Bennett Is A Millionaire

Tony Bennett has agreed to a new deal raising his salary to 1,000,000 annually. The deal also has a one year extension, keeping Bennett under contract until 2015. Raises for his assistants, facility improvements and some charter flights have also been worked into the deal. Here is a quote from the article, "It's well worth the investment," said WSU athletic director Jim Sterk. "Tony's done a great job in representing us, both personally and professionally. He's someone we want to continue building the program with."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2004384558_bennett01.html

Rogers Is Ready To Play

Larry Henry who retired from the Everett Herald a couple of years ago came back to write a piece on former Kamiak, and current Cougar QB, Gary Rogers. Roger's has to be one of the most anticipated 2nd string QB's in Cougar history. He could have easily transfered but he stuck it out on the sidelines and is ready to honor his word to WSU. From the article, "First and foremost, he honored his commitment. "Going back to his senior year (in high school), he had opportunities to play at other places," Mack said. "But he loved Washington State. He always wanted to be a Cougar."

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080430/SPORTS/432657259/1004/SPORTS#Gary.Rogers.finally.getting.his.turn.at.WSU

Update On Roof, Not Good

Nick Eaton of The SpokesmanReview has an update on the Andy Roof situation. Sounds like one of the victims has broken facial bones, and another had his head smashed up against a stop sign. I think this is the end of the road for Roof as he is now going to face worse charges. WSU doesn't need someone, especially an athlete, representing the university in this way. Hopefully Andy Roof will take care of his problems and get on with his life.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=7705#more

More Brink News

Todd Miles of The News Tribune has an article about Alex Brink, the draft, and what the future competition looks like for him. It appears that Brink will make around 300,000 with a small signing bonus on top of that.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/347217.html

On another note, this article states that Charles Dillon was picked up by the Indianapolis Colts. However, I can't find any information about that. This site is apparently up to date on all of the Undrafted Free Agents and Dillon is not on there. I also checked a Colts blog that had who they picked up and Dillon was not on there. I hope he did get picked up and when I find info on it I will post it.
UPDATE: Found the information, Charles Dillon is in fact an Indianapolis Colt. Good luck to him.

http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=7c6ea474-2cba-4d72-8e99-08a89c03b51c

Jed Collins Is An Eagle

Jed Collins has been picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent. The Eagles are desperate for someone who can help protect Brian Westbrook as he has taken a beating the last couple seasons. I think Collins has a solid shot of making this team. Good luck to him.

http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/blog.php?p=28817&cat=9

Lots Of Daily Evergreen Links

WSU Football is losing six scholarships because of poor academics.
http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/25627

Update on Martin Stadium, Football and Basketball scoreboards, fundraising.
http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/25620

Wulff wants cultural change for Football team.
http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/25625

Memorable Moments in 07-08 Cougar Sports
http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/25638

Roof Arrested Again

Nick Eaton of The SpokesmanReview is reporting that Andy Roof has been arrested for assault on College Hill in Pullman. This appears to be most likely the end of Roof's WSU football career as it is his 4th "strike" with WSU. On the football side, this will kill the already lacking depth at DT for the Cougs. He has not been kicked out of school or the team yet but it is likely. Too bad for Roof as there was an article I linked up a couple of weeks ago, stating he quit drinking and was ready for a fresh start.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/

Here is the article from a couple weeks ago.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/moore/357899_moore05.html

Brink Speaks About Texans

Jim Meehan of The SpokesmanReview interviewed QB Alex Brink after he was selected in the 7th round by the Houston Texans. “I wasn’t really getting worried because I had some opportunities,” Brink said. “When the call came I was so excited. Getting drafted gives you a little validation as a player and a competitor.” Brink and the Texans seem pretty excited about this fit. I am looking forward to reading about Texan's Camp in the coming months.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=7697#more

Cougs Drop 3rd Game Of Series

The WSU Baseball team lost the 3rd game of the series to San Jose St. 6-2 Sunday. However, the Cougs won the series 2-1 and moved to 22-19 overall on the season. Up next is the 2 time defending National Champions, Oregon State Beavers in Pullman.

http://wsucougars.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/042708aaa.html

