A Grip on Sports: As WSU’s men prepare for their biggest challenge of the WCC season, it seemed like a good time to play the ‘where are they now’ game
A GRIP ON SPORTS • February’s winds are cold. Biting. Discouraging. They can take an evening of hope or fun or promise and turn it into one of despair and dejection and, yes, defeat. They also serve as an apt metaphor for that conference basketball race you’ve been watching closely for a few months.
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• Wind has a way of shocking us. Of stinging. Of changing the landscape. College hoop is not immune. Not this time of year.
Not when all your hopes of a postseason appearance rely on stepping into a rival’s gym and playing well. Of surviving the buffeting roar of a crowd, the gusts and lulls inherent in the game, of finding a way to overcome the gales.
That’s the task for Washington State’s men tonight.
The Cougars will enter the cramped confines of Saint Mary’s University Credit Union Pavilion this afternoon with a tall task. Overcome the Gaels, with a capital “G” and an advantage inherent with being the biggest, baddest bully on the West Coast Conference block this season.
It won’t be easy. Especially since Randy Bennett’s team knows what’s coming. They received a sneak preview a few weeks ago in Pullman. The Cougars, even without key backcourt piece Isaiah Watts, held their own before Saint Mary’s built a second-half edge and held off the home team. There should not be any looking past Washington State tonight.
Even if there is, college basketball’s one key advantage will be in play. The home crowd. The Gaels pack 3,000 or more folk into their bandbox most every conference game. The place, with its baselines almost touching the walls and 1950s-era atmosphere, seems to supply the home team with energy even when the players themselves may have left it in the locker room.
It takes a special effort to win there in a key February conference game. It will take one for the Cougs tonight.
• As we fly around the Interweb these days, born by unseen winds of curiosity and responsibility, we have noticed a new feature on a lot of sites. A weekly (or so) check-in on players who have left the local athletic programs.
An examination of what the winds of change has done, which sort of interests us in a “slow down, there’s an accident on the other side of the freeway” sort of way.
How about when it happens in your lane? Then you really want to know, don’t you? OK, maybe not. Maybe you are in the “get the tow truck here and clear the path right now” camp. Either way, you might want to know what happened to the participants.
We thought about that this morning as we examined the Cougars’ hopes against Saint Mary’s tonight – and down the road. It didn’t hurt that we read two stories today on Jaylen Wells, the one-year wonder for Wazzu, now starting for Memphis, one of the NBA’s biggest surprise teams. And a couple other stories recently about other former WSU players at their new homes.
The what-might-have-been hits hard when you look at last season’s Washington State men’s roster. And not just at the top, where Kyle Smith used to reside.
The 2023-24 Cougars were young. Successful too. A 25-10 record. An NCAA tourney win. Two wins over Arizona, ranked in the top 10 both times. Of the main rotation, only Isaac Jones was going to be out of eligibility.
So what happened to the silver-lined group? The still-cloudy decimation of the Pac-12 happened. Smith’s new job happened. The transfer portal, NIL, recruiting all happened.
And what’s happening now?
Wells we mentioned. The time was right for him to leave and he fell into the right spot. The others?
Oscar Cluff, the 6-foot-11 mountain of a man, is doing great at South Dakota State. He’s a force inside. Thursday he put together a 25-point, 15-rebound, six-assist performance as SDSU upset Summit League-leading Omaha 98-85.
Florida has been one of the top surprises in college hoops, rising into the top five recently. And another former Cougar big, 6-11 Rueben Chinyelu, has played a role in the Gators’ 21-3 record, mainly with a defensive presence inside and on the boards (6.5 per game, second-best on the team).
The change has also been special for Jabe Mullins, who left Pullman for Bozeman. He’s been on a roll for Montana State lately, putting together back-to-back solid efforts, including Thursday’s 17-point one in a win over Weber State.
Another WSU-to-the-Big-Sky transfer, Central Valley High grad Dylan Darling, has blossomed as well. A little-used backup in Pullman, Darling is the straw that stirs Idaho State’s drink. He has scored more than 30 points multiple times, including 33 on Thursday in a loss at Montana.
Those players are probably enjoying themselves immensely. But for ever heads, a coin has a tails. Same here.
