Mike Sando

Embarrassed and apologetic, Washington State forward Carlos Daniel took responsibility Wednesday for the shoplifting arrest that led to his suspension for last weekend's basketball game against Washington. "I want to apologize to my parents and then to my teammates and coaching staff for the embarrassment and humiliation I put them through for the bad decision I made," said Daniel, who is expected to start when the Cougars visit California tonight at 7:30.

1. Washington State's Tavares Mack watches a rebound elude his grasp following teammate Isaac Fontaine's final shot of the game. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review 2. Steve Slotemaker draws a charge on UW's Todd MacCulloch. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

Daniel is averaging 13.8 points per game. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

Scoring leaders Isaac Fontaine (22) of WSU and Mark Sanford of UW (right) figure to be at the center of attention during today's game. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

The NCAA's landmark decision allowing student-athletes to hold part-time jobs may be only the first step in easing financial restrictions on scholarship athletes, Washington State University president Sam Smith said. Smith, who chairs the NCAA Presidents Commission that approved the change last week, addressed several related issues during a campus press conference Friday.

The Washington State men's basketball team posted an aggregate grade-point average of 3.17 last semester, by far its highest on record, the university confirmed Wednesday. The 3.17 GPA breaks the previous modern WSU men's basketball record of 2.62, set in the spring of 1991, a university spokesman said. WSU has team GPA records for the last 15 seasons, he added.

1. Carlos Daniel stretches for two of his team-high 21 points and gets a bonus foul shot for his efforts against the Beavers. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Isaac Fontaine drives around Oregon State's Ron Grady in the first half. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

Carson Cunningham gives OSU a lift. Photo by Associated Press

Washington State guard Isaac Fontaine blows by Oregon's Jamar Curry as the Cougars break away to an early lead. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

Oregon point guard Kenya Wilkins (10) is a fast-rising star. Photo by Associated Press

In case anyone thought Thursday night's 28-point loss to UCLA was a fluke, Washington State went out Saturday afternoon and lowered the limbo bar another notch, losing 106-73 to USC before 2,868 in the Sports Arena. Thus ended the Cougars' longest road trip of this 1996-97 basketball season, a 16-day misadventure that took them through Spokane, Hawaii and Los Angeles and lowered their record from 7-1 to 8-5.

First, the positive part of Washington State's "performance" in Thursday night's Pacific-10 Conference basketball opener at Pauley Pavilion: "We don't have to come back to this friggin' place this season," coach Kevin Eastman said. Now for the ugly part: UCLA outworked, outmuscled and out-everythinged the Cougars in posting an absurdly easy 84-56 victory that kept WSU winless here in 32 tries.

1. The Arizona State secondary proves no match for Ohio State's David Boston, who breaks free for a first-half touchdown. He later hauled in the game-winner. Photo by Associated Press 2. Plummer fights for a 3-yard, second-quarter gain. Photo by Associated Press

Ohio State quarterback Joe Germaine, left, and coach John Cooper show off the Rose Bowl trophy. Photo by Associated Press

John Cooper, left, and Bruce Synder wear helmets, not hearts, on their sleeves. Photo by Associated Press

Pac-10 basketball preview The abrupt firing of UCLA basketball coach Jim Harrick three weeks before the beginning of the season was bound to affect the balance of power in the Pacific-10 Conference. But few imagined the impact would be felt so quickly. With five starters back from a team that went 23-8 and won its second consecutive conference title, UCLA was ranked as high as fifth nationally in preseason polls. Then came Harrick's ill-fated recruiting dinner and controversial firing. Untested assistant Steve Lavin took over on an interim basis - emphasis on interim - and has been unable to rally the Bruins. At 5-3, UCLA has dropped from the rankings altogether, and a reversal seems less likely with each lackluster performance. Meanwhile, most of the rest of Pac-10 appears stronger. Perennial contender Arizona is joined in the Top 25 by upstarts Stanford and Oregon. California, left for dead after a number of high-profile defections, is 9-2 and headed in the right direction under new coach Ben Braun. Washington, led by Mark Sanford and driven in part by the 11th-hour collapse that cost it an NCAA bid last season, will again be competitive. Washington State appears better than one might have figured - Sunday night's 85-79 loss to No. 4 Michigan would have been respectable even if Mark Hendrickson and Donminic Ellison were still with the team.