Houston Writer Thinks Brink Will Not Make Team

While John McClain is only a sports writer and not an NFL Coach, he seems to think there is no room for Brink on the Texans roster. From his blog, "I don't understand the last pick other than Gary Kubiak wanted a young quarterback to try to develop. They drafted Alex Brink, who prepared for the draft by working out at Plex in Stafford with Danny Arnold. I think they should have used the pick on a pass rusher rather than a quarterback. Brink won't make the team because of Matt Schaub, Sage Rosenfels and Quinn Gray. At best, he'll be on the practice squad." Looks like Brink has some work to do.

http://blogs.chron.com/nfl/2008/04/cb_molden_rb_slaydon_headline.html

Husain Abdullah Is A Viking

Safety Husain Abdullah has signed a undrafted free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings. We will see in the coming months if Husain can follow in the foot steps of his brother Hamza and solidify himself as an NFL player. Best of luck.

http://ww3.startribune.com/vikingsblog/?p=1558

Bumpus Signs With Seahawks

Michael Bumpus has signed with the Seahawks as a undrafted free agent. While this does not guarantee a spot on the team it provides an opportunity for Bumpus to play in the NFL. Best of luck to him.

http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/seahawks/index.html#027694

Brink Is A Texan

Alex Brink was drafted by the Houston Texans in the 7th round at #223 overall. Congrats to Alex and good luck in the NFL. More updates to come later.

Hendrickson Gets No Decision, Hits Triple

Mark Hendrickson went 6 innings, gave up 2 earned runs on 5 hits in a no decision for the Florida Marlins in a loss to the Brewers Saturday. At the plate he went 1-2 with a triple and a run scored. The former Coug is now hitting .286 which is pretty good for a pitcher.

http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280426108

Baseball Update

I haven't been putting any updates up on Baseball because they have been playing non-conference games this week, but the Cougs have put together a 3 game winning streak with 1 comeback win against Gonzaga and two more wins against San Jose State. Yesterday's win was also a comeback victory for the Cougs. It is nice to see some of these late inning games going WSU's way. The win against Gonzaga broke a 46 game streak of losing when down after 8 innings of play.

http://wsucougars.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/042608aaa.html

The New Cougs

Here is an article from Mike Baldwin of the The Daily Evergreen discussing the incoming Cougar Hoops players for next season. This class will be very exciting to watch develop over the years. Compared to the class of Weaver, Low and Cowgill this class is more talented out of high school but we will see if they can develop into the type of players the big 3 were. The foundation is there, now it is upon these 6 to build on it.

http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/25557

Cougs Will Play LSU Next Season

The WSU hoops team will play the LSU Tigers, at LSU, led by their new coach Trent Johnson next season. While LSU is not exactly a basketball powerhouse, they are a house hold name in a big time conference. Thanks to the poster, dropc on Cougfan.com for finding this.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/featured/18092679.html

Cougs Await NFL Draft

The NFL Draft is this weekend and while no Cougs are locks to get drafted, the possibility is definitely out there. If I had to choose one player who will get drafted it is Alex Brink. Everyone loves Pac-10 QB's, especially those with 4 years of experience. From Barry Bolton's article on Cougfan.com, regarding Alex Brink. "His agent has been hearing positive things of late but Brink's also loathe to read to much into it or take anything for granted due to the ever-changing nature of the draft. Jacksonville, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Denver, Atlanta and New England are some of those Brink mentioned as showing the most recent interest."

http://washingtonstate.scout.com/2/748694.html

Abdullah Signs, Expected To Start This Season

Hamza Abdullah has signed a 1 year deal with the Denver Broncos worth 927,000. He is expected to start along side John Lynch in the deep secondary and is the youngest member of the Bronco secondary at age 24.

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_8958491

Hendrickson Comes Up Big On Mound & Plate

Mark Hendrickson went 8 innings, gave up 4 runs and had 5 strikeouts in a Florida Marlin victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates Monday night. Hendrickson also helped out at the plate going 2-4, with a double and an RBI. The former Coug is now one of the more surprising pitchers in the NL being 4-1 for baseball's most surprising team, the Marlins at 12-7.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280421123

Glenn Johnson In Hospital

The "Voice Of The Cougs" Glenn Johnson is in the hospital with a spike in blood pressure. He seems to be OK and is headed to Spokane for more tests. Get well soon Glenn.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004363201_webwazzumayor21m.html

