Monday, April 25, 2011

Gerrit Cole, Adam Conley duel in Pullman

New WSU Uniforms Released

Completed by Emily King and Andrew Talevich

USC adds Wake Forest transfer

The University of Southern California added another transfer to its men's basketball team, the school announced.

Ari Stewart, a 6-fot-7, 205-pound wing, joins the Trojans from Wake Forest. Stewart averaged 8.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last season for the Demon Deacons. An outside shooting threat, he led all Atlantic Coast Conference freshmen in three-point shooting percentage in his first season on the Winston-Salem campus.

Per NCAA transfer rules, Stewart must sit out one year of eligibility. Because he has yet to use a redshirt season, he will take the 2011-2012 season as a redshirt year and have two years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2012-2013.

Stewart becomes the fourth transfer in the past two years to join USC.

Track and Field "Apple Cup"

The University of Washington will host the last dual meet between UW and Washington Sate University on Friday, April 29th. The meet is the last time that UW will host the meet because it will undergo a complete renovation immediately following the UW football spring game.

The cougs have won the last 12 out of 15 meetings with the most current being last year at WSU. The WSU men won by a margin of 50 points and the WSU women cruised to a 60 point victory.

Both schools fair evenly and the victor will depend on who does the best that day. The meet is slightly in cougs favor because of the dominance of the men's team. Yet, anyhing can happen at the dual meet and the points come down to the top three places, so each point is vital for both teams.

The meet is set for 4 p.m. in Husky Stadium. Anyone attending can expect a 60 percent chance of precipitation and a very entertaining couple of hours of competition.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Colorado's Burks declares for NBA draft

Earlier this week we told you Colorado’s Alec Burks was the last shoe still to drop as far as expected Pac-12 early defections to the NBA. Well, today that large foot hit the ground.

Burks announced at a press conference he will forego his final two years of college eligibility to enter the draft. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard is rated on most draft boards as the number one player at his position.

Burks led the Big 12 in scoring this past season, averaging 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.

The Buffaloes set a school record for wins this season with a 24-14 record that helped them reach the National Invitational Tournament semifinals in New York City. As they transition to a new league, Colorado will have to make do with a new look.

Head coach Tad Boyle said the loss will hurt the team, but Burks is ready to make the jump.

"Obviously, he's proved he can produce in one of the best leagues in the country and at the highest levels of college basketball," Boyle said. "You're talking about a situation where Alec can put himself on a course to take care of himself and his family for years to come. It's hard to begrudge anybody that opportunity, especially someone who has worked as hard as he's worked."

As they transition to a new league, Colorado will have to make do with a new look.

"We're not as good and we're not as experienced, but that doesn't mean we can't have a great year," Boyle said. "I'm optimistic, and I'm proud of Alec.”

Burks’ combination of ideal size and unquestioned talent make him a potential lottery pick.

“The NBA is a dream of mine,” Burks said at his press conference. “I feel like I’ve got to take advantage of it.” 

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Pac-10 Departures Open Door for New Talent


A handful of top Pac-10 basketball players have either decided to forgo the remainder of their college careers or are testing NBA waters.

Here’s how the process goes. College basketball players can either declare for the NBA draft, work out with teams, and see how they stack up to other talent, or they can dive right into the NBA draft by hiring an agent.

Once a player hires an agent, he can no longer return to play college ball. For players who declared for the NBA draft, they must make up their minds whether they want to go back to college or be drafted into an NBA team by May 8th.

This year’s list of players who declared for the NBA draft but have not hired an agent:

Klay Thompson, WSU
Isaiah Thomas, UW

Players who have hired agents and decided to not go back to college include:

Derrick Williams, Arizona
Nikola Vucevic, USC
Tyler Honeycutt, UCLA
Malcolm Lee, UCLA
DeAngelo Casto, WSU
Derrick Williams, Arizona

What does this mean for the Pac-10?

You can either look at the glass half empty or half full. From a pessimistic scope, the Pac-12 basketball league will probably not be as good as it has been in the past. With the abrupt absence of these top players across the league, the conference will have an absence of high-scoring leaders.

