A Grip on Sports: The Beasley Coliseum rafters shook yesterday and they also changed forever

A GRIP ON SPORTS • If you are reading this, it means you are no spring chicken, as my dad used to say. (Having not grown up on a farm, I didn’t know what the term “spring chicken” meant, but I used to nod my head approvingly when he used it.) You’ve been around the block a few times, seen some amazing things in the world of sports. So how would you rate yesterday’s happenings in Pullman?

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• Yes, we are referring not only to Klay Thompson’s jersey retirement ceremony, but also to more than 10,000 folks in Beasley Coliseum cheering the Cougars on to a Pac-12 victory over Oregon State.

Such things just haven’t happened at Washington State in, I don’t know, about a decade.

Oh, the Cougars have won home basketball games. And they’ve won some as convincingly as yesterday’s. But in front of a crowd that actually made the old building rock and roll like it did Saturday? Nope, that hasn’t happened since, well, since yours truly was living and writing in Pullman on a daily basis. (And, no, there isn’t a correlation, it’s just coincidence.)

The common denominator? The guy sitting in the front row on the south baseline.

Give him a pop-pom and a letter sweater. He was the Cougars’ biggest cheerleader yesterday – and just about every other day.

Some of us watched Steve Puidokas play for WSU so many years ago. He starred for the Cougars when I was in college, when I was one of the Pac-8’s biggest basketball fans.

We are well aware of the player Puidokas was. He was a beast inside. He is still Washington State’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder. His number, 55, has hung in the Beasley rafters since I can remember, looking a bit lonely up there without any numbers to join it.

It now has company.

• Thompson is sitting out this season with the Golden State Warriors after suffering a knee injury. But you can sure tell he would love to play. In lieu of that ability, he spent Saturday jumping up and down, celebrating every great play the Cougars made. There were a lot more than probably he expected. After all, this is a basketball program that has struggled recently.

But first-year coach Kyle Smith seems to have turned the Cougars’ fortunes around, introducing a culture based on defense. That’s not revolutionary in Pullman. It just hasn’t been the norm for more than a decade.

Every time Washington State plays as hard and as physically as it did on the defensive end yesterday – if you think the presence of the guy in the front row had something to do with it, you would be right – and couples that with a 34-point performance by a guard not named CJ Elleby, look out. OK, we get it. Isaac Bonton (or anyone else for that matter) isn’t going off like that again. But the other part, the defensive intensity? That can happen every day.

• We sat down during and after the game and transcribed everything Thompson said in his press conference. We offer it to you below, if you are interested. It starts with a synopsis of the question followed by Thompson’s answer. Theo Lawson also transcribed all of his comments during the halftime ceremony. They are at the end.

How did you change over the your three years at WSU: “Each year I was in Pullman I had to grow. In my freshman year I had so many great leaders on our team as far as veterans, you know Daven, Taylor Rochestie was such a great team player, such a great point guard. When they left, I had to kind of step into that spotlight, that main go-to guy role. I took my lumps and had my slumps, but those made me so much stronger. They prepared me for the pros, honestly. And then my junior year, I kind of got a little national recognition, some draft buzz. That’s when I had to be a man because I was about to step into a man’s world in the NBA. And Ken Bone, give credit to coach Bone, he trusted me with that green light and put the team in my hands. So I’m very grateful for coach Bone and his staff.

How did today compare with what he thought it would be: “It surpassed all my expectations. Just to see the city and the building. There’s nothing like Coug love, that’s what I’ve come to realize. I meant that when I said when I’m around the country and I say ‘Go Cougs,’ it’s a special kinship when someone says that. I feel the energy. I want to get out there and play so badly. … It’s OK, I’m enjoying being a spectator, man. These young boys are really doing it.”

What were you thinking when the 1 went up to the rafters: “Man, I’m getting old, that’s what happened. No, it was very surreal and I can’t believe that’s going to hang there forever. I’m such a lucky person. I’m very far from self-made, I had so much help along the way. My parents, my teammates, I’m just grateful to be back.”