From The SpokesmanReview

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=7658#more

Cougars Blow Late Lead Once Again

WSU suffered another late inning loss, this time giving up a 2 run HR in the bottom of the 9th inning to Brad Glenn. The HR gave the Wildcats a 6-5 win dropping the Cougars record to 3-8 in the Pac-10. Arizona now leads the series 2-0 with game 3 being played today.

http://wsucougars.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/042008aaa.html

Martin Stadium Updates From TheSpokesmanReview

All kinds of updates on Martin Stadium from The SpokesmanReview. Vince Grippi has lots of news but this stood out to me the most, as I can't wait for a new scoreboard where you can actually see a replay. "The new scoreboard will include an enhanced video board, ad panels, the normal scoring display and a new sound system. The school will also buy a production trailer, which can be used for video from basketball, soccer, baseball or any sport."

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=7653#more

Also Nick Eaton has a nice video, touring Martin Stadium and seeing how the upgrades are going. The sunny skies in Pullman look like a distant memory as it has been raining and snowing for countless days in the Seattle area.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/

Cougar Baseball Loses in 12

Arizona outlasted WSU, beating them 7-6 in 12 innings Friday night. While the Cougs lost 2 of 3 to Arizona State and lost this one to Arizona, it is becoming clear that Cougar Baseball is on the rise.They aren't being overpowered by the top tier, warm weather, Pac-10 teams now. Gotta give credit to Donnie Marbut for getting this program on the rise.

http://wsucougars.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/041908aaa.html

Beyond The Court, Kyle Weaver

Here is a really good video done by Tramaine Austin-Dillon and Dan Deschenes on Youtube.

A Look At Nick Witherill

Grady Clapp of Cougfan.com wrote a piece about Nick Witherill, the 6'3" guard coming to WSU from Arizona. "He's a good athlete and hard-nosed competitor -- a very intense competitor,” WSU assistant coach Ben Johnson told CF.C last week. “He has a good understanding of team defense and as an on-ball defender he ranks right up there. Offensively, he can shoot with range. I think people will be pleasantly surprised." This is going to be a very fun class to watch in the coming years.

http://washingtonstate.scout.com/2/747239.html

Grippi's Take On Casto and Scheduling News

Vince Grippi of The SpokesmanReview gives his take on the Casto signing and how it relates to what I said before, that top players want to attend WSU. "But since then the best and the brightest of Washington's high school basketball programs have gone elsewhere, whether it be Gonzaga, UW, Oregon, Arizona, wherever. But that seems to be changing. Not only has the 2008 Washington player of the year accepted a scholarship, Shadle's Anthony Brown, who will be a senior, has announced his intent to enroll at WSU in a year, and Ephrata's Patrick Simon will be headed to Pullman the year after that." Click the link and read his blog about how next year's basketball schedule is shaping up.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=7646#more

Casto Officially Is A Coug

"DeAngelo Casto, The Seattle Times and Associated Press state prep basketball player of the year, has signed a letter-of-intent to play at Washington State." Hopefully everything works out with Casto and his eligibility, as the article states that at this moment, Casto is a "nonqualifier." I believe the best part of all of this is that the top player in the state chose WSU over UW and Gonzaga which is in the town he played high school ball in. This shows that top players in the state are now thinking about playing basketball for WSU and Tony Bennett.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/collegesports/2004357260_casto18.html

Howie Stalwick of The Olympian has an article about Casto as well. You have to love this quote from Casto, "I really believe we're going to make history down there," said Casto, who has yet to qualify academically for NCAA Division I."

http://www.theolympian.com/sports/story/423012.html

A Look At A WSU Scholly Offer

I came across this website from SI.com that features Tait Forcier, who is a highly rated QB from San Diego. Tait has his own website that shows what the recruiting process is like, posting the letters he receives from all of the different schools across the nation. Well, one of those school is WSU. So here is a look at what a WSU Scholarship offer looks like.

http://www.qbforce.com/tate/offers/Washington%20-State.htm

Hendrickson Wins 3rd In A Row

Mark Hendrickson went 5 1/3 innings, gave up 6 hits, 3 runs and earned his 3rd win in a row for the Florida Marlins Wednesday night. Hendrickson is now 3-1 on the season.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280416128&action=playvideo&hcmp=motion

