Tuesday’s happenings are Wednesday’s links
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FROM PULLMAN -- Woke up, looked out the window and saw some snow still on the ground, which can mean only one thing: it's almost time to drive across Snoqualmie Pass again. Speaking of which, there was a basketball game on that side of the state last night. An ugly one. Read on for that and more.
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Ken Bone spoke with local and conference media yesterday, and you can read a summary of his comments here. As noted in that post, not much news there other than Reggie Moore likely returning to the lineup on Sunday. ... Have the Cougars added another football assistant? It appears that way, as FootballScoop.com reported last night that Boise State special teams coordinator/nickels coach Jeff Choate has been hired by Mike Leach. The report doesn't say which position he might coach. Again, no official coaching announcement has been made by WSU. ... Marshall Lobbestael will play in a college all-star game that Mike Leach helped found.
Around the Pac-12: You've got to give Seattle University coach Cameron Dollar credit -- he always knows exactly what he wants to do against cross-town rival Washington, his former employer. And he doesn't let the officials discourage him from employing his game plan. The Huskies held off Seattle U 91-83 last night in a game that featured 37 fouls against the Redhawks and 59 free throws for the Huskies, who, of course, made just 37 of them. It reminded of the 2010 game between these teams, which saw the Huskies win 123-76 and the Redhawks commit so many fouls that they finished the game with four players. Seattle used 12 players and a full-court press that Washington struggled mightily to break, committing 16 turnovers. WSU should take note. Washington sportswriter of the year Jerry Brewer wrote about the game's ugly nature -- exactly how Seattle wanted it. Abe Lodwick spoke yesterday about wanting to use the Huskies' aggressiveness against them. I think that's a good way to put it. Seattle put UW's ball-handlers in high-stress situations, and they've shown a tendency to not handle those so well, even at home. ... Oregon State's Roberto Nelson made two 3-pointers without a shoe in Saturday's four-overtime thriller against Stanford. ... Arizona coach Sean Miller wants to know what his team is thinking sometimes when it turns the ball over. ... Herb Sendek was darn-near poetic on the Pac-12 conference call yesterday while addressing the transfer epidemic in college hoops, the subject of the lead item in this notebook by Jake Curtis and this column by Bud Withers. (Sendek spoke on yesterday's call about how years ago, when your dad went to work for US Steel, he got a gold watch after 35 years and retired from US Steel. Now, people change jobs, change careers at a much higher rate. And transfer rates in college athletics are simply a reflection of our changing society. That, and kids have voices in their ear telling them they should be playing more.) But at least the Sun Devils are regaining two players suspended for their last trip. ... A Utah writer isn't quite sold on Colorado yet. The Buffs are a hot topic around the conference. ... Ben Howland wants a certain pair of twins to get to the foul line more. ... Lazeric Jones is getting used to playing on the wing. ... For some BCS and college football links, Vince has you covered.
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That's all for now. As you can see, we've installed our first poll of the season above. Vote and comment as you please.
Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple