SB Nation User Blog: Grady.

Brock Motum is good

Grady. — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:04:54 -0000

Motum (bottom left, in yellow) blocks out a Frenchman, who is clearly surrendering the rebound.

View full size photo uploaded June 27, 2009

Hey, it's not all about Klay and Casto in international competition. Checking in on the Under 19 Four Nations tournament in Melbourne, with Motum representing the Aussies:

Yesterday, vs. France: 20 points, 8/13 (0/1 3pt), 1 steal, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 3 rebounds in 21 minutes
Today, vs. Greece: 23 points, 10/12 (1/1 3pt), 2 assists, 2 steals, 0 turnovers, 10 rebounds in 21 minutes

I emboldened that last stat line, because my goodness.

Australia (the Emus, as they're known) won both games, 85-83 over France and 96-74 over Greece. 0-2 Spain is up next.

You can follow Motum on his player page. Hey, his "favourite" food is lasagna. That's crazy! And he's wearing Baynes' old number, 11, which I hope is a good omen.

Analyzing the Pac-10's night at the draft

Grady. — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:02:34 -0000

More photos » by Jason DeCrow - AP

Arizona State's James Harden wears a hat bearing the only current NBA team logo designed by a third grader (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Browse more photos »

If you're one of the many who thought the Pac-10 was down this season, consider this: three of the first nine picks in tonight's NBA draft came from our humble little conference. That's one more than the much more ballyhooed Big East, and three more than the ACC, who was surprisingly shut out of the top ten (and yet still able to steal our conference's coaches, apparently). Overall the Pac claimed six first round picks, and nine draftees overall - the bulk coming from UCLA, ASU and the sinking battleship otherwise known as USC.

How did the Pac-10 fare? More importantly, did the teams grab their West Coast player at the appropriate position? Allow me to break it down, with my opinion on each individual selection.

First round

#3 The team that shall not be named - James Harden, G, ASU - Don't get me wrong, James Harden is a special talent and is as NBA ready as any player in tonight's draft. Of course, the reality is there just aren't that many NBA-ready talents available in 2009. And Harden, as good as he is, can be frustrating. He all but disappeared for the Sun Devils in the NCAA tournament, a place where he (and his team) really should've shined. And it was not too long ago that Derek Glasser struck fear in the hearts of our Cougars in overtime, while Harden sat on the bench, having fouled out with an unimpressive ten points in 35 minutes.

And I haven't yet mentioned that Harden's arrival in the dust bowl seriously harms Kyle Weaver's chances of once again cracking the starting lineup (maybe even pushing him off the roster as a whole). That alone makes me dislike this selection. Result: Overrated

#8 New York Knicks - Jordan Hill, F, Arizona - Jordan Hill is a freakish athlete. Even as the Cougs' drubbed Arizona at Friel in their second meeting, it was clear one player on the floor was head and shoulders above the rest. At least in terms of athleticism. Arizona has a good track record of players excelling in the NBA, and Harden is a Top 5 talent that slipped down the board in 2009, and I'm not really sure why. Perhaps teams are basing too much off of individual workouts and not enough on in-game performances. He lacks dominance at times, but there's a lot of room for him to grow on offense and as a shot-blocker under the basket. Arizona's struggles weren't due to Wise-Budinger-Hill, they were too to a complete and utter lack of depth. The ceiling is highest for Hill, and the Knicks got a steal at 8. Result: Underrated

#9 Toronto - DeMar DeRozan, G, USC - I was wrong about O.J. Mayo, and so I'm hesitant to rule out DeMar DeRozan as an impact player in the association. Toronto has quietly made some of the better decisions in regards to personnel in the Eastern conference, and I trust their judgment on DeRozan. Had the age limit not existed, it was very likely that DeMar would've been a Top 5 player in 2008, based on his high school performance. His stock slipped a bit as he struggled to hit his stride at USC, but you could see flashes of greatness throughout. I'm not sold on him as a big-time scorer, but if he can bulk up and get in the lane, he might do some damage. Result: Just right

