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ESPN College GameDay notes: According to report, Klay Thompson will be Saturday’s guest picker

WSU fans react as the clock winds down during the second half of the Cougars’ game on Sept. 29 at Martin Stadium in Pullman. WSU won 28-24. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
WSU fans react as the clock winds down during the second half of the Cougars’ game on Sept. 29 at Martin Stadium in Pullman. WSU won 28-24. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

It appears that Klay Thompson is getting the call.

On Wednesday night ESPN play-by-play man Dave Pasch announced that Thompson would be the celebrity picker for ESPN’s College GameDay Saturday in Pullman.

Pasch dropped the information while calling the NBA’s Phoenix Suns-Dallas Mavericks game on ESPN.

Thompson played basketball at WSU from 2008-11. He now plays for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

Pullman issues emergency declaration to deal with crowd

Tens of thousands of people are expected to be in Pullman Saturday for ESPN College GameDay’s first visit to Washington State, and the subsequent Pac-12 North battle between the 12th-ranked Oregon Ducks and 25th-ranked WSU Cougars.

To deal with the congestion, Pullman City Council approved an “emergency declaration” that will allow Pullman Transit buses to transport Washington State fans and College GameDay attendees through campus on Saturday.

According to Pullman Radio News, the emergency declaration was brought forth to the Pullman City Council, and approved, Tuesday evening. The news outlet is reporting that WSU requested additional buses from the city after the school was unable to locate private bus services.

ESPN College GameDay producer Chris “The Bear” Fallica told Pullman Radio News this is the first time the show has caused an emergency declaration. GameDay has been broadcasting on college campuses since 1993.

President offers up rooms in residence

Few beds, couches and spare futons will go unused this week, as thousands of WSU fans from around the country flock to Pullman for the festivities.

There won’t be any empty bedrooms inside the home of school president Kirk Schulz, either.

Schulz and wife Noel have offered up space inside the presidential mansion to guests this weekend in order to free up hotel rooms for members of the ESPN College GameDay crew, which announced Saturday evening it would be coming to Pullman for the first time in school history.

Noel Schulz told The Spokesman-Review on Wednesday that six people had accepted offers to stay in the mansion’s four spare bedrooms, including two WSU Board of Regent members and their spouses, one other member and a chancellor from another campus.

The president’s residence is located on the Washington State campus, near Greek Row.

A warm welcome

An orange ESPN College GameDay bus and a line of trucks carrying production gear could hardly go 20 miles on Highway 195 without seeing a crimson flag as they traveled through Spokane and into the Palouse Wednesday afternoon.

More than a dozen flag-bearing fans, including state patrol officers, showed up at the Cheney-Spokane overpass to get a first glimpse of the GameDay convoy as it passed through shortly after 11 a.m.

A larger contingent of fans, and an electronic message board that read “Welcome ESPN,” greeted the crew in Colfax.

Finally, after reportedly being stuck behind a combine harvester, the GameDay RV made its grand entrance into Pullman. A few hundred fans and students poured into the heart of the WSU campus, crowding around the bus as it rolled through the portion of Stadium Way that will serve as home base for the live show.

In a Twitter message, athletic director Pat Chun urged “all students to show up to GameDay.” Chun believes WSU, the 70th school to host the popular road show, could set an attendance record.