More Legal Trouble For Cougs

Anthony Roxas, who is supposed to start this year on the O-Line was arrested for a DUI in Pullman last weekend. He blew a .02 which is considered a DUI for him because he is 19 years old. Once again, his football status is unknown at this point.

http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/25453

Xavier Hicks Going To Jail

One of last year's more impressive players, Xavier Hicks is going to jail for 45 days starting July 1st. His status as far as football for next season is unknown at this point.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/sports/story.asp?ID=240646

Weaver Named To 2nd Team

"Washington State University senior Kyle Weaver added to his end-of-season accolades as he was named to the Rivals.com all-defensive second team. Weaver led WSU in steals with 60 and ranked second in rebounding (184), scoring (12.4 per game) and assists (151)." Congrats to Kyle on a great career.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/335533.html

Cougar Baseball Beats #2 ASU

On a perfectly sunny Saturday in Pullman, it was the Cougars who delivered a big win in front of 3,313 sun drenched Mom's in town for Mother's Weekend. The Cougs got a big lift in the 3rd inning scoring 4 runs and didn't let up from there. I was in attendance and will try to get some pictures put up after the big Elton John concert this evening.

http://wsucougars.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/041208aab.html

Spring Practice Report

The Cougar Football team took the field for their final Spring Practice today and I came away quite impressed. The first team offense looked pretty good as Gary Rogers led the charge going 12-19 for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns. Some of the things I noticed while watching from the sidelines are, the new offense is fun to watch that is for sure. Most of the snaps were taken in the shotgun, with QB rollouts and receivers running short 7-15 yard slants. Also Michael Willis finally seems healthy and had a heck of a performance today catching 6 balls for 129 yards and a TD. We have a receiver, Randy Johnson who is tall, 6'4" and appears to be a name we will all know soon. I was impressed with his size and speed during the scrimmage. Andy Mattingly looks like he is still learning the DE spot. At times he was a little slower than the other DL off the snap. The kicking game still has some holes to be filled. I don't have an actual count but there were many missed kicks, a blocked FG, and a blocked punt. Overall though the team looked descent. The coaches are very enthusiastic and it seemed like there were about 4 Robb Akey's out on the field. Can't wait for football to get here. Pictures will be up later.

http://wsucougars.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/041208aab.html

Nick Eaton's Take On The Scrimmage

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=7614#more

Nick Eaton Reports On Kickers

Nick Eaton of The SpokesmanReview has a good article on the kicking situation at WSU. As we all know, field goal kicking has been shady at best the last few seasons for the Cougs. It came to a point where Doba almost abandoned kicking field goals all together. This year Patrick Rooney has stepped up his game and earned the spot as the number one kicker thus far. From the article, “With each day I feel like I earn more and more acceptance with the team,” Rooney said. “And, I mean, all the guys on the team are great guys. It actually makes me want to make the kick even more when they're sitting there taunting me. Sometimes it actually starts to relax me a little bit.”

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=7603#more

Hendrickson Pitches A Gem

Former Cougar Mark Hendrickson pitched 7 strong innings while giving up 1 run on 3 hits for the Florida Marlins in a win today. Hendrickson is now 2-1 on the season as the Marlins ace. From ESPN, "Hendrickson (2-1) gave up one run and three hits, striking out two, while matching his longest outing since going eight innings on June 25, 2006, for Tampa Bay. The 6-foot-9 Hendrickson, who played for four NBA teams over four seasons, was downright dominant for a stretch Thursday."

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280410120&action=playvideo&hcmp=motion

Jay Bilas' Remembering 2008

Here are some things WSU related that Jay Bilas says he will remember from the 2008 College Hoops season on his Insider Blog.

• I'll remember how stunned I was that Washington State held Notre Dame to 41 points in 40 minutes in the NCAA tournament second round.

• I'll remember admiring the defense of Kansas' Mario Chalmers, UCLA's Russell Westbrook, Kansas' Russell Robinson, Washington State's Kyle Weaver, UCLA's Darren Collison, Virginia Tech's Deron Washington, Xavier's Stanley Burrell and UConn's Hasheem Thabeet.

Cougar Preview From Scout.com

Here is the 2008 Cougar Football Preview from Scout.com. The record predictions seem pretty fair to me.

