A Grip on Sports: Dickert’s departure from Pullman illustrates once again college athletics’ playing fields are not level and it is getting worse
A GRIP ON SPORTS • If you ever have a chance to walk on Wake Forest’s relatively small campus, head over to the athletic complex. And you will understand why Washington State had little chance to compete with the North Carolina school when its athletic director decided on his next football coach.
•••••••
• It’s not the facilities, though they are incredible. Even though the Winston-Salem school doesn’t play its football games on campus. It’s the names on the new Sutton Sports Performance Center and the Shah Basketball Complex.
As in Ben Sutton and Mit Shah.
Wake Forest alums. Both multimillionaires, or billionaires in Shah’s case. And both willing to fund the future of Wake Forest’s athletics.
Sutton, who once led IMG College, is on the school’s governing board, seeded the complex a few years back with a $15 million gift. It allowed the school to build an indoor/outdoor football practice facility second-to-only-a-few along with all the accoutrements a big-time college program needs.
Shah is a basketball guy, and his $5-million gift helped the Deacons construct a basketball facility of equal impressiveness.
All at a private school with an undergraduate enrollment almost exactly the same as Gonzaga’s.
If the future of college athletics is all about the Benjamins (it is), then the Deacons are in a good place. Even if its conference, the ACC, is in danger of falling apart in the near future.
That fact had to be important to Jake Dickert.
He’s already ridden down that road. Played the role of jockey as Washington State dealt with COVID-19, the implosion of its conference, the new world order of unfettered transfer freedom and name, image and likeness bargaining. All with one hand chained to the Cougar Football Complex weight room floor.
Give Dickert credit. He was a loyal soldier – until he wasn’t. He helped the program dig out of the Nick Rolovich mess. He watched as the former athletic director alienated most of the athletic department, then bolted for the school across the mountains. He won games, including two Apple Cups. He led a young staff on the road, recruited good fits, developed players and adjusted to Alex Pereira-level transfer blows.
In the past few months, he led a team with little national respect to a College Football Playoff ranking, an 8-1 start to the season and a lot of disrespect. After all, Washington State is no longer part of the college football intelligentsia. Or the Power Four. Left behind. Left out. Left.
Maybe Dickert, who seemed so at home in Pullman, just got tired of the fight. Tired of having to watch thousands of Cougar alums and followers have to band together, throwing in a few hundred dollars each, just to have a chance to keep the perfect-fit quarterback in the perfect-fit place.
All because, for some reason, the Palouse Posse doesn’t include multi-millionaire folks who are willing to bankroll athletic success. Money is such a huge part of what it takes these days. Always has played a role, sure, but it’s so much more important now. And will grow in importance down the road if our crystal ball isn’t cloudy.
Just read the writing on the walls. Wake Forest’s athletic edifice? “Sutton Sports Performance Center and the Shah Basketball Complex.” Washington State’s? “Cougar Football Complex.” The difference is not just stark, but illustrates a college athletics future in which the have-nots face even more challenges.
It’s hard to be an underdog when the folks in charge of the kennel have thrown up their arms, said it’s someone else’s problem and allowed every purebred breed to do run wild in packs. Money doesn’t solve every problem but it sure makes it easier to attack them.
Dickert used up a lot of energy the past three-plus years. What he’s accomplished – three bowls, two Apple Cup trophies, a 23-20 record – wasn’t an accident. It was built on hard work, from everyone connected to WSU. Not just the football coaches, the athletic administrators, the president’s office. But also the alums who feel something for the place and dip into the pockets to give whatever they can.
That isn’t enough anymore. Not to compete at the level WSU and Oregon State aspires to as they rebuild a conference that never should have split apart.
It’s sad, sure. But it’s as obvious as the writing on the wall.
