Let's begin with details on WSU men's hoops (13-7,6-3 Pac-12) fourth consecutive conference win. This time around their eventual victim was Stanford (13-8,6-5 Pac-12) by a final score of 66-60. The final score was misleading as to the outcome of the game. Wazzu had their game on all night. Yes, there were patches where it appeared that there was a lid over their basket. Those patches were not like the 12-minute drought WSU suffered through the last time they faced the Cardinal. This time around the Cougs played up to their potential rather than down to the talent of their opponent. That's how you win road games in the Pac-12. Michael Flowers scored 22 points, including four from behind the arc. His backcourt counterpart, Tyrell Roberts, added 12-points on 5 of 10 shooting while dishing out four assists. Sophomore Efe Abogidi didn't fill up the stat sheet, but his presence around the rim had a huge effect on how Stanford tried to run their offense. Efe was credited with three blocks with at least half a dozen altered shots that caromed off the rim.
POSTGAME NOTES
• With the win, the Cougars:
o Improved to 13-7 on the year and 6-3 in Pac-12 contests
o Ties the best 9 game stretch to start Pac play since the 2006-07 season
o WSU’s first win at Stanford since 2011
o First four-game Pac winning streak since 2007-08
• WSU led at halftime for the 18th time on the year
o 12-point halftime lead was the second-largest halftime lead at Stanford since 1980
• The Cougs had 11 of 13 active players available for the contest
o Cougs were without Dishon Jackson for the fifth-straight game due to injury as well as Jefferson Koulibaly being an injury scratch
• Michael Flowers led the team in scoring for the 6th time with 22 points
o WSU career high, most points scored in a Pac-12 game for the 5th year
o 14th double-digit scoring game of the season – 99th of his career
o Scored double-digits in both halves (10&12), 8th and 9th double-digit scoring halves of the year
o Tied a Pac-12 best 4 three-pointers for the second straight game
o 26-straight games with a three-pointer
o Led the team with 5 assists for the second straight game – 11th time leading the team in assists
• Tyrell Roberts scored 12 points, all in the first half
o 12th double-digit scoring game – 10th double-digit scoring half
o Tied a career-high with 2 steals
• Efe Abogidi finished the game with 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks
o 10th game with multiple blocks, 4th straight
• Mouhamed Gueye led the Cougs with 9 rebounds
o 9th time leading the team in rebounding
o Added 8 points, all on four dunks
• Wazzu had double-digit three-pointers (10) for the 9th time
• WSU shot at least 49% (24-of-49) for the second-straight game just missing the season Pac-12 high of 49.1% shot the previous game against Colorado.
• First win of the season when being outrebounded improving to 1-4 in such games
o Season low 26 rebounds for WSU
https://wsucougars.com/news/2022/2/3/mens-basketball-washington-state-wins-4th-straight-beats-stanford-66-60.aspx

Another National Letter of Intent day (NLI) has come and gone. There were no surprise signings for Cougar football. Coach Jake Dickert has done a much better job of convincing in-state high school prospects to sign on to Cougar football than many of his predecessors. Per Cougfan.com, there are 17 Washington high schools seniors who will sign with Power Five schools. That includes the four who have chosen to attend WSU. Dickert also landed a JC transfer, Sam Lockett from City College of San Francisco, who prepped at Gonzaga HS in Spokane. That's almost one-third of WA prospects. If the UW does scratch out the same number, that will be the first time since 2013 that the two schools netted comparable prospects from the Evergreen State. None of this info wins games, but the talent pool and coaching staff seem set up to do that very thing.
Here's a rundown of the four WA HS prospects from CFC.com who signed this week:
Djouvensky Schlenbaker, running back, 6-0, 220, Squalicum (Bellingham). With his physical, downhill running style, Schlenbaker has the right skill set to become a fan favorite during his time in Pullman. Schlenbaker’s situation can remind you of when Max Borghi enrolled early, and his wildly successful spring ball helped him secure a role in WSU’s backfield. There’s no reason to believe Schlenbaker can’t follow a similar path.
Leyton Smithson, safety, 6-2, 190, Squalicum (Bellingham). As soon as the Cougs offered Smithson back in November, he knew what that’s where he wanted to be, as he announced his commitment the next day. He’s a well-rounded, high IQ athlete, having held down the QB and safety positions at Squalicum. Smithson is actually originally from Idaho; he played just one season in Whatcom County.
Jakobus Seth, offensive tackle, 6-4, 280, Lakewood (Arlington). Seth was a cornerstone piece for the Lakewood Cougars, having manned the d-end position since his freshman year. He’ll now be looking to become a cornerstone piece for a young and developing WSU o-line unit. Seth chose to go Crimson over offers from Oregon State, Nevada, Eastern Washington, and several Ivy League schools.