---

Washington State
Realistic best case record with this schedule: 9-4
Barring total disaster worst case record: 4-9
Realistic record: 6-7

Compared to the rest of the Pac 10 there aren't any real breaks with 13 games packed in tight. The one open date (compared to Washington, who has three off weeks) comes before a late October trip to Stanford. It would've been nice to have gotten a break before facing one of the big boys. The non-conference schedule isn't too awful considering the opener against Oklahoma State is played in Seattle. In conference play three of the Pac 10 heavyweights, Cal, Oregon and USC, have to come to Pullman, but there are back-to-back road dates at UCLA and Oregon State in between the showdowns with the Ducks and the Trojans. The nice reward, no matter what happens the rest of the season, is waiting at the end with a trip to Hawaii. If there's no bowl game in sight, going to Honolulu in late November will be like one.

http://cfn.scout.com/2/744504.html

Spring Scrimmage Is A No Go

Putting a damper on my plans for the weekend, Paul Wulff has canceled the final scrimmage this Saturday. "Coach Paul Wulff canceled the annual football scrimmage, scheduled for Saturday in Pullman, citing health concerns and a lack of depth. Instead of a controlled game, the Cougars will have one final practice that is open to the public. The practice starts at 11 a.m. at Martin Stadium."

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/331796.html

QB Kevin Lopina Looking For A Chance

Todd Miles of The News Tribune has a column about Kevin Lopina and how he feels that he is ready to be the #2 QB for WSU. From the article, "Yet, here is Lopina, the former standout from De La Salle High School who helped orchestrate the longest winning streak for a high school program ever, not only making waves this spring, he's pretty much secured the No. 2 slot behind Rogers." Lopina knows how to win, that is for sure playing at De La Salle High School. Word has it that he runs the option incredibly well too. I can't wait to see him on the field.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/331101.html

Stephen Sauls Transfers, Schollie Is Now Available

Cougfan.com is reporting that Stephen Sauls is leaving WSU to be closer to his hometown. So this opens up a scholarship for either DeAngelo Casto or Paul McCoy. From the article, "Stephen Sauls ' departure smooths Casto's path, though Portland point guard Paul McCoy -- recently released from a letter of intent with Pepperdine -- possibly could be in the running for the Cougs."

http://washingtonstate.scout.com/2/745036.html

What Bennett Is Asking For

We all know by now that Tony Bennett is staying. This article explains that but it has a good piece of info on what Bennett is asking for to improve the hoops program.

Contract enhancement. "He did not ask for anything, but we're going to increase it," said Sterk, adding that Bennett lobbied for and got salary bumps for assistant coaches. Bennett makes $800,000 annually.

Facilities improvements. Sterk says practice gyms will be renovated in a larger space and Beasley Coliseum will be updated, partly with new painting. Independent of Bennett's requests, WSU is also looking at a center-hung scoreboard.

Charter travel. Sterk says WSU is working with Horizon Airlines to make some direct flights to Pac-10 cities. "We'll work to try to make all of them that way, and if we can't, we may charter on those we can't," Sterk said.

All of these are much needed to improve the program. My favorite, the center-hung scoreboard.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2004336098_coug09.html

Cougs Pull A Mariners, Blow Late Lead

The Cougar Baseball team led 8-4 in the 8th inning at Gonzaga tonight, but a hit batter, walk, error and a home run ended up costing them the game. The Non-Conference loss drops the Cougars to 18-13 on the season with #1 ASU due up next in Pullman for a 3 game series.

http://wsucougars.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/040908aaa.html

Nick Eaton's Practice Report

Nick Eaton of The SpokesmanReview attended Cougar Football practice on Tuesday and took a look at the running backs corp who is running very thin due to injuries this spring. "Tardy's recovery could take longer than anticipated. There's the possibility Ivory could become academically ineligible to play. The auxiliary running backs could keep getting banged up." It is sounding like Tardy will not be available at the beginning of the season and if Chris Ivory doesn't get the grades the RB position could become a huge question mark going into the season. Hopefully, it will all shape up.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=7591#more

More On Defensive Position Change

Earlier in Spring Camp it was reported that Chima Nwachukwu and Alfonso Jackson were switching positions. Well now it looks like it is going to permanent as both players are enjoying their new positions. This move really helps Alfonso Jackson who struggled with concussions and tackling in the open field last season. From the article, "At first, I thought about it, and I talked to so many people and I felt I was a better safety," Jackson said. "But one of things about these coaches, they've put a lot of dudes out to the next level. Coach Ball and (Jody) Sears know football. I trust them, and if they think I can do it, it must be because of something they see."