Did Pullman help you deal with fame down the road: “Absolutely, being the big man on campus in Pullman, there’s nothing better. You got into every party, you got by every line and it was just so much fun to have that ability to inspire people. I felt that before I even got to the NBA playing for the Cougs. Esoecially with the people of Pullman, how much this institution means to them, that who I play for. It was so fun, especially my junior year, being here, getting used to where you liked to go to eat, how to get around town, going to Spokane one day. So I really enjoyed my time and it really prepared me for what was to come.”

Getting off the plane on Friday: “Ya, I might have yelled a few things but you just felt really good to touched down, seeing all that white snow and those rolling hills. There’s no place really like it. The way people gang together here, it’s so unique. And it’s something that’s hard to get in the pros. Ya, the Coug love, there is really nothing like it.”

What did you say to the women’s team when you went to their game: “I had to go see them play, because we were so tight (with the women’s team) when I played here. We were like brothers and sisters because we had the same schedule. We were the only people left during winter break, so we really bonded. I just wanted to go show them support. A lot of those girls are from other places around the world and I know how it feels to be away from your family for so long. I just told them it’s like a sisterhood, so lean on each other. The relationships they make will last a lifetime. They’ll have memories on the court, but it’s the relationships they make that will go on forever. It felt so good to support them. They played so hard yesterday, I’m so proud of them. I love them, I love what coach is doing, I’m just proud of their effort.”

On attending the men’s practice Friday and what advice he offered: “Just try and be present. It’s so hard when you are that young. You always want the next best thing for you. I remember when I was a junior, itching to get to the league, but right when I left, I missed Pullman so much. I missed my friends, I missed the ability to walk everywhere, to live a, not a cheap life, but my dollar went a long way. … I just missed being a student. That’s what I told these young guys. Enjoy these moments, immerse yourself in the city and the team. Try to be as present as you can, because it goes by like that (snaps fingers). It seems like yesterday I was here, grinding, summer sessions. I miss it so much.”

What does he think it means to be a Coug?: “That is a great question. To me, being a Coug means being a family. I meant that when I said I when I go worldwide and I hear ‘go Cougs’ it’s an immediate connection. The community here, the college experience it’s rare to get. So to me being a Coug is family, it’s loyalty, it’s friendship and it’s just having your brethren or your sisters’ back. That’s what being a Coug entails.”

Does Steph Curry like it in Pullman: “He’s loving it. I can tell just with his energy on the court. He’s loving it. He just being back in that college atmosphere. I know he had a great college life being at Davidson with those NCAA tourney runs. Steph’s like a brother to me, a big brother. I look up to him so much. For him to come out and show support means so much to me. He’s such an amazing man.”

• Here is Thompson’s comments to the crowd at halftime as transcribed by Theo:

Man, last time I was on the mic at Beasley, I had the tears flowing. I don’t know if this will be the same again, but I’m going to try not to cry because this is pretty special. (Fan yells, ‘I miss you’). Aww, I miss you guys too.

I’ll never forget in 2007 when Tony Bennett and Ben Johnson came to my parents’ house, sat on the couch and I just fell in love with what Tony was speaking. He put together a vision, I came up to Pullman, flew up from Seattle, saw the beautiful wheat fields on the Palouse. Then proceeded to go on campus, hang out with my teammates – future teammates – and that’s what really sold me on this institution.

So I look up here, I see the 2008 Sweet Sixteen team. I fell in love with that team, man. I just saw how it was a brotherhood, that’s what I saw from afar. They only might have been friends for a couple years, but it seemed like they grew up together because they were so tight. … Times go so fast. When I saw that team, I wanted to be a part of it. I saw what they did for the city, I saw the love they got from everyone in this town and that’s what I wanted to be a part of, just to inspire people. … I know we’ve done amazing things with the Warriors. … We’ve done some amazing things, but who wouldn’t like to see a couple more championships? But before that started, I came to Pullman and I felt the love here. Before everything happened internationally.

