What Happens in Vegas…
A trip to Las Vegas this past week provided me with an opportunity to reunite with teams, coaches, and friends, and perform a duty I really enjoy – public address announcing for the annual Great Western Shootout, a two-day, NCAA Division II men’s and women’s basketball classic hosted by Western Washington University.
I traveled with Rob Lowery, the radio play-by-play voice for Central Washington University football and basketball. It was great to see him.
We had smooth flights on Wednesday, from Pasco to Seattle and Seattle to Las Vegas. The return trip home went well also.
While Rob prepped for Thursday’s radio broadcasts during our first night in Sin City, I ventured to the Thomas and Mack Center to watch the UNLV men’s basketball team face off with Texas-El Paso. The home team prevailed by a 65-54 count.
Thursday and Friday were consumed by the Greater Western Shootout – eight games over two days. Just what any doctor would order for a basketball junkie.
Western Washington University’s staff was great to work with during the Shootout. They were quite prompt providing me with statistics and all-tournament teams that I could verbally present to the fans.
All in all, I had a wonderful time and am already looking forward to next December’s jaunt.
Can’t Stand Prosperity
For two-thirds of its battle with defending National Junior College Athletic Association champion and nationally-ranked North Idaho, the Walla Walla Community College women’s basketball team played as well as any team could play.
The Warriors led by as many as 17 points, 50-33, in the second half.
But the visiting Cardinals roared back with full-court defense that seemed to take its toll on WWCC, resulting in numerous turnovers.
NIC closed out the game as strong as Walla Walla had started it, and left town with a 71-65 victory.
The turnover category was the most significant stat. North Idaho turned the ball over just 12 times while the Warriors relinquished it on 27 ocassions.
The turnover number was bad enough, but the points the visitors got off of those miscues – 36 – were equally as devastating.
In the short term, this was a tough one for all WWCC loyalists to swallow. But in the long run, playing an opponent of this caliber will do nothing but help Walla Walla as it gears up for the remainder of the season.
I’m Convinced!
Former NFL head coach Buddy Ryan once said that all ex-wide receiver Cris Carter did was catch touchdowns.
The present-day equivalent may be Denver quarterback Tim Tebow.
Though his play at times has been less than stellar, all Tebow’s been doing is helping the Broncos win football games.
Denver’s win over Minnesota on Sunday is typical of the way the Broncos’ fortunes have gone lately. Denver has kept games close with a very respectable defense and capable offense. That mix has allowed a lot of Tebow heoics before the final gun.
In fact, it was the Broncos’ defense – in the form of an interception – that set up the game-winning field goal.
Tebow’s guts and an opportunistic defense. Two reasons the Broncos may be wearing the AFC West crown at the end of the regular season.
It’s Official: Dream Team is a Nightmare
The Philadelphia Eagles entered the 2011 NFL season with expectations higher than the moon.
We’re now three-quarters of the way through the campaign, and the squad that some referred to as the “Dream Team” before the season finds itself all but out of the playoff picture.
The latest setback was a nightmarish, error-filled fiasco in Seattle on Thursday night.
Philadelphia dropped a 31-14 decision to the Seahawks, who were just four days removed from blowing a fourth-quarter lead in a loss to the equally-hapless Washington Redskins.
To give one an indication of how bad it’s been for the Eagles, all one needs to know is that they finished 1-3 against the much-maligned NFC West – with the only win coming in the season opener at St. Louis.
Quarterback Vince Young tossed four interceptions on Thursday and was inconsistent at best, though it needs to be pointed out a number of his passes were dropped by his receivers.
Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch rushed for 148 yards that resulted from strong running on his part, and poor tackling on the part of the Philadelphia defense.
In all, Thursday’s loss was another sorry chapter in a book authored by a team that, at the very least, has been a major disappointment.
Wulff is Gone
Looking at the numbers, it isn’t much of a surprise that Washington State University fired head football coach Paul Wulff on Tuesday.
Wulff’s teams won just nine of 49 games during his four-year tenure at WSU.
But with that said, the Cougars did make strides this season. They doubled their win total from 2010, going 4-8 overall. Statistically, WSU improved on both offense and defense.
But those positives were not enough to save Wulff’s job. Though this year’s record was better, the Cougs could have easily qualified for a bowl game. But losses to the likes of UCLA, Oregon State, and Utah put an end to that.
Wulff’s dismissal is just part of the evolving coaching story in the Pac-12. Earlier this season, Arizona fired Mike Stoops, and UCLA and Arizona State ended their relationships with Rick Neuheisel and Dennis Erickson, respectively, within the last couple of days.