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/330251.html

Tony Bennett Says, Enough!

Finally, Tony Bennett has made it public. He isn't leaving anytime soon. "I will remain as the head coach at Washington State and I look forward to building for the future," Bennett said. "I am thankful for the opportunity this University gave me to become head coach and for the continued support of President Floyd, Jim Sterk and the entire Cougar Nation. Washington State University is a special place."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2004335394_webcoug08.html

Jim Moore Interviews Coach Wulff

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical of hiring Paul Wulff at first, but the more I read and hear from him he seems like he is very passionate about football and WSU. I am getting pretty excited to see the kind of changes that he is going to make for WSU Football. From the article, "What the hell, it's a rivalry," Wulff said. "One of the great experiences as a college student is having pride in your institution and gathering your colleagues together to be part of a rivalry. It carries on until you pass away." And you have to love his hatred for UW.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/moore/358151_moore08.html

LSU Talks To Bennett

Officials from LSU spoke with Tony Bennett at last weekend's Final 4 in San Antonio. While I am not too worried about this, as it is only talk at this point, it is worth mentioning. It is not reported what was said, so it could have been a very casual conversation. We will probably never know but it won't matter as it looks like Bennett is staying at WSU.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2004334109_bennett08.html

Huge News For Football

Quwan Spears from the Sacramento Bee is reporting that Cal transfer James Montgomery is heading to WSU. Montgomery, RB, gave his word to his High School Football Coach, Max Miller that he will be attending WSU over Florida and South Carolina. Montgomery will have to sit out this season but will have plenty of time to get adjusted to WSU and the new system. Huge get for the Cougs!

http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/844019.html

Same story from Cougfan.com

http://washingtonstate.scout.com/2/744454.html

Cougs Lose Slugfest, Split Series

11 Runs wasn't enough for the Cougs as they lost to UC Davis on Sunday, 13-11, splitting the series with the Non-conference opponent. The loss drops the Cougars to 18-12 on the season. Next up is the Zags tomorrow and #1 ASU this weekend.

http://wsucougars.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/040608aac.html

Brewer Chimes In On Bennett

Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times wrote this piece about the crazy world of coaching and how it pertains to Tony Bennett. From the article, "Every time Bennett says no, it only means the next school will be more persuasive. This is the price of basketball success at Washington State. Win in Pullman, and you're the hottest thing since the finger roll."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/jerrybrewer/2004330213_brewer06.html

Former Coug Pitches To 1st Win On Season

Former Cougar Mark Hendrickson went 5 1/3 innings, gave up five hits and one earned run in a win for the Florida Marlins today. Hendrickson is now 1-1 on the season. "Today I was focused on making pitches and trying to stay aggressive," Hendrickson said. "Overall we played a good team game, played some small ball, got some big hits. That's what we have to do to win games."

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280405128

NFL.Com Draft Profiles

Here are the links to Alex Brink, Husain Abdullah, and Jed Collins's NFL.Com Draft Profiles.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/alex-brink?id=365

http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/husain-abdullah?id=729

http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/jed-collins?id=4231

Cougar Baseball Sweeps Double Header

The WSU Baseball Team swept a non-conference double header today against UC Davis in Pullman. With the wins, the Cougs improved to 18-11 on the year. The series with UC Davis ends Sunday and then Gonzaga comes to town Tuesday. After that #1 Ranked Arizona State comes to Pullman for a three game series. I will be there Saturday for the scrimmage and hopefully the baseball game so I should have plenty of pictures of these events and the stadium upgrades next weekend.

http://wsucougars.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/040508aab.html

Offense Shines In Friday Scrimmage

Byron Dikes of Cougfan.com has a good write-up on the Friday Scrimmage at Martin Stadium. The offense seems to be coming together, while lingering injuries are still negatively impacting the defense. Also, it appears Wade Penner is solidifying himself as the #1 kicker this year, which we all know has been non-existent the last couple of seasons.

http://washingtonstate.scout.com/2/743815.html

Things Coming Together For Gary Rogers

"Senior Gary Rogers completed 11 of 17 passes for 129 yards and a 10-yard TD pass to Brandon Gibson." Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for Rogers. He has struggled with accuracy and touch in the past, these numbers indicate that he is starting to get comfortable with the offense.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2004329087_coug05.html