On the bright side, this will lead to an opening for new talent. For example Arizona hopes to fill the void of Derrick Williams departure with Josiah Turner, who ESPN ranks as the third best point guard to be recruited by the NCAA. Additionally University of Washington’s Tony Wroten and Arizona State’s Jahii Carson are ranked as the number 5 and number 8 point guards to be recruited.

So while it will be evident that the Pac-12 conference is missing a large number of top players, the conference hopes to make a quick rebound with young talent.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Honoring Coach Wooden

Earlier I wrote about amazing athletes who have come out of the Pac-10. While John Wooden was not an athlete in the Pac-10, he was still a tremendous figure who deserves to be mentioned in the same category as the previous individuals.

Wooden served as coach of the UCLA basketball team for more than a quarter century. Through his record of success and words of inspiration, Wooden epitomizes what it means to be a true leader.

Wooden coached UCLA basketball from 1948,49 season to the 1975,76 season. During a twelve year span from 1963-1975 Wooden coached UCLA to an unprecedented ten NCAA championships. His overall coaching record for UCLA was 620-147 with a winning percentage of 81 percent.

But it’s not necessarily his success as a coach that makes him a well-known figure but how he went about coaching.

Wooden coined his “pyramid of success” that was based upon qualities every athlete must have to reach the pinnacle of the pyramid which was competitive greatness. His “pyramid of success” can also be translated into realms outside of basketball such as the work world or significant relationships.

Some of Wooden’s greatest sayings on the “pyramid of success” include:

Cooperation: Have utmost concern for what’s right rather than who’s right. Cooperate with all levels of your co-works. Help others and see the other side”

Initiative: Make a decision! Failure to act is often the biggest failure of all. Cultivate the ability to make decisions and think alone. Desire to excel.”

Condition: Ability may get you to the top but character keeps you there- mental, moral, and physical.”

Poise: By yourself. Don’t be thrown off by events, whether good or bad. Be at ease in any situation. Don’t fight yourself.”

Competitive Edge: When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Be at your best when your best is needed. Your best is needed each day. Real love is a hard battle.”

Through this model, Wooden developed some of the best basketball players such as Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bill Walton.

On the Pac-10 web site, WSU men’s basketball coach Ken Bone recalls meeting Coach Wooden at his apartment.

“Just to be able to sit down with him and how humble he was, was incredible,” said Boone. “For everything he accomplished it felt like I was in the basketball hall of fame with all the memorabilia around his place and he was no different than anyone you’d meet on the street. Just a great man.”

Wooden lived to be 99. He died last year on June 1. In honoring his life we can live by his words so that we too can carry on the same successes.

The Week in Pac-10 Baseball

Tuesday April 19
UC Davis at Cal, 2:30pm
USC at Loyola Marymount, 3:00pm
Washington at Seattle, 5:00pm
Stanford at Santa Clara, 6:00pm
San Diego State at UCLA, 6:00pm
Portland at Oregon, 6:00pm

Thursday April 21
Arizona State at Cal, 2:30pm
UCLA at Stanford, 5:30pm
Oregon State at Washington State, 5:35pm
Arizona at Oregon, 6:00pm
USC at Washington, 6:00pm

Friday April 22
Arizona State at Cal, 2:30pm
UCLA at Stanford, 5:30pm
Oregon State at Washington State, 5:35pm
Arizona at Oregon, 6:00pm
USC at Washington, 6:00pm

Saturday April 23
Arizona at Oregon, 12:00pm
Arizona State at Cal, 1:00pm
USC at Washington, 1:00pm
UCLA at Stanford, 1:00pm
Oregon State at Washington State, 2:05pm

Monday, April 18, 2011

New Director to Add Flare to Pac-12 Championship Game

Today the Pac-12 announced that former National Football League executive Jim Steeg will be joining the consulting committee in charge of the Pac-12 Championship game. Steeg spent 30 years in the NFL with 26 dedicated to special events. 

