A Grip on Sports: Wednesday may have been a tough day to drive around but, unlike sports news, there wasn’t a lot of traffic
A GRIP ON SPORTS • We have a theory about getting around in a Spokane winter. It’s not that hard, really. Except for about five days a year. Wednesday was one of those five days.
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• But there we were. Driving around Spokane, getting to and from a doctor’s appointment. It was slow going but, as always, it could have been worse. We could have been in Portland. You know, the city in Oregon that has to deal with the worst part of winter – and winter driving. Ice.
It’s so bad south of us, the West Coast Conference yesterday announced the University of Portland’s previously scheduled weekend home games would be postponed until early next week. When it is supposed to be warmer. Not warm, mind you, but warm enough for the ice to melt.
Such things are not an issue around. Warmth we mean. The 8 or so inches of snow that fell yesterday will still be around next week. Maybe even more on top. Big deal. Our local college basketball teams will deal with it. Always do.
The Zags have the best of it, though. Their men and women are in Southern California tonight, playing some 19 miles apart.
Mark Few will once again attempt to earn his 700th career win, this time in Malibu, a place in which he’s earned about 3% of them. And Lisa Fortier will also be trying to reach a milestone, looking to notch her 250th at Loyola Marymount.
Washington State’s men are also someplace sort of warm, Stanford, though the Cardinal have the capability of turning on the heat this season.
The women’s team from the area’s Big Sky schools open their gyms tonight to Weber State (at Eastern) and Idaho State (Idaho). The Eastern game is scheduled for an 11 a.m. start as local elementary and middle schools students are welcomed in.
And, as usual, the Idaho and EWU men are on the road versus the same schools. Bad weather or not, college basketball in this part of the world rolls on.
• As does the football coaching roulette wheel. Heck, the NFL’s as well.
In the former, the NCAA hierarchy is sitting in Indianapolis and wondering, once again, how another rule change instituted with the best intentions has roiled a sport. This time it’s big-time football and the 30-day transfer portal window allowed players whose coach leaves.
The portal pickings are pretty slim, mainly because everyone who wants to play next season worked hard to make a choice before spring semester – or its quarter equivalent. Now a handful of schools are watching players depart, with little left in the portal to replace them. No one is crying for Alabama, right, except its fans. Nor probably Washington – at least not around here. Maybe not even Arizona. But the last rung on that Nick Saban-built transfer ladder, San Jose State, has to be in all our hearts, right? The first three schools should be OK, but the Spartans’ loss will be a loss for good. And another example of how cream in college sports always flows uphill.
• The NFL’s wheel is missing a certain-to-be-open position. The Dallas Cowboys are not making a change. Jerry Jones, patient? Well, we never thought that would happen. But it’s a good thing for the Seahawks, right?
It seems it doesn’t matter. As more names surface in John Schneider’s search, it has become obvious he’s fishing in a different pool. The Cowboys would have been out there bidding on and trying to land a big fish. Maybe even a whale.
Not Seattle. Unless Schneider is hoping to quietly poach someone from the college ranks not named Jim Harbaugh, we have to assume one of the coordinators he’s talking with will replace Pete Carroll.
But that other thought? Maybe. Could Schneider be talking with a Carroll-like college coach? Could he drop a bombshell in a week or so? Wouldn’t that be fun? We’re not sure who it might be, as there is a dearth of college coaches these days with NFL experience, something Carroll boasted. And that seems to be a prerequisite for success.
No matter. The coordinators on Schneider’s interview list aren’t moving the needle in a big way. We might as well focus on something fun until reality hits.
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WSU: It’s hard for us to believe a blowout loss to North Carolina in Charlotte is the last time Washington State’s men played in the NCAA Tournament. That was in 2008. We were there. Watching the Tar Heels race past the Cougs. Could this be the year the drought ends? Greg Woods wonders today as he previews the game at Stanford. … The Cougars enter the weekend with momentum, that’s for sure. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, not sure there will be a lot of tears in these parts but UCLA and California are hurting financially. And their conference moves aren’t helping. Jon Wilner shares that in the Mercury News. … A gamble is paying off for the Huskies. … Nate Bittle may rejoin the Ducks soon. In time for the Colorado game? It’s not a given. … Utah could use some players returning from injury. … There were two games last night, both in the desert. We start with Arizona getting healthy at the expense of a decidedly unhealthy USC roster. The Wildcats won 82-67. … In a turnaround, Arizona State blew a big lead and lost at home to reeling UCLA, 68-66. Have the Bruins righted the ship? It did not hurt the Sun Devils were assessed five – yes, five – technical fouls. Bobby Hurley had this to say to the Arizona Republic: “We’re the bad guys. So say hello to the bad guys. You’ll never see a bad guy like us again. But that’s what we were tonight. We were the bad guys. I’m sure no one else said anything except us. All night.’’… Colorado is the only undefeated women’s team in the conference. The Buffs also sit at the top of this power ranking. … We can pass along another Tara VanDerveer story. What is this, a dozen? She’s earned it. … The Cardinal next face Oregon. … In football news, we mentioned above the transfer rule that seems to be roiling the sport right now. Look at the Washington roster. The Huskies, as Jedd Fisch steps into the building, may have 20 new starters next season. … All 12 schools have big questions for next season. … How was the remodeled Reser Stadium for the fans? … Oregon is shoring up its secondary through the portal. … Brent Brennan was introduced at McKale last night and it was a rowdy, happy scene. He also held a press conference.
Gonzaga: Over the years, there have been streaks in college basketball series. UCLA won 52 consecutive times against Cal. Syracuse brushed aside Colgate 49 times in a row. And the Bulldogs have topped Pepperdine the last 46 times the teams have met. That’s it. That’s the list of longest winning streaks between two schools. Can the Zags make it 47, and give Few another milestone, tonight in Malibu? Jim Meehan has the preview of the rematch – the teams played two weeks ago in the Arena – as well as a look at the key matchup. And he also adds a look at the closest games in GU’s win streak. … The women don’t have that sort of streak against Loyola, but they do dominate the WCC as a whole. Greg Lee looks at tonight’s game while also checking in on WSU’s recent Apple Cup victory in this notebook.
EWU: Eastern’s men have an opportunity to build a gap between themselves and the preseason pick to win the Big Sky. It comes tonight in Ogden. Dan Thompson has a preview. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, the women’s Brawl of the Wild is tonight with Montana and Montana State both headed in facing injury issues. … Speaking of that, we pass along this story about TCU, which is holding open tryouts to try to fill out its roster. The Horned Frogs were ranked until injuries hit. … Portland State’s game tonight against visiting Northern Arizona will be held without fans. … On the men’s side, Northern Colorado hosts Sacramento State.
Idaho: We are at an inflection point with the volleyball team and its issues. Thomas Clouse delves into what has gone on in Moscow and what is ahead this week as offseason workouts begin. The players have been given permission to skip if they want to.
Preps: The weather played havoc yesterday with GSL wrestling, so there is no roundup today.
Seahawks: The Hawks have free agents. Everyone does. But which ones will Seattle try hard to re-sign?
Mariners: Seattle signed a former UW pitcher for bullpen depth.
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• Experience must matter. We were all over North Spokane yesterday while the snow was coming down and were surprised how few issues we saw. Sure, there was a car on the railroad tracks off Freya and Sprague – with three police cars in attendance – and one other fender-bender, but that was about it. Most people just took it slow and easy. Thank you folks. We needed the calm. Until later …