A Grip on Sports: Early December is the perfect time to clean up the house … and clean out the notebook
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Spring cleaning? Amateur hour. Relatives visiting? Second-rate. Nothing beats the clean the living room gets just before a fir tree is invited to spend a month. Let’s clean out our notebook, shall we, even if only exists as notes on an iPhone these days.
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• First note. BYU freshman guard AJ Dybantsa can do some things unseen in Provo in, well, forever. That assessment came to me not just from watching his second-half performance Tuesday night in the Cougars’ 22-point comeback win over Clemson, but also from talking with the biggest BYU fan I know.
That he didn’t do much of those things in the first half of a 67-64 victory over the Tigers in New York meant a couple things as well. The Cougars needed a last-second 3-pointer from Rob Wright to earn the Jimmy V Classic victory. And despite the assembly of the most athletic squad in school history, put together with more money than the Jazz seem to spend, they can’t be considered a national title contender just yet.
That takes 40 minutes of concentration, effort and toughness for six consecutive games. It will be interesting to see if the Cougars are capable of that in March.
• Danny Hurley’s UConn squads have proved a couple times in the past few years it has that ability. This year’s group? It’s trending that way. The other Jimmy V game pitted the Huskies against defending national champion Florida, still trying to find its way this season.
The Gators got lost for just long enough and Hurley’s group overcame foul trouble and another SEC team 77-74.
Other than the unintended second half break in the BYU/Clemson game – the basket was knocked cattywampus by a Keba Keita dunk and took forever to fix – Tuesday’s college hoop extravaganza was near perfect.
• Closer to our perfectly manicured living room, there is a coaching search going on that promises to be interesting as well.
Just who will Washington State tab to be their third coach in three years? Whomever is picked will also be the sixth – if you count interim ones – since Mike Leach left for the SEC.
New president Elizabeth Cantwell shared some thoughts on her priorities Tuesday. Appearing on Seattle’s KJR radio in a segment with WSU graduate Ian Furness, Cantwell described a resume that included “demonstrated success,” “fire in the belly,” “NIL and portal fluency” and a connection with “the contemporary college football game.”
All of that seems pliable, with the definition of such things as “contemporary” and “demonstrated” are in the eye of the beholder. How Cantwell defines them won’t be clear until the new Cougar coach is introduced to fanfare and applause later this month.
• It needs to be sooner than later, actually. Time, and the transfer portal, waits for no one anymore.
• Meanwhile, the Cougars prepare for the Famous Potato Bowl under the supervision of defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit, whose name is in the coaching transfer portal already. He’s reportedly headed to Iowa State to join one-year wonder Jimmy Rogers’ staff.
The WSU roster is thinning as well, with Greg Woods already having confirmed five players who will enter the portal. But that probably doesn’t matter.
Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said something brilliant Monday when talking about his players that have already decided to leave. It came in response about one of them, quarterback Sam Leavitt, who is injured and wouldn’t be playing in ASU’s bowl anyway.
Dillingham pointed out the transfer portal is for next season. The bowl game is part of the 2025 season. The players who may or may not leave? They are part of the 2025 team. If they want to practice and play, they can. They are still part of the team. Until they leave.
• Utah has made the leap. The Utes will partner with a private equity firm. Spin off its athletic department into a for-profit business.
The dam has broken. Money will flow. Problems too. And Congress will have a say, with Spokane’s Michael Baumgartner, a WSU alum, leading the charge.
Again, how this plays out will be worthy of a mini-series.
• One last note. The Dodgers, winners of two consecutive World Series, made news again Tuesday at MLB’s Winter Meetings. They tried, for about the 10th time, to shore up their one weakness, the bullpen.
Signed former Met (and Mariner) closer Edwin Diaz, to a lucrative, long-term contract. Three years, $69 million. That’s a lot for a 31-year-old closer who has been throwing high leverage pitches for a decade.
But that’s the difference between a super-rich franchise that treats its payroll like so much Monopoly money and the just-rich ones, like the M’s. If Diaz isn’t the answer, Los Angeles will write-off his contract and throw more dollar bills at another arm. If the M’s or the Diamondbacks or the Rays invested that much into a closer and he didn’t pan out, they would be hamstrung for a couple years.
Super-rich teams can make more mistakes. And still win. The margin of error for everyone else? Maybe not Jack Skellington-thin, but certainly not Santa Claus-fat.
