Fast Break
College basketball
January makes cover of SI
Lewis and Clark graduate Briann January (above), a senior at Arizona State, is on the cover of the Sports Illustrated that hits newsstands today.
She is pictured with ASU men’s player James Harden in one of six regional covers that features a standout male and female player from the same schools. The others are Maya Moore and Hasheem Thabeet of UConn, Rashanda McCants and Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina, Ashley Barlow and Kyle McAlarney of Notre Dame, Courtney Paris and Blake Griffin of Oklahoma and Shavonte Zellous and DeJuan Blair of Pittsburgh.
January joins Central Valley graduate Bump Wills (March 28, 1977), Shadle Park grad Mark Rypien (Feb. 3, 1992), North Central grad Ryne Sandberg (March 16, 1992), Gonzaga Prep grad John Stockton (June 1, 1998) and Mead grad Adam Morrison, (March 6, 2006, and April 1, 2006), as known local products to make the cover of SI.
World Cup Soccer
Ching selected for qualifier
Former Gonzaga University standout and current Houston forward Brian Ching and Colorado midfielder Pablo Mastroeni were among 19 players picked Tuesday for a five-day training camp ahead of next week’s World Cup qualifier against Guatemala.
The United States (4-1) already clinched advancement to next year’s regional finals and is expected to leave off several Europe-based regulars for the Nov. 19 match at Commerce City, Colo.
Seventeen MLS players who have finished their club seasons will join goalkeeper Troy Perkins and defender Clarence Goodson, each with clubs in Norway, for the training camp, today through Sunday.
College football
Bennett picked as coach of year
First-year Central Washington University head coach Blaine Bennett, who guided the Wildcats to a 10-1 record, including a perfect 9-0 mark against Division II schools, was voted the Great Northwest Athletic Conference coach of the year.
It is the second coach of the year award for the former Whitworth quarterback, who earned Columbia Football Association honors in 1997 at Western Oregon.
CWU quarterback Mike Reilly, a Washington State transfer, was selected the GNAC offensive player of the year. Western Oregon defensive tackle Matt Cox is defensive player of the year.
Western sophomore defensive back Anthony Zackery, a former standout with Ferris, made the second-team defense.
Central Washington returns to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the second straight year, as the No. 8 nationally ranked Wildcats visit ninth-ranked West Texas A&M on Saturday. The winner will advance to face the region’s top seed, Abilene Christian, in a second-round game Nov. 22.