Barnes to continue as Eagles” AD
Fresno State’s loss is Eastern Washington’s gain.
EWU athletic director Scott Barnes will not be leaving for the same position at his alma mater.
Barnes, who has operated the EWU athletic department in the black, increased contributions and improved facilities, was informed of the decision Friday morning.
“I think things work out the way they’re supposed to work out,” said Barnes, who took over at Eastern on July 1, 1999. “We’re excited to be at Eastern and continue to move the mission here forward.”
Barnes interviewed at FSU on Tuesday and Ohio University athletic director Tom Boeh interviewed Thursday. Though both impressed people participating in the search, FSU decided to go with Boeh.
Barnes, 42, and his wife, Jody, are both former-student athletes at Fresno State, which has been plagued by NCAA violations and sanctions as well as off-court controversy in recent years. The most recent was an Office for Civil Rights investigation into alleged Title IX violations. That concluded in late April.
Barnes was a finalist at Fresno State when Scott Johnson was promoted from within the department in 2001. Johnson announced his retirement in February from the position that oversees a $22-million budget that supports 17 sports.
Dave Trimmer
Perry’s staff nearly finalized
The makeover of the University of Idaho men’s basketball coaching staff is near complete.
Head coach Leonard Perry will have a new assistant coaching staff next season. The latest departure is Chris Lancaster, who has accepted a job in his home town as athletic director at South Knox High School in Vincennes, Ind. Lancaster, a three-year Vandals assistant, resigned several weeks ago, but stayed on to fulfill terms of his contract.
“I appreciated the opportunity (at Idaho) and it’s a wonderful, wonderful place,” Lancaster said. “I have a 20-month-old son and it would be a great place to raise him. The only issue was my family and my wife’s family isn’t here.”
Idaho has announced the addition of former Lewis-Clark State College coach George Pfeifer as an assistant coach. Pfeifer went 296-208 in 16 seasons at the Lewiston school. Former Wyoming assistant Leroy Washington is expected to officially join Idaho’s staff next week. He told several Wyoming newspapers last month that he was bound for Idaho.
Nate Tessmer, a UI graduate assistant the last four seasons, is considered a strong candidate for promotion.
Perry has a 44-72 record in four seasons. Idaho, 30-42 in Big West Conference games under Perry, will join the Western Athletic Conference next season.
Jim Meehan
McCall’s trial to begin May 23
Washington State running back Kevin McCall’s third-degree rape trial is still slated for a start date of May 23 after a pre-trial readiness hearing in Whitman County Superior Court.
Defense attorney Tim Esser argued that a prosecution witness submitted in the last week should not be allowed. But when offered a continuance to June 20 for the trial by Judge David Frazier, Esser declined as he and Carol LaVerne from the Prosecutor’s Office agreed to move forward as planned. McCall, who was not present for the hearing, is accused of raping a WSU student in her dorm room on March 6.
The defense, based on documents filed with the court, is not contesting that McCall was in the dorm room, just that the rape did not occur.
Glenn Kasses