A Grip on Sports: The continuity of spring football at Washington State should never be questioned
A GRIP ON SPORTS • There are always holes in the sports schedule in April. Big events, sure, but the month also features days when it seems as if little is going on. Thankfully, we’ve adapted over the years and are willing to mine out-of-the-way places to get you your daily fix. Like Pullman.
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• Just kidding. Pullman may not be the center of the universe, especially now that Stubblefields is morphing into a property management office, but it’s the center of this area’s Pac-12 football consciousness.
And spring football is in full swing. How do we know? The weather is warming up. It happens every spring. Spring football starts in snow and cold and finishes in sunshine and warmth. It’s as reliable as the Cougars bringing in a transfer quarterback to compete for the starting job.
Actually the quarterback thing only seems as reliable as the changing seasons because, well, it’s happened a lot recently. And it is still happening. The latest import? That would be graduate transfer Jarrett Guarantano, who made the trek from Tennessee to the Palouse this offseason. And is now competing for the starting spot without any competition from last season’s starter, freshman Jayden de Laura.
That’s not to say de Laura, who is serving a suspension after an offseason DUI arrest, won’t regain the starting spot. Or that Cammon Cooper, who has been in Pullman for a few years, won’t win the battle. It’s just that Gaurantano is following in the footsteps of Gardner Minshew and Gage Gubrud and others in this era of more transfers looking for a fit that allows them to excel.
Whether Guarantano explodes on to the national scene as Minshew did or spends a season as a backup like Gubrud or something in between, we will find out when the days are growing shorter. Now, while the sun continues to lengthen its daily appearance, his star is rising. And what looked to be a foregone starting race has some intrigue.
• Everyone looks at life, and life’s opportunities, differently. Which is why we will understand whatever decisions are made by Jill Townsend and twins Jenn and LeAnne Worth. All three were seniors this past season at Gonzaga. All three are wondering if their name will be called in tonight’s WNBA draft. And all three could play basketball one more season at GU if they so desire, without using up one of the Zags’ allotted scholarships.
So, why not?
The pros are self-evident: Another year of playing hoops while working on a graduate degree on someone else’s debit card. A year with fans in the McCarthey stands, so a real experience that was lacking this past season. No more nose swabs. Another WCC title, another NCAA chance. A true Senior Night.
Looking back from the far end of such things, we wish we had been given the opportunity to play one more season of college baseball, especially with a degree already in hand. Less school pressure, more time to play a game we love. Life is out there, sure, but some 40-plus years of working later, one more spent hanging with a great group of friends would have been well worth it.
Being constantly broke? That’s not the best. Nor is the nagging feeling of missing something.
But if we could share a few words of advice, they’re simply these: If you are happy where you are, don’t be in a big hurry to move on. Life goes by fast. The things you love doing go by even faster.
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WSU: Done with his basketball travels, Theo Lawson is delving into Washington State’s remaining spring football practice. Today’s story, of course, is on Guarantano. It’s worth spending some time with. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, the depth chart is starting to shake out at Oregon. … Colorado and Colorado State have scheduled some new games. … Utah will have fans at its spring game. … Despite running the Air Raid, USC wants to use tight ends. … In basketball news, another Oregon women’s player has found a new home. … Utah star Timmy Allen is also on the move. He’s headed to Texas. … UCLA is a trendy pick for next season. … USC has attracted another transfer for next season. … Arizona is almost done with its spring workouts. … The offensive line is a focus at Oregon State. … After meeting with a group trying to save some sports earmarked for extinction, Stanford’s president says he will re-examine the decision.
Gonzaga: As we mentioned above, the trio of Zags will be interested spectators for tonight’s WNBA selection show on ESPN. Jim Allen looks at that in this story. … What the heck is going on in Tucson? All of the ink coming from around the University of Arizona is the antithesis of what any incoming coach would want to hear, even an alumnus of the school. It sure seems as if the waters have been so roiled by outsiders throwing boulders into the pool, whomever is picked will have to navigate rough seas. And a group of alumni and boosters who think they have all the power. Jim Meehan looks at the latest news and we can offer stories galore from Arizona, including opinions from everyone and their brother. … Larry Weir has a Gonzaga tilt to his latest Press Box podcast, having spoken with Alyssa Charlston yesterday. … Yes, the baseball team won at Washington State on Tuesday but the most important news from the game was how it ended. It was called in the sixth inning after GU freshman Stephen Lund suffered a serious leg injury. Hopefully, he will be OK.
EWU: Around the Big Sky, Montana has hired Oregon State assistant Brian Holsinger as its women’s basketball coach. Holsinger spent many years at Washington State and has deep Spokane ties. … Washington transfer RaeQuan Battle is headed to Montana State. … In football news, Montana prepares for Portland State.
Preps: Let’s recap. The City of Spokane held an advisory vote in 2018 on a different proposal to build a downtown stadium, a vote that didn’t include all of the Spokane School’s patrons and allowed some outside the district to weigh in. A new proposal, with financial terms favorable to the district, emerges. The school board solicits input on the new proposal. Jim Allen tells us the preliminary release of survey results show a 3-to-1 return in favor of the downtown option. So now the board must decide which public voice to follow. It seems simple. It isn’t. Decide to go downtown and some voters may reject levies because, you know, the voters’ will was ignored. Build at Albi and some voters may reject levies because, you know, the district could have saved an extra $11 million and basically said they didn’t need the money. Our representative democracy is messy, isn’t it? … Dave Nichols has a rather large roundup of GSL action from Tuesday.
Chiefs: Spokane traveled to Everett, faced the U.S. Division leading Silvertips and came away with a win. Kevin Dudley has the story. That is a big deal. … There will not be a Memorial Cup this year.
Mariners: Ty France playing second base? That is sort of like when Edgar Martinez used to make an appearance at first back in the day. Nothing good can come from that – and nothing did yesterday, except for Baltimore. France’s error on a softly hit ball helped the Orioles earn a doubleheader split. … James Paxton is officially headed for left-elbow surgery.
Seahawks: Tyler Lockett, his contract and the disappearing offense. It sounds like a young adult novel. … The Seahawk players announced yesterday they will not participate in voluntary offseason workouts. They called it a safety issue due to COVID-19. Is it? Or is it the union using the pandemic to make a point? … Have the Hawks narrowed their draft focus?
Sounders: Did you want to buy tickets yesterday? Thanks to computer issues, things got a bit messed up.
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• Headed to Costco today. Need anything? I ask the family every time I go and rarely do I get an answer. So I’m widening the net. Until later …