1. Cougars stand tall. Ken Kavanagh, foreground, and his San Jose State teammates needed to take their game to another level in Sunday's Spokane Arena game against Washington State. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 2. Isaac Fontaine lays one in for two of his 22 points that led Washington State over San Jose State. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

Mack

Washington State's Chris Crosby gets a good look at the basket over Idaho's Eddie Turner. Photo by Associated Press

When Idaho basketball coach Kermit Davis turned 30 on Dec. 14, 1989, he celebrated with a 56-52 victory over Washington State. Seven years and several change-of-address forms later, Davis is back for another party, although under entirely different circumstances. "Times have changed now, I'm telling you," Davis said Thursday, two days before his 37th birthday and, coincidentally, his team's Saturday afternoon visit to Friel Court.

1. Offensive tackle Scott Sanderson has made a habit of manhandling Washington State opponents. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. Sanderson 3. Darling

The bottom line, as Washington State basketball coach Kevin Eastman sees it, is that his Cougars cannot win consistently without receiving optimum performances from just about everyone. Even against a Big Sky Conference team like Montana. So it should have surprised no one when WSU, weakened by illness and unable to find scoring options beyond Isaac Fontaine and Carlos Daniel, was outplayed by Montana while dropping a 71-65 decision Tuesday night before 4,191 fans in Dahlberg Arena. "We were just drained of energy tonight," Eastman said. "Quite frankly, I was glad our guys hung in as well as they did because this was probably the least amount of energy that I've seen from any team that I've coached in 20 years." While the Cougars (5-1) struggled with illness - role players Cameron Johnson and Steve Slotemaker were weakened by flu - the Grizzlies were beset by injuries to starters Brent Smith and Chris Spoja. The difference was Montana's ability to persevere. The Grizzlies outrebounded WSU 47-37, including 17-9 on the offensive end, and held the Cougars to a season-low 41-percent shooting. Smith, playing with an injured thumb, led Montana (4-4) with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Spoja, ostensibly limited by a bum wrist, finished with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists. His jump shot with 3:08 left put Montana ahead for good, breaking a 58-58 tie while starting an 8-0 run. "We've got to learn how to play through that type of stuff," said Daniel, who finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds in a game-high 37 minutes. Fontaine led WSU with a season-high 25 points, but the senior shooting guard committed eight of the team's 23 turnovers and didn't have an assist. Despite WSU's ragged play, the Cougars appeared to regain control when the 6-foot-8 Slotemaker dunked on 6-0 Montana guard Kirk Walker with 5:49 remaining. Slotemaker was fouled on the play, and made the free throw to give WSU a 56-54 lead. But the Cougars never had a chance to celebrate. Walker was injured on the play - apparently suffering a concussion when struck in the head by a Slotemaker knee - and lay motionless. Walker was eventually helped from the court and taken to a local hospital, where he was expected to remain overnight. "It probably would've helped our momentum if he wouldn't have gotten hurt," Slotemaker said, "because we had to sit for about 2 minutes and I think we kind of lost our excitement off that play." Slotemaker finished with eight points to rank third among WSU scorers, while Johnson managed just three points in 21 minutes before fouling out. "A Steve Slotemaker and a Cameron Johnson, they have to be at 100-percent energy level to just be kind of productive," said Eastman. "And both of them came down with the flu and we just had to put them in 3-minute spurts and we just didn't see the same energy from either of them." Montana 71, Washington State 65 Washington St. (5-1) - Daniel 8-17 2-4 18, Fontaine 7-16 9-12 25, Johnson 1-4 1-3 3, de la Fuente 2-3 1-4 6, Jackson 0-2 0-0 0, Pengelly 0-1 0-0 0, Archibald 2-4 0-0 5, Crosby 0-4 0-0 0, Slotemaker 2-3 4-5 8. Totals 22-54 17-28 65. Montana (4-4) - Dade 4-4 4-11 12, Spoja 5-9 3-4 13, Smith 6-13 4-7 16, Walker 0-5 0-0 0, Camel 3-9 5-9 11, Bowie 1-4 2-2 5, Warhank 1-2 0-0 2, Henry 0-0 0-0 0, Dick 1-6 0-0 2, Olson 2-3 0-0 6, Seidensticker 1-3 2-3 4. Totals 24-58 20-36 71. Halftime-Montana 28, Washington St. 28. 3-point goals-Washington St. 4-15 (de la Fuente 1-2, Fontaine 2-6, Archibald 1-3, Slotemaker 0-1, Crosby 0-1, Pengelly 0-1, Jackson 0-1), Montana 3-8 (Olson 2-2, Bowie 1-3, Seidensticker 0-1, Walker 0-2). Fouled out-Johnson, Jackson, Archibald. Rebounds-Washington St. 37 (Daniel 14), Montana 47 (Smith 10). Assists Washington St. 13 (Jackson 5), Montana 15 (Spoja 5). Total fouls-Washington St. 29, Montana 20. Technicals-Montana coach Blaine Taylor. A-4,191.

