This and that from the Palouse — again

COUGARS

FROM PULLMAN — No major news on the WSU landscape on Tuesday, but there turned out to be enough to put together a post, pass along some notes and some links, then be on our way. Read on.

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We’ll begin by linking this profile we wrote about WSU’s top-ranked women’s tennis player, Liudmila Vasilieva. Something different, but I think you’ll enjoy her story (the accompanying photograph was shot by our newest photographer, Tyler Tjomsland, a good friend of mine with whom I attended middle school and high school). … In other WSU news, we have a few items. First, the Pac-12 conducted an end-of-spring teleconference yesterday, though Mike Leach was the only coach who wasn’t available due to travel. He was in Omaha at a book signing. It’s a new era, indeed. Anyway, defensive coordinator Mike Breske filled in on the call and answered a couple of general questions about WSU’s spring practices. His most noteworthy observation was that the linebackers will be the strength of WSU’s defense, which, as CougCenter explains , might say more about Breske’s scheme than it does about the overall talent at each position. … Breske said the biggest adjustment for him this spring was getting used to seeing the ball in the air 75 percent of the time. He answered a couple of other pretty basic questions, too, but again, nothing we didn’t already know. … There were some stories written as a result of yesterday’s teleconference, focusing on the potential of a playoff and the new faces around the conference. … Leach ranks second in the Sporting News’ rankings of the Pac-12 football coaches. … Ryan Leaf entered a guilty plea in Montana court on Tuesday.

Around the Pac-12 … Some thoughts from Arizona State’s defensive coordinator. … More notes from Tuesday’s teleconference. … A few former Cal football players have started their own band . … A Washington running back won’t return to the program. … A rundown of the quarterback situations at each Pac-12 school. … Words spoken by coaches at Oregon and Oregon State .

That’s all for now.

Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com . Twitter: @ChristianCaple