WSU players watch, wait for updates on Daugherty

Only two members of Washington State University’s women’s basketball team are in Pullman, but their situation is no different than that of their teammates scattered around the country.

“It’s a helpless situation,” team captain Katie Appleton said of new coach June Daugherty’s cardiac episode and ongoing recuperation in the hospital. “You can’t do much but offer your thoughts and prayers to the family.”

Since Daugherty’s top assistant is also her husband, Mike, players have been getting updates from assistant coach Brian Holsinger, who was hired just this month.

“He just basically told us (Tuesday night) that she’s in the hospital and they don’t know much about it. She’s stable, but it’s not a great situation,” Appleton said. “It was a difficult thing to hear.”

Appleton said things are still uncertain, but she expects that team workouts later this summer will progress as usual and hopes that the season will begin this fall without incident and with their new head coach.

“I haven’t known her that long, but she would expect us to continue working out and all that stuff,” Appleton said of Daugherty, who was hired on April 20 to replace Sherri Murrell.

“It sounds like she’s stable and doing well. … Hopefully, this is just something that just lasts for a couple of days, plus recovery time.”