#17 Philadelphia - Jrue Holiday, G, UCLA - I don't understand how a shoulder injury could make teams so shy about Holiday, but somehow it did. The result is an already decent playoff team (see: series, Philadelphia vs. Orlando) getting an excellent point guard prospect in the middle of the first round. Granted, this year's board was stacked with point guard talent, but Holiday is one of the better talents. I worry a little bit about the fact that Taylor Rochestie averaged more assists than Holiday last season, and Holiday had a much better supporting cast to pass the ball to. Nevertheless, great value pick. Result: Just right

#21 New Orleans - Darren Collison, G, UCLA - When you consider where Russell Westbrook went last year, Collison is a relative steal in the mid-to-late first round. The bad news for Collison is he'll be backing up Chris Paul, which means if he ever wants a starting job he'll have to find it somewhere else. Still, you have a solid defender, passer and scorer to augment (arguably) the greatest point guard in the league right now. Collison is still a top 15 talent in my book. The Hornets make an excellent selection. Result: Underrated

#26 Chicago (from Denver via OKC) - Taj Gibson, F, USC - You could do a lot worse in the first round than an athletically gifted forward with skills that should at the very least allow him to crack an NBA rotation. This is one of those guys Jay Bilas would praise for "tremendous length". Between Gibson, DeRozan, and the rest of USC's starters, it's still confusing to me why USC wasn't a better team last season. Result: Just right

Second Round

#31 Portland (via Sacramento) - Jeff Pendergraph, F, ASU - Ok, I'm sorry, but I thought my Blazers and Kevin Pritchard had this whole thing figured out. Which is why when Greg Oden magically becomes healthy the Portland lineup is stacked enough to make way for at least four or five championships in the 2010s. But then they go and do something stupid, like draft Pendergraph with DeJuan Blair still sitting on the board. Pendergraph is a good talent, but I have a hard time seeing his skill set translate to being a contributor in the NBA. This almost made me as mad as when the Blazers passed on Kyle Weaver. Almost. Good thing they made up for it with an inspired pick of Patty Mills in the late second round. Result: Overrated

#38 Sacramento (thru Portland) - Jon Brockman, F/C, Washington - What is Sacramento's fascination with Husky big men? First they go out of their way for Hawes, and now they make me cringe as my own favorite team selects their next purple and gold warrior on their behalf. We've gushed about Brockman's talents over the last year here, and we're Coug fans. But let me say this: you can get a solid double-double guy from the Pac-10 with good athleticism and rebounding skill, along with the great "hustle" and "grit" we all expect from our white players, without spending a single draft pick. That guy's name: Aron Baynes. Look it up, NBA GMs. If Jeff Varem can earn a roster spot....

Anyway, we like Brockman here at CougCenter. But the fact remains he's a better mid-to-late second-round pick. Also, I like describing him as overrated. Result: Overrated

#44 Houston (through Detroit) - Chase Budinger, F, Arizona) - What, ESPN says? Chase Budinger isn't a lottery pick? How dare you, NBA general managers! Now all the lanky white pressure is firmly on Tyler Hansbrough's shoulders. You can do it, Psycho T.

Kidding aside, this is a decent value pick for a tall shooter with reasonable potential. Result: Just right

That's all for tonight. Enjoy your Friday, and pre-holiday weekend, Coug Nation.

The fake Steve Sarkisian twitter feed is born

Grady. — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:26:54 -0000

Looks like someone has a little too much time on their hands.

Fake Coach Sark

Regarding Bjornstad

Grady. — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:27:58 -0000

In case you haven't been tuned in to the recruiting services, Steven Bjornstad, the 6'10' center out of Columbia River HS in Vancouver (Wash.), is reportedly interested in WSU. And vice versa. This after getting his release from the University of Nevada (due to the coaching change) this Spring. According to Scout.com he's also interested in that one team that beat us in the NIT last season. You know, the one that plays in a glorified high school gym (also the team that loses Patty Mills to the NBA next year).

Anyway, Bjornstad is a classic big man, and we need a classic big man. It's easy to get excited about him for that reason. Furthermore, Bjornstad is in the class of 2009, and with Witherill's release and Boeke's departure there is a scholarship available (even after the one awarded to Enquist, if my math is correct). It's safe to say that Bjornstad is the only recruit capable of earning that scholly, which otherwise may sit for a year to balance out our ridiculously young classes (thanks, Tony!).

