A Grip on Sports: Before the deluge of college basketball transfers begin, one major West Coast coach makes a major change
A GRIP ON SPORTS • There are times that I wish Carl Spackler was a real person. And was employed as a SportsCenter talking head. This time of year is one of them. Mainly because how he would view what’s about to happen in men’s college hoops.
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• The sport’s transfer portal doesn’t open until April 7. But that doesn’t mean, even as we all await a Sweet 16 weekend of blue bloods, bluish bloods and maybe a bloody mess or two, names aren’t being thrown into the transfer mix.
As Spackler, sitting between Stanford Steve and Scott Van Pelt, probably would say, “I’d keep playing. I don’t think the heavy stuff’s going to come down for quite a while.”
He would actually be right. The sprinkle that is this week might be uncomfortable for fans of Washington State, who heard two more players announce their intention to leave Monday, but the deluge? That’s for next month.
When new faces in new places sporting new wallets look for new additions. And a record number of players look to cash in.
Well, maybe. The NCAA is trying to limit the number, using whatever means the courts are still allowing. It seems the organization’s new weapon is limiting the time allowed to enter the portal. Players this offseason have only 15 days to toss their name into the sorting hat.
Last year an estimated 2,700 players went looking for a new home. Yes, that’s a flood. How many of them found a way over the spillway and onto a new roster? No one seems to have a definitive number but it certainly wasn’t all of them. There are only so many spots and players have to funnel through tighter and tighter channels to find a new forever home.
But the dream – or nightmare – isn’t going to stop. Slow down? Maybe. At least the clouds won’t burst until the NCAA Tournament ends. Until then, there will be showers of names often enough to induce tears for many fans.
Maybe even as many as will be shed Thursday through Sunday. You know, as the tournament winnows itself down to its Final Four.
• If I were a betting man, I would bet there were some tears shed Monday in the West Coast Conference offices. But placing a wager on whether they were tinged with sadness or joy, only a fool would do that.
The two coaching giants who lifted the conference’s basketball profile into the national spotlight have now left. Mark Few, the titan of the duo, departs along with the entire Gonzaga athletic department. A departure that actually won’t be official until July.
The other? Randy Bennett left yesterday, though Saint Mary’s remains.
Like a lot of people his age, the 63-year-old Bennett is moving to the Valley of the Sun. He’s not retiring, though. At least Arizona State is betting that’s the case. He’s replacing Bobby Hurley as the Sun Devils’ coach.
With roots in the area – Bennett’s dad Tom was a longtime coach in the Phoenix metroplex – and the sea change that is hitting the WCC this offseason, it was a perfect time for Bennett, 589-228 in 25 Saint Mary’s seasons, to move on.
Whether there was a little extra motivation to move concerning the Gaels future, no one outside of Moraga probably knows for sure.
Did Bennett want Saint Mary’s to pursue Pac-12 membership? To go all out to raise money and the school’s profile? To find a way to build a better basketball home and move up? Or was he more of a status quo guy, who was running into an administration that had grander dreams?
And how does his heir, former Saint Mary’s point guard and longtime assistant Mickey McConnell, view the future? Is the Gaels’ souvenir cup half full or is it leaking profusely?
Maybe it didn’t matter to Bennett. He may have just decided it was time and Arizona State was the only place for him. He said as much yesterday to veteran Bay Area sportswriter Jeff Faraudo. Still, the uncertainty hanging over the WCC’s future had to play a part in his decision. At least the timing makes it feel that way.
McConnell is 36 years old. Has been in Moraga much of his adult life. Does he see the program as one that can dominate the WCC into perpetuity and be a constant NCAA Tournament participant? Or does he harbor bigger dreams, for himself and for the college in the mountains east of Berkeley?
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WSU: The transfer sprinkles have already hit Pullman, with Monday’s news Forward Eemeli Yalaho and guard Kase Wynott are expected to enter the portal when it opens April 7. Greg Woods has all the details in this story. … Spring football practice begins Thursday morning and Greg has that covered as well. Today he looks at three trends to watch offensively. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner’s column linked yesterday on the NCAA tourney’s winners and losers? It is on the S-R site today so I link it once more. … Wilner also has his Sweet 16 picks and power rankings in the Mercury News. … John Canzano has his weekly mailbag. … Sad about how much the tournament has changed? That’s OK. But, still, is there anything better? … Did we say the heavy stuff is a ways away? Yes. But there is a shower hitting Eugene. … Oregon State has lost a recruit to Stanford before he even stepped on campus. … One of the new members of the Pac-12, Utah State, will have a new coach. The Aggies’ latest to leave, Jerrod Calhoun, is headed to the Big 12. … I linked Bennett stories, including the S-R one, above. And left a couple for here. … Arizona is used to a quick turnaround. … The women’s tournament is not completely chalk, but like the men, it’s close. … Top-seeded UCLA had more trouble with Oklahoma State than other No. 1 seeds had. … USC just handed the game to top-seeded South Carolina. … Colorado had an X chalked through its name. … In football news, Utah and Utah State have agreed to a home-and-home series. … Arizona is working on its special teams. … Boise State begins spring practices this week as well. … San Diego State just did.
Gonzaga: The biggest change from the first game to the last for the Zag men? An argument could be made the depth of the rotation, for a variety of reasons, was No. 1. But the emergence of two freshmen, Mario Saint-Supery and Davis Fogle, as go-to elements of the condensed rotation has to be considered for the top spot as well. Theo Lawson delves into how the duo became such a key element of the Bulldogs’ success.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, a goal at Montana’s spring football practice? Help the offensive line become more physical. … Recruiting never stops. Not for the Montana State women’s basketball staff. … The fans of Idaho State still have a special place in their hearts for Dylan Darling.
Preps: There is a roundup of Monday’s action to pass along.
Chiefs: Spokane’s first WHL playoff game? It will be Friday night in Prince George.
Mariners: Ryan Divish’s roster projection I linked yesterday? It is on the S-R’s site today. … Also available is Divish’s attempt to clarify the cable TV plans. Nothing will be set in stone until Thursday. Which just happens to be Opening Day. Great. … Another story linked previously? Matt Calkin’s column on Cal Raleigh and what to expect this season. … How about the team’s goal for the season? Two words: World Series. … The last game in Peoria ended in another loss. But once again the starting pitcher (Luis Castillo) was sharp and a key player (Randy Arozarena) hit a home run. … What have been the Mariners’ top five seasons?
Seahawks: When I passed along the Jaxon Smith-Njigba extension news yesterday, there was a promise made. More to follow today. Hey, we keep our promises. Stories from the Times and the News Tribune. And more. The national coverage seems a bit thin though, considering the amount of money and significance to other franchises. … The Hawks matched Jake Bobo’s free-agent deal.
Sonics: Is it possible the franchise’s return is closer than ever? Yes.
Kraken: Speaking of the Sonics, there was some news around the Kraken ownership and Climate Pledge Arena yesterday that seems to be pegged to making it easier for the NBA and its expansion plans. … One Kraken player is hitting some career milestones.
Golf: Not a TGL fan? Not a fan of watching golf indoors, with pros hitting balls into giant bedsheets? Too bad. Tonight’s playoff (4 p.m., ESPN) matches will include Tiger Woods. No, not as a cheerleader, as he’s been all season. As a player. At least that’s the plan. It’s possible his surgically repaired – again – back won’t cooperate but he’s scheduled to be playing.
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• It’s raining. It wasn’t supposed to start until around noon. I thought I had enough time to buy some fertilizer and get it on the lawn before the heavy stuff. I’m still going to get it done, no matter what. I’ll just have to make sure I avoid any possible lightning. Until later …