•••
WSU: We were able to pass along the breaking news yesterday morning. Greg Woods dealt with it in this story, outlining the change in the program and sharing athletic director Anne McCoy’s statements about it. No, the Cougars are pulling out of the Holiday Bowl. … Dave Boling covers the same ground we did above, but does it with his unique perspective. (And a lot more talent.) … We also can pass along a couple stories from North Carolina as well as John Canzano’s column on the subject. … Matt Calkins has a unique take in his Times’ column. … The headline on this Oregonian column seems a little harsh. … To the surprise of exactly zero people, John Mateer announced he’s headed to Norman, Oklahoma to play next season. Norman is akin to Pullman, except without the hills and with a nicer football stadium. Oh, and tornadoes. … Jon Wilner has a list of possible coaching hires available to Washington State. He ends it with this sentence: “But they have options, quality options, if the university is willing to spend the money.” Our thought? Money? What money? … The just happened to be a basketball game last night. In Seattle. Ring a bell? If you missed it while drowning your football misery, that’s probably a good thing. Washington rolled over the Cougars 89-73 at Hec Ed. Greg put together this coverage. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Wilner also has his list of the men’s Best of the West, with UCLA taking over the top spot after another Gonzaga loss. We’ll see if he’s right in about 10 days when the two schools meet in Los Angeles. … Back to football, we have some playoff picks to pass along. … The L.A. Bowl featured California, without its quarterback, and UNLV, without its coach. It did not feature much in the way of offense, as the Rebels won 24-13. … Jedd Fisch is in Bill Belichick’s corner. So is Dan Lanning. … Money matters. It is even quantified in the case of Oregon and Oregon State. … As Colorado heads to the Alamo Bowl, it has to fill roster holes. … Utah is already moving along in that process. … A lack of money is impacting the fortunes of USC’s football program? How is that possible? … An injury does not stop one Arizona State player from making an impact. … Arizona received great news yesterday. A former WSU receiver is headed there. … In basketball news, we can pass along the women’s Best of the West rankings in the Mercury News. … Dana Altman would be fine with a larger NCAA tourney. … This is a great question about UCLA.
Gonzaga: The Bulldogs returned to action Wednesday with the first of two home palate cleaners, Nicholls State. Their center tandem of Braden Huff and Graham Ike led the way in a 102-72 blowout. Theo Lawson has the game story. … Ike and Nolan Hickman have struggled recently but not last night. Jim Meehan has more on their performance as well as the three buzzer beaters. … Tyler Tjomsland has the photo report. … Elsewhere in the WCC, there were mixed results among the men’s teams in the Bay Area last night.
Idaho: Sorry this was lost in the hubbub across the border but the Vandals picked their replacement for departed coach Jason Eck. There was a loud clamor for former UI assistant Thomas Ford and that’s who they chose. Peter Harriman has that story. … The men’s team traveled to California and, despite Kolton Mitchell’s 26 points, fell to UC Davis 74-66. The women hosted the Aggies and lost as well. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, the matchup between Montana State’s offense and South Dakota’s defense is a good one. … Montana received some good news yesterday. … In basketball news, UC Riverside took down Montana State in California.
EWU: There were more awards headed Efton Chism III’s way last week. They are all part of the S-R’s latest local briefs column.
Whitworth: The Pirates were on the road last night, with the men winning in Texas and the women falling in California.
Preps: The second of three Spokane rivalry games was held Wednesday night at the Arena, with Shadle Park sweeping both games of the “Groovy Shoes” with North Central. Dave Nichols covered the games and Colin Mulvany the pageantry with this photo report. … Dave also passes along a wrestling-centric roundup.
Seahawks: The Seattle wide receiver group will have to be better than Minnesota’s group if the Hawks want to win. … And the fans need to keep their tickets. … Better health would help too. Geno Smith in particular.
Kraken: Seattle made a trade to boost its attack.
Sounders: If you want to buy tickets for the Club World Cup, here is how to get them.
•••
• We have a deadline each morning. This column needs to be done by 9 a.m. to make it into the S-R sports email. That was a challenge this morning due to circumstances we won’t bore you with. Anyhow, we have finally added links from around the nation. Consider this the finished product for today. Until later …