Washington State Basketball

This coming Friday coach Ken Bone will travel to Tucson, Ariz. with his Washington State Cougars (11-3, 1-1) to take on the Arizona Wildcats (7-7, 1-1). It will be his first Pac-10 conference road game as the new men's basketball coach in Pullman.

Challenge?

It's no secret winning a conference road game in the Pac-10 is a tall order. For that matter, defending your home court in this league is no small feat.

When Arizona and WSU hook up on the hardwood of McKale Center this Friday, both teams will share a lot in common.

The Wildcats are led by first-year coach Sean Miller who left Xavier to come west and take on the best coaches and teams in college basketball. Coach Bone didn't have to move west this past spring to take over the Washington State basketball program. Technically, he traveled about 300 miles northeast from Portland, lured by the same challenge that attracted coach Miller.

Both rosters contain just one senior. That's right, Nic Wise is the lone four-year man on the Wildcat roster. In terms of overall experience, Arizona has the edge considering they have junior Jamelle Horne .

Of the five sophomores at Arizona, only Kyle Fogg saw quality minutes last season. WSU clearly has an edge with Klay Thompson , DeAngelo Casto and Marcus Capers all getting starts last season. The difference in underclassman experience could partially explain the discrepancy in season records.

It would be silly to compare the heritage of the two respective college basketball programs. Arizona has a streak of 25 consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament on the line. WSU was pleased to have back-to-back invitations two years ago and happy to play in the NIT last spring.

Simply put, and with all due respect to football coach Mike Stoops, Arizona is known as a basketball school. With that heritage comes different expectations from Wildcat Nation.

So when coach Miller was asked about whether or not "the streak" has an effect on his program, his response was patient and measured.

"I’ve answered maybe four or five hundred questions about 'the streak' and 'the streak' has no bearing on what we’re doing here at all. We’re just trying to become a better team. To develop our young team and go game by game and improve as the year goes on knowing that a year from now, two years from now and big picture three years from now we’ve made a lot of progress in all that we’re doing," responded coach Miller and in so doing, attempted to dismiss the question...again.

The fact both coach Miller and coach Bone took over their two teams following last season placed both at a recruiting disadvantage. Bone was able to retain recruits whereas Miller had to find young high school prospects with talent very, very late in the recruiting game.

He succeeded in finding student-athletes excited to be a part of Arizona basketball and in the process retained one of the best players on last season's roster.

"We were able to get Derrick Williams , Lamont Jones , and Solomon Hill very late in the game. It gave us what I would call a starting point. If we didn’t have those three players, I would say that Nic Wise wouldn’t have returned for his senior year." - Arizona coach Sean Miller

Just to put things in perspective about the state of Arizona basketball, Miller is now the fourth coach Wise has had in four years in Tucson. Horne is playing for his third different Arizona head coach.

Not exactly the model for consistency.

The imbalance of youth stocking the Arizona roster has resulted in mixed performances on the court. The 'Cats shot just 30 percent from the floor in their loss to USC. Two days later the same team came back and hit a very respectable 48 percent to defeat UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.

Beating UCLA in Westwood should go a long way toward building confidence for the 'Cats. Add that to playing in front of their fans who will pack McKale Center to the rafters and the Cougs will have all they can handle Friday evening.

"The good news for us if you give us credit in any area? I don’t know if there are any college basketball teams who have played a more difficult schedule. I know Washington State is going to present so many of the same challenges that other teams we’ve played have presented. I just hope that our team’s experience playing in tough games can help us against them." - Coach Sean Miller 

FSN Northwest will televise the Arizona - Washington State game in Tucson, Ariz. beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST this coming Friday. Of course, you can hear Bud Nameck call the game over the Cougar Radio Network.

Originally published in Lew Wright's WSU Sports column on Examiner.com

Pullman, WA—Washington State Cougar men's basketball sophomore Klay Thompson has been named as one of 30 midseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award, the organization announced Monday.

A native of Ladera Ranch, Calif., Thompson leads the Cougars and the Pacific-10 Conference in scoring and ranks third in the nation with 24.3 points per game.

The 6-foot-6 guard has led the team in scoring in 13 of the team’s 14 games and reached 20-plus points in 11 of the 14 games. His streak of six consecutive 20-point games to open the season matched the most since the school’s all-time leading scorer, Isaac Fontaine, scored 20-plus in six-straight games, from Dec. 7-29, 1996.

At the Great Alaska Shootout, Thompson put up 43 points against San Diego in the championship game (November 28th), matching the third-most points by a Cougar in a single game. He also set a Great Alaska Shootout record with his 43 points, breaking the record set by Glenn Robinson in 1993.

