Turns out Wednesday is a very nice day for Cougar Nation. Both Wazzu basketball teams debuted yesterday with much success. Here's some post-game analysis:
- Just a few minutes into WSU men's hoops contest with Alcorn State, there was little doubt of the game's outcome. The Cougs were going to win. The only question was by how many points. Sure Wazzu started the game a little rough, but what do you expect from a totally revamped roster playing against someone other than their teammates in practice. Compared with last year's team that went 14-13, Coach Kyle Smith trotted out three new starters. Arguably the best player on the WSU roster, Efe Abogidi, would see limited playing time because of a knee injury he incurred playing for the Nigerian national team over this past summer. He didn't start. Isaac Bonton now plays pro ball in Lithuania. He didn't start. Returning to Pullman after entering the NCAA transfer portal, Andrej Jakimovski looks much more solid physically than last season. He didn't start. Instead of that familiar trio, Coach Smith started a true point guard in the person of Tyrell Roberts, who joined the team via the transfer portal. Another transfer, Michael Flowers, cracked the starting lineup in large part due to his experience and ball-handling skills. And super-freshman Mouhammed Gueye simply had to make the starting lineup because of his athletic talent. Did I mention that Gueye checks in at a legit 6' 11" and seemingly can jump out of the gym?
Alcorn State proved to be a worthy opponent, playing hard for the entire ball game. They were aggressive on defense, especially when utilizing their full-court press. However, it was clear which team had a greater wealth of physical talent. Yes, that was Washington State.
Coming into this season, there was a lot of hype surrounding redshirt freshman Jefferson Koulibaly who sat out last season due to injury. The Canadian certainly lived up to the hype Tuesday afternoon playing solid defense and showing that he can fill it up on offense. He finished with 13-points.
If this game is indicative of Coach Smith's offensive direction, look for the Cougs to take advantage of their height to drive and kick-out to shooters. More times than not, that was how they ran their offense with modest success. They will need to shoot a higher percentage from beyond the arc once league play begins, but going 11-36 isn't too shabby. As for the Cougs on defense, it's risky to read much into this game. Alcorn State didn't appear to have many offensive weapons. Hustle? Yes. Shooters? Not so much.
For complete stats on the game, click on this link: https://wsucougars.com/documents/2021/11/9/110921_WSUvsAlcornSt.pdf
Here are some expert analysis links:
https://247sports.com/college/washington-state/Article/Kyle-Smith-points-to-Jefferson-Koulibalys-big-heart-as-WSU-basketball-tops-Alcorn-State-85-67-174934523/
https://www.nbcrightnow.com/sports/washington_state_university/washington-state-rolls-past-alcorn-state-to-open-promising-season/article_86e55a9f-3402-5170-a149-22c9007c0fd9.html
https://www.cougcenter.com/wsu-cougars-basketball/2021/11/9/22773496/washington-state-cougars-vs-alcorn-state-braves-basketball-recap-final-score
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Wazzu women's hoops took about 15-minutes to return to the NCAA tournament level of play last night, as the ran away with a 30-point victory over San Jose State. The final was 86-56, with the Cougs outscoring the Trojans by 20-points in the second half. Most fans who follow this team closely expect great things from Charlisse Leger-Walker. She looked to be in mid-season form, tied with a game-best 22-points. What might have come as a surprise was the offensive output of Bella Murekatete. She poured in a career-high 22-points to match Charlisse for game-best scoring. Bella added seven rebounds and blocked three shots. Really nice game for the junior from Rwanda. Consider this, the Cougs were sizzling from the field while struggling from the free-throw line. Here's the most stunning stat comparison from this contest. WSU shot 55.2% from the field while converting just 54.5% of their free-throw attempts. Wonder if Coach Kamie Etheridge will have the gals spending some extra time practicing free-throws? After scanning the inter-webs for stories on this game, it seems all writers turned in for the night before posting a game summary. Oh well, perhaps there will be recaps forthcoming later in the week?
Here's a link for a summary and stats: https://wsucougars.com/news/2021/11/9/womens-basketball-a-banner-night-for-the-cougs-in-season-opening-win-over-san-jose-state.aspx -
In what might be the silliest headline of the week, Duck Territory had the hutzpah to publish non-bulletin board content. Does anyone seriously believe that OU Coach Mario Cristobal considers Wazzu to be the biggest rival school on their schedule? That would mean the Ducks have less respect for their Civil War matchup with Oregon State. The long-standing hatred between the UW and Oregon is simply a petty disliking for one another? I couldn't make up such poppy-cock:
https://247sports.com/college/oregon/Article/Mario-Cristobal-Oregon-Ducks-Ducks-Football-Washignton-State-Football-Rivalry--174910414/
Go Cougs!!!
- It seems fitting to put together a list of coaches who branch off of the Mike Leach coaching tree. Perspective on his football genius can easily be determined by a cursory glance:
Dave Aranda/Baylor head coach – Graduate assistant coach under Leach from 2000-02 at Texas Tech
Neal Brown/West Virginia head coach – Played under Leach in 1998 when Leach was offensive coordinator at Kentucky
Sonny Cumbie/Louisiana Tech head coach – Played under Leach at Texas Tech from 2000-03 and later served as a graduate assistant coach under Leach
Sonny Dykes/TCU head coach – Coached wide receivers and later was the co-offensive coordinator at Texas Tech under Leach from 2000-06
Josh Heupel/Tennessee head coach – Played under Leach at Oklahoma in 1999 when Leach was the offensive coordinator for the Sooners
Dana Holgorsen/Houston head coach – Coached alongside Leach as assistants at Valdosta State from 1993-95, then served as a wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator under Leach from ...
- The news of former WSU Coach Mike Leach passing at the young age of 61 is very, very sad. I had the pleasure of writing about the Cougs when Leach was at the helm. To say that he was a unique person doesn't begin to describe the multi-faceted dimension of the man.
In terms of coaching football, Leach led his teams in a way that had most other coaches scratching their heads. His offensive creativity gave a multitude of defensive coordinators ulcers. To say that his techniques for molding student-athletes into football players were unusual would be accurate. Making guys run sprints in a sand pit named "Leach Beach" is a prime example. Crazy as that sounds, his players had fewer ankle injuries over the course of the season than any team in football. Only Mike Leach could get players to hit the beach. And if you look at the coaching tree that branches out from Leach, you'd find a myriad of men who owe him for their start in the profession.
When you examine the way Leach represented the schools ...
- Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, so Wazzu's loss yesterday to UNLV by a score of 74-70 was just that, a loss. However, there were plenty of reasons to applaud both the performance and the progress the Cougs are making over the past few games. Let's get the bad observation out of the way. WSU turned the ball over a ridiculous 22 times. No one is going to beat many teams with such wreckless play, especially against a team that posted a 9-0 record going into the contest. Some of those errors might be attributed to Coach Kyle Smith going with a different lineup almost every game because of player injuries. Facts are facts and when there isn't a steady lineup, players struggle to play team ball. On the bright side, Wazzu shot a respectable 54.2% from the field, coupled with a very nice 56.5% from behind the arc. On defense, WSU held UNLV to just 30.4% from behind the arc and 50.9% overall. The Cougs outrebounded the Rebels by a margin of 33-20. Despite being down by ...