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WSU: Not only does Greg have a story on Cantwell’s comments, he also listed to another KJR segment with former UCLA and UW coach Rick Neuheisel about his possible interest in the Cougars’ position. And has this story. … There were additions to Greg’s transfer-portal tracker as well. … Cedric Coward is playing in Memphis this season, alongside another former Cougar, Jaylen Wells. The two of them started for the NBA franchise on Nov. 15. … Jim Moore has some thoughts on Neuheisel as well. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner ranks the Big 12’s men’s basketball teams in the Mercury News, with the former Pac-12 schools 1, 7, 9 and 14. Conferences are way too big. … That’s the biggest problem right now with the CFP selections. I believe a 24-team, FCS-like playoff with a path for every school is the only way to go. And will bang the drum for it until I can’t lift the sticks anymore. … John Canzano has a notes column as well. … This Danny O’Neil column in the TNT is right. … The LA Bowl is a reunion of sorts between Jedd Fisch and a former Arizona standout player. But will defensive coordinator Ryan Walters and the Huskies have to hold a reunion somewhere next season? … Oregon is up for the most-important award in college football. … UCLA trotted out new coach Bob Chesney for his L.A. introduction yesterday. Now he has to get James Madison ready for Oregon. … San Diego State’s interim defensive coordinator sees the Aztecs’ bowl game as a chance to make a splash. … Where could ASU’s Leavitt end up? … The Arizona athletic department has seen a lot of recent roster change. … Boise State has attracted another star running back. … The college football season was wild.
• In basketball news, Washington’s win at USC was not expected. Not after the Huskies fell behind by double digits. … The Trojans played a game at coach Eric Musselman’s alma mater, USD. They won. … Arizona State rolled over visiting Northern Arizona. … Boise State has overcome a slow start and is back in the national conversation. … Colorado is a semester school. The Buffs’ schedule break coincides with it. … Colorado State topped Dartmouth for its fourth consecutive win. … California won again, though once more the opposition isn’t a world beater. … San Diego State features a second-generation freshman who rebounds with a passion. Just like dad. … The Colorado women has been dealing with injuries. … Arizona has struggled recently.
Gonzaga: The latest edition of the Zags Basketball Insiders Podcast, with Jim Meehan and Richard Fox, is available. You can listen here if you want. … Ryan Nembhard has been a miracle worker in Dallas recently.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, South Dakota is on its way to face Montana in Missoula. Yep, it is FCS playoff time. … UC Davis and Illinois State meet in a rematch from not too long ago. … Cal Poly introduced new coach Tim Skipper. He said all the right things. … Northern Colorado’s quarterback is headed to the portal. … In basketball news, Weber State’s women won their annual kids’ game. … The Utah Tech men’s player who threw a punch has been suspended a game.
Preps: Dave Nichols was on the South Hill last night, covering the matchup of the host Ferris girls with defending State 3A champion Central Valley. The Bears rolled to a 64-50 victory. … We can also pass along this roundup of other action.
Chiefs: Dave returns with his weekly notebook, focusing on Spokane’s recent jump in the WHL standings. And how it could rise even more.
Seahawks: What are the Hawks’ chances of winning the NFC West? Not as good as the Rams. … John Schneider seems to have rediscovered his mojo. … The Colts may play a grandpa at quarterback this week. That’s partly because their most recent draft choice at the position hasn’t panned out. The Seahawks are grateful.
Reign: Seattle is looking to build off the playoff squad from last season.
Mariners: The Winter Meetings feature more rumors than any episode of The CW classic “Gossip Girl.” We can pass along a lot of them, as well as some of the signing news and the yearly coronation of agent Scott Boras. … The Mariners are expected to have a large contingent playing in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. … Jerry Dipoto was named Baseball America’s MLB executive of the year. If you wonder who calls the front office shots between Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander, you haven’t been paying attention.
Bloomsday: Yes, I know. I’m hit-and-miss with Nina Culver’s stories on those who have run all 49 races. But I found this one today. A Bloomsday tattoo on Steve Moe’s calf? That is dedication.
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• The days of relying on my memory for everything are long gone. So is the old notebook I used to carry in my back left pocket. The phone is everything these days. Wallet, notebook, calendar and more. Alarm clock too. Until later …