Thompson has earned Pac-10 Player of the Week twice this season and ranks 17th in the WSU career record books for three-pointers made with 104. And he's just 14 games into his second season, folks!

Just two Pac-10 players were named to the list. Thompson is joined by Washington's. He is also one of 10 players who were not named to the preseason list of 50, and is one of seven underclassmen in the top 30.

Thompson is the first Cougar since Derrick Low in 2008 to be named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 30 list.

Players who are not on the preseason list are eligible for the midseason top 30. Also, players who do not make the midseason list are still eligible for the national ballot, which will be selected in March. That final list will consist of approximately 20 players.

The Wooden Award goes to the nation's top player and will be presented at the award ceremony April 9 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. The top-five finalists will be invited to L.A. for the ceremony and receive a contribution to their university's general scholarship fund.

Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation’s best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird (’79), Michael Jordan (’84), Tim Duncan (’97), and Blake Griffin (’09).

Pullman, WA - Washington State (11-3, 1-1) evened their Pac-10 record with a hard fought victory over a tenacious Oregon State (6-7, 0-2) team by the final score of 65-60.

Similar to their game in Seattle, the Beavers were in this one right down to the very end of the game. In fact, Coach Craig Robinson saw his team do just about everything right, with just one exception: OSU couldn't outscore the Cougs.

Coming off their double-overtime loss two nights ago to Oregon, everyone wondered how this young WSU team would play.

Coach Ken Bone 's team played good basketball with just a couple of exceptions, earning their first Pac-10 win of the season. Yes, the victory was the first Pac-10 win for the Coug's new head coach as well.

Oregon State did a good job of controlling the pace of the game, keeping the Cougs under 70 points. The Beavers used plenty of shot clock time on offense to cut down on the number of possessions for each team in the game. They also did a good job of tempting WSU to take open three-point shots. The Cougs didn't succumb to the temptation and simply worked for a good shot when forced into their half court game.

Just how patient were the Cougars on offense? They finished the game 22 of 42 from the floor for a solid 52.4 percent. When WSU did try three-point shots, they were successful on 5 of 12 attempts, again a very solid 41.7 percent.

The other area where Washington State excelled in this game was on the defensive end of the court. They forced Oregon State into numerous shots outside of their range which proved to be the difference in the game. Coach Robinson's team has one glaring weakness. OSU is not a very good outside shooting team.

Where the Cougs stumbled, keeping the game close, was at the free throw line. Washington State entered the game as the best free throw shooting team in the conference. Saturday evening they looked like one of the worst teams at the foul line going a surprising 16 of 29. Please don't pause to do the math on what percentage that is. Simply put, it wasn't good.

Enough of the statistical analysis.

Washington State played good, fundamental basketball and they played as a team.

It's important to point out the Cougs also won a game on a night when Klay Thompson never got into the offensive flow of the game. Thompson was on the bench much more than usual, though not as a coach's decision. He picked up his fourth foul with 8:55 left in the game, forcing Coach Bone to sit him down.

Klay came back with 5:38 to go, but didn't last long. Less than a minute later he went over the back of a Beaver and was whistled for his fifth and final foul.

"I thought we played with some good composure. I thought our guys did a good job handling the situation. We were able to win on a night when we did not convert from the line and Klay Thompson did not have one of his better games. It shows that we're becoming a better basketball team."  - WSU Coach Ken Bone

This young Cougar team's performance was punctuated by some career-best efforts which were overshadowed by the way the group played as a team. To put it another way, every Cougar player made a significant contribution while on the floor in this game.

• Reggie Moore scored a new career-high 19 points, which was also game-high tonight
• Marcus Capers pulled down 10 rebounds, a career best added to his 10 points also marked his first collegiate double-double
• James Watson contributed valuable minutes and enjoyed scoring a career-high 7 points

Sound defense and enough offense put this one in the win column for Washington State. A good way to begin the new year before they get set to travel to Arizona for their next two conference games.

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Post Game Note

Washington State athletic director Jim Sterk has made a formal request the Pac-10 review the WSU-Oregon game officiating. WSU was assessed a technical foul when players celebrated what appeared to be a game-winning bucket by DeAngelo Casto went through the net with just 0.3 seconds left on the game clock. The technical foul gave Oregon a chance to extend the game by sinking two free throws...which Tajuan Porter did.

Sterk doesn't expect much to come from his request but could not let the "strange" call go without some level of recognition from the league office.

Originally published in Lew Wright's WSU Sports column on Examiner.com

PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State (10-3, 0-1) will spend this New Year's Day shaking off the effects of a stunning overtime loss to the Oregon Ducks in their Pac-10 opener.