Andy Roof Talks About His Alcohol Abuse

Jim Moore of the SeattlePI wrote this piece on Defensive Tackle Andy Roof and his battles with alcohol. Remember Roof was kicked off the team by Bill Doba for his 3rd alcohol arrest. Roof is now sober, back on the team and much happier with his life. From the article, "The truth is, Roof had a drinking problem, and it was ruining his football career, not to mention his life. He didn't need anyone to tell him -- Roof could see it for himself."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/moore/357899_moore05.html

Daily Evergreen's Take On Bennett/WSU

Rick Scott of The Daily Evergreen has a piece about how people outside of Pullman have no idea what it is really like to be part of the Cougar Family. As Jim Walden once said, “I can't define it; I can't tell somebody who isn't a Cougar what it's like. There's something that happens at Washington State, you quietly and subtly become infected. There are very few people I've ever met who have gone to WSU and not come away with a favorable impression ... Washington State was a passion. Being a Cougar was a passion."

http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/25325

Cougar Football Gearing Up For Summer Workouts

Nick Eaton from The SpokesmanReview wrote an article about who is going to step up and lead the team during summer workouts this year. These workouts are critical to the success of the team, so hopefully the players who were injured through Spring Practice will be able to catch up on lost time.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/sports/story.asp?ID=238996&page=all

Bennett Gets A Pay Raise

From The SeattlePI. For the second year in a row Tony Bennett is getting a pay raise from WSU. The amount of the raise has not yet been given, but the article states that the years on the contract will not change. With Bennett already making around 800,000 I would have to guess that this deal is around 1 million a year plus some other details given here from the article, "Floyd said WSU has agreed to Bennett's request to raise the salaries of his assistant coaches for the second consecutive year. Bennett also is seeking charter planes for some recruiting trips and road games, and Floyd said the school is exploring those possibilities."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cbasketball/357687_bennett04.html

And Bud Withers Article from the Seattle Times...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2004326536_coug04.html

Derrick Low 3-Point Status

Derrick Low scored 20 points in Round 1 of the NCAA 3-Point Competition, good enough for 2nd place. In Round 2 he scored 15, finishing in 3rd which was not good enough to advance. Darnell Harris of Lasalle ended up winning the competition. Congrats to Derrick Low on a great career! Now get to the gym and get ready for those pre-draft workouts.

Be sure to watch Robbie Cowgill play as a Coug for the last time tomorrow night at the NCAA All-Star Game. It is being shown on CSTV (412 Seattle Area Comcast) at 3 PM.

The Journey That Led Paul Wulff To WSU

A good article from Ted Miller of ESPN.com, discussing the many hardships that Paul Wulff has had to endure through out his life.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3327062

Huge News For Basketball

DeAngelo Casto, the Class 4A player of the year in boys' basketball, said he expects to play for Washington State next season. "WSU is pretty much where I think I'm going to end up," Casto said in a telephone interview late Tuesday night from Phoenix, where he is vacationing during spring break." Castro still needs to qualify academically so hopefully all goes well with that and we will see him in Crimson next year.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cbasketball/357513_wazzu03.html

New Coach, Same Ol' Story

Does this story sound familiar or what? Injuries are already playing a significant role in Paul Wulff's first season as WSU Head Football Coach. Many starters are out this Spring and it is slowing the process of Wulff implementing his new system. From the article, "We have some talent, but we don't have enough of it," Wulff said by phone Wednesday. "We have the double impact of not having enough bodies and a lot of holes to fill. Depth is certainly the biggest issue facing this football team."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cougars/357506_coug03.html

Bennett Calls Recruits To Say He Is Staying

From Bud Withers of the Seattle Times, "Marcus Capers of Winterhaven, Fla., a 6-foot-4 guard, says he heard this message on his cellphone from Bennett: "Hey, Marcus, I haven't talked to you in a while. I just wanted to let you know I'm not taking the Indiana job, and I'll be there [at WSU] next year." We have heard it numerous times now, that Bennett is staying in Pullman but it is nice to hear that he took the time to call his recruits and let them know what was going on. If you listened to the media Bennett would already be coaching at WSU, Indiana, LSU, Marquette and Cal, and that is only since the Cougar season ended. Get used to it Coug fans because it is going to be like this every season.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2004323973_coug03.html

