A Grip on Sports: Picking the right college coach, and keeping them, may be the best harbinger of success no matter the sport
A GRIP ON SPORTS • If you want to be successful, long term, in college basketball, you have to be able to win games in a variety of ways. If you want to be successful, long term, in college football, it helps to be able to keep your coach around. Both were on display, in different ways, Saturday night.
•••••••
• Gonzaga men’s basketball program has been successful since the entire world almost lost its mind over computers and their internal clocks. Y2K has disappeared into the history books, but the Bulldogs certainly haven’t.
Mark Few’s team showed why once again last night, while also illustrating why UCLA’s historical presence has faded into the recess of our memory.
The Bruins were the class of the Pac-8 and the bluest of Blue Bloods before computers. Still great in the early days of the Pac-10 and the Internet. But just another middle-of-the-road Big Ten school these days. The dominant West Coast program since the century’s turn? Gonzaga. And nothing illustrates it better than Few’s 8-3 mark against the program with more NCAA titles than anyone.
Those three losses? They have come by a total of 10 points. Against a handful of UCLA coaches. The latest, Mick Cronin, watched the Zags’ inside duo of Graham Ike and Braden Huff play like Sydney Wicks and Bill Walton during GU’s 82-72 victory.
It was Cronin’s fifth loss in six tries against Few’s teams and though it probably didn’t hurt the same way as the first – the Jalen Suggs’ 3-pointer game in 2020’s NCAA semifinals – the continued inability of his 25th-ranked team to slow the Zags’ attack had to burn the defensive-first coach once more.
The Bruins once always seem to have the best bigs in the land. That mantle may not be held by Gonzaga this season – three teams ranked above the No. 8 Zags, Michigan, Arizona and Duke, have just as good a claim for that designation – but just about every year Few’s teams have two special post players to build around.
And yet last night in Seattle, as UCLA tried to do what Cronin’s teams are known for, muck it up, it was the Zags’ guards who wouldn’t let it happen.
Starting point Mario Saint-Supery and backup Braeden Smith were able to diagnose the Bruins’ multiple defenses and find the cure. That usually turned out to be a shot from Ike or Huff around the basket.
UCLA’s game plan: Make the Zags uncomfortable. The Bulldogs’ answer: Evaluate and attack. Edge: Gonzaga.
As it has been almost every time these programs have ever met.
• There seems to be a dichotomy developing in college football.
The coaching carousel spins faster than ever. That is inarguable. And yet coaching continuity seems more important to continued success.
Maybe the second part of that is arguable. Possibly completely wrong. The Washington Huskies might just find out. Again.
It was not that long ago UW was atop the college football world. Two years ago. With Kalen DeBoer in his second season as its head coach. When Jan. 8, 2024 dawned, the Huskies were 14-0, had a date with Michigan in Houston for the CFP title.
They lost 34-13. Four days later DeBoer was gone, headed to Alabama to try to replace the irreplaceable Nick Saban. And Washington had to start over.
Fast forward almost two years. Jedd Fisch, brought in from Arizona to take DeBoer’s spot, has rebuilt the roster to a large degree. The Huskies have holes to fill, sure, but Saturday night in Los Angeles they showed once again their ability to dominate college football’s second-tier schools.
Three of their four losses this season came against playoff-bound Ohio State, playoff-bound Oregon and Michigan. They also hammered WSU, something Ole Miss and James Madison, both in the 12-team CFP, can’t claim.
The Huskies undressed Boise State in the LA Bowl last night, forcing five turnovers, scoring in multiple ways and breezing to a 38-10 win.
On the surface, Washington seems poised to ride a wave of momentum into the 2026 season. Except something is lurking in the depths that could blow a hole in those plans.
Michigan. The school’s name hung over SoFi Stadium – ironically, where former UM coach Jim Harbaugh coaches his NFL games – like a Puget Sound fog. It made every Husky fan in attendance uncomfortable.
Fisch’s name hasn’t just been linked to the Wolverine opening. The former UM assistant seems to be the frontrunner as the school tries to dig out of the Sherrone Moore debacle. The result Saturday certainly shouldn’t hurt his chances. With the Wolverines probably wanting to move fast to change the narrative some from their old coach facing criminal charges to a new coach with unlimited possibilities, the Husky faithful may be having 2024 flashbacks.
Does it matter? Sure. If Fisch stays, Washington can patch holes. If he leaves, and takes some of the talent with him to Ann Arbor, it may take a complete rebuild once again, just as it did after DeBoer left.
Long term, though, does it matter? After all, long term these days may mean anything from a couple months to a couple years. At least when referring to college football coaches. And their tenures, wherever that may be.
