A Grip on Sports: It only took one Halloween run-in with a grizzled veteran to scare us straight but such lessons are not in vogue when it comes to college basketball

A GRIP ON SPORTS • In need of a sugar rush? That seems easy to satisfy – whether the sugar you need is contained in a Reese’s or within the sweetest of sports, college basketball. Though tonight may be the Night of the Walking Sour Patch Kids and this weekend a left-on-the-porch-bucket of football, college hoops rises from its offseason coffin Monday. And the S-R staff helps you prepare.

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• I remember my first high school Halloween Friday night. A young reporter sent out to cover a game in La Habra or Laguna Beach or some such Orange County, California hamlet. Spending the entire second half writing a holiday-themed lead (or lede, as the first paragraph was known) in my head. Excited. Cocky. Full of myself.

Only to arrive at the office and have some old editor – a cigarette-crushing guy in his 30s with a visage that screamed 60 and a liver pushing 90 – growling at me about “no Halloween ledes.” Except there were a couple words between “no” and “Halloween.”

Balloon, meet red-hot poker.

Thank goodness an editor screaming talent-limiting dictums is not a problem these days. Other than Paul’s glare still lives rent-free in my head.

But, really, editors? Who needs them? This entire column was planned out days ago. And then … of course there is an “and then.” A text. From sports editor Ralph Walter. It hits the iPhone at 5:21 p.m. last night.

“Good luck with the links tomorrow! Basketball section comes out!”

You know those words between “no” and “Halloween” I mentioned above? Ya, a variation of them echoed through the house at 5:22 p.m.

No, not really. I’m nothing if not flexible – of mind, not body – these days. The usual Friday column of what’s ahead this weekend on TV – with a Halloween theme? Gone in a flash. Instead, here I sit, trying to come up with new ways to introduce one of the best things the S-R sports staff does every year.

Preview the local college basketball scene.

From the Zags to the Sasquatch. Men. Women. Names everyone recognizes. Unknowns who will ascend into that category by the end of November.

How diverse is the 20-page section with a cover-to-cover Halloween theme that arrived on my driveway this morning – and on this site just about the same time?

Well, there is a Theo Lawson story on GU’s Twin Towers, Graham Ike and Braden Huff, of course. Some things are expected.

But how about a Dave Boling column telling us how Gonzaga’s about-to-end 46-year residence in the West Coast Conference – even if it had another name in 1979 – shaped the school’s 21st Century run of excellence?

Not just for the men, but for the women as well.

The Cougars and their internationally tinged roster? No, not Kamie Ethridge’s women’s team. That’s a long-held tradition. The men. David Riley has expanded his horizons – and the last names.

The experience in play at Eastern Washington and Idaho. The continued quest for Division III excellence at Whitworth. The continued quest of player development at the community colleges.

All that is available. And there’s even more. Just click here.

• You thought I was going to throw away everything I thought about because of some text? Unless it’s from Kim, who has been my better angel for as long as Gonzaga has been in the WCC, no way.

There’s still a weekend ahead. Even if local high schools try as much as possible to avoid Halloween night football games these days. Colleges? Not so much. There are a handful of televised contests to watch as you wait for Ninja Turtles and Elsas to ring the doorbell – and send the dog into a fit.

One of them is happening in Flagstaff, where Idaho tries to build on last week’s win over Portland State. The Big Sky contest is on ESPN2, starting at 7:30, or just about the time gangs of middle schoolers without costumes hit the front door.

By the way, Game Six of the World Series begins at 5 (Fox) and it contains a few Halloween themes. Will the Dodgers’ offense remain buried in the graveyard? Will the Blue Jays trudge off the field like Frankenstein’s monster about 8, facing a terrifying Game Seven? Or will all of Toronto celebrate like it is 1993 again after taking advantage of the L.A. bullpen?

Saturday is, appropriately, the day of the dead, as illustrated in the college football schedule. Only three games in which both teams are ranked, though, looking through the slate, it was obvious those who put it together expected a lot more for November’s first day.

Penn State at No. 1 Ohio State (9 a.m., Fox). No. 10 Miami at SMU (9, ESPN). No. 5 Georgia at Florida (12:30 p.m., ABC). No. 23 USC at Nebraska (4:30, NBC). A bounce here or there this year, except maybe in Happy Valley, and this is a Saturday for the ages. Instead?

