A Grip on Sports: George Raveling never forgot his time at Washington State and what it meant for himself and the game of basketball

A GRIP ON SPORTS • George Raveling lived a diverse life. A life with basketball supplying a foundation but not in one bit defining who he was. And that’s why his death Tuesday at age 88 touched so many. Just as his life did.

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• The story of Raveling’s life didn’t start in the Inland Northwest. Not really. Not when he grew up in Philadelphia, starred as a college player for Villanova and, after working as a volunteer bodyguard for Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil-rights legend’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, became the guardian of King’s written notes until he loaned the document to his alma mater.

But Raveling’s true calling, that of a leader and mentor of others, began the most-visible part of its journey on the Palouse, when he was named Washington State’s head basketball coach in 1972.

Others have a better understanding of Raveling’s 11 years in these parts. Of his varied life after. Of his impact on basketball, commerce – he helped Sonny Vaccaro reshape Nike’s future through Michael Jordan – and American culture.

All I can offer is my personal interactions, slight though they may be. And one truism. No matter where he lived, how eclectic his life became, he always had a special place in his heart for Washington State University.

It wasn’t just that WSU and athletic director Ray Nagel took a chance on a 35-year-old assistant who had only played and coached on the East Coast. That in itself would have been a stretch. But hiring a Black man as head basketball coach in the Pac-8? That had never been done before.

But Nagel and school President Dr. Glenn Terrell wanted the best coach they could find and Raveling, already well-known as Lefty Driesell’s top-recruiter, was the right fit. Even if that fit was the most-rural campus in the conference.

Raveling once shared with me – and, I’m sure, anyone who asked ­– how grateful he felt for the opportunity. And how important it was not just for him, but for everyone. Not that it didn’t come with some pressure, but, as he said when we talked at a Pac-10 basketball tournament, any head coaching job has pressure.

And Raveling used it to create a diamond-like WSU career. His early teams planted the seeds of success. His later teams harvested them, taking advantage of NCAA-tourney expansion to earn two berths. And, most importantly, all but one of his last eight Cougar teams posted winning records in and out of conference play.

He moved on in 1983, leaving Pullman after his final team had won their first NCAA Tournament game. Left for more money, more resources, more support in the heartland of America, replacing Lute Olson at Iowa. But never left Pullman far from his thoughts.

And he was always willing to pick up his phone and talk WSU basketball, no matter who called. To share his thoughts on the Cougars. The game. The past. The present. The future.

That future no longer includes Raveling and that’s a loss. But because he spent a part of his past in Pullman, our area’s present is better for it.

• I’m not sure I can get aboard the light-rail carrying those who feel if the Mariners continue their late-season slide from playoff contender to failure, it will be the worst such collapse in franchise history.

Mainly because there have been so many of them, they are hard to rate.

I understand the argument. The early season slog, dealing with injuries and a lineup with too many holes seems to part of the franchise’s DNA. Adding expensive, and soon-to-be-gone, talent at the trade deadline is not.

The moves, and Cal Raleigh’s historic season, gave the long-suffering fan base hope. The additions gave the team a bump. All the way into a tie for first in the American League West.

Then, poof.

Time, and the playoffs, are slipping away. It hurts. Raleigh’s season, and those of Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena and Bryan Woo may be wasted. And with it, another dark age – or, at least, a dark, depressing offseason – may follow.

It’s enough to drive a man insane. But is it the worst ever? I’m not ready to go that far just yet. Get back with me next year. Or the year after.

There will probably be a couple more seasons to compare to this one.

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WSU: As I said above, there are a lot more folks with more history who can speak to Raveling’s time in Pullman. Dave Boling talked with a few, some for his column on Raveling’s impact and Craig Ehlo for this story. … There is also a quick obituary on the S-R site from yesterday morning. … Nationally, we can pass along story after story from national publications and those in the areas where Raveling coached. … Back to Pullman, Greg Woods focused on football. On the Cougar defense. And how well it did against Idaho. … We can pass along a scouting report on the Cougars from San Diego. … Jon Wilner updates his Pac-12 bowl projections today in the S-R. He still thinks the Cougars will not qualify. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, what Power Four conference is playing the best?  Wilner ranks that in the Mercury News as well. … Pat Forde does something similar for SI. … Wilner also forecasts the CFP and explains how Miami’s win over Notre Dame helps the Big 12. … And you thought eligibility lawsuits were over. Hah. Athletes filed suit to allow everyone five seasons of competition. … Here are the rest of the (current, old and future) Pac-12 schedule this week, listed chronologically. All games this week are on Saturday unless noted. The schedule below also includes any game in which mining news about turned out to be nearly impossible.

– Eastern Washington at Boise State (Friday, 6 p.m., FS1): The Broncos are not going to stop rushing the ball, no matter how poorly they did it in the opener. … And they will not stop rushing the passer, no matter how well they did it then.