•••
WSU: Things have quieted down in Pullman. The calm before next week’s start of the Kirby Moore era storm. The only story we can pass along? This one in the S-R on new soccer coach Chris Citowicki. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, this year’s Heisman Trophy winner? Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, the former California starter turned leader of one of the CFP favorites. He won by a surprisingly large margin over Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia. … The FBS’ regular season ended yesterday with Navy’s late comeback win over Army. I know my dad would have liked that. … I mentioned Washington’s LA Bowl win prominently above, and linked the S-R story there. And here too. But there is other coverage to pass along as well, including that of Christian Caple. … Boise State had no answers for the UW defense as its quarterbacks struggled. … Oregon State is filling out its offensive coaching staff. … The Michigan opening has already made one coach a bunch of money. Arizona State is going to give Kenny Dillingham more so he stays in Tempe. … The Sun Devils added a quarterback recruit. … Morgan Scalley has stayed in Utah as the long-time coach in waiting. Now with Kyle Whittingham moving on, he will be in charge of the Utes. … USC received some good news on the roster front. … Arizona filled a staff vacancy. … How was Colorado’s season?
• In basketball news, the Oregon State men topped visiting Montana State and have won three consecutive games. … Oregon snapped a five-game losing streak by running past visiting UC Davis. … No. 1-ranked Arizona traveled to Alabama to face the 12th-ranked Tide and rolled 96-75. … Bobby Hurley was tossed in the first half of Arizona State’s game with visiting Santa Clara. The Sun Devils roared back in the second half to win. … Colorado got a boost off the bench and rolled over UT San Antonio. … Utah State picked up a neutral site win. In Salt Lake City. … Utah led by 17 points before losing to Mississippi State. … Both Cal and Stanford won. … USC has been winning but it doesn’t want to get too comfortable about it. … No. 1 UConn traveled to Los Angeles and routed the 16th-ranked USC women 79-51 in Saturday’s featured game.
Gonzaga: Last night’s late start – the game tipped at 8:46 – had to limit the eyeballs on the game, and we’re not just referring to Cronin’s dad. I must admit I was in-and-out while watching the game in bed, dozing often enough to wonder if I should just turn off the phone and roll over. Sort of like UCLA did down the stretch, as Theo Lawson’s game analysis makes clear. … Theo also worked with the folks in the office on the recap with highlights. … Jim Meehan has a story on the Zags’ guard play as well as three takeaways from the contest. … Tyler Tjomsland was at Climate Pledge Arena – why does a place that does not host an NBA team have the NBA 3-point line on the floor during a nationally televised college game? – and has this photo gallery. Tyler may be the first photographer to catch Few and Cronin smiling at the same time. … There is plenty of coverage out of Los Angeles, though the national interest was probably stunted by the late start.
Idaho: The football season is long over but we can pass along this season wrapup from the Lewiston Tribune as it ran in the S-R today. … The Vandal women fell 80-73 in Logan to Utah State. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, there will be a second Brawl this season. Only this one will be in Bozeman. And the winner will head to the FCS title game. Third-seeded Montana, last season’s FCS runner-up, dominated South Dakota 52-22 in Missoula on Saturday. … No. 8 seed UC Davis had a chance to make it three Big Sky teams in the semifinals but fell 42-31 at home to upset specialists Illinois State. The Redbirds will meet red-hot Villanova in the other semifinal. … A Northern Colorado player traveled to New York to watch the Heisman Trophy ceremony. … In basketball news, the Idaho State women lost to BYU earlier in the week and lost their starting point guard to an ACL injury in practice. … The Portland State men had no problem with George Fox.
Preps: Dave Nichols used his Sunday space for a couple of items. The first is a preview of the upcoming Spirit basketball games headed to the Arena and Rees Court. The other? That would be the all-league photos and listings from fall sports.
Chiefs: Spokane led by two goals in the second period but gave up four consecutive Everett scores and fell 6-4 on the other side of the mountains.
Seahawks: We linked this Times preview yesterday and do so again today in the S-R. … The main subject nationally concerning today’s game? The Colts starting quarterback Phillip Rivers, who has been retired for years and is 44 years old. … Seattle made a flurry of roster moves yesterday.
Mariners: Jorge Polanco was a free agent the M’s seemed to really want back. But after the Mets lost first baseman Pete Alonzo to Baltimore last week, they made Polanco an offer he couldn’t refuse. And one Seattle wasn’t about to match. … Seattle also seems to be in a bidding war with San Francisco for St. Louis infielder Brendan Donovan in what could be an expensive trade for whichever franchise wins.
•••
• The prevailing wisdom is it will be easy for the Hawks’ defense to bottle up Rivers. But I’m not so sure. Then again, almost five years is a long time not to have played a game. At least he should be tanned, rested and ready. Until later …