Incoming Coug Already Shows High Character

Have to thank the user TheMFM on Cougfan.com for linking this article. It is about incoming Cougar Hoops player James Watson and the struggles he has had to deal with as a very young man. He seems very mature and has a good head on his shoulders. I can't wait to see him play at WSU. From the article, "But when he heads to Washington State next season, he’ll be wearing a No. 14 jersey. Watson’s decision to change numbers is his way of remembering his sister, Kayla, who died in a car accident."

http://blog.newsok.com/highschoolsports/2008/03/02/next-stop-pullman/

Katz Chimes In On Bennett Once Again

This is from Andy Katz's Blog On ESPNInsider, regarding Tony Bennett staying at WSU, "Washington State's Tony Bennett has no regrets about not pursuing the Indiana job, which was filled by Tom Crean. He said Wednesday that he had a blast working with Derrick Low on his 3-point shooting for the 3-point contest at the Final Four and with Robbie Cowgill, who will play in the NABC All-Star game this week in San Antonio. Bennett hasn't heard from LSU, hometown of his wife Laurel, but he's not actively pursuing that gig, either, right now. And, despite reports to the contrary, Bennett isn't going after Marquette to replace Crean. Nor, once again, is he pursuing Cal. Even though it's hard for some folks to understand, Bennett is happy in Pullman and his place right now. He knows it's never going to be easy to reach the NCAAs at Washington State on a regular basis."

Watch Low and Cowgill One More Time

Vince from the SpokesmanReview has a entry about Derrick Low and Robbie Cowgill participating in Final 4 All-Star Activities in San Antonio. Watch D-Low Thursday on ESPN, 6 PM in the 3-Point Competition. Cowgill will play on Friday

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=7553#more

More reading regarding the All-Star Festivities

http://wsucougars.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/040208aac.html

Small Clip From Doug Gottlieb's Insider Blog

Here is what Doug Gottlieb had to say about Tony Bennett turning down Indiana, "Speaking of the Big Ten, my sources have told me that Tony Bennett was concerned about attention paid to the IU job and what it would do to his family." He doesn't have to worry about excessive media disturbances in Pullman, that is for sure. Despite what the media is trying to tell America, it is starting to become very clear that Bennett loves Pullman and WSU.

Spring Football Notes

Here is a blog entry from the SpokesmanReview regarding Spring Football and some of the new players. This quote may be refreshing for some fans, “Everybody has a fresh new start,” said Myron Beck, a new defensive back who transferred from Glendale College in Glendale, Ariz. “I believe that that was a lot of help for me, coming in as a new guy. The coaches don't have their favorite guys.”

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=7549#more

Brink Gets Some Props From Rivals

Rivals Sports has Alex Brink as the #10 Rated QB in this year's NFL Draft. He is ahead of National Title winning QB Matt Flynn and ASU transfer Sam Keller. From the article, "We believe Brink is an underrated prospect by many. He has a live arm with good size and the instincts necessary for the position. He looked sharp in the drills at the NFL Combine."

http://nfldraft.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1164&CID=766923

Weaver Earns First National Honor

Kyle Weaver is a Collegehoops.net All-American, Honorable Mention. This is his first national honor and very deservingly so. Congrats to Weaver for making WSU proud.

http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/new/2008-collegehoops-net-all-american-team-42217

Putting LSU Rumors On Hold

From Howie Stalwick of the Seattle PI. "Indiana is the only school that has contacted Washington State athletic director Jim Sterk to ask for permission to speak with Cougars basketball coach Tony Bennett about its head coaching vacancy, Sterk said Monday night through a school spokesman." So unless LSU is doing this whole thing secretly they haven't even asked WSU to speak with Tony Bennett. It is looking pretty clear that he will be at WSU next year.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cbasketball/357217_coug01x.html

Another Position Change For Defense

From the SpokesmanReview. "Standouts Chima Nwachukwu and Alfonso Jackson switched positions - Nwachukwu to safety and Jackson to cornerback - in another of Wulff's spring adjustments. Nwachukwu, who played safety in high school, said he likes the open field better." I like this move by Wulff. Alfonso Jackson really struggled last year with open field tackling. Maybe switching him to the corner position will allow him to pursue an angle better, as he will be closer to the receiver when they get the ball.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=7542#more