– Utah State at No. 19 Texas A&M (9:45 a.m., SEC Network): The Aggies and their mobile quarterback will face a stiff road challenge in Mike Elko’s team.

– Oklahoma State at No. 6 Oregon (12:30 p.m., CBS): … Is it possible Oregon and the new team (Miami) of its former coach, Mario Cristobal, could meet in the CFP? John Canzano thinks it would be a date with destiny. … Speaking of coaches, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy complaining about money is rich, considering T. Boone Pickens’ money is what built his program. … The Ducks may have the best blocking receiver in the country.

– Fresno State at Oregon State (12:30, The CW Network): The Beavers have added a game with BYU in Las Vegas to their 2028 schedule. … The Bulldogs exhibited a power running game last week. And want to keep it rolling.

– Delaware at Colorado (12:30, Fox): Deion Sanders said freshman quarterback JuJu Lewis will see the field this week after not playing in the Georgia Tech loss.

– Texas State at UTSA (12:30, ESPN+): The Roadrunners are beat up and TSU hopes to take advantage.

– Texas Southern at California (3, ACC Network)

– Cal Poly at No. 25 Utah (3, ESPN+): The Utes’ offensive line was as good as advertised in the opener.

– Northern Colorado at Colorado State (4): What did the Rams learn from their loss at Washington?

– No. 12 Arizona State at Mississippi State (4:30, ESPN2): Coach Kenny Dillingham played the role of Bruce Dickinson yesterday. The Sun Devils needed more cowbell and if Dillingham wants more cowbell, he’s going to get it.

– Georgia Southern at USC (4:30, FS1)

– UCLA at UNLV (5, CBS Sports Network): This news about the Rose Bowl crowds – UCLA counts everybody who may have even thought about attending the game – comes as no surprise to those of us who have been there. … There is a lot the Bruins need to fix. … UNLV is not impressed with the Bruins’ new quarterback.

– Weber State at Arizona (7 ESPN+): One player’s injury is another’s opportunity. A Wildcat defensive back has taken advantage.

– Stanford at BYU (7:15, ESPN): The Cougars are just outside the top 25.  

– UC Davis at Washington (8, Big Ten Network): Another late game for the Huskies. Christian Caple documented the opener and how he covered it. … Rolling with Demond Williams Jr. at quarterback late last season is paying off for UW.

• In basketball news, San Diego State and UCLA are going to play an October exhibition game.

Gonzaga: The Bulldog men will host North Florida in the Kennel on Dec. 7. Theo Lawson has more in this story.

EWU and Idaho: Dan Thompson has his weekly Big Sky notebook today. He begins with the FCS rankings. There is also a look at this week’s schedule. … Elsewhere in the (current and future) Big Sky, Montana has released a two-deep for its opener against visiting Central Washington. … Northern Colorado has a special young member of its football team. … Sacramento State heads to Reno and will find Nevada has a lot of familiar faces. … Portland State has another tough assignment, though No. 20 North Dakota is nursing some injuries. … No. 19 Northern Arizona hosts Utah Tech in its home opener.

Indians: Spokane began the final week of the season with a late collapse, falling 10-4 in Eugene. Dave Nichols has this story on a game the Indians led 3-2 going into the bottom of the seventh inning.

Mariners: Lou Piniella came to watch his old team play last night. And saw something he saw a lot while he was the M’s manager. An umpire overreacting and tossing the Seattle manager from the game. Piniella waved his hands in disgust as Dan Wilson left the field following a mild-mannered – in Piniella’s experience – discussion with home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez. Maybe Wilson was taking a page from Piniella’s book, getting tossed to fire up his team. It worked in some regard as the M’s battled back from a four-run deficit. But they still lost 6-5 despite Raleigh’s 51st home run. … Harry Ford may help some down the stretch.

Storm: Everyone has stories about Sue Bird, even some that come from after her retirement. Why not? She hasn’t slowed down.

Seahawks: We linked this story about the Seattle offense in the Times yesterday. And on the S-R site this morning. … Sam Darnold seems ready to have an encore to his great season. … Here’s how to watch the Hawks this year. … Why weren’t the Hawks able to trade their former wide receiver they face this week? … Mike Macdonald believes the defense will build on last year’s strong finish. And that will help carry the Hawks through the schedule. … They are an underdog at home this Sunday against the 49ers. … Can the Hawks win the West?

Tennis: Novak Djokovic ended American men’s hopes by topping Taylor Fritz and moving to another U.S. Open singles semifinal. … He will play Carlos Alcaraz.

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• Another sad part of the Mariners’ recent collapse? The Astros are falling apart as well. Just not as fast. And in a different, uglier, way. Until later …