Will they be ready for Oregon State Saturday evening?

Based on how well prepared the Cougs have entered each game under first year Coach Ken Bone, the simple answer would be "yes".

Preparation hasn't been an issue for this WSU basketball team all season. There have been occasions where they struggled with execution, but this team belies their collective youth filling out the roster.

Oregon State (6-6, 0-1) will make the trip from Seattle to Pullman hoping to atone for their conference opening loss to the No. 17 Washington Huskies on Thursday, 76-70.

The performance of Coach Craig Robinson's team against the UW mirrored the effort of their neighbors to the south, the Oregon Ducks. His Beavers came out ready to play and moved out to an early lead. However, OSU couldn't hold their advantage and not only let the Huskies back into the game before halftime, they surrendered their lead to the extreme. The Beavs went into the locker room trailing by 10 points.

From the moment Coach Robinson arrived in Corvallis, the attitude and confidence of Beaver basketball has completely turned around. That was evident once again going down the stretch against the UW. They trailed the Huskies by just three points with about a minute to go in the game but couldn't complete a comeback.

Oregon State has been led by Seth Tarver this season who's averaging 13.4 points per game. However, Tarver was stone cold Thursday, going just 3-of-10 from the field, finishing with eight points.

Coach Robinson runs the Princeton offense. Simply put, the ball goes in to Roland Schaftenaar at the high post (top of the key) and he looks for cutters or will turn and drive the lane. The size, strength and intensity of the Huskies front line never let Schaftenaar settle into a rhythm to effectively run the Princeton. He did put up a team-high 16 points though.

This game looks like a good match up for the Cougs. Oregon State is most comfortable when setting up their half court offense and working the shot clock down. WSU should be able to frustrate the Beavers with their speed and the length of Klay Thompson, DeAngelo Casto and Marcus Capers. The quickness of that trio of Cougs can be a passing team's nightmare.

The other edge Washington State has over the Beavers is the ability to score points quickly and in bunches. Coach Robinson's team is similar to the style of the Cougs last season when they were playing Bennett ball. If the game is played at a steady, deliberate pace it will favor Oregon State. WSU has consistently played at a quick pace, always looking for an outlet pass to push the ball in transition.

Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00pm PST Saturday evening in Pullman, Wash. on the hardwood of Friel Court. The game will be televised on FSN Northwest and can be heard on the Cougar Radio Network featuring the play-by-play of Bud Nameck.

Originally published in Lew Wright's WSU Sports column on Examiner.com

PULLMAN, WA—Washington State (10-3, 0-1) will end 2009 on a foul note.

The Oregon Ducks (9-4, 1-0) extended their current win streak to five games with a double-overtime Pac-10 opening victory on the road by a final score of 91-89.

Early on in this one, it didn't appear that Coach Ken Bone's team was going to give the Ducks much of a game.

Oregon moved out to a 15-point lead in the first half primarily because WSU couldn't make their shots fall.

WSU would knot the score early at 2-2. They wouldn't get that close to Oregon again until about three minutes left in regulation when they caught the Ducks at 62-62.

It was the physical play of Oregon which may have made a difference early on. Coach Bone watched his team work the motion offense but couldn't get their shots through the net.

As cold as the Cougs were shooting in the first half, they roared back into the game in the second.

WSU trailed by eleven, 38-27, at intermission due to a buzzer-beater by Garrett Sim when it appeared WSU would be down by single-digits. You might say the wild finish to the first half was typical of the way things went all game for Coach Bone and the Cougs.

Along with the unusually cold shooting by Washington State in the first half, for the first time this season Reggie Moore found himself in foul trouble picking up his third before the break.

WSU continued to be off their game to begin the second half. Michael Dunigan, who had an outstanding game in the middle for Oregon, scored four quick points to push his team's lead back up to 15 at 42-27.

Enough.

The Cougs finally got out of first gear and began playing the kind of basketball fans have enjoyed watching over the past few weeks. Before Coach Ernie Kent could wipe the grin off his face, WSU went on a 10-0 run to make it a game. They made their run without the fine leadership of their freshman point guard Moore who went to the bench at the 17:15 mark with his fourth foul.

Without their point guard, Klay Thompson went into his "scoring" mode. Klay was a sub-par 6-19 from the field and a shocking 2-10 from behind the 3-point line. Even on an off night, Thompson found a way to score.

He forced Oregon defenders into fouling him not once, not twice, but three times attempting treys. He converted 8-9 of those charity shots and finished the game with career highs of 19 free throws made out of 21 chances and would finish with a game-high 33 points.

Coach Bone's team came together as a team in their overtime win over LSU last week. They looked every bit the part of a team on the hardwood floor of Friel Court on Thursday night.

