KeyArena as Gonzaga tries to snap a two-game losing streak (Nevada, Tennessee) in the Battle in Seattle.They've met three times. Gonzaga…
Spokane continued to add to its roster with the addition of three familiar faces: Sergio Gilliam, Andy Olson and Patrick Bugg. More here.
Spokane Shock player Devon Parks called to say that he and a few other players will be gift wrapping at Northtown Mall (near the inside entrance to Barnes & Noble) Saturday, Dec. 20, beginning at 4:30 p.m. for approximately an hour. They're doing it to…
Anthony Brown made his decision early and signed with Washington State to play basketball. Here's my feature story on the Shadle Park standout that ran in Thursday's S-R Prep Page.
Eastern Washington University's men's basketball team loss at home for the first time this season Thursday night, falling to undersized Missouri-Kansas City 68-61.It wasn't a great night for the Eagles -- or the media assigned to cover them. I missed the game because of the…
Read on for John Blanchette's unedited game story from Gonzaga's 84-42 rout of Texas Southern.
SportsLink is your portal into sports news around the Inland Northwest and beyond. You'll find updates, notes and opinions, and plenty of reader feedback.
Vince Grippi's daily take on all things regional sports has been moved to our main sports section online. You can find a collection of these columns here.
