Moos ready to tackle daunting task

If anybody can bring WSU out of its recent funk, it’s the new Coug AD ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — It should be considered the ultimate compliment, of which both men were entirely deserving.

Here was Bill Moos, the new athletic director at Washington State, delighting in connecting with Cougars old and new during Friday night’s booster gathering at La Chateau in downtown Yakima.

Then in walked someone who might otherwise have been considered an interloper, except that fiercely loyal Oregon alum Keith Farnam was this time wearing a red-and-white checked shirt and was beaming from beneath a crimson and gray WSU cap.

“Keith!” Moos shouted.

“Bill!” Farnam responded.

After which a long hug, broad smiles and vigorous handshakes ensued.

“Bill used to tell me that whenever I came down to Eugene I needed to bring some green,” Farnam recalled. “So I brought asparagus.”

Then in more serious tones, Farnam said, “Congratulations on your new job, Bill, and thanks for everything you did for us down at Oregon.”

Will Moos accomplish for the Cougs all that he did for the Ducks? Probably not, unless an alum with a Phil Knight-sized wallet emerges.

But that’s not important.

More meaningful is that Washington State now has as its athletic commander in chief something it has always needed. It has someone who knows the school as only a Cougar can — Moos was an all-Pac-8 offensive tackle in 1972 — plus someone who also has experienced administrative life outside the Palouse. And in the same conference, even.

As playing for Jim Sweeney was invaluable in preparing Moos for his current job, so were AD tenures at first Montana and then Oregon.

Though he has long coveted his new Bohler Gym office, Moos was previously denied when in 1994 WSU hired Rick Dickson to replace Jim Livengood.

“But finally,” Moos said Friday, “the planets aligned.”

Storybook beginning aside, he realizes there is much to do.

Moos continues to familiarize himself with his coaches and staff, after which he will formulate a plan to be in place by the start of the next school year.

A top priority will obviously be a football program that has gone 3-22 the past two seasons while being outscored 1,032-309.

“I’ve watched as a fan,” Moos said, “and also as an opponent at the University of Oregon for 12 years. I’ve seen some incredible accomplishments by the Cougars during that span — two Rose Bowls over six years and three 10-win seasons in consecutive order.

“So my assessment is we can get there — we’ve proven that. We also have to have a strategy in place as to how we’re going to stay there.”

Skeptics should be reminded that such success can be achieved without Knight’s legendary largesse. Among other things, the Nike czar had never before bankrolled Oregon until Moos’ arrival, despite his having run track there.

Also, donations independent of Knight doubled during Moos’ reign.

Meanwhile, back at the La Chateau, more Cougars filed in, more familiar faces were found and more warm greetings exchanged.

“Our school,” Moos said quietly, “needs some help right now. But I can promise you that I’ll do everything in my power to provide that help.”

Given WSU’s current athletic state — it was last in the Pac-10 in the two most prominent sports, football and men’s basketball — the task is daunting, and this Moos knows as only a Cougar could. But since he has also witnessed WSU’s fortunes from afar, it could be said he knows the situation both inside and out.

It would probably be unfair to describe Jim Sterk as having been bad for Washington State. He did, after all, oversee a renaissance of Cougars men’s hoops under Dick and Tony Bennett.

Sterk’s biggest failing, however, wasn’t what he was as much as what he wasn’t.

He wasn’t Bill Moos.

Local report — Walkenhauer leads Central’s all-conference picks

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Kevin Walkenhauer, a senior from West Valley, was one of six Central Washington baseball players to receive All-GNAC acclaim Tuesday.

Walkenhauer, who pitched and also played second base, shortstop and left field this past season, made the second team. He batted .316 with a team-leading 15 doubles. On the mound, Walkenhauer was 3-3 with a 5.93 earned run average.

Catcher Jake Hammons made the first team while outfielders Anthony Sanelli and Ricky McKinney joined Walkenhauer on the second team. All were seniors.

Senior third baseman Kevin Schneider junior outfielder Chance Plutt received honorable mention.

CWU finished the season 8-24 in conference play and 14-36 overall.

COLLEGES

UW, WSU to host events

Washington State University will host A Night With Cougar Athletics on Friday night at La Chateau at 15 North Naches Ave.

The event, which will feature speeches by WSU coaches and recently hired athletic director Bill Moos, will begin at 5:30 with a social hour and silent auction. Dinner and a live auction will start at 6:45.

Tickets are $50 for athletic-foundation members and $65 for non-members. Table sponsorships also are available.

To make reservations, visit wsucougars.com or contact the WSU Athletic Foundation’s Todd Thrasher at 509-432-6829 or local contacts Tom and Barrie Carpenter at 509-829-6232.

A week from Thursday, the Univeristy of Washington will host Huskies Celebrating Huskies at Apple Tree Resort at 8804 Occidental Ave.

Fans of all ages are welcome to the program that begins at 6 p.m. and will include food and drink, sports highlights and an interactive program with Huskies coaches, including football head man Steve Sarkisian and men’s basketball coach Lorenzo Romar.

To RSVP, visit go.washington.edu or call 1-800-AUW-ALUM or 206-543-0540.

The cost is $60 general admission, $20 for children 18 and under with kids 3 and younger free. A family pack — two adults, two kids — is available for $150.

GOLF

Betzing shoots age at Elks

Dave Betzing shot his age Tuesday at the Yakima Elks with a round of 2-over par 73.

Paul Sugden, Ron Donaldson, and Norm Kuhlmann witnessed the round.

2/24/10 Away at School

YAKIMA, Wash. — CASSIE ROBBINS (Eisenhower), a senior at Washington State, was named Most Improved Player on the Cougars’ volleyball team. A middle blocker, Robbins led WSU in blocking with a 1.21 average, fourth-best in the Pac-10. She helped Washington State return to the NCAA Tournament after a seven-year absence and was named All-Pac-10 honorable mention and Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention.

RACHEL HOTCHKO (Davis), a senior at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, swam NCAA provisional and school record times in the 100 butterfly during the Capital Athletic Conference championships earlier this month. Her winning time in the event was 56.63 seconds.

Hotchko also was second in the 100 free at 53.11 seconds, also an NCAA provisional time, was third in the 50 free at 24.75 and helped the Seahawks 200 free relay team to a third-place finish in 1:40.40 and the 400 free relay team to a fourth-place finish in 3:44.55.

She will compete in the NCAA Division III national championships March 17-20 in Minneapolis.

MATT PETERSON (Eisenhower), a sophomore at Whatcom Community College, scored a season-high 32 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Orcas to an 86-79 win over Bellevue. Peterson made 10 of 14 shots from the field and was 12 of 15 from the free throw line as the Orcas moved into second place in the NWAACC’s Northern Division.

BRETT BLANSHAN (Selah), a freshman at Washington State, placed second in the 200-meter dash at the University of Washington’s Husky Classic indoor track meet on Feb. 13. Blanshan clocked 22.09 in the 200. DANA WELLS (Riverside Christian), also a freshman at WSU, clocked 49.27 in the 400.

USC QB Barkley likely to start against WSU

LOS ANGELES — Southern California coach Pete Carroll says freshman quarterback Matt Barkley probably will start for the 12th-ranked Trojans against Washington State on Saturday.

Carroll made the announcement after USC’s practice Wednesday night. The Trojans (2-1) feel Barkley’s bruised right shoulder has healed enough to put him back in the lineup.

Barkley missed USC’s 16-13 loss at Washington last weekend after getting hurt during the Trojans’ win at Ohio State. Sophomore Aaron Corp struggled in his first start in place of Barkley, who won the starting job from Corp during training camp.

Barkley practiced with USC’s first-team offense for most of Wednesday’s session.

All-American safety Taylor Mays also participated in most of practice.

WSU-SMU Photo Gallery

Photos from Saturday’s game between Washington State and Southern Methodist at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash. All photos from the Associated Press.

Pac-10 team-by-team reports

LOS ANGELES — Count Steve Sarkisian as one of a minority in Seattle. He enjoys the commute.

Sarkisian became almost rapturous here Thursday at his first Pac-10 football media day as Washington coach, talking about how he daily glimpses his home field from the Evergreen Point floating bridge and the juices start flowing.

“I’m 35 years old, coaching the University of Washington and staring at Husky Stadium,” said Sarkisian. “It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

His life will become more hectic in a hurry, but Sarkisian finally had time to settle in sometime after spring practice. He and his wife bought a home in Yarrow Point after a four-month stay in a hotel.

“It’s been good to meet people around the campus, rather than just say, ‘Thank you, I’ve got to run,’ ” he said. “We’ve had a chance to embrace the city. We love the community we’ve living in.”