Myles Rice has never really found his rhythm at Indiana. He’s been under a lot of scrutiny – a large NIL package will do that – and has been blamed often for Hoosier losses, including last night’s 72-68 one to visiting UCLA. That can’t be fun.
Andrej Jakimovski is Colorado’s second-leading scorer. Second in minutes. Second in free throw shooting and first in 3-pointers taken. But his 37.8 shooting has contributed to the Buffs’ struggles in Big 12 play. They have yet to win a conference game. That can’t be fun either.
But at least they are playing. A lot.
Kymany Houinsou is used about as much at Loyola Chicago as he was in Pullman. Meaning not all that much. He is averaging 5.5 points in 18 games.
AJ LaBeau, who redshirted last season, transferred to Colgate. He’s played in just four games.
Smith? His Cardinal are dealing with the ACC, down this season but still a tough ask for the Bay Area schools. Stanford is 16-9 overall and 8-6 in conference. That’s good enough for sixth in the 18-school conference but, with a NET ranking of 80, the Cardinal are a longshot to make the NCAA tourney.
Keep them all together and that group would have been something in the WCC this season. But the winds of change blow everywhere in college athletics these days. Even such an idyllic spot as the Palouse is not immune. Not when February’s winds begin to blow.
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WSU: The trip to Moraga is not crucial for the Cougars hopes of a top-six regular season finish, and another day’s rest in Las Vegas, but a win would certainly help. And help throw the conference race into a bit of disarray. Greg Woods has a preview of the contest. … Our friend Tim Booth has one of the stories about Wells, and we found another to pass along as well. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner has a mailbag filled with thoughts on the future. … The future is also on John Canzano’s mind, as he wonders if the conference will be the first to jump into private capital investment and partnerships. … No. 1 vs. No. 2. From the same conference. It happens today (1 p.m., ESPN). It hasn’t happened in the men’s game since Jan. 4, 2016. And Auburn vs. Alabama is more important in basketball than it’s ever been. … The USC women were not No. 2 going into Thursday’s win against UCLA. They will move up. And JuJu Watkins may have moved up to No. 1 in the player of the year voting. … The Arizona State men have TCU in town today, with the Sun Devils trying to snap a losing streak. … A healthier Arizona squad plays Houston, with former WSU coach Kelvin Sampson remembering the days when his Cougars had to face Lute Olson’s Wildcats. … The Boise State vs. San Diego State matchup pits two similar teams. … Colorado State faces Wyoming in another Border War clash – with a twist. … A Utah State player took a roundabout way to Logan. … In football news, Wilner passes along Brandon Huffman’s thoughts on West Coast recruiting. … How much has college sports changed? Washington hired a salary cap guy for its football program. Among other assistants. … USC has been making huge investments in the back-of-the-program area. … Oregon State lost an assistant to the NFL again. … We can also pass along an OSU mailbag. … Four Colorado players are headed to the scouting combine.
Gonzaga: Jim Meehan did double-duty Friday, in a couple ways. He has a preview of tonight’s Pepperdine game at the Kennel as well as the key matchup. His preview also serves as a summation of Thursday’s key win over USF. … Theo Lawson had double duty yesterday as well, but just one subject. Awards. He covers the news Mark Few is one of three coaches named a Hall of Fame finalist. And he covers the announcement from the Naismith Award committee of its midseason team. Graham Ike and Ryan Nembhard were included in the group of 30 players.
Whitworth: The Pirates moved a step closer to another Northwest Conference regular season title – and the top seed in the postseason tournament – with an 84-65 home win over Pacific University.
Preps: Dave Nichols was at Mead last night for the weather-delayed District 6 boys matchup between the Panthers and Kamiakin. Behind Nash Dunham’s 26 points, Mead won handily. … Dave also put together a roundup of Friday’s other action.
Chiefs: A late goal tied the game in Tri-Cities, but the Americans won in a shootout. Dave returns with that story.
Mariners: Bryce Miller knows he has to keep evolving on the mound if he wants to survive.
Kraken: Seattle is struggling. The trade deadline nears. Who could be sent out of town?
Storm: Seattle had few guards Thursday. It has plenty today.
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• We finish today with something we hope will give you a laugh. SNL’s best sports skits over the past 50 years. Though, when John Belushi did his little chocolate doughnut skit, we took it personally. And still do. Those guys are the Breakfast of Champions. Until later …