The question is this: is Bjornstad the big man we need? There is video of Bjornstad (he's the big blonde guy in white), although there's really not a whole lot to be gleaned from it:

Really only Ken Bone knows if Bjornstad is a good fit for his new style of play. The funny thing about this recruit is that he really seems more like a Tony Bennett type of player: an underrated "mid-major" prospect with physical tools and the potential to develop into something special. Of course, with his size and strength, he is a better fit for this current roster than Tony's former 2009 recruit, David Chadwick.

Here's what ESPN had to say last September:

Like most bigs Bjornstad is a late-developing prospect with a significant amount of upside. He has a terrific frame with long arms and he possesses decent bounce and better-than-average quickness for a player his size. His offensive game is still developing, but he has terrific hands and great mobility. He scores most of his points on put-backs, but he has a high basketball IQ and overall a great feel for the game. He needs to get stronger and continue to polish his post skills, but after one year getting acclimated to the college game, Bjornstad should have an outstanding career at Nevada because his upside is considerable.

Sometimes I wish I had decent bounce.

ESPN also rated him as the #35 center, if you're in to rankings and stuff.

It's becoming clear that Casto can't do it all by himself; he'll need another big body patrolling the paint and Bjornstad might be just that. Enquist can provide a lift, but I'm still unsure if he can be Robbie Cowgill 3.0 (assuming that Caleb Forrest was 2.0).

The more I think about it, the more I like it. After all, it was only a couple of years ago that the Bennetts took a chance on a big Aussie with rough skills, who couldn't catch a ball in traffic to save his life. And that player turned out to be pretty darn good. Bjornstad is already more refined than Aron Baynes was on arrival.

Now we just wait and see if Ken Bone adds one more to the class of '09.

USC hires... Kevin O'Neill?

Grady. — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:03:42 -0000

Kevin O'Neil was 19-15 in one year at Arizona, and 72-48 in five years coaching the muppet rec league team.

View full size photo uploaded June 21, 2009

So, let's recap. USC head coach Tim Floyd reportedly takes the same position at Arizona earlier this Spring. Only the next morning we find out he didn't actually take the job and was spending a relaxing evening at home thinking about it. Arizona goes on to hire Xavier coach Sean Miller.

A couple of months later, despite the fact there was some mild turmoil already which he hadn't been fired for, Tim Floyd resigns from USC. Was he forced to resign? Most likely. Was it two and a half months after the end of the season, when the coaching carousel has already passed? Most definitely.

So USC hires former-interim-Arizona coach ~~Sam The Eagle~~ Kevin O'Neill, because, hey, he's a coach with Pac-10 experience. That's all you need, right? Besides, Jay John is busy finally winning games again as an assistant up at Cal-Berkeley.

If you ever needed definitive proof that USC is punting basketball for football, this has to be it.

Maybe O'Neill will prove me wrong. But let's face it, the poor guy is walking into a NCAA hornet's nest.

Grading out the new Cougar uniforms

Grady. — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:45:09 -0000

View full size photo uploaded June 15, 2009

As you're probably aware by now, the new WSU football uniforms are out. And they are sleek, if not spectacular or particularly innovative.

Judging by the reaction on the Cougfan forums, most fans agree with me that the real thing is a disappointment compared to the EA Sports' version. The NCAA Football 10 version proves that once again EA doesn't care about getting details right unless your school is named USC or Oklahoma (or any other big name program, for that matter). First, the 'Cougars' script helmet is the home helmet, even though we're switching back to the Coug head. And even though the Coug head helmet is the primary, odds are you won't find it in the game, even though they included the one-time-only crimson 'Cougars' helmet used in last year's Apple Cup. At least the road helmet is right.

Next, EA fouled up the sleeve stripe by making it curved and not straight like what you see above. Not a big deal, and the video game version actually looks better in my opinion. Still, it's not accurate. Because, again, EA sports could care less about getting things accurate when dealing with a small market school.

