Mike Sando

WSU's Kojo Mensah-Bonsu fouls UCLA hero Kris Johnson during the first half of the Cougars' loss Thursday night. Johnson later scored the game-winning shot. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

By focusing on his responsibilities, WSU basketball star Carlos Daniel has come close to his goals. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Two of Washington State's newest basketball recruits have yet to score a single basket this season, but there's no need to panic. Mike Bush, a senior at Kent-Meridian High School, and Ventura (Calif.) College sophomore Eddie Miller are sitting out this season. The 6-foot-6, 190-pound Bush averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds as a junior at Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy, but he cannot play this season because this is his fifth year in high school. The 6-8, 225-pound Miller played one season at Ventura before the program was discontinued. He'll have three years of eligibility at WSU.

Playing 10thranked Stanford is a depth wish for undermanned teams like Washington State, a lesson the Cougars knew long before Saturday night's 72-56 loss at sold-out Maples Pavilion. For Stanford, depth means Ryan Mendez - ever hear of him? - coming off the bench to drill five 3-pointers, including four during a 6-minute span that helped the Cardinal take a 36-26 halftime lead.

Playing 10th-ranked Stanford is a depth wish for undermanned teams like Washington State, a lesson the Cougars knew long before Saturday night's 72-56 loss at Maples Pavilion. For Stanford, depth means Ryan Mendez - ever hear of him? - coming off the bench to drill five 3-pointers, including four during a 6-minute span that helped the Cardinal take a 36-26 halftime lead. "The last one he hit, I touched the ball," marveled WSU wing Chris Crosby. "I actually deflected it and it went in. Great shooter."

Blake Pengelly, left, and Brian Stewart trap Cal's Sean Marks. Photo by Associated Press

Oregon State doesn't always play hard, as coach Eddie Payne and his players admitted following the Beavers' most recent defeat, an 80-68 loss at Washington State. And OSU rarely plays particularly well, as any statistical breakdown would suggest. Surely no team in the Pacific-10 Conference is so quick to fire the off-balance perimeter jump shot.

1. OSU's Jerome Vaden runs into triple trouble as WSU's Kojo Mensah-Bonsu, left, Leif Nelson, middle, and Kab Kazadi create a turnover. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review (color photo ran only in the Spokane edition) 2. Oregon State's Todd Marshall rejects the Cougars' Chris Crosby. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review (black & white photo ran in the Spokane and Idaho editions) 3.Washington State center Brian Stewart battles Oregon State's Terrill Woods for a rebound. Photo by Associated Press (color photo ran only in the Regional edition) 4. Washington State's Kojo Mensah-Bonsu elbows Oregon State's Terrill Woods in the face on a drive to the hoop. Photo by Associated Press (black & white photo ran only in the Regional edition.)

It was unclear which was more painful, the ankle injury that knocked Carlos Daniel from the game with 10:42 remaining, or the late 3-pointer that sent Washington State to its eighth consecutive men's basketball defeat. "I think we're just kind of numb to it," point guard Blake Pengelly said. "We've had a lot of bad things happen to us so far. You get kind of used to it. It was nothing surprising." Oregon's 64-63 victory Thursday night at Friel Court provided the latest test to the Cougars' pain threshold. Given several chances to win in the final minutes, WSU didn't know what to do.

Washington State sophomore wing Chris Crosby, who sprained an ankle Saturday against Arizona, is questionable for tonight's home game against Oregon. His jump shot, like those of several teammates, remains doubtful at best.

It could have been worse. Much worse. Just ask Arizona State, which gave up 127 points to college basketball's defending national champs. Kansas State (125), Washington (112) and Morgan State (115) can also vouch for the potency of Arizona's unrelenting arsenal. For Washington State, then, there was no shame in Saturday night's 83-61 loss to the fourth-ranked Wildcats in McKale Center, a place where far better opponents have suffered far worse fates.

Mike Price: "This is the place for me." File/The Spokesman-Review

As an assistant basketball coach at Washington State from 1987-92, Don Newman helped Kelvin Sampson build the program into a postseason contender. Newman, now the interim head coach at Arizona State, felt a twinge of sadness Thursday after his surging Sun Devils handed the Cougars their sixth straight defeat, an 82-68 pounding before 6,032 fans in the University Activity Center.

There are two things to remember during the rush to assess Washington State's latest football recruiting class, which coach Mike Price unveiled during Wednesday's national letter-of-intent day.

Arizona restored order to the Pac-10 with its humbling of previously unbeaten Stanford last week, leaving the Wildcats as clear favorites to end UCLA's three-year hold on the conference championship. "Stanford had a better record than us and people were trying to hype the game up," Arizona point guard Mike Bibby said, "but we're the national champions. People gotta knock us off."

WSU's Carlos Daniel, center, and USC's Gary Johnson scramble for loose ball. Photo by Associated Press

WSU's Carlos Daniel challenges Kris Johnson. Photo by Associated Press

Miles Simon and the Arizona Wildcats shouldn't have any trouble getting pumped up for tonight's game at Stanford. Photo by Associated Press

When he signs his new contract with WSU, Mike Price just wants to be happy. File/The Spokesman-Review

Washington State's Rose Bowl season has vaulted the Cougars into more pristine recruiting territory, marking a departure from the days when they could not compete with Washington in the quest to attract high-profile talent. WSU has received oral commitments from 19 recruits, led by Kevin Brown, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound All-America tailback from City College of San Francisco.

This was the one of those uninspired, disjointed performances best reserved for the road, so as not to offend the local clientele. Washington State's least energized performance of the season came at home Saturday night, where a restless Friel Court crowd of 4,952 waited and waited for the big run that never came. The result, an 86-75 loss to California, left the Cougars (8-10) with a 1-6 record in the Pacific-10 Conference - on the eve of consecutive road

If Washington State's Blake Pengelly, right, can't get to the basketball he's not going to let Stanford's Jarron Collins grab it, either. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

1. Tim Young, putting up a hook shot over California's Kenyon Jones, gives Stanford plenty of muscle under the basket. Photo by Associated Press 2. Stanford's Mike Montgomery seems to have all the answers this season. Photo by Associated Press

Kojo Mensah-Bonsu, right, fighting for a rebound against Penn's Paul Romanczuk, is one of WSU's top defenders. Photo by Associated Press