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No change in status for WSU’s Moore

COUGARS

Just got done talking with coach Ken Bone on his weekly conference call and have some updates on the Reggie Moore situation and other items. Read on.

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• The most important thing Bone said is Moore is still suspended indefinitely from basketball activities. The point guard did not practice Monday. Bone said he and Moore should talk today concerning the indefinite aspect of the suspension and when it might end. There was no chance yesterday as after practice Bone had to race out to catch a plane out of town. To reiterate, the suspension is related to the search of Moore's dorm room in early December and the alleged recovery of marijuana and used paraphernalia that led to charges being filed Jan. 4. Asked what might have changed, leading to Saturday's decision, Bone said nothing. He just wanted to take the time to go over all the information and then make a decision. On the bus Thursday after the Cal loss, Bone said he felt he had enough information to make a decision at any time. So he decided to suspend him before Saturday's game, though Moore practiced Friday and went through shoot-around early Saturday. ... Bone said there is a chance that Moore could play Thursday against Arizona State. ... He said he takes each disciplinary situation individually because each instance is different. This one took longer because of the circumstances, citing the search of Moore's dorm room when he wasn't present. In other words, Moore was not stopped on the street, searched and found with less than 40 grams of marijuana and a pipe. Similar items were found on his side of his shared dorm room, but not in Moore's physical possession. ... How has this situation affected the basketball part of the deal? Bone said it makes it kind of tricky. Moore is a pass-first point guard whose whole game is built around helping others score. He can score, but would rather help others do it. Faisal Aden, who replaced Moore in the starting lineup the six games Moore missed – five early with the wrist and last Saturday – is, as Bone put it jokingly, a shooting guard who looks to shoot first and pass third. That changes the dynamic of the offense. With Moore's status for Thursday and Saturday still unclear, the Cougars have to try to get ready without a clearcut certainty what players will be on the floor. ... Asked why his team is 6-0 without Moore playing, Bone pointed to the schedule as a part of it. But he then said the Fresno State game on the road, Portland in Seattle and Stanford were not easy wins, no matter who was playing. But he felt the others guys stepped up and filled the void. However, all of them believe they are a better team with Reggie than without him. ... OK, enough of that. Onto the other aspects of the conversation. ... I asked Bone if this week is hard because of the different ways the two teams play, with ASU zoning all the time and UA playing an aggressive man-to-man. He said yes, but he feels that it's that way almost every week in the conference. ... As for practice time this late in the season, most of it is spent getting ready for the opponent and there is a little less emphasis on individual development. ... Asked about Aden and his role with an available Moore, Bone said he prefers Aden coming off the bench, citing long-ago Boston Celtic John Havlicek (though I think, from a bygone era, Vinnie Johnson might be a better comparison). One way or the other, though, Aden will get his minutes. ... Bone repeated his mantra about Klay Thompson and the NBA, saying if he decides to go after this year and feels he's ready, he would support him whole-heartedly. The NBA is his dream, Bone said, and he wants to help him reach it. ... In talking about Arizona's Derrick Williams, Bone called him a warrior. He said of Thompson he wouldn't use that term other than when Thompson gets the ball. Then he's a warrior trying to score. ... Finally, Bone said Stephen Bjornstad is available to play as he goes through practice and does most drills. But he's still not 100 percent. From what I've seen, Bjornstad is still trying to get his quickness back, something he improved on markedly late last year but has slipped backward with the knee problems.

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• That's it for now. We'll be back tonight if events warrant. Until then ...



Vince Grippi
Vince Grippi is a freelance local sports blogger for spokesman.com. He also contributes to the SportsLink Blog.

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