With the enthusiastic support of the 5,810 on hand for the game, it was Washington State who looked confident when the game went into overtime.

Early in the week Coach Bone talked about how dangerous a player 5'6" guard Tajuan Porter is for Oregon. Yet in regulation, WSU was able to contain the diminutive senior, holding him to just 13 points on 5-14 shooting. It was Porter who single-handedly kept Oregon in the game during the overtime periods. At one point he scored 18 consecutive points for the Ducks, finishing the game with a team-high 31 points.

Despite the heroics of Porter, it appeared the Cougs would prevail in the first overtime. When DeAngelo Casto took a crisp, accurate pass from Thompson, his basket put WSU up 80-78 with just 0.3 seconds left in the first overtime period.

The Washington State players exploded up from their seats, riding the emotional high created down low by Casto with the easy bucket. The Cougs had come all the way back to win their second consecutive overtime game. But wait...

For reasons unknown to everyone in attendance, with the exception of the guys wearing the dark green uni's, the officials were huddling near the scorer's table. Unbelievably, the referee charged the WSU bench with a 2-shot technical foul for celebrating with 0.3 seconds left on the game clock.

The men in the striped shirts, easily mistaken for Foot Locker employees, made the decision to deny players efforts to play the game as it should be. They opted to ignore the tremendous effort put forth by both squads and invoke their personal imprint on a contest that normally is decided by the young men passionately playing the game.

Credit Porter with calmly knocking down the two free throws to knot the score at 80-80 and forcing a second overtime. Porter had nothing to do with the ridiculous call. He was going to do what players do and do his best to score.

No need to replay the end of the second overtime. However, the officials left their mark on the game one more time.

With the score tied at 89-89, Oregon was able to exploit a lapse by WSU and get an outlet pass to Malcolm Armstead who laid it in for the winning bucket. Ironically, Armstead's shot went through the net with just 0.3 seconds left in the second overtime.

Naturally, the Oregon bench exploded jubilantly in reaction to what appeared to be the bucket giving them a hard-fought win.

Oregon was allowed to do what college basketball teams should be allowed to do. They celebrated the effort of their teammates without being T'd up by the guys with whistles and fashion problems.

After the game, Coach Bone was decidedly somber. As a good head coach should, he put things in perspective. Here's what he said to his team:

"...try to keep (your) heads up, turn the page and move on to the next game. It's a tough way to lose a game but there's not a lot we can do about it now. Get on to the next task which is the Oregon State game on Saturday." 

"I thought our guys showed a lot of toughness, a lot of character. We were down 15 on our home court and not playing well and yet sticking with the game plan. Working hard, playing together, came back to battle and have a great chance to win the game. We put ourselves in a situation to win it. That's not easy when you're down 15 playing the way we did early on. I thought the guys did some really good things."

The Cougs will get a chance to pick up a conference win Saturday when they host the Oregon State Beavers.

Originally published in Lew Wright's WSU Sports column on Examiner.com

Pulllman, WA —Washington State (10-2) will open their Pac-10 conference play Thursday afternoon against the Oregon Ducks (8-4) at 3:30 p.m. on the home floor of Cougar basketball, Friel Court.

The first 12 games of this season were preparation for what really counts: conference play. Coach Ken Bone takes his team into the Pac-10 schedule with confidence.

During his teleconference Tuesday morning, Coach Bone was pleased with the progress players have made during practice and through the non-conference portion of the season.

"I think there are some kids in our program that are playing with more confidence than they have in the past. Any time guys play with confidence they usually play better. They’re a little more relaxed and they just perform a little bit better," Bone said.

After media covering the Pac-10 projected the Cougs to finish near the bottom of the conference, many a head has been turned by the sparkling record WSU has earned up to this point. Heck, even Coach Bone can be counted among those surprised by this young Washington State team.

"I don’t think I would have guessed we’d be 10-2 at this point. As far as how we are playing, I’d hoped we’d be playing about the way we are right now…which is good. I was being optimistic. Our guys are accepting their roles and we’re pretty healthy. Those were the two main concerns (going into conference play)...  We have continued to get better at a decent rate for a young team and a new staff...We feel good about how we’re playing and how we’re playing as a group."   - WSU Coach Ken Bone

Coach Ernie Kent is getting players back from injuries and has his team on a nice four-game winning streak coming in to Pullman. Oregon has a strong blend of good outside shooters and size up front to crash the boards as hard as any team in the conference.

When it comes to putting up points, Tajuan Porter is capable of exploding for 30-plus points every time he takes the floor. Porter brings quickness and an NBA-quality outside shot to the game that will drive any defense crazy. His outside play is complemented by the power and size of Michael Dunigan .

