It’s cold outside, but links are room temperature
COUGARS
FROM PULLMAN – Snoqualmie Pass was not friendly yesterday, but the Honda managed to plow through the slush, ice and snow and arrived safely back on the snow-covered Palouse. Though looking at the forecast, it seems we may have left the worst of this storm behind in Seattle. Regardless, we have a flurry of links for you with a 50 percent chance of entertainment (OK, probably less than that). Read them anyway, though.
…
Lame weather jokes aside, it really does sound like it’s about to get pretty miserable, at least on the West Side of the state. If you have to travel this week, here’s hoping you do so safely. … While the basketball team was in Seattle to play Washington this weekend, it was a big couple of days for the football team on the recruiting front. Scout.com listed 11 players as taking their official visits over the weekend (which we realize ended on Sunday, even though it may not have felt like it). Reports indicate that two of them – four-star receiver Gabriel Marks, as Vince linked to yesterday, and top-100 linebacker Kache Palacio – gave verbal commitments during their visit. ESPN reports that WSU nearly picked up another commitment during the weekend from a slot receiver who was once committed to SMU. … I know Vince linked to this video yesterday, but figured it was worth pointing out that coach Ken Bone’s sideline spill on Sunday earned him a story on Yahoo! and Deadspin.com. Must have been a “buzzy” moment, as an old boss would have said. ... Interesting interview here with new WSU linebackers coach Jeff Choate in the Idaho Statesman. And that’s about all we have in the WSU department this morning.
Around the Pac-12: Monday-into-Tuesday istypically light on Pac-12 basketball news, but there was one move in particular that had Pac-12 football fans buzzing. That was the hire of defensive line coach/recruiting guru Tosh Lupoi by Washington, a move that could have some implications on the West Coast recruiting scene. Also, the Huskies appear to have lost their offensive coordinator. Also, Huskies quarterback Nick Montana – his dad played in the NFL for a while, I think – decided to transfer, to nobody’s surprise. … The UW basketball team will be missing C.J. Wilcox for at least another two games. Terrence Ross’ efforts against WSU earned him Pac-12 Player of the Week. … Oregon and Oregon State didn’t produce many likely future NFL players this season (boo-hoo, right?). … The Ducks face USC this week on the basketball court, somewhere the Trojans haven’t scored many points. … Arizona is searching for someone to fill the shoes of Derrick Williams in clutch situations. ... California has struggled in Seattle recently. ... Utah picked up a pair of football commitments.
Not a whole heck of a lot else out there. We'll be back today with notes and quotes from Ken Bone's conference calls, as is standard duty on a Tuesday. Until then ...
Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple