Students return as WSU prepares for spring
COUGARS
With spring break finally over at WSU – A whole week? What's happened to our educational system? – we should finally get a chance to talk with some of the basketball players about the season just ended. Then there is the other thing that happens this week, spring football. It's only the two days of helmet-only conditioning, but it's a start. Just think, last year we were in North Carolina when the Cougars opened spring practice. And it was in the mid-70s. Oh well, it should be at least 45 this week. Read on for some links.
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• With Gonzaga facing North Carolina in the Sweet 16 – sound familiar? – there will be a lot of questions for Tony Bennett, I'm sure, about the matchup. We, on the other hand, just want to summarize this season and look forward to next, which Bennett has already said, more than once, will be a transition year. Think about this: Of the top eight playing for WSU next season, more than likely seven will be either sophomores or freshmen. Sort of like 2005-06, when WSU was 11-17, finished last in the Pac-10 but lost seven games by five or fewer points. Go even 4-3 in those games and WSU is 15-13 and the next year isn't as big a surprise. By the way, WSU recruit Anthony Brown had 10 points in Washington's 3A vs. 4A basketball all-star game this weekend. Brown's 3A team won, 115-106. ... Now to the links. No matter what happens with WSU, the conference it plays in will look different, with UW losing Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon, James Harden possibly not returning at ASU (and Jeff Pendergraph gone for sure), huge changes at UCLA and possibly a new coach at Oregon. Even Arizona, which is the only conference team still playing (how ironic is that?), will have a new look. ... The conference is nearly out of the NCAAs, but Buster Sports Nick Daschel writes it's not that down. ... Looking to football, the Pac-10's bowl situation isn't going to change much according to the Oregonian's Ken Goe. And Daschel has more things to watch next year, including a WSU trip.
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• That's it for now. We'll be back as events warrant. Until later …
