A Grip on Sports: Nothing trite about what is happening around these parts and there is a lot of truth in what WSU’s Dickert had to say

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Today is about old sayings. The tired-and-true tropes that may have started in another language but come through loud and clear in ours. They always have a spot in sports. Heck, maybe even the leadoff spot.

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• There is no place like home: For Seattle-area basketball players, lately, that’s been true. Or maybe the true description is there is no place to play at home. Except, in Gonzaga’s case, the Battle in Seattle.

The seventh-ranked Zags play at least one game a season across the mountains. This year’s edition is Saturday, when they face No. 4 Kentucky. It’s another hometown appearance for Nolan Hickman. The first in a GU uniform for Michael Ajayi. Two players who highlight the University of Washington’s recent inability to keep local talent around.

OK, first-year coach Danny Sprinkle is trying to reverse that trend, having enticed freshman Zoom Diallo to pick the Huskies over, among others, Gonzaga. But another of the region’s top talents, Jacob Cofie, flew off to the ACC and Virginia.

The region’s best talent of this decade? Paolo Banchero went from O’Dea High to Duke to NBA stardom.

The Huskies would have welcomed Hickman. He considered them. Decided to cross the mountains. Has been a starter for Gonzaga for much of his career. This is his fourth Battle in Seattle, though he’s looking for his first win.

Ajayi’s story is different. A late-bloomer, he played at Kentwood High. Spent time at Pierce Community College. Finally found a spot with Pepperdine – under former UW coach Lorenzo Romar. Became a force and decided to transfer. UW? Nope. Gonzaga. Maybe the right cliché is really you can never go home again.

• The times, they are a changing: OK, that one is so obvious as to be the redundancy of redundancies. Times change every day. Hour. Second. We are all just caught in the backwash.

Nothing, however, is changing faster than college sports these days. Especially football. The game has become the NFL-Lite. The league’s farm system not just in appearance but reality. Only problem is folks that run the sport, have been as slow as a 375-pound lineman with a torn ACL to recognize it. And change.

Which is why we loved what Washington State coach Jake Dickert said yesterday after welcoming 23 high school seniors to the fold on the first day of football’s early signing period.

It was the first day of the future, a future that is already getting started, even as about half of the FBS schools still have games to play. And there is more.

The transfer portal opens Monday. Stays open for 20 days. Players have already announced their intention to hop in.

Want more? It seems a head coach is getting fired just about every day. Assistant coaches are bailing for new jobs or moving into the unemployment line.

The calendar seems out of whack. Dickert recognizes it.

“I think we need to get to an NFL model,” he said Wednesday as he addressed the Cougars’ signing class. “We need to stop being tied to an academic calendar. That’s what causes all these problems. I look at the NFL – they don’t finish the regular season, then have the draft before the playoffs, then do unlimited free agency before the playoffs.

“Because they would say, ‘Oh, that’s chaos.’ They don’t have coaching turnover before the playoffs, but we do, because we’re tied to an academic calendar. So we gotta figure this out.”

With name, image and likeness money and unfettered free agency, college football is a professional sport. But, as the saying goes, old habits die hard.

It’s time for this one to fall off a skyscraper.

• Better to be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt: It’s true. Though, after 68 years on this planet, I’ve never really followed it. Proof? It’s there for all to hear this week. Just listen to Dave Nichols’ latest Press Box Podcast. I’m the guest. Why? Good question. Actually, though, the reason is simple. It’s time for winter sports to get going in the Greater Spokane League and throughout the Inland Northwest.

Today there is a special section in the S-R filled with everything you may need on basketball, wrestling and gymnastics. It’s one of those days you want to make sure you go old school and purchase the ink-on-paper edition. Read it. And ignore the old man waving his fist at the clouds. Me, not Dave.