Dunigan is rounding into shape for the Pac-10. He's coming off a 26-point performance Monday, night which should be a real boost to his confidence. Yes, that's a career best for the 6'10" center from the Chicago area.

Expect to see plenty of scoring when these two teams play Thursday. Both average around 80 points per game, while yielding around 67.

One area the Cougs hold an edge is in shooting percentage, suggesting they are working to take quality shots on the offensive end of the court.

Coach Bone spoke to that issue Tuesday saying, "I’m pleased we're looking for opportunities in transition and if they’re not there  we’re playing the half-court game."

Reggie Moore has been doing a great job running the WSU offense with Klay Thompson terrorizing opponents with his scoring ability. Both will get plenty of attention from Oregon when the Cougs have the ball.

DeAngelo Casto appears to have no lingering effects from knee surgery this past summer. No question Casto is much improved from a good freshman campaign a year ago. Last season, he was apt to pick up fouls in bunches coming off the bench.

Coach Bone points out that last year Casto was free to play with abandon because senior center Aron Baynes was the man in the middle.

DeAngelo was only going to get roughly 12 to 14 minutes of playing time a game, so picking up two or three fouls in a matter of minutes wasn't an issue. He wasn't going to be counted on to shut down players in the paint for the majority of any particular game.

Casto is the big man Coach Bone is counting on this season. He's adapted his style to play his role protecting the basket and frequently swat away opponents' shot attempts. Strength and length are the combination making Casto a force in the middle for Washington State.

One other player who has been coming on strong the last few games is the lone senior on the WSU roster, Nikola Koprivica . "Gramps," as his teammates like to kid him, will usually be the first player Coach Bone rotates in off the bench. Koprivica has been a force on both ends of the court with high energy, physical play.

It's time for another season of Pac-10 basketball.

Televised coverage of the game is limited to the Oregon Sports Network. For most Cougar fans, your best option will be to tune in on the Cougar Sports Radio Network and listen to one of the best broadcasters in the business, Bud Nameck.

Originally published in Lew Wright's WSU Sports column on Examiner.com

The trip down memory lane continues with a few more selections, or highlights if you will, of outstanding Washington State University sports performances.

Win, lose, or draw WSU students/athletes know what it takes to compete at the highest levels. They don't shy away from any opportunity to play with the best or defend their position as the best.

If you haven't checked out my initial picks for recognition as top performances of the decade for WSU, pause and take a look.

WSU Top Performances —Part 1

For the next selection, roll back your internal memory clock to the beginning of this decade. Naturally, the other selections chosen for this segment will require a little bouncing back and forth. Doesn't that have metaphorical implications?

2002 WSU Women’s Volleyball

Washington State women’s volleyball began and ended the past decade on high notes. Coach Cindy Fredrick led the Cougs to NCAA Championship appearances in 2000, 2001, and 2002. It was the run made in 2002 that evokes strong memories of Cougar Pride in the extreme.

Some would describe Coach Fredrick’s squad as a team of overachievers. Then again, that label is all too often applied to students and athletes who call Pullman, Wash., home during their collegiate career.

If you were lucky enough to see Adrian Hankoff , LaToya Harris, Chelsie Schafer, Kortney Jamtaas, and Victoria Prince play, adjectives such as intense, focused, and warrior would come to mind.

These young women were the heart and soul of the Cougar volleyball team who would work their way through the minefield known as the NCAA Championship.

The No. 10-ranked WSU 2002 volleyball team (24-8) earned their way to an Elite Eight pairing against Florida (34-2). By taking the opening set 30-27, the Cougs were just two sets from a trip to the Final Four.

That proved to be where the run would come to an end, as the Gators won the next three sets to take the match.

Coach Fredrick can take pride in the legacy established by the outstanding three-year run to begin the decade, doing so without All-Americans and LaToya Harris as the lone selection for WSU as an All Pac-10 First Team player. Harris was responsible for rewriting virtually the entire WSU volleyball record book.

The future of Washington State volleyball will be measured against this exceptional 2002 team of Cougs.

2002 WSU Football

Regardless of the outcome of the game, when your team plays in the Rose Bowl it’s something special. For the second time in five years, Washington State earned the right to play in Pasadena on New Year’s Day as Pac-10 Champions.

There was a time when Cougar Nation could only dream of playing in the Rose Bowl. A return visit in such a relatively short period of time was quite a jolt, sparking new levels of Cougar Pride.

The 2003 Rose Bowl game marked the end of the Mike Price era. Coach Price, arguably the most successful football coach in WSU history, accepted the opportunity to take over the Alabama program shortly after the 2002 football schedule was finished.

