A Grip on Sports: This season may have ended abruptly, but the next one should be bright for Gonzaga, Eastern, WSU and other area teams

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Isn’t it fun to be surprised, in a good way? Someone jumping up from behind a couch yelling “happy birthday” is such an example. Opening up sports pages from up and down the West Coast and finding a whole bunch of stories to read is another. It’s the type of surprises we need these days.

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• You’ll notice the number of links we have below is quite impressive, especially considering there is no live sports to cover. No spring training. No golf. No NBA. And, most distressing, no March Madness. Today would be the biggest day. Heck, usually we would even figure out how to tune into TruTV this morning.

But that’s not happening. We can’t control it. And every coach worth his or her salt will tell you to only worry about those things you can control. Good advice.

One thing we can control in this space is what we want to focus upon. Yesterday it was college basketball past, what with our list of the most accomplished coaches in the Inland Northwest over the past 50 years.

Today we are looking ahead. To next college basketball season. Hopefully, by then, our herd’s immunity will be such COVID-19 is only a mild inconvenience. And the basketball season will be able to run its course. After all, it is a season of promise in this area.

Everyone who ranks such things for a living has Gonzaga in their top half-dozen for next year, including the folks in Las Vegas who figure out favorites. We link a Jim Meehan story below that looks at all the early prognostications, including the one from USA Today. The newspaper has Gonzaga at No. 1 headed into next season.

Why? The Zags should have enough coming back. Killian Tillie, Ryan Woolridge and Admon Gilder won’t be, as their time in Spokane has run out. (The NCAA is leaking the news slowly it doesn’t want to even attempt to figure out how to allow seniors to return for one last go-round, no matter how student-athlete friendly that might be.) But others will be.

The two most likely to test the NBA waters? Filip Petrusev, who did it last year, and Joel Ayayi, whose surge this season put him on scouts’ radar. If they both return, teaming with Corey Kispert (another possible NBA aspirant), Drew Timme, Anton Watson and whichever of the bench gang – Martynas Arlauskas, Pavel Zakharov and Oumar Ballo – that emerges after an offseason of work, the core is solid.

And then you add in Jalen Suggs, the most high-profile recruit Mark Few has ever attracted, and you can see why there is optimism. But it doesn’t stop there. Two other incoming freshmen, Julian Strawther and Dominick Harris, should contribute. And there will be transfers, grad or otherwise, who will want to join, chasing a national championship dream.

But the Zags aren’t the only school in the area with a bright future.

Eastern Washington won the Big Sky Conference title and returns all but one player of consequence. OK, so that one player is Mason Peatling, the Big Sky MVP, but the Eagles still have three players returning who started every game in a 23-8 season – and all three players who split the fifth spot.

Leading scorer Jacob Davison, Kim Aiken and Ellis Magnuson started every game and all return. Every key reserve returns. Freshman Steele Venters, a 6-foot-7 wing from Ellensburg who redshirted, was reportedly dominant at practice. Shantay Legans’ team will be loaded.

Down the road in Pullman, the Cougars posted a .500 record for the first time in years. The trajectory in Kyle Smith’s first season was up. Will it continue?

A lot of that depends on CJ Elleby. The sophomore was the key component on offense, averaging 18.4 points per game. He improved defensively and was the team’s leading rebounder (7.8) by almost four boards a game. He flirted with the NBA last offseason. He may jump after this one. But if he doesn’t, WSU has a chance to make a big jump itself.

Losing seniors Jeff Pollard and Jervae Robinson will hurt, sure, but as injuries swept through the roster this season, others received opportunities and made the most of them. And Smith will welcome the first recruits he’s really enticed to campus.

If things break right, don’t be surprised if Washington State wins 20 or more games next season.

That will happen at Whitworth. Book it. It always does. The Pirates lose All-American Ben College, Sam Lees and Garrett Hull for sure. They may lose others. But the core is strong as is the tradition – Whitworth has won at least 20 games for 14 consecutive seasons.

Expect Whitworth to reload and return to the NCAA Division III Tournament once more.

What can be expected at Idaho? Zac Claus will enter his first full season without an interim tag, but the Vandal coach will do it without leading scorer Trevon Allen and his 21.6 points per game. But every other starter returns. Heck, every other player could.

But when a team wins just eight games in a season, roster turnover is inevitable. It will be interesting to see how much happens in Moscow.

As it next college basketball season promises to be interesting throughout the Inland Northwest.

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WSU: We looked at basketball above, but Theo Lawson went another way this morning. He tracked former Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew’s rise from sixth-round draft pick to the QB of the future for Jacksonville and explains how it happened. … Around the Pac-12, want to know who is really impacted by the sports shutdown? ESPN. … There are still issues facing the conference schools, such as contract bonuses and future plans. There are also issues with eligibility and scholarship limits still looming. … Alums playing overseas, like Washington’s Bobby Jones, are dealing with lockdowns as well. … It’s hard to remember sometimes, but athletes like Arizona’s Nico Mannion, have worries too. … His Arizona team had an up-and-down season. … Oregon didn’t really care where it landed in the tournament. … New football coaches are operating without a road map. … So are players hoping to make the NFL.

Gonzaga: We mentioned (and linked) Jim’s story on the Zags earning an early nod as the nation’s No. 1 team by USA Today. But that’s not the only Gonzaga story he has. A Wichita State guard, one of many the Shockers are losing, has GU in his top five. … Miss the NCAA Tournament? SWX’s Sam Adams is trying to fill the gap. Justin Reed explains. … Elsewhere in the WCC, BYU dropped to 18th in the final poll, but won a national-title simulation. I’m not sure that says more about the potential of the Cougars or the trustworthiness of the simulation. … Sixty-five years ago today, USF won its first national title.

Chiefs: The WHL canceled the remainder of the regular season yesterday. The league is trying to salvage the playoffs, however, so a decision there will come later. Dan Thompson has all the details in this story.

Bloomsday: A postponement was announced Tuesday night. Yesterday, Dave Nichols talked with race director Jon Neill to explore how the new date – Sept. 20 – will work and why the decision had to be made now.

Boxing and yoga: With social distancing guidelines in place, gyms of all types have been shuttered. Steve Christilaw looks at a couple that either had to suspend operations or turn to online classes.

Seahawks: As free agency news revolves around where the stars are headed, the Hawks focus on upgrading their offensive line with under-the-radar commitments. And they welcomed back an old friend, Bruce Irvin.  

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• No, we haven’t forgotten about looking back and ranking some of the best people and competitions we’ve ever seen. But today there was enough news to pass along it wasn’t appropriate. Next up is ranking of the most accomplished college basketball players the area has seen in the past 50 years. Now that’s a list that should get some blood boiling. After all, was John Stockton better than, well, everyone else? We’ll see. Until later …