It was the best playing in front of my family, my uncle John, my cousin Jack … Every time I’d walk in here I get chills because I’d think of my grandfather that passed away. My grandpa Jerry. Not a bigger fan than my grandpa Jerry. He’d be sitting 12 rows up, there wasn’t a ref he ever liked, there wasn’t another team he ever liked. That man would go toe-to-toe with anybody that came after his grandson. Everybody asks where I get my competitive fire…it definitely came from my grandfather. That’s for sure.

Thank you to everyone who came out, this is very special. No matter what uni I put on – hopefully a Warriors for the rest of my career – I will always be a Coug. I’m so grateful for where basketball has taken me. It’s taken me to China, Brazil, New Zealand, Spain, around the world. But there’s nowhere like Pullman. I love you and go Cougs! And thank you ZZU Cru.

(Later, Thompson grabbed the microphone and thanked his parents, something he forgot to do in his main speech.)

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WSU: Theo Lawson had to cover the game. Which he did with this analysis and another story on Bonton’s career effort. But he also wanted to document Thompson’s trip to Pullman. … While Thompson was in Pullman, I attended more than 90 percent of the games and nearly as high a percentage of basketball practices. I observed and chronicled all the ups and downs. So it seemed appropriate to be there when the school honored him yesterday. And to write about it. … Colin Mulvany used his camera to chronicle yesterday’s happenings. … Oregon State had trouble guarding the Cougars in space. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, Payton Pritchard’s long 3-pointer may have lifted Oregon to an overtime comeback win over Washington, but it also may have put a nail in the Huskies’ NCAA hopes. … Arizona didn’t have a loss it needed to rebound from, but the Wildcats invoked that word after defeating Colorado. It’s because they dominated the glass. … Utah is struggling, losing its fourth consecutive game, this one to Arizona State. … Stanford looked like the class of the conference until it melted down in the final seconds against USC. The Trojans went on to win in overtime…. UCLA will face off with California today. … In football news, another lineman is returning to USC.

Gonzaga: Driving home from Pullman last night, I was able to listen to Tom Hudson and Adam Morrison describe the first part of the game over the radio. It’s not something I get to experience, tied in as I usually am with the TV Take. It was enjoyable and informative, much more of both than many of the television broadcasts I have observed the past few years. They described the Zags win over visiting BYU, a happenstance Jim Meehan also covers with this game analysis, the keys to the victory and a short story on Filip Petrusev’s rolled ankle, which doesn’t look to be all that serious. … Dan Thompson also was in the Kennel and has his thoughts. … Jesse Tinsley has a photo gallery from the contest. … The folks in the office put together a recap with highlights. … The Zag women are officially off to their best start ever after winning at USF last night. … Around the WCC, Santa Clara held off Pacific. … San Diego snapped a five-game losing streak with a win over Portland.

EWU: The Eagles had a surprisingly easy time of it posting a win in Bozeman last night. Surprising because the Bobcats have been tough at home. … The women lost to MSU in Cheney, though it took two overtimes to get a decision. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Northern Arizona upset Northern Colorado in Greeley. … Portland State handled Idaho State at home.

Idaho: The Vandals became Montana’s 1,000 victim at home on Saturday. We could make some cynical remark about how home cooking was responsible for 973 of the them, but we won’t.

Whitworth: The Pirates traveled south to Pacific and knocked out the Boxers.

CCS: The Sasquatch picked up an important Northwest Athletic Conference win at Wenatchee Valley.

Preps: There was basketball around the area Saturday and we can pass along roundups from girls and boys action, as well as the games involving GSL schools. … A former Lakeside High star is being honored. It’s part of our weekly local briefs.

Chiefs: Spokane bounced back with a 6-2 win over Regina before 8,035 at the Arena. Kevin Dudley has the story.

Sounders: The offseason can contain many things for Seattle players.

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• It’s been a long time since I attended a basketball game in Pullman. And though there was one going on yesterday, parts of it seemed more like a party, not a competition. Or maybe it more accurately resembled a celebration of Klay Thompson’s Cougar life. No matter what it was, it was refreshing to see Beasley filled like it used to be when George Raveling was roaming the sidelines or when Tony Bennett was learning his craft as a coach. The past few years, watching games on TV and seeing how empty the place looked, it was hard to take. If only for one game, the old place showed some life. Until later …