Still, I guess you can't expect 100% accuracy from a video game. Let's talk about the real thing:

Helmets:

The home helmet is gray with the Coug head logo and a gray facemask. Perfect. I know a lot of people like the 'Cougars' script, but I'm not one of them. Grade: A+

The away helmet, oddly enough, is the same thing it's always been. Crimson with a white Coug head and white facemask. Since our school colors aren't Crimson and white, I've always felt the facemask and Coug head should be gray. I also think the crimson helmet should be scrapped in favor of a gray helmet on the road. Nevertheless, it still looks decent. Grade: B

Jerseys:

The '09 home jersey really isn't all that different from the '08. All Nike really did was make a single gray outline around the numbers and replace the sleeve numbers with a white stripe. The stripe looks like it cuts off way too early, and there's that weird gray cuff that runs all the way around even though the stripe above it doesn't. Weird. It will still look good on the field, but is it really an improvement over Russell? I'm not so sure. Although I do like the Coug head on the collar. Grade: B+

The away jersey is a definite improvement over the Russell jersey, if for no other reason than getting rid of those stupid crimson-outlined crimson numbers. Again, there's that weird gray cuff thing, but it's not very noticeable. Plus "Washington State" is on the front, so that drunk opposing fans (I'm looking at you, Autzen) don't confuse us with Stanford. Grade: A-

Pants:

Take a close look at the gray pants. You'll see a dark gray stripe. On gray pants. Does it make sense? Nope. Still, I'm always a fan of WSU wearing gray pants, either at home or on the road. Grade: B

The crimson pants, with a solid gray stripe, are perfect. Miles above the Russell candycane pants. Grade: A+

The white pants also have a gray stripe, which is weird because crimson would stand out more. It still looks good, though. Grade: A-

Shoes:

Black are better than white, but it doesn't matter too much to me. Grade: B

Overall (home):

Again, I really don't know if this is an improvement over Russell. At the moment, I'm not so sure. In reality the differences are so small it might not look all that different from the stands. Nike does make better quality jerseys, so at least the recruits will like that. Still, I'm underwhelmed. They're good, but not great. Grade: B+

Overall (away):

By taking away a lot of the stuff that used to annoy me, Nike makes a better road jersey for us. The all-white combo looks good too, although Nike already rolled out the same concept for UW earlier this Spring. I like the white-crimson combo much better than the old version. It's still missing out on greatness, but it's closer than we've been in quite some time. I'm thinking that if I pick up a replica at Crimson and Gray, this will be the one. Grade: A-

Now I turn the question over to you, Coug Nation. What do you think?

Poll

Now that the real thing is here, what do you think of the new jerseys?

Love 'em

26 votes

Like 'em

139 votes

Meh.

108 votes

Hate 'em

52 votes

WCTHSS

18 votes

343 votes | Poll has closed

Adam Morrison is back, and this time, he's.... shaved his head

Grady. — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:01:51 -0000

[Hat tip to all-purpose blog Just South of North, and ABC I guess]

Adam Morrison, pictured above in casual Friday attire (Extra hint: he's the white guy), is reverting back to his Mead High School days with the time-honored buzzcut. Only unlike high school he still has that mustache. Now he just looks like a 1920s gangster, which I'm certain is actually cool-looking in L.A.

Not Coug-related, I know, but I'm putting together some fine pieces for the upcoming weeks, complete with the statistical nerdiness you've come to expect from CougCenter. Just wait until I have a day off, which I think my next one is around August 17th (including weekends!).

Now if we could only get Adam to tattoo the state of Washington on his face.

Also, Orlando, I'm no basketball expert, but you might want to put a taller man on that one guy that's made 2,345 clutch shots in his career.

Floyd out at USC

Grady. — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:38:14 -0000

Wow.

Floyd submitted his resignation saying that he "no longer had full enthusiasm for the job". Also, he probably cheated, but I'm sure that has nothing to do with his decision.

Possible candidates? Anyone?

Top 10 Cougar Plays: #1

Grady. — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 03:01:55 -0000

February 28th: Like it was going to be anything else.

This was absolutely horrific shot selection. For one, when you're down only one, the smart play is always - always - to go for two. Driving to the basket is the best way to accomplish this, as it gives you the added chance to get to the foul line if you can't make the shot. Initially, it looks like Taylor was going this route, although Derek Glasser's defense and the bump by Forrest prevented what might have been another trademark runner/floater by Taylor.

Instead, Taylor pulls out to just beyond the three-point line, where he has a decent look if he wants to pull the trigger. He doesn't. He passes it to Marcus Capers, who, perhaps remembering the UCLA game, gets the ball out of his hands as quickly as possible. Back to Rochesite. He shakes of Glasser, and....

All I remember is seeing a ball go up. I had no idea where he shot it, as I was on the other end of the court blocked by my fellow students probably screaming for a time out. I remember the silence as it went up, the initial shock when it went through, and then the pandemonium when we all realized what had happened.

Usually, shots like these go to the other guys. Friel, as great a venue as it is, never usually rewards the home team. We've seen losses in this building that felt like a punch to the stomach. We've seen calls as inept as any I've ever seen in college basketball. We've seen our final desperation attempts fall harmlessly to the ground. This time was different.

As much as we want to make the smart call, play the percentages, go by the book, every once in a while you get something even better when you just throw it all out the window. And that's what Taylor Rochestie did. In his final home game, with the postseason on the line. There will never be another shot like this one in the minds of Cougar fans.

Forget basketball. Forget just this year. This is my favorite Cougar play of all time.

I still can't believe it went in.

Top 10 Cougar Plays: #2

Grady. — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:15:06 -0000

January 10th: Klay Thompson welcomes Mitch Johnson back to the state of Washington

Klay Thompson slam (via BostonCoug32)

You can make an argument that this play saved our season. Seriously.

After steamrolling through the mid-majors and falling (as expected) to national powers Pitt and Gonzaga, the Cougs hit somewhat of a rough patch in December and early January. Coming into this game, the Cougars had lost six of their previous nine. To make matters worse, WSU had lost their last three in debilitating fashion. There was the second half meltdown on the road in a must-win game at LSU. Then, a 20 point drubbing at home by archrival Washington. Finally, when the Cougs needed a win in the worst way, Patrick Christopher went off for 22 points (felt more like 47) as Cal pulled away for a win at Friel.

Enter Stanford. My hatred of the Cardinal is well documented, but in this case the game was more about getting a win to keep our tournament hopes alive. The only problem is that WSU came out flat, trailing by as much as 11 in the first half before cutting the lead to eight at the break. The nice thing about great defense, though (and we'll miss this without Tony Bennett), is that if you can get stops, you can claw your way back into the game.

And so WSU did.

The Cougs opened the second half on an 11-2 run, capped by Klay's dunk.

It was a brilliant moment. Exactly what the Cougars needed to come back to life. The thing that always gets me about Klay, however, is just how even keel he is. During the celebration, while DeAngelo Casto looks like he's trying to punch the sky, Klay Thompson has the same calm smile on his face that he always does after a big moment. It was the same expression he had after "the shot", when the entire arena was being brought down by screaming fans and players.

Klay Thopmson's not a fiery guy. And that's OK. I hated it on the Tony Bennett radio show when people would question if the team had the same level of intensity they had in the past. Of course they did. It's just the past two years they won a lot of games, and this year they didn't. There was the same level of emotion shown on the court throughout. And consistently, the only person I've seen show emotion on the court and play to the crowd is DeAngelo Casto - no one else. Most of the players we've had in the Bennett era aren't highly emotional players. It never made any difference when it came to our performance on the court.

Nevertheless, it's a lot more likely you'll see shows of emotion on the court with Ken Bone at the helm than with the Bennetts. Just don't expect too much out of Klay, who's emotion (or lack thereof) makes him just as easy a target for something like those "Greeting cards by Erik Bedard" posts by Lookout Landing this Spring. Actually, it's refreshing to see a player exude a quiet confidence in their ability to win. If this is setting me up for two to three years of antagonizing people that question Klay's passion for the game, so be it. The kid can ball. And dunk on people, as this video exhibits.

But I digress. After the dunk, it was WSU back in the game, trading shots with Stanford for the remainder of the way. All we needed was take a little lift from Taylor at the end (Top 10 Cougar Plays #3), and the Cougars finished the homestand at 1-2 in conference, heading to the Oregon schools with a chance to stay in the tournament hunt. Had we started 0-3, I can't imagine how much doom and gloom would have rained down on the Palouse. This play did so much to prevent that, and was the moment where we started to realize just how good Klay Thompson is.