The Best of the West offers fans an unapologetic assessment of the top football teams in the western third of the country – a collection of schools now scattered across five conferences: the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and …
PULLMAN — Eric Morris saw the future one sunny afternoon in the Bay Area. It was late in Washington State’s blowout win over Stanford in 2022, back when Morris was the Cougars’ offensive coordinator, so he put heads together with head coach Jake Dickert and gave starting quarterback Cam Ward the rest of the game off.
The Hotline mailbag publishes weekly. Send questions to wilnerhotline@bayareanewsgroup.com and include ‘mailbag’ in the subject line. Or hit me on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline Please note: Some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity. The scheduling agreement between the Pac-12 and …
LAS VEGAS – There were dueling emotions for Isaac Jones on June 27 as the former Washington State forward followed along with the second and final day of the 2024 NBA draft.
PULLMAN – Washington State wide receiver Carlos Hernandez will likely miss the first five games of the season with his foot injury. That’s the word from head coach Jake Dickert, who said Thursday that as Hernandez recovers from his foot …
To the extent that there’s an official definition of trap games, it typically refers to teams looking beyond an uninspiring opponent because they have a much bigger game the following week. The Hotline takes a slightly longer view, looking backward …
We are fast approaching the start of a college football season unlike any other, ever. The combination of conference realignment and playoff expansion has set the stage for three months of drama that will far exceed anything the 155-year-old sports …
PULLMAN – Nick Haberer squinted his eyes and did a double-take. Surely his mom, Raelene, had misspoken. “You want me to learn how to gamble?” Haberer asked. Turns out, Haberer was the one who misunderstood. In his younger days growing …
Exactly how the two athletic departments use the $250 million (roughly) available from the demise of the Pac-12 depends, to an extent, on the funding support they receive from central campus. Also, they don't have immediate access to the entire amount. One last point: Both schools have time.
PULLMAN – Washington State has its man for this season. The Cougars will start redshirt sophomore quarterback John Mateer for their Aug. 31 season-opener against Portland State, head coach Jake Dickert announced Monday evening, ending a competition with FCS Bryant …
PULLMAN – Tre Shackelford likes to say there’s a difference in John Mateer and Zevi Eckhaus’ leadership styles. The two Washington State quarterbacks vying for the job like to point their guys in the right directions in different ways, according to Shackelford.
PULLMAN – Debbie Thornton remembers the rides down the hospital hallways the most. It was early 2015, nearly a decade before her son Kyle blossomed into one of Washington State’s most seasoned linebackers, and as she recovered from a rare disorder called Guillain Barré, she needed a way to distract herself from the painful tests at the rehab hospital in California.
PULLMAN – Month after month, the race for Washington State’s starting running back role was billed as a stalemate. Leo Pulalasi, Djouvensky Schlenbaker, Dylan Paine and true freshman Wayshawn Parker were all squarely in the mix, coach Jake Dickert said, which is why all four received about equal carries during spring ball and the first two weeks of fall camp.
Now five years into his career, Robert Franks has been compensated to play professional basketball in four countries and three different continents, but the 27-year-old is still in pursuit of a job promotion that would bring him closer to his home state of Washington and fulfill his dream of landing a permanent roster spot in the NBA.
PULLMAN – Washington State has finalized its 2024-25 men’s basketball schedule. The Cougars, who previously announced their West Coast Conference slate last week, added a couple of games to their nonconference schedule to round out the full lineup of games. …
PULLMAN – There’s lots to like about this Washington State offensive line, position coach Jared Kaster will tell you, but the group’s depth and versatility stands out most in his mind.
Not a week goes by, it seems, without Washington State and Oregon State being the subject of realignment rumors. It could be as simple as a message board riff or a tweet on X. Maybe it’s an anonymous quote published …
PULLMAN – Off John Mateer’s hands, the throw looked like a gem. The ball came soaring in a tight spiral from the south end of Rogers Practice Field to the north end, a toss so pretty that even before Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams sprinted under it and caught it in stride for a touchdown, it always looked destined for a breathtaking ending.
Not long ago, Washington State lost its volleyball coach, men’s basketball coach and athletic director in the wake of the Pac-12 Conference’s collapse. One coach who remained? Sixth-year women’s basketball coach Kamie Ethridge. “I want to be here,” Ethridge said …