Washington State football coach Mike Price, speaking publicly Friday for the first time since becoming a candidate for the Minnesota job, downplayed his well-publicized dinner conversation with the Gophers' athletic director and said he is focusing on recruiting. "All the discussions were preliminary discussions and that's where it is right now," said Price, reached by telephone at his Pullman residence. "They contacted me. I haven't met with the search committee. "It wasn't an interview situation. It was more of a 'What do you think we need to do here? How did you recruit this guy? What kind of defense?' It was almost like a consultant type of situation." The Price rumors began Tuesday morning, when a story in the Boston Globe mentioned the eighth-year WSU coach as a candidate for the Boston College job. The rumors intensified that evening, when a television reporter spotted Price and Minnesota athletic director Mark Dienhart having dinner in the Twin Cities. Friday afternoon, Price addressed both situations. "One of the (BC) alums has been on me and on me to apply for that job, you know, and wants me to take that job real, real bad," Price explained. "So the guy who covers them for the Boston Globe has been calling me . . . I called him back and I said I wasn't a candidate for the job and I wasn't interested in the job - no one has contacted me. "I'm not applying, I'm not asking to contact them, they're not calling me and Drew (Bledsoe, ex-WSU star and current New England Patriots quarterback) is not trying to get the job for me or anything like that. "So shoot, I'm going to be named the guy the next day then (in the Globe article). Hello? I don't know how that can happen." The Minnesota situation appears more substantial. Price said he was recruiting Monday in Utah when Dienhart, after receiving permission from WSU athletic director Rick Dickson, called to arrange a meeting. Price was flattered - Minnesota, after all, is reportedly willing to pay its next coach between $700,000 and $1 million per season. (WSU pays Price $110,000 annually in base salary.) Moments after Dienhart's call, Price was booked on Tuesday morning's 5 o'clock flight from Salt Lake City to Minneapolis. Then came dinner, and all hell broke loose. "I'm trying to have a pork chop and this TV guy slides right in the booth and looks at me and goes, 'Hi Mike,"' Price recalled. "And he says, 'Well, what's the quote?' to the A.D. I can't believe it. "Fifteen minutes and we were done, out of there. I was on the plane back home." Price said Dienhart offered no timetable to find a successor for Jim Wacker, who resigned three weeks ago. "It's just in the very beginning stages," Price stressed. "Just preliminary discussions. They didn't offer me the job." Was money the reason Price decided to check out Minnesota? "I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment on why I went back there," he said. For now, Price said he plans to continue recruiting. Several prospects were expected at the Price home for dinner Friday night, he said, and similar visits are scheduled every night through Wednesday. Price spent part of Friday afternoon meeting with WSU quarterback Ryan Leaf, one of several players who had expressed concern Thursday about Price's intentions. But Price said he doesn't expect to hold a team meeting. "I don't think it's necessary to have a team meeting and tell the players that I looked at another job," he said.

Price