A Grip on Sports: Greeny’s departure hurts WSU in more ways than just losing a successful volleyball coach
A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s celebration time. The winter solstice is upon us. The shortest day, in terms of daylight, of the year. From here on, the sun stays above the horizon a little longer. For us, it’s the day optimism returns, though it may not show in the writing.
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• We’re pretty depressed today, even with the promise of spring just down the road. No, it’s not the weather. Nor the late sunrise. It’s the sun setting on the Jen Greeny era in Pullman. And our ensuing questions whether her departure is akin to the canary in a coal mine. If Jen Greeny can’t last at Washington State, who can?
The longtime Cougar volleyball coach announced yesterday she was leaving the Palouse for Morgantown, W.V. Not USC. Not Stanford. Not any of volleyball’s blue bloods, a role her accomplishments in Pullman should have earned her. Instead, she is headed for a rebuild in the volleyball cold-bed of West Virginia.
What does her departure mean for Washington State?
After all, Greeny grew up in Davenport. Her dad, Jim Stinson, coached her there. She played basketball and volleyball at WSU. Her brothers exceled in Spokane as players and coaches. She has deeper roots in the Inland Northwest than just about any Division I coach in any sport.
And Cougar volleyball has been successful. Cindy Frederick, Greeny’s coach, was successful. As was Greeny.
Over the years we’ve never felt there has been more of a Cougar walking the Bohler Gym halls than Greeny. Her and her husband, Burdette, have been the face of the athletic program to a certain segment of the faithful, mainly those who wear overalls and work the wheat fields. But also to those of us who love all that the Inland Northwest has to offer.
Heck, her nephew is headed to WSU next season to play basketball, a continuation of her extended family and its Cougar connections. And now she’s leaving.
The first question, of course, is why. And Greeny’s answer when asked that by The Spokesman-Review’s Jim Meehan should be troubling to Cougar fans.
“Just the state of the conference situation and the uncertainty and not having answers, I think it’s the perfect storm,” Greeny told Meehan. “You can’t recruit to something you don’t know what’s happening. That’s the question everyone asks. When you don’t have answers as a young person, it makes it very tough. I don’t blame those recruits.”
Her answer came before reports emerged the Cougars and Oregon State will be affiliated with the WCC in volleyball and other, non-football, sports the next two years, if a conference vote today goes their way. We’re assuming Greeny and all Cougar coaches were aware of the negotiations, though it doesn’t seem to have made a difference.
And it doesn’t change WSU’s unsettled future come 2026.
Football seemed OK yesterday, as Jake Dickert’s team signed 25 high school recruits on the first day of the sport’s early signing period Wednesday. The two-year affiliation with the Mountain West, and the hope of a revitalized Pac-12, must have been enough.
This year’s exceptional volleyball success – Greeny’s team was ranked as high as fourth in the nation, posted a 26-8 record, topped national champion Texas on the road, made another Sweet Sixteen run and finished ranked 11th – was just a culmination of 235-175 mark in 13 seasons, the first five of which entailed rebuilding Frederick’s legacy.
What Greeny accomplished in Pullman was extraordinary. Laudable. She built success through her devotion to the Cougars, targeted recruiting and player development. The devotion part touched her players as well, with this season WSU featuring a lineup built upon senior – and beyond – leadership.
Greeny also told Meehan deciding to leave was “probably the toughest, unbelievably hard decision” she’s made. Of course. With roots as deep as she has, it had to hurt to pull them up. But she decided it was for the best.
Not the best, though, for those who love the school she’s leaving.
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WSU: Yes, we will link Meehan’s Greeny story again here. And we also have Greg Woods’ football recruiting stories, from his overview on Wednesday’s class and a look at each of the 25 players who signed their letters of intent. … The WCC news? That is covered by Theo Lawson. The news, first reported by CBS Sports, includes the nugget there will be a vote today about the Pac-2. … The women’s basketball team hit the road yesterday and faced Auburn in Alabama. A poor third quarter doomed the Cougars in a 69-62 nonconference loss. … The men’s team has a date with Boise State tonight in Spokane. Odd fact: The Broncos have more players with deep connections to the city than the Cougars. Greg has this preview. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, we will spend the next million pixels or so covering football signing day. We start with Jon Wilner’s pass-along piece on recruiting from the Mercury News. And the we morph toward a school-by-school summary, starting with Washington. The Huskies have yet to finish their class. But more importantly, the playoff game with Texas looms. … Oregon has its highest-rated class ever. … The Ducks have tapped Hawaii once again for a quarterback. … Oregon State had its recruiting challenges, what with realignment and the coaching change that revamped the staff. … John Canzano examines both. … We have stories from Stanford and California as well, which is always a surprise. … Colorado and Deion Sanders talked another five-star recruit to head to Boulder, this one an offensive lineman. … Utah signed a small class with an emphasis on in-state players. … There are challenges recruiting for USC? Who would have thought. … UCLA has put a huge emphasis on the portal, more than with high school signees. … Though Arizona had momentum, the Wildcats lost a couple players they thought they had locked in. … In basketball news, Wilner rates the best of the west’s conferences. The Mountain West tops his list. … Arizona’s men are No. 1 for Wilner, however, mainly because the Wildcats haven’t let their NCAA foibles bother them. They defeated Alabama on Wednesday. … Washington has had a decent nonconference. … Oregon hasn’t, but now host Kent State. … Colorado’s offense has keyed its success thus far. …Utah picked up another win. … So did California, which equaled last season’s total. … Arizona State lost again. … The 23rd-ranked Washington women finally lost, at No. 19 Louisville. … Oregon State is still undefeated after topping Texas Tech in Hawaii. … Colorado has a breather. … Oregon faces Oklahoma State. … Hannah Jump set a Stanford record as the Cardinal won. … Arizona State picked up a win.
Gonzaga: The 15th-ranked Zags played another home game against a SWAC school but last night’s 100-76 victory offered a bit more of a challenge. Theo Lawson has the game story. … Jim Meehan took care of the difference makers as well as a look at the upcoming break. … Colin Mulvany has a photo report. … The 20th-ranked women traveled to Phoenix and matched up with Arizona. An efficient third-quarter keyed the Bulldogs’ 81-69 victory. Greg Lee has the coverage.
EWU: The Eagles signed a 23-player class, one which Dan Thompson covers in this story. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Portland State’s men have made winning at the buzzer a habit. … Montana’s women won again. … In football news, we have signing day stories to pass along from Montana, Montana State, Northern Colorado and Weber State.
Idaho: The Vandals’ 28-player class focused on linemen and tight ends. Peter Harriman has the coverage.
Preps: Wrestling is in full swing and Madison McCord has a notebook from around the area. … Dave Nichols has a roundup of Wednesday’s action.
Velocity: The USL team signed its first two players. Justin Reed has all the details in this story.
Seahawks: DK Metcalf had a key role in the comeback, even if he didn’t catch the winning TD. … Jamal Adams is being evaluated day-by-day. … Up this week is Tennessee on the road. … The weekend has a bunch of key games for the Hawks, not just their own.
Kraken: Joey Accord stood on his head and Seattle won 2-1 over the Kings, despite another major injury.
Sounders: The 2024 MLS schedule is out.
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• Our trip has been taxing. No, not in a relative way. That’s great. But in our use of cell phone data. We may have to start heading out in the morning and using Starbucks or something. Or buy more. Until later …