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WSU: Every one of the 23 players who signed financial aid agreements – the old letter of intent is dead – will be incoming freshmen. As Greg Woods tells us, a program-record nine of them will enroll early and be around for spring practice. No prom, walk with their buddies. Off to the pro ranks. … Greg also has a capsule summary of each of the signees. … The women lost at Oregon on Wednesday. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner has his Best of the West men’s power rankings for the week in the S-R, with Gonzaga at the top and Washington State at 13. … We can also pass along Jeff Metcalfe’s complete women’s Best of the West from the Mercury News. … The changes in the conferences mean we are focusing our signing day links on the four Northwest schools. We have a couple stories focused on Washington, a bunch that zero in on top-ranked Oregon and a couple concerning Oregon State. … Two former Pac-12 schools are in conference championship games, including top-ranked Oregon facing Penn State in the Big Ten title contest. The Ducks are the trendy pick to be upset. … John Canzano has his thoughts. … The other one? Surprising Arizona State which was awful in the Pac-12 last season but the highest-ranked Big 12 school headed into its showdown with Iowa State. The Big 12’s commissioner had issues with his schools’ CFP ranking. So did some of the national media. … If Ben Gulbranson returns, Oregon State probably has its quarterback. … Stanford seemed to be rebuilding around its young quarterbacks. Uh, about that. The duo both are entering the portal. … USC lost a lot of commits but signed a key defensive lineman. … UCLA had a tough first day of the signing period. And lost a wide receiver to the portal. … Among the future Pac-12 members in the Mountain West, Colorado State did not sign a player from Colorado yesterday. … Utah State, despite not knowing who its coach will be, signed a lot of Utah players. … In basketball news, what does the high NET ranking mean for the Oregon State men? … Oregon rallied in the second half to get past USC.

Gonzaga: We mentioned the two Seattle-area Zags, a mention born from Theo Lawson’s story about the pair.

EWU: The Eagles were back on Reese Court last night, taking part in the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge. The opponent? Former Big Sky member North Dakota. The result? An 87-81 Eastern win. Dan Thompson has the coverage. … Yes, Dan also has a story on the Eagles’ signing day. Coach Aaron Best signed 22 players, including 19 high school seniors. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, as the future beckons, Montana preps for the weekend. … Idaho State is happy with its class. … In basketball news, Montana State won on the road for the first time. … Weber State lost at home. … The Bobcat women won at home. … Montana lost. … Northern Arizona reached milestones in its win.

Idaho: The Vandals’ class of 17 is a bit different than the ones Jason Eck has signed lately in one regard: There is just one player from North Idaho and Spokane. Peter Harriman delves into the entire group.

Preps: Yep, it’s time for the indoor sports. We start with boys 4A/3A basketball, with Dave focused on Mead High and guard Nash Dunham. We were lucky enough to coach Nash in travel basketball and have watched his progress through the years. Dave also has capsules on each team in the GSL at all levels. … At the 2A level, Rogers’ success is Dave’s key point. … On the girls’ side of the 4A/3A, newcomer Brynn McGaughy, a five-star UW recruit from Colfax, is part of Central Valley’s strong core. Dave has a story on her transfer as well as capsules. … At the 2A level, Ethan Myers covers another transfer, that of Deer Park, a 1A finalist last season that has moved up in classification. … There are two wrestling stories, with Madison McCord focused upon U-Hi senior Libby Roberts, winner of three state titles and Cheney senior Trenton Moore, looking for his first title. … There are wrestling capsules as well. … Samantha DiMaio has a gymnastics preview, introducing us to Ferris senior Abigail Martin, who is gearing up for one last run – if she stays healthy enough. … Dave put together the gymnastics capsules. … There were a few basketball games last night, though the season really heats up tonight. … Finally, Mead fired football coach Keith Stamps on Tuesday. Garrett Cabeza has the story.   

Seahawks: Who is punting this week? That’s just one of the special team questions heading into Arizona. … Mike Macdonald is a dad. … Leonard Williams is an award-winner.

Kraken: What a gig.

Mariners: Seattle needs a third baseman. A trade is probably the only way to fill the open spot. The M’s have talked with the Phillies about Alec Bohm. So far the cost has been too high.

Sounders: The team has cut ties with its all-time scoring leader Raul Ruidiaz as the offseason begins.  

Storm: The WNBA’s investigation of the franchise? It centered round star Jewell Lloyd. The league found nothing wrong with how she was treated. Lloyd has a different opinion. She’s demanded a trade.

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• It seems only right to end today on a cliché of some sort. Not sure which one. It is cloudy today. Dank. Icy. The sun will set before 4 p.m. OK, got it. Winter is coming. Duh. It comes every year. Until later …