Sarkisian said he doesn’t dwell on the fact Washington hasn’t won a football game since 2007, saying, “I don’t talk to players about it. It’s a clean slate for everybody. Let’s move on.”

Sarkisian said several junior-college recruits are “close” academically to qualifying — including offensive lineman Daniel Mafoe — and the issues should be cleared up next week. He also said multithreat Chris Polk, who has battled several injury issues, will be ready for the start of fall camp.

The Huskies were picked ninth by Pac-10 media. More on the other nine, in descending order as they were selected:

USC (1)

O’Dea product Taylor Mays, an All-American safety who unexpectedly decided to return for his senior year, aims to lead by example, saying, “I want to do things right. I don’t want my teammates to see me at a party, or they might think it’s OK for them to be at a party. I have no problem sitting home all day, looking at the wall.”

Aaron Corp is the No. 1 QB, but coach Pete Carroll added that second-team Matt Barkley, who entered school only in the winter, was “a total shock to us. He was able to perform at a level we’ve never seen at this stage.”

California (2)

In an odd juxtaposition, Cal has a formidable Heisman Trophy candidate in RB Jahvid Best, but is one of a growing number of schools that will publish its media guide online only.

Meanwhile, said coach Jeff Tedford, “Our fans, I think, would prefer to go to the Rose Bowl than the national championship. That’s the mindset at Cal. They’re so starved for the Rose Bowl.”

Oregon (3)

The Ducks have one of the nation’s early marquee games, meeting Boise State Sept. 3 under first-year coach Chip Kelly. “I think our defense is really going to surprise people this year,” said Kelly.

Oregon State (4)

Like Erik Bedard, incumbent quarterback Lyle Moevao won’t throw a lot of pitches early in camp for OSU, since he’s coming off shoulder surgery. Sean Canfield will thus enter with the edge. But the Rodgers brothers, James and Jacquizz, are healthy after late-season injuries.

Arizona State (5)

“We were 5-7 and that’s unacceptable for us,” said coach Dennis Erickson, referring to 2008. “When you’re not as successful as you’d hoped to be, it puts a little fire in the coaching staff. Sometimes when you’re 10-3 [Erickson's debut record at ASU in 2007], you take things for granted.”

Stanford (6)

This is what awaits Washington State in its opener with the Cardinal Sept. 5 in Pullman: “Our guys don’t quit,” said coach Jim Harbaugh. “You cannot kill them. You cannot get them to be demoralized or go away. We’ve got to step up now and become a relentless team, to take that next step to get up there with teams like USC and Cal and Oregon.”

UCLA (7)

The Bruins go to Tennessee Sept. 12, where the Vols likely remember that they let struggling UCLA QB Kevin Craft beat them in the opener last year.

“Personally, I’m looking forward to hearing that song [Rocky Top],” said Bruins LB Reggie Carter. “A lot of people say the SEC is tough. I guess the Pac-10 isn’t as tough. I’m looking forward to getting into that fight.”

Arizona (8)

The Wildcats have gotten surprisingly little media bounce from their 8-5, bowl-winning breakthrough of 2008. And that clearly has taken coach Mike Stoops by surprise. “I feel this is our best overall team from 1 to 85,” said Stoops.

Washington State (10)

The Cougars are facing a potential setback with playmaking sophomore LB Louis Bland, who aggravated a posterior-cruciate ligament tear in a summer workout. Coach Paul Wulff characterized Bland as “way behind” and said he didn’t think he’d have him for the start of fall drills.

But QB Marshall Lobbestael, coming off knee surgery, should be ready to go, Wulff said.

It will be an odd start to fall camp for Wulff when the Cougars begin drills Aug. 9. He can’t attend practice or meet with the team the first three days as a result of sanctions the NCAA levied in February stemming from violations at Eastern Washington mostly related to exceeding the maximum number of coaches.

Wulff minimizes the impact, recalling that he missed much more extensive time at Eastern in 2001 when his late wife Tammy was ill with cancer.

“It was a lot more than three days,” he said. “I still have staff meetings to get everything organized, watch film and all that.”

Gonzalez, Braun earn WSU honors

PULLMAN, Wash. — Senior Isley Gonzalez of Sunnyside and junior Lynnea Braun of West Valley were among five Washington State track and field athletes honored for academic excellence by a national coaches association, the university announced Thursday.

Gonzalez, a distance runner, and Braun, a javelin thrower, joined three teammates on an NCAA Division I list compiled by the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

In all, 531 women representing 146 DI schools made the all-academic team.

Also, the WSU women’s team compiled a cumulative 3.260 grade point average to tie for 59th among the 130 women’s teams honored and placed fourth among Pac-10 schools.

Cougs soak in the sun

Daugherty relishes a second chance after fallout at UW ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — Mother Nature gave the Cougars a standing O on Friday, bathing Apple Tree Golf Course in spectacular sunshine and sparing boosters, coaches and administrators the bone-chilling breeze that has been so prevalent this spring.

Of course there continue to be storm clouds on the horizon, given the financial straits that Washington State and other universities presently face. But overall the Cougs’ mood seemed undeniably upbeat, with the anticipation that Paul Wulff’s second season as football coach will be dramatically better than his first and that Ken Bone will merely pick up where Tony Bennett left off with men’s basketball.

And then there’s women’s hoops, and in that regard the Cougs continue to write one of major college sports’ most genuine feel-good stories.

Athletic director Jim Sterk said he didn’t immediately realize his good fortune when Washington fired coach June Daugherty after the 2007 season, and no one could blame him for wondering if the situation might be too good to be true.

“It took me a little time to find out if, first of all, she was interested,” Sterk said after his round of golf. “And then also I wanted to find out why the University of Washington let her go. And we never did find any good reason. There wasn’t one.”

Unless you subscribed to the alarmingly lame theory of then-UW AD Todd Turner, who lamented a “lack of buzz” around the program. This after the sixth NCAA Tournament berth in Daugherty’s 11-year tenure there, and after she’d just secured a blue-chip recruiting class.

So less than a month after her Husky dismissal, Daugherty was introduced as the coach of a program she’d gone 22-0 against while in Seattle.

Accordingly, the Cougars haven’t set the Pac-10 on its ear — or beaten Washington — since Daugherty’s arrival. But if Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither has a program as historically downtrodden as WSU’s women.

But time, 12 touted recruits and Daugherty remain on Washington State’s side.

“We were able last year to get out of that 10th spot,” Daugherty said Friday, “and we made it to eighth — one game out of seventh — and we were doing that mostly with a very talented freshman group. So hopefully the coaches will get a little smarter over the summer, the players will get a little stronger and more skilled and we’ll have great things to come.”

And of course there’s another compelling chapter to this story. After gleefully accepting the WSU job in 2007, Daugherty nearly died.

“I had my cardiac arrest almost two years ago to the day,” she said. “I really feel fortunate to have survived that, and I’m very grateful for all the support from all the people at Washington State — and from all around the country, really.

“I’m taking care of myself, I’m having a lot of fun and I’m grateful to have a second chance at life, and of course to continue coaching.”

Said Sterk, “That first year she was a little bit slow energy-wise, but you don’t notice any difference now. And she’s put together back-to-back recruiting classes that have some really good talent — talent we haven’t had before.”

Washington State’s long-awaited exit from the conference basement last season meant a different team had move in, and who do you suppose who it was?

You guessed it — Washington.

I’m guessing there’s a buzz now.

• Roger Underwood can be reached at 509-577-7694 or runderwood@yakimaherald.com

Apple Cup won’t be played at Qwest Field

SPOKANE, Wash. — Officials at Washington and Washington State said Friday they have given up on a widely panned proposal to play Apple Cup football games at Qwest Field in Seattle.

Washington state athletic director Jim Sterk said in a news release that agreement could not be reached on how to maintain a neutral-site atmosphere at the stadium just south of downtown Seattle and six miles from Washington’s Husky Stadium.

“Our student-athletes and Cougar fans would not be best served without this key component,” Sterk said. “I was not going to continue following a path that was not in the best interest of WSU athletics, the university and our fans.”

Washington spokesman Richard Kilwien said a major issue for the Huskies involved the large number of Washington season ticket holders who would potentially be excluded.

“We wanted to seek a solution that would make our season ticket holders whole,” he said. “We wanted to accommodate every one of our season ticket holders at Qwest.”

Kilwien said it was a mutual decision to break off the talks.

The Huskies have 37,750 season ticket renewals for the 2009 season and had 43,000 season ticket holders last year. Most likely, Washington would have received about 30,000 tickets for distribution to season ticket holders if the game were played at Qwest, home of the Seattle Seahawks.

The proposal to play six of the rivalry games at Qwest Field beginning in 2010 was pitched as a way to dramatically increase revenue for both football programs. The idea, however, didn’t sit well with fans of both schools, especially Cougar supporters who relish the unique home-field advantage of playing the Huskies every other November in the chill of Pullman’s Martin Stadium.

Many Cougars said that playing the game only in Seattle would give too much of an advantage to Washington. Pullman merchants also complained about the money they would lose from the lucrative Apple Cup week.

The negotiations involved First & Goal, the operators of Qwest Field, and officials from the two schools.

“What made this possible agreement attractive were the additional number of tickets available to our fans, the financial gain seen by the athletic department, and the tremendous exposure created by playing a game of this magnitude at one of the premier sporting venues in the country,” Sterk said. “However, the final details could not be ironed out.”

The Cougars did not elaborate on the sticking points. Sterk said there was never a completed agreement to move the game.

Both schools sought to raise revenues that would help cover rising tuition for scholarship athletes and other costs. Playing the game at Qwest would have paid each program potentially $2 million per year, according to reports.

Currently, each team gets $240,000 for games played in Pullman at 35,000-seat Martin Stadium and $800,000 for games played at 72,000-seat Husky Stadium.

Washington State plays an annual non-conference game at Qwest Field already, promoted by First & Goal, under a contract that is due to expire.
“We appreciate the relationship we have with First & Goal and will work with them to maintain WSU football’s presence at Qwest Field,” Sterk said.

Web column: A case of Husky fever

YAKIMA, Wash. — Don’t call me a traitor, but I feel a purple fever coming on.

I still bleed crimson, but despite my long-standing allegiance to Washington State University, I’m finding it hard to root against the hated Washington Huskies as they prepare for today’s NCAA Tournament game against Mississippi State.

The Cougars’ quick exit from the NIT only hastened my attention shift to the Huskies, the team I grew up watching in Seattle.

Since WSU didn’t reach the Big Dance this year and we no longer have an NBA team to follow, doesn’t it make sense that a diehard hoops fan would at least entertain a passing interest in the league champion Huskies?

I mean, it’s not like I’m rooting for the football team.

Perhaps this unfortunate lapse in judgment never would have materialized if Seattle hadn’t morphed into the most depressing city in organized sports history during 2008.

The monumental failings of the Mariners, the Sonics’ agonizing departure to Oklahoma City, an injury-plagued Seahawks season, and two unrelenting college football campaigns by UW and WSU added up to more despair than any town should have to endure in a calendar year.

The city — heck, the entire state of Washington — needed a revival. And the college basketball season was happy to oblige, giving the apathetic fan base a much-needed shot in the arm.

For starters, the Cougars’ play despite losing a trio of three-year starters was commendable. To finish above .500 and win three of their final four conference games before landing in the NIT showed how far Tony Bennett’s program has come.

And Tuesday’s 68-57 loss to NCAA snub Saint Mary’s did nothing to detract from WSU’s success this season.

Gonzaga provided even more excitement, winning the West Coast Conference in a walk, finishing with a Top-10 ranking and earning its 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. The No. 4-seeded Zags play Akron today, hoping to break a three-game tournament losing streak.

Then there were the Huskies. Picked to finish fifth in a down year for the Pac-10, Lorenzo Romar’s squad shook off a season-opening loss to Portland and surged to the top of the standings, winning its first outright league championship since 1953.

After two below-average years in 2007 and 2008, the UW came back with a fury, using tenacious defense, relentless rebounding and an athletically gifted backcourt to return to the Pac-10’s upper tier.

Hard-nosed veterans Jon Brockman, Quincy Pondexter and Justin Dentmon teamed up with freshman sensation Isaiah Thomas to produce a 14-4 conference record, a Top 25 ranking and a No. 4 tournament seed.

They’re a fun story, and since the Cougars are already preparing for next season, I have decided to pull for the Pac-10, my home state and my hometown.

Go … Huskies?

Sounds sacrilegious to root for the rivals, but more than a few Husky fans cheered for Wazzu the past two years while their team stayed home. Guess it goes both ways.

Soon my momentary lapse in loyalty will give way to baseball season, and then I can go back to haranguing Husky football fans in the fall.

At least for today — and no longer than three weeks — I’m going to send positive vibes in the direction of the UW men’s hoops team. A Sweet 16 run would go a long way toward restoring respectability to the sullied Seattle sports scene.

Let’s just hope the UW doesn’t fill our quota for 2009. The Mariners and Seahawks could use some of that good karma, too.

• News desk copy editor Dave Leder can be reached at dleder@yakimaherald.com.

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