Wulff had one year left on his contract. It might have been interesting to see if he could have led the Cougars to the next step – a game in the postseason. Now, we will not get that chance.
Geaux Tigers!!
No. 1-ranked LSU proved it is the nation’s best football team on Friday.
Elite teams are capable of erasing two-touchdown deficits.
Elite teams are capable of turning close games into routs.
The Tigers did both on Friday against third-ranked Arkansas in Baton Rouge.
LSU wiped out a 14-0, second-quarter deficit and went on to post a 41-17 victory over the shell-shocked Razorbacks.
The Tigers did anything but panic when they fell behind by two scores. They did what good teams do: Put what has happened behind you and continue to believe in what you’re doing.
LSU did just that, and is still undefeated as a result.
Warriors a Dynasty
Nine consecutive NWAACC East Region championships.
Three consecutive NWAACC titles.
These are credentials that I believe qualify the Walla Walla Community College women’s soccer program to be labeled a dynasty.
The 2011 Warriors claimed the program’s third straight NWAACC crown on Sunday with a 1-0 triumph over Peninsula in Tukwila.
Coach Chad Bodnar stated the obvious to me just minutes after the victory. He said it is difficult to complete a season undefeated.
That’s true. But I suspect the pressure is even greater for a team that constantly has a bullseye on its back in the form of a No.1 ranking in NWAACC coaches poll after NWAACC coaches poll.
This group of young ladies did everything necessary to finish with glossy records, 15-0 in league and 22-0-1 overall, a league championship, and the NWAACC title.
They finished with a staggering 103-6 advantage in goals over their opponents, including a 10-1 disparity in the postseason, and recorded 18 shutouts. That’s domination at its best.
Congratulations to WWCC. Champions one and all!
Cowboys Roped
Another college football powerhouse melted under the lights of Bowl Championship Series pressure on Friday night.
Oklahoma State, ranked second in the latest BCS rankings, blew a 17-point, third-quarter lead and bowed to Big 12 Conference rival Iowa State, 37-31, in double overtime.
The Cowboys can just about kiss their national championship hopes good-bye after the tough loss. It would now appear that their game next weekend with in-state rival Oklahoma will not have as much meaning, except perhaps for the Sooners in terms of the BCS.
Obviously, Oklahoma State players may have thinking about other things, like the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of the school’s women’s basketball coach and one of his assistants. What a terrible tragedy.
The Cyclones are a hard team to figure out. They started 3-0, then lost four straight.
But over the last three weeks, they have posted wins over Texas Tech, Kansas, and now Oklahoma State.
The plane crash put a lot of things in perspective. The OSU loss on the field was tough, but the losses of human life made the game seem insignificant.
Ready for Roundball?
I received an e-mail from Bret Rankin, U-B sports editor, earlier this week informing me that Wa-Hi and Mac-Hi would be the focus of high school basketball articles I’ll be authoring for our annual preview insert that will be released in a couple of weeks.
It’s a reminder that the high school hoops season is just around the corner.
The two schools offer an interesting contrast. Wa-Hi represents the status quo in this case – with Jill Meliah coaching the girls team and John Golden leading the boys program.
At Mac-Hi, both the boys and girls teams will be headed by different coaches. Nicole Christian, Mac-Hi’s softball coach, will coach the girls and the boys post is being filled by former Pioneer and WWCC star Curtis Carlson.
Like many, I look to the 2011-12 season with great anticipation.
Will the Real ‘Hawks Please Stand Up?
Sunday’s Seahawks’ game left me scratching my head.
Was the Seattle team that took the field Sunday really the same bunch that trailed the 49ers 17-0 at halftime in the season opener?
The same team shut out by Pittsburgh in week 2?
The same team that managed just two field goals in a loss at Cleveland?
The same team that was throttled by Cincinnati and Dallas?
Obviously, the answer is no.
If anybody has any doubt, ask the Baltimore Ravens – a team just a week removed from a huge AFC North win at Pittsburgh on national television.
But let’s not forget. This is the same Ravens’ team that was beaten by Jacksonville and could have easily lost at home to Arizona.
Sunday’s win was one of four registered by NFC West teams on Sunday. San Francisco, the division leader, beat the Giants, the Cardinals won at Philadelphia, and St. Louis gutted out a one-point win in Cleveland. Not bad for a “weak” division.
More weekends like, or close to, this and the NFC West will become less of a joke to football observers.