However, before moving on to a debacle that would forever taint his college football coaching career, Price would be on the sidelines in the Rose Bowl side-by-side with the heir to his throne, defensive coordinator Bill Doba.

Their opponent?

Thanks to the BCS bowl scheme, the Cougs would face the Oklahoma Sooners.

Jason Gesser and the Cougar offense put 21 points or more up on the scoreboard every game on the 2002 schedule. Heck, Gesser engineered the Cougs to more than 40 points five times while playing in the Pac-10.

Impressive stuff.

Unfortunately, Washington State didn’t play true to form Jan. 1, 2003. Nate Hybl, quarterback for the Sooners, was the man moving his offense up and down the field and enjoying a career day, shredding Coach Doba’s defense for 27 points before the Cougs found their way into the end zone.

Final score OU 34–WSU 14

2007-2008 WSU Men's Basketball

Coming on the heels of an outstanding 2006-2007 season, the question posed during preseason was, “Can Coach Bennett take his team back to the NCAA tourney again?”

Key players on the WSU team from the previous season: Kyle Weaver, Derrick Low, and Robbie Cowgill returned for their senior season, providing Coach Bennett with a wealth of player experience.

The Cougs weren’t going to slip past teams anymore. Opponents had a very good idea what they were in for when playing Washington State. They could expect a good dose of deliberate play, taking shots deep into the shot clock, and hustling back on defense—Bennett Ball.

Coach Tony Bennett masterminded a path for the Cougs through one of the toughest seasons in a Pac-10 conference loaded with NBA-quality talent.

WSU finished the regular schedule with a 24-8 record ranked No. 21 in the nation. Most importantly, Washington State was returning to the NCAA tourney for a second consecutive season.

After two easy wins to begin their run toward a national championship crown over Winthrop and Notre Dame, No. 1 seed North Carolina ended the WSU dream in their Sweet 16 matchup. The final record for Washington State was an outstanding 26-9.

There will be more tomorrow, so check back for the spotlight to pinpoint more Cougar sports highlights of the decade.

Originally published in Lew Wright's WSU Sports column on Examiner.com

On this final week of both the year and the decade, it seems appropriate to reflect on just a few of the many highlights achieved by the Cougs over the past 10 years. Make that the past 10 seasons.

You may even be surprised by some of the notables selected for mention throughout my series this week.

Whether the times are good or tough, Washington State University continues to march forward in a very positive fashion. Though attending WSU is primarily about the academic experience, we all enjoy the spirit of competition in the arena of athletics.

Since this sportswriter has never been accused of achieving academic excellence, I'll stick to what I know best about WSU—sports.

The task of selecting athletic accomplishments worthy of mention is a pleasurable experience. With selection comes the inevitable debate over what's included and what's omitted. Feel free to leave comments below to put my view of Cougar athletics on the straight and narrow.

Though there will be no priority placed on the accomplishments highlighted, my personal favorites will be saved for the final segment in this series. Consider that an indulgence leading into the celebration of a New Year.

2008 WSU Women’s Soccer

Washington State women’s soccer’s emergence as a national force planted roots with the hiring of Coach Matt Potter. Coach Potter guided his team to a record of 10-6-3 on the 2008 season and an invitation to the NCAA Championship tournament.

WSU faced No. 15 Texas in the opening round of the NCAA. The Longhorns were on their game, outshooting the No. 24 Cougs by a wide margin in the second half. Offensive pressure by Texas kept WSU from getting any rhythm in the game. As for establishing a rhythm for WSU women's soccer, that die was well cast.

It was no fluke a six-year drought for the chance to compete for a national championship ended with a trip to the NCAA for the Cougs.

A host of young WSU players earned All-Pac-10 honors, setting the stage for future success for women’s soccer at Washington State: Kiersten Dallstream and Lindsay Parlee were named second team; Carly Dobratz, Ali Fenter, and Elysse Van Leer received honorable mention. Fenter was also named to the All-Pac-10 Freshman Team.

2009 WSU Women’s Soccer

Coach Potter led the Cougs to an outstanding 14-6-2 record on a season that included a trip to the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship. Washington State was ranked No. 14 in the nation, a testament to the solid team and program Coach Potter is developing.

The 14 wins for the Cougars tied the school record. Eleven of those wins were hard-earned shutouts. Then there are the historic highlights for Coach Potter’s squad. On the heels of the 2008 team advancing to the NCAA Championship tournament, back-to-back appearances for the Cougs was a Washington State first.

WSU advanced to the second round of the NCAA only to lose a heartbreaker to Maryland 1-0. The Cougs outshot and outhustled the No. 19-ranked Terrapins but couldn’t put one in the back of the net.