Steeg’s time in the NFL primarily comes with his work on the Super Bowl. The recent additions to the Super Bowl becoming a week-long event, including celebrity golf and bowling tournaments, ‘Taste of the NFL’ and the NFL Experience. 

“Our focus is to create the most exciting and entertaining championship environment in college football,” said Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott on the official Pac-10 Web site. “And having Jim’s innovative approach and expertise will undoubtedly enhance those efforts.

Individual franchises were impacted by Steeg’s work as well. Steeg worked for the San Diego Chargers for six years where he focused on creating a fan-friendly environment. He also helped the franchise complete 48 consecutive sellouts.  

For the Pac-12 Championship game, the winners of the North and South divisions will compete for the overall Pac-12 title. The game will be played on the field of the team with the highest overall record. 

Steeg’s extensive work in the special events arena will make him another welcome addition to the Pac-12 family.

Pac-12 hit hard by early NBA defections

With the threat of a looming NBA lockout, college players around the country are deciding to return to school for another year. Except in the Pac-12. Perhaps no other conference has been hit as hard as the Pac-12 by players choosing to turn pro this year.
The biggest name to declare from the league is Arizona forward Derrick Williams. The talented sophomore is projected to be a top-5 pick in the draft, potentially reaching as high as number one overall. Williams, the2010-2011 Pac-10 Player of the Year, averaged 19.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game this past season for a Wildcats team that reached the Elite Eight.
Washington was also hit hard by early draft defections. Junior point guard Isaiah Thomas declared for the draft with the intention of hiring an agent. Thomas, the conference Player of the Year runner-up, averaged 16.8 points and 6.0 assists per game.  His decision means rising-junior Abdul Gaddy will likely take over full-time point guard duties for the Huskies, but the arrival of incoming freshman Tony Wroten Jr. should help UW make up for losing Thomas’ scoring.
Also getting hit hard was USC with Nikola Vucevic’s decision to turn to the NBA ranks. Seen as one of the premiere bigs in the conference and in the country as a whole, the loss of Vucevic is potentially devastating for the Trojans. Averaging 17.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, Vucevic was a near guarantee for a double-double on any given day, leaving a gaping hole in the Trojans' inside game and scoring prowess. 
But perhaps no schools were hit harder by draft decisions than UCLA and Washington State. The Bruins guard depth has taken a significant hit with the announcement that both Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee will head to the draft and hire agents. Between the two, UCLA is losing 25.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. The losses mean UCLA will likely rely heavily on its loaded inside game next season.
As for Washington State, the Cougars took a big hit on its interior game when junior forward DeAngelo Casto decided to declare for the draft and announced his intention to hire an agent. Then, to make matters worse, star shooting guard Klay Thompson, the Pac-10’s leading scorer, announced Monday he too will declare for the draft- though Thompson will not hire an agent at this time. The loss of their two stars costs the Cougars 23.6 points and 12 rebounds per game. That means WSU will have to replace nearly one-third of its scoring offense next season.
There is still one shoe that has yet to drop: Colorado’s Alec Burks. Rated as the top shooting guard eligible for the draft by ESPN.com’s Chad Ford, Burks would obviously be a huge loss for the Buffaloes as they transition to the Pac-12.
With seven, and potentially eight, players leaving the Pac-12 early for the NBA, it is clear the conference will have a new look on the hardwood next year.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Pac-10 Optimistic About Future Television Rights


The process of securing television contracts for NCAA conferences deals with big money.

To put this in perspective, the Big 12 conference recently made news when they reached a deal with Fox Sports for $90 million annually for the next 13 years. This deal coincides with their $130 million annually between ABC/ESPN and the Big 12.

The Big 10 conference holds the largest television contract of $220 million while the SEC conference has a slightly smaller contract of $205 million.

Where does the Pac-10 fit in this equation?

The Pac-10 has an annual contract with television networks of $60 million. This is obviously pretty low in comparison to other conferences. However, Pac-10 officials are working to expand their contracts.