Maybe No. 9 Vanderbilt continues its rise from the grave and kills No. 20 Texas’ last breathes. In Austin, no less (9 a.m., ABC). Or John Mateer and No. 18 Oklahoma is overwhelmed by a mob of orange-clad zombies wearing Tennessee uniforms and somehow carrying a No. 14 ranking (4:30 p.m., ABC). Or, more appropriately, there is a Pac-12 AfterDark Dr. Frankenstein-like revival in Salt Lake City, as the 24th-ranked Utes give Kyle Whittingham another signature upset over 17th-ranked Cincinnati (7:15, ESPN).

Of course, if the Dodgers win tonight, the two teams will face off in Part VII of their horror story – to M’s fans – Saturday night (5, Fox). Winner gets a pumpkin-shaped trophy.

And you thought I was going to show restraint and forego awful Halloween metaphors? You haven’t been reading this column, long, have you?

OK, nothing like that for Sunday. NFL Sunday.

Though waiting the entire day for the Seahawks game is horrific in its own way. Their matchup in Washington D.C. with The Football Team now known as the Commanders is on NBC starting at 5:20.

At least there is the RedZone to keep you happy. That and a bowl of leftover candy bars. Or San Francisco losing to the Giants (10 a.m., CBS) or Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen dueling once more in Buffalo (1:25, CBS).

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WSU: Yes, I know. College basketball season starts Monday. I’ll get to that. But it is still the middle of the football season. And the most-important game of Washington State’s year is on tap tomorrow (4:30, CBS). Important because it is the first leg of a two-legged series (the teams play in Pullman to end the month). Important because the 4-4 Cougars need two more wins to become bowl eligible and the 1-7 Beavers are a golden opportunity to get a step closer. And important because the game is on CBS, one of the Big Guys when it comes to college football broadcasts. Greg Woods doesn’t really delve into much of that today. He’s focused on offensive lineman Jonny Lester, who has become the Cougs’ Swiss Army Knife. … A Coug wide receiver and his former Oregon State teammates have been talking with each other. Trash talking. … The Beavers still need a non-interim coach.  … OK, basketball stories. We mentioned the new-look Cougar roster. Greg has this story on the international flavor and another on how it came about. … Greg Lee focuses on the women’s best international player, Eleonora Villa, and how the Cougs focused on who stayed, not who left. … As long as I’ve lived in the region, WSU has been good-to-great in cross country. The Cougars intend to rekindle that, possibly starting tomorrow at the Spokane Valley-hosted WCC championships. John Blanchette has a preview. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, both Jon Wilner (in the Mercury News) and John Canzano (on his website) have their picks for the weekend. Follow their betting suggestions with caution this season. … Wilner also looks at how the Pac-12 is trying to build its football schedule for next season. … Scott Woodward is no longer the athletic director at LSU. That seemed a foregone conclusion with all the layers of the Brian Kelly fiasco. … The UCLA/Rose Bowl lawsuit is national news. It should be. The Bruins look like jerks in this debacle. … Where does Washington fit in the CFP picture? Christian Caple has some thoughts. And where does Jedd Fisch’s tenure fit in the modern landscape? Mike Vorel has some thoughts on that. … Dan Lanning keeps saying it. Saying he has no interest in leaving Oregon. And still his name comes up. … What type of coach is Colorado State looking for these days?

• Here are the rest of the (current, old and future) Pac-12 games this week, listed chronologically. All are on Saturday unless noted. The schedule below also includes any game in which finding news turned out to be nearly impossible.

– Arizona State at Iowa State (10 a.m., TNT): My fading memory, and the Big 12’s parity, come into play here. These two teams met in the conference title game last season. That seems long ago.

– Pittsburgh at Stanford (12:30 p.m., ACC)

– Fresno State at Boise State (12:30, FS1): Yes, the Broncos are rolling. But there is speculation rife around coach Spencer Danielson and other jobs. Even as he pledges his commitment to Boise.

– No. 15 Virginia at California (12:45, ESPN2): The Bears need to win this one. But can they? It seems a golden opportunity. … And a golden opportunity to enjoy the Berkeley experience.

– Arizona at Colorado (4, FS1): As bad as the Buffaloes looked last time out, the Wildcats have yet to look like the power their fans hope they will be. Especially on the road.

– Wyoming at San Diego State (4, CBS Sports): Aztecs’ coach Sean Lewis sits down and answers questions late in the week. That’s unusual.

– No. 23 USC at Nebraska (4:30, NBC): When a head coach is given a contract extension mid-season, as the Huskers’ Matt Rhule just was, the school may have heard rumblings of poachers at the door. … That doesn’t seem to the be the case for the Trojans, though maybe Lincoln Riley doesn’t need the money.