Hudson Cedarland, linebacker, 6-4, 220, Gig Harbor. Cedarland was an absolute workhorse for the Gig Harbor Tides, racking up 109 tackles on defense, and 771 receiving yards and 13 TDs on offense in his senior campaign. His close relationship with Jake Dickert and defensive coordinator Brian Ward was a major deciding factor in his decision. With both starting linebackers graduating, the opportunity is there for Cedarland to earn playing time right away.
“We’ll always be a developmental program,” the first-year Washington State Coach Jake Dickert said. “We won’t just be a talent-addition program.”
“I want to build our program through high school players,” Dickert said during a news conference after WSU finalized its list of signees. “The portal will always be there, but I think (focusing on player development) puts a premium on relationships within your program and how you run your program daily.”
"I think three guys stick out to me," Dickert said when asked for the potential early impact guys. "First one is Jaylen Jenkins because he's kind of that change of pace (running back), he's very multiple. We'll see at a young age what he can come in and impact."
"And then the two big guys up front that I think are more physically ready than the other ones are Landon Roaten and Kendall Williams. Those guys will be thrown into a little bit of fire -- we'll get them here in the summer, we'll teach them the schemes, we'll get them introduced to our strength and conditioning and nutrition and see who can kind of rise out of that group."
Offensive lineman Zack Miller: "Zack is all of 6-7. And just really feel like he can be an anchor at that left tackle position, hopefully for a long time to come. I think he's a special breed of length and athleticism. He's a hard worker out of Orange Lutheran in California. And just excited about his growth and development.
Offensive lineman Kendall Williams: "Another two-way player. And sometimes I love guys that you really debate should we play him at d-line or should we play him at 0-line. But I think you really see his athleticism and his ability to play on the interior of our offensive line. He's one of those guys that is already made with his size and his mentality. He has a really big life and a passion to him and I think he'll bring some really big energy to our program."
Quarterback John Mateer: "We did a good job throughout the evaluation process of watching John throw the ball. And that was big for Coach Morris to get out there and really observe him and throwing the ball and delivering and watching how he interacts with his teammates. John is not short on confidence. And I think he's the next gunslinger that we can really develop in our program. I love his leadership ability and another multi-sport player with John also playing baseball.
Running back Jaylen Jenkins: "We really wanted a change of pace back. And that led us to Jaylen Jenkins. Out of the Allen High school down there in Texas. He really possesses a unique skillset of speed, but plus the ability to flex out and do a lot of the things our tailback will do in the new offense in the receiving game. Jaylen is one of those guys that if he hits a seam and nobody is there, he can obviously take the ball to the house and is a very explosive player."
Offensive lineman Luke and Landon Roaten: "Both 6-5 plus. Luke is a little bit lighter at 265 pounds, Landon at 285 pounds. Just excited about their growth. Unbelievable that throughout this process they were always looking for a place to play together. We just see such a great fit even though Luke has mainly played defense. Coach Kaligis had a really special bond and relationship with him from his previous institution. They're great young men and really hard workers."
Safety Tony Carter: "He's a unique specimen because he's a wrestler and has a goal and aspiration to be a state champion. He's currently undefeated and I felt bad for him at recruiting dinners because he has to go back and cut 10 pounds. He's a hard-hitting strong safety that fits exactly the role that we want him for him in our defender.
Cornerback David Johnson: "Really an athlete. He can play both sides of the ball, but I love 6-2, rangy guys that are really athletic. And we feel like he transitions to starting at corner in our program. And really see where his athleticism takes him as he continues to grow and develop."
Safety Reece Sylvester: "Reece is a combination of size and speed. Feel like he's a great fit for our free safety position. And really roaming the middle of the field with his ball skills. I love quarterbacks and Reece is a guy that played full-time at quarterback. He sees the field in a different way and the upside with Reece is really strong."

With new prospects coming to Cougar football, another established player has entered the transfer portal. Joey Hobert was expected to be no worse than #3 on the depth chart at inside receiver behind Renard Bell and Lincoln Victor. It's possible that Hobert has already been in contact with other programs, but that isn't a known fact. It would seem that his teammates certainly didn't see this move coming because Hobert was elected to WSU’s 13-player leadership council, as voted on by teammates, just two days ago. A graduate of San Juan Hills High in San Juan Capistrano, California, Hobert committed to then-coach Mike Leach’s Cougars program in June 2019 over offers from BYU, San Diego State, and Hawaii, among other Group of Five schools. His father, Billy Joe, starred as quarterback for the Washington Huskies in the early 1990s, leading the team to an undefeated season and Rose Bowl title in ’92 before a nine-year NFL career.