Negotiations will be finalized by 2012 between Pac-10 schools and television executives. Fans are optimistic that the measly $60 million will be greatly expanded.

The reason for the optimism?

With the expansion of the Pacific Conference from 10 teams to 12 teams next season, the viewing market will also be larger. That makes the Pac-12 conference much more attractive to television networks.

Furthermore, television executives are trying to get more football games on their networks.

The president of Fox Sports Networks, Randy Freer said college sports “is undervalued compared to other content in the marketplace.”

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Pac-10 Sports Style on the Playing Field

A handful of teams in the Pac-10 conference are making changes- style changes.
Washington State University and Arizona State University have made headlines over the past few days with the unveiling of new rebranded uniforms. University of Oregon has always been popular for styling flashy, new uniforms throughout their season.
Why such a push to show off new uniforms?
It deals with the process of rebranding a school’s athletic department. This in turn can help apparel and merchandizing sales, garner in more athletic recruits, and boost morale and fan spirit.
Bill Moos, athletic director for WSU, was fed up with inconsistencies in colors and fonts. For example the women’s basketball team wore a different shade of color than the men’s basketball team.
His solution?
Moos turned to Nike, a company he had collaborated with before when he was athletic director at Oregon, and had them come up with a consistent model for WSU uniforms. Now, there is one official shade of color and a set of fonts being used for all uniforms.
Furthermore, Moos hosted an unveiling party in Spokane that was open to all WSU fans. This was not only a great PR move, but also a way to bolster fan morale and create excitement for the upcoming football season.
Oregon, with its close ties to Nike founder Phil Knight, is constantly surprising the nation with flashy new styles. The football team’s six different jerseys, five helmets, and five sets of pants separate them from other teams.  
ASU is now following in Oregon’s tracks with a rebranding process of their own. Historically, ASU has always featured their mascot Sparky, (a goofy-looking devil) on their helmet. With their new uniforms, only a bright yellow pitchfork appears on a black helmet, pointing out toward the opposing players. Additionally, ASU unveiled their all black uniforms.
The result is a pretty intimating look that definitely rivals the constantly-changing look of Oregon and new WSU uniforms.
In a world where colleges are always competing for that extra edge, catchy new uniforms that help make the brand identity of a school is definitely an important aspect of sports.
Will the expenses for rebranding uniforms pay off for WSU or ASU?
Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure: the Pac-10 will sure look good while competing for more attention.

Bitter-Sweet News for Colorado

After spring practice on Tuesday April 12, last year's leader Tyler Hansen was once again selected as starting quarterback for the 2011-2012 season. However, the program will now be without five previous members, including junior receiver Will Jefferson and junior defensive end Forrest West.

While West only started one game, he led Colorado with 5.5 sacks. Jefferson also contributed to the team with a combined 314 yards as well as a touchdown. The other two players asked to leave were senior guard MaxTuioti-Mariner and redshirt freshman tight ends Henley Griffon and Harold Mobley.

Jon Embree, in his first year as head coach, said a number of players had not shown a commitment to the team.

On the other side, Hansen will bring experience and hope back to Colorado's offense. The senior completed 112 of 164 passes as well as six touchdowns in his seven games last season. Due to a ruptured spleen, he missed the last five games. Now healthy, Hansen hopes to complete all 13 games this season.

Monday, April 11, 2011

WSU Football to Change Spring Game Venue

The Washington State University football program is undergoing some major changes to bring more success to the field and gain recognition. The spring Crimson and Gray Game is set for April 16 at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane, the same venue where the Spokane Shock play. The last time the Cougars played in Albi stadium was 2001.

WSU Athletic Director Bill Moos claims that WSU football needs to capture more area attention from the Eastern part of Washington. Since Spokane contains the largest population in the East part of the state, it is a perfect target market.

Moos has made deals with the Spokane Shock's marketing department to bring fans to the game and cheer for the Cougs.