Once again in 2009, the All-Pac-10 Team was dotted with Cougar players, including Carly Dobratz, First Team; Meghan Berlingo and Kirsten Dallstream, Second Team; along with Mel Johnson and Mariah Cameron named to the Pac-10 All Freshman Team.

2006-2007 WSU Men's Basketball

The rebuilding of Cougar basketball begun under Coach Dick Bennett took a huge step forward in the 2006-2007 season.

Dick Bennett returned to retirement (you may recall Bennett was lured out of retirement by the challenge of rebuilding the Cougar basketball program) and turned over the reins of the Washington State men’s basketball team to his son, Tony.

You might say Coach Tony Bennett took the team and ran with it, but that wasn’t Bennett Ball. The deliberate style of play favored by the elder Bennett continued on under the guidance of the younger Coach Bennett.

A collection of unique players was molded into one when taking the hardwood and donning crimson and gray uniforms. Coach Bennett's roster had no "big name" players anyone outside of Pullman might recognize.

Heck, there were only two players on the roster from the state of Washington. The core of the team was the backcourt duo of Kyle Weaver and Derrick Low. Up front, WSU featured the feisty play of Robbie Cowgill and the athletic ability of Ivory Clark.

Coach Bennett patiently wangled through the regular season schedule and Pac-10 tournament with a 25-7 record, national ranking of No. 12, and the ticket college basketball is all about.

The Cougs earned their invitation to the NCAA Tournament, where they easily won their first game over Oral Roberts but then lost in double-overtime to Vanderbilt in the second round.

Considering how far the Cougar basketball program had fallen, finishing the 2006-2007 season with a 26-8 record ranks as one of the most memorable revitalizations of any collegiate athletic program.

Both Coach Dick Bennett and Coach Tony Bennett have earned a position of prominence in the history Washington State athletics.

Check back for the spotlight to pinpoint more Cougar sports highlights of the decade.

Originally published in Lew Wright's WSU Sports column for Examiner.com

Seattle, WA -Washington State (10-2) completed their non-conference schedule with an overtime win over a very physical LSU (8-3) team, 72-70.

The victory for coach Ken Bone's Cougars was just what they needed before beginning Pac-10 competition. Defeating a talented SEC team, one projected to be a force in that conference, should be a real boost for the confidence of this very young WSU team.

How did the Cougs do it?

One word says it all when describing the play of Washington State—teamwork.

Despite a shaky start, WSU took a 36-30 lead into the locker room at the half.

LSU coach Trent Johnson is known for favoring a deliberate style of play. That said, the game was fast paced going into the first media time out. Neither team was converting many of their shots, but the ball was moving up and down the court, a tempo favoring Washington State.

Conventional wisdom would suggest the Tigers would use their experience over the Cougs to impose their preference for deliberate play. Instead, Washington State seemed to be surprised at how many good looks they had on offense.

Midway through the first half, WSU players were neither surprised nor thinking about what to do. They were simply playing heads up with anything and everything coach Johnson and LSU tried to throw at them.

The team imposing their will was the home team Cougars in their gray uniform. Coach Bone masterfully

mixed up his team's defense to confuse and befuddle LSU. He called for full court pressure early in the first half to keep the Tigers from getting into an offensive rhythm. Switching back and forth from zone to man-to-man defense once LSU brought the ball past midcourt proved to be effective as well.

As the first half began to unfold, clearly WSU is listening to their head coach and improving each and every time they take the court. To a man, the Cougs looked every bit the part of a team knowing what they were doing on both offense and defense.

The purple clad Tigers exuded confidence on the sidelines during timeouts, but as the game progressed and the whistle would sound to start play again, it was WSU who played with confidence.

One player who did stand out in the first half for WSU in the first half was Nikola Koprivica, who played inspiring basketball. The savvy senior seemed to be everywhere on defense and swished a high arching three-pointer to put the Cougs in front 29-20, their largest lead of the evening. His nine points before intermission led Washington State, while prolific scorer Klay Thompson was held to only six points.

Washington State held a halftime lead of 36-30, holding LSU to a ridiculous 10-30 shooting from the field. Don't bother with the math to work out the percentage. Just recall the days of Bennett Ball and that's all you need to know about the way coach Bone's team played defense in the opening 20 minutes.

The second half was a war on the hardwood. WSU was winning the battle until there were about three minutes left in the game, as LSU caught the Cougs at 60-60.

Coach Johnson had to feel very good about the situation. His team was holding down the high scoring Cougs well below their 80 point average. Mission accomplished? Not completely. There was the matter of winning the battle of the scoreboard.

Minutes later, when Bo Spencer put up a mid-range jumper the was nothing but net, LSU looked poised to win not just the battle, but the war.

Playing in front of a home court record crowd of 15,341 at Key Arena, the Washington State players looked to be the more experienced Division I basketball team. Support from the fans brought out the best in this team.

Poise is an appropriate adjective to describe the demeanor of coach Bone and his team. With the clock winding down, DeAngelo Casto found himself open in the lane, the ball in his hands, and the opportunity to tie the game. And yes, Casto deftly made an easy lay-up to knot the score.

Overtime.

Amazingly, WSU made only one basket in overtime when freshman point guard Reggie Moore drove the lane, made a lay-up, and was fouled.

Make no mistake, just because the Cougs weren't sinking shots doesn't mean they weren't taking it to LSU.  They attacked the defense of LSU, providing trips to the foul line.

In the end, coach Johnson wanted no part of a second overtime period with the scrappy Cougs. Coach Bone called timeout with 8.2 seconds left to set up his defense. Johnson told his troops they were going for the win by putting the ball in the hands of Spencer to take a three-point shot.

It was a sound decision for a number of reasons. Two of his key players, Storm Warren and Aaron Dotson fouled out and the rest of his squad was visibly fatigued. Spencer was enjoying freedom outside by WSU defenders because he was 2-10 from behind the arc. Johnson rolled the dice and crapped out.

Christmas arrived early this year for Cougar Nation. Coach Bone and his team delivered a quality win to remain undefeated in Cougar Hardwood Classic play.

Originally published in Lew Wright's WSU sports column on Examiner.com

Seattle, WA - What a difference a year can make for Washington State men's basketball.

As Coach Ken Bone prepares his team for the Cougar Hardwood Classic Tuesday night where they will face the LSU Tigers (8-2), a glance back at their meeting last year triggers thoughts about the change in WSU hoops.

WSU (9-2) traveled down to Baton Rouge last season to take on the Tigers on their home court. LSU had a new head coach who was very familiar to Pac-10 fans.

Trent Johnson spent several successful seasons from 1996-2008 coaching the Cardinal basketball program at Stanford. Johnson was Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 2008, yet wasn't getting much love from the school administration. No big deal. Johnson simply answered his phone when LSU called, and was more than happy to pack his bags and travel to Louisiana.

Washington State lost to the Tigers in a game that had the look and feel of a Pac-10 contest. Lots of defense. Deliberate play. Limited possessions and a low score. Coach Johnson employs a defense-first approach to the college game, mirrored by former WSU Coach Tony Bennett . The final score last Dec. 27 was LSU 64-WSU 52.

This season, new head coach Ken Bone has the Cougs playing aggressive defense, but favoring an up-tempo style of play. Washington State could put up 52 points in a half against some opponents so far this year.

Come Tuesday night in Key Arena, it's not likely that Washington State will force LSU into a running game. But the Tigers are going to be pressed hard and often by the young Cougs.

LSU is led by senior forward Tasmin Mitchell, who is averaging 17.2 points per game. At 6'7" and 245 pounds, he is going to be a tough matchup for WSU. Mitchell plays aggressive, physical basketball. He averages 8.8 boards a game, yet is savvy and doesn't get into foul trouble. He will be on the floor for nearly the entire game.

Offensively, the bulk of the remaining points will come from a couple of players who played their high school ball in the shadows of Maravich Center on the campus of LSU. Bo Spencer is a junior guard who is averaging 15.9 points a game while dishing out nearly three assists. Sophomore Storm Warren is a very good forward with size and athleticism, scoring at a 15.4 pace. Warren is also averaging 1.9 shot blocks per game.

Coach Bone will urge his players to crash the boards to create transition opportunities to control the flow up the game. That should be a real challenge against a physical LSU team that probably won't even look for a shot in the first 20 seconds of the shot clock.

Coach Johnson enjoyed success with a deliberate style at Stanford and is doing the same thing at LSU. His team won 27 games last year grinding down opponents and was a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament.

In terms of preparing for conference play, this will be Washington State's best test yet. If they focus on playing their game, this one will be a dandy.

Freshman point guard Reggie Moore will be playing close to home and will have plenty of family and friends on hand to cheer him on. Moore played his high school ball at Rainer Beach HS. He won't be the only Viking alum on the hardwood tomorrow night. Freshman Aaron Dotson has seen quality playing time this season for the Tigers. Should be interesting basketball when the two matchup against each other.

The game will be televised by CBS College Sports Tuesday night beginning at 7pm with Greg Heister calling the play-by-play and Coug Craig Ehlo providing color. Bud Nameck will call the game on the Cougar Sports Radio Network.

Originally published in Lew Wright's WSU Sports column on Examiner.com