– No. 17 Cincinnati at No. 24 Utah (7:15, ESPN): This may just be the best game of the day. At least ESPN must think so. The self-proclaimed WorldWide Leader sent its most-favored show, College GameDay, to Salt Lake City again.

• In basketball news, Stanford’s men hosted Oregon in an exhibition last night. And made the Ducks look mortal. … California has embraced the money culture to a greater degree than the Cardinal. … Arizona State is dealing with a bunch of injuries. … Tommy Lloyd is not a fan of injury reports. Too bad. The NCAA tourney will require them. Another impact on the game brought to us by gambling. … Fresno State is taking a bit of a gamble by playing at Selland Arena again. … It’s a new era at Colorado State. … The Oregon women have some goals on both sides of the ball. They exhibited them last night in an exhibition win. … So did Arizona. … Utah State rolled after halftime in its Thursday exhibition.

Gonzaga: Before we get to the basketball preview section stories, including this one from Jim Meehan on the beginning of the Bulldogs’ stay in the WCC, there are a couple news stories to send your way. … Newest men’s recruit Luca Foster lives close to the only Jesuit university in America that boasts a Pope among its alumni and two recent NCAA basketball titles. But, as Theo tells us, there are reasons Foster is headed across the country to play. … Theo also passes along the news Ike was named to multiple awards’ watch lists Thursday. … In the special section, Theo takes a look at the depth of the men’s roster. … Dave has another column, focused on the changing nature of the college game – and experience. … Theo looks at that as it impacts the WCC. … Greg has a couple stories on the women’s program. There are new stars ready to take the place of one of the program’s greatest players, Yvonne Ejim. … Greg also examines the WCC race ahead. … Elsewhere in the conference, it could be another long year for the USD men. … Santa Clara grad Brandin Podziemski has hit the jackpot with Golden State.

EWU: Eastern will host a Sacramento State team with an explosive offense tomorrow. But the 1 p.m. game also features a Hornets squad that has the same overall record (4-4) as the Eagles, and, at 1-3, is a game behind in the Big Sky standings. Dan Thompson tries to explain all that in this preview. … On to the basketball preview, Dan looks at how Dan Monson is trying to build off a tough season. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana State has updated its master plan for athletic facilities. … Northern Colorado has updated its defense and that’s helping its master plan. … Utah Tech takes on Northern Alabama this week. … Austin Peay will take a 22nd-ranking into Cedar City when it faces Southern Utah.

Idaho: Tonight’s TV game is all about momentum. Host No. 19 Northern Arizona has carried it for much of the season. The Vandals just welcomed it back last week. Peter Harriman has his own with this game preview. … On to the basketball stories. UI has a lot of veterans on its men’s roster. Players with experience built in Moscow. Peter has that as well. … He also looks at the prospects for the women.

Whitworth: Ethan Myers tells us the Pirate men expect to battle for another Northwest Conference title, thanks to a group of new players. … The women expect to lean on their best player. 

SCC and NIC: Justin Reed previews the season ahead for the two local junior colleges.

Preps: The GSL’s 3A top playoff seed was at stake last night at Union Stadium and the Cheney Blackhawks went out and grabbed it. The school’s football revival continued with its 14-9 win over host Mt. Spokane. Dave Nichols was there and has this story. … Dave also passes along this roundup of Thursday’s packed schedule that included West Valley earning the 2A top District seed and Gonzaga Prep finishing off another undefeated league season. … Cheryl Nichols has a roundup of other contests.

Zephyr: Spokane’s home game on a chilly Thursday night resulted in a momentum-cooling 2-1 loss to Carolina Ascent FC.

Mariners: Bryce Miller won’t need surgery this offseason. That qualifies as good news, right?

Seahawks: Bobby Wagner almost played for Mike Macdonald a couple years ago. … Jaxon Smith-Njigba is on a record pace. Can he keep it up? Sam Darnold’s level of play will probably determine that.

Sounders: How will Seattle boost its vacant offense against the Loons?

Kraken: Why have three goalies on the roster when only one is playing? There is a reason.

Storm: There are more Seattle players headed to the offseason Unrivaled league.

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• At least tomorrow the sugar-caused hangovers among our youngest generation will rear their ugly heads at home. Instead of at the local elementary school. I’m guessing teachers across the nation are rejoicing. By the way, the older guy I mentioned above who growled about Halloween-themed stories? I wonder how he would feel about the S-R’s basketball section today? Probably with enough profanity to raise the dead. Until later …