Also during the week, on April 11 head coach Paul Wulff plans to reveal the brand new football uniforms created by Nike for 2011. He and the rest of the coaching staff will also give a coaches clinic at the Red Lion Hotel in downtown, Spokane.

This years Crimson and Gray Game should be very interesting because the Cougs finally have enough depth and talent to compete at a high level. There is no set time for the kickoff, but according to Wulff it will most likely be around 2 or 3 p.m.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

The Best and Brightest to Come Out of the Pac-10


The Pac-10 has often been seen as a progressive and dynamic conference that has produced some of the best athletes in the country. A recent commercial that promotes the Pac-10 displays the following statement: “forged by innovation, connected by tradition, unified by excellence.” The following is a list of Pac-10 athletes who embody these words and have shaped both the conference and America. These athletes for whatever reason displayed bravery and courage during their athletic careers. They are models for people that were ahead of their time and all were Pac-10 representatives at one time.

Jackie Robinson

Perhaps one of the best known athletes of all-time, Robinson played a fundamental role in breaking down the color barrier in the 1940’s and 50’s. A phenomenal athlete, Robinson attended the University of California, Los Angeles. While at UCLA, Robinson excelled in football, basketball, track, and baseball. Though baseball was perhaps the least-skilled sport he participated in, Robinson would go on to play baseball in the Negro Leagues before signing with the Major League Baseball team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. When Robinson took the field in 1947, he was the first black man to play in the major leagues since the 1880’s.

Robinson’s skill in sports is very impressive but perhaps more amazing is his moral character. Throughout his baseball career, he had to endure constant threats to his life, bigotry, and unfair sportsmanship in his quest to bring equality to the game of baseball. He did this with this head held high. Robinson will always be known for the positive changes he helped harbor in for American society.

Lisa Leslie

Leslie is known as one of the best women basketball players. She grew up in California and attended the University of Southern California.  During her time at USC, the 6’4 center helped lead her time to the NCAA tournament each year she played. The team also won the Pac-10 championship thanks in part to her impressive stats. Leslie dominated the Pac-10 by setting records in blocked shots, scoring, and rebounding. She went on the join the WNBA team, the Los Angeles Sparks. While playing for the Sparks, her team won two championships and Leslie appeared in seven All-Star Games.

Leslie is credited as being the first woman to dunk a basketball in the WNBA. In addition to her stellar college and WNBA career she has played for the Olympic team for four consecutive years and aided in winning the gold medal for women’s basketball each year she played. In a sport’s world dominated by men, Leslie was able to bring entertainment and recognition to the WNBA. She helped pave the way for the success of the league.

Pat Tillman

Tillman is a true American hero. He is popular for his actions off the field as much for his success on the field. Tillman played linebacker on the Arizona State University football team. Despite being only 5’11, he earned the title as Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year. After graduating ASU with a 3.84 GPA, Tillman was signed to the Arizona Cardinal football team. After playing in the National Football League for four years, Tillman walked away from football in 2002. The reason? To enlist in the Army after he felt a sense of deep patriotism after the 9/11 attacks. Tillman would die two years later in Afghanistan after being killed by friendly fire.

The fact that Tillman turned down millions of dollars from the NFL, and fought in the war instead is truly remarkable. His death makes the story even more tragic. He serves as an example of what it means to be a true hero. Most people would not make the same sacrifices as he did.

Warren Moon

Moon, a University of Washington football star, was the first black quarterback to be inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame. Moon played for UW in the mid-1970’s. Though civil rights had vastly improved in the previous twenty years, most colleges did not feel that black individuals could make quality quarterbacks. Moon changed this sentiment with his success at UW. One of his greatest collegiate achievements was leading UW to win the Rose Bowl in 1978 and earning the MVP award for the game.

Moon would go on to win numerous games in the Canadian Football League and the National Football League. The records that Moon set in the NFL included: highest passing yardage, highest passing completion, and most passing touchdowns. Moon showed America, that black athletes can play anywhere on the football field with a high degree of skill. He set the stage for big-name black quarterbacks such as Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick.