A Grip on Sports: High school sports have always supplied lessons to everyone who participates, though the one being taught by Colfax’s Reece Jenkin is a tough one

A GRIP ON SPORTS • There are often prep sports stories that twist your heart in a knot. Most of them, though, pull on the strings of competition, rivalries or injuries. Dave Nichols’ story on Colfax boys’ basketball coach Reece Jenkin is different. And more important.

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• If you think about Colfax much, you are probably either a Washington State fan or someone who knows Eastern Washington hoops deeply.

The former group sees it “that speed trap between Spokane and Pullman.” The latter? They understand the place is more than that. It’s a town that loves its high school and its high school sports.

The coaches who work at Colfax High understand that. Understand the “Hoosiers” quality of the place – the positive parts anyway. And no one understands that better this morning then Jenkin.

The longtime coach, with two State 2B titles on his resume, is facing the toughest competition of his long basketball career. Pancreatic cancer. A foe that doesn’t just supply 40 minutes of hell, but days, weeks and months of it.

And yet Jenkin is still doing what he does. What he loves. Still coaching the Bulldogs. Still mentoring his players, including his eldest son Adrick, still doing the things high school basketball coaches do. Maybe not to the level of his previous seasons, but he can be excused. After all, he has to find time for his treatment. A treatment that most of us can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

This is probably a good time to pause. At least for me. And insert the journalistic prerequisite note about conflict of interest. You see, Reece is not just someone I sort of remember when I covered Whitworth just after the turn of the century. Or as the Colfax head coach when I covered the Bulldogs’ 2012 run to their first State B title since 1947. For me, Reece is also a colleague in my avocation as a travel basketball coach with Hooptown Elite. A dad of a player who has blossomed in his time in the program. A long-trusted advisor on the game.

Most importantly, though, he’s a friend.

That’s why I’m going to cut this short. Let Dave’s story tell us what Jenkin and his family are dealing with. What it means to the Colfax community. What it means to his friends, even those of us who have had a while to process the news.

Take the time. Let it pull on your heart. And learn just a part of what I’ve learned over the years. Reece Jenkin is a man worth celebrating.

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WSU: There was quite a bit of quarterback news in the state of Washington on Tuesday. The news from Pullman? Positive, as Kirby Moore enticed one of the Big Sky Conference’s best to head to Washington State. UC Davis transfer Caden Pinnick, the conference’s freshman of the year, will be playing for the Cougars next season. Greg Woods has all of the info in this story. … Moore has already attracted a speedy receiver to WSU earlier in the day. Greg has more on Florida wide receiver Tank Hawkins signing on. … All of that news is also part of Greg’s transfer portal tracker. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, did we mention some other QB news? Yes we did. It comes from Seattle, where Washington’s Demond Williams Jr. surprisingly announced he’s headed to the portal. Why surprisingly? Because he had already signed on for another year of UW NIL money. And to attend school, of course. This could get ugly. … The Pac-12 hired a deputy commissioner Tuesday. Jon Wilner shares all the details in the Mercury News. … Wilner also has his CFP semifinal picks. … Stewart Mandel has a mailbag on The Athletic’s site. … John Canzano’s most-recent column has little to do with sports. … The fact there are underdogs still playing in the CFP – in the historical sense, not in how good they are – is good for the casual college football fan’s interest. … Oregon has its CFP showdown with top-seeded Indiana (one of the underdogs) Friday night. The Ducks are preparing. And dealing with the transfer portal, good and bad. How fun. … A former Oregon player – and lifetime legend – will be rooting for Oregon State next season. It’s a family thing. … USC is still adding from the portal. … Morgan Scalley needs no introduction in Utah. The new head football coach got one anyway. … Colorado State has its next quarterback.

• In basketball news, Wilner posts his Big 12 men’s power rankings on the Mercury News site. … Jeff Metcalfe does the same with his West Coast women’s rankings. … San Diego State defeated Boise State in three overtimes the other night. It should not have happened. The Aztec that hit the key shot in the second overtime? He had already fouled out. And there is video proof. Guess the Broncos will get the usual apology. And that’s it. … SDSU topped Nevada on the road last night. … The Utah men are not good this season. Colorado is up next for the Utes. … Maybe UCLA isn’t all that good either. The Bruins lost at Wisconsin. … Colorado State was sloppy. New Mexico made the Rams pay. … Utah State defeated Air Force. … The USC women lost for the second consecutive game, this time blowing a large lead over Oregon in the late going. … Arizona picked up its first Big 12 win, topping BYU.

Gonzaga: The eighth-ranked Bulldogs host Santa Clara on Thursday. Before that, though, you need to listen to latest Zags Basketball Insiders podcast with Jim Meehan and Richard Fox.

EWU: It’s no secret high school recruiting has receded a bit among college basketball programs. With unlimited free agency, it is understandable. But Dan Thompson has a story today on an Eastern women’s player who has countered that trend. The Eagles are being led offensively by true freshman Elyn Bowers from Wyoming. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana State celebrated their FCS title, won in overtime over Illinois State. … Idaho State will tell its fans how recruiting went in a whirlwind tour. … UC Davis’ coach isn’t happy to have lost his freshman quarterback. … In basketball news, Northern Colorado’s men feel as if they gave a couple games away. … It sometimes takes a player a while to find the right fit. One Idaho State women’s player finally has.

Whitworth: The Pirate men rolled over rival Whitman 87-57 on Tuesday night in Walla Walla.

Preps: We linked Dave’s story on Jenkin above. Do it again here. And add a link to Colin Mulvany’s photo gallery. I’m in the group picture from West Valley the other night. But hidden somehwere behind Reese. Didn’t want my mug to ruin everyone’s morning coffee. … Dave also has this roundup of Tuesday’s GSL action.

Mariners: Julio Rodriguez is once again making a difference. This time, though, it’s at home.

Seahawks: Yes, they have a bye week. But it certainly isn’t a week off. … We linked this Times story on Mike Macdonald yesterday. It is now on the S-R website. So we do what we do and link it again. … Pete Carroll, Hall of Fame coach? Yes. … How the heck have the Hawks been able to run successfully on third-and-long? … The Charles Cross extension is official. … Both Seattle coordinators are interviewing for head coaching spots. … Is Sam Darnold playing better than most of us think? Probably. … Could the Hawks have to defeat either the Rams or 49ers again to make the Super Bowl? Maybe both? Could be. Though these picks indicate Seattle’s first playoff game will be against Green Bay.

Kraken: Berkly Catton is goal-scoring official. The former Spokane Chiefs scored his first two NHL goals and Seattle outscored the visiting Bruins and posted another win.

Sounders: An assistant coach is headed to Los Angeles for a new job.

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• Some days are easy. Some are hard. Life is that way, right? You can guess what type of day this one is. Until later …