A Grip on Sports: It’s never too early to begin anticipating one of life’s inevitabilities, the Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s men squaring off atop the WCC standings
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A GRIP ON SPORTS • You know the old saw about death and taxes, right? Inevitability and all that. And how everyone tries their best to avoid both. Their West Coast Conference equivalent is on display Saturday night in Moraga. It too is inevitable. There is no avoiding it. Gonzaga. Saint Mary’s.
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• Why worry about it on a Thursday, when there are games throughout the expanded WCC tonight? Same reason paying taxes comes up in lunch conversation every week of the year. No, not dread. The certainty of it. The anticipation. Civic duty in basketball form.
No matter how upside-down the world is, not matter how much the blender of life has chopped up college athletics, no matter who is in the White House or the Super Bowl, the Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s men will rise to the top of the WCC’s hierarchy. Guaranteed.
BYU in the conference? The Gaels and Zags still battled for the top spot most every season. Washington State and Oregon State drop by in their two-year trek through college sports purgatory? Improvement to the conference’s national profile and analytics, sure, but look who is atop the standings as January morphs into February. Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga.
Happily, both are once again playing at a high level going into their first of two – maybe three, if another WCC tourney meeting is as inevitable as it feels – showdowns. The Zags showed their bona fides Tuesday as they avenged one of their conference losses, walloping OSU by 38 at home. The Gaels did their part Wednesday night in Santa Clara, putting together a streak of 30 consecutive points en route to a 67-54 win over the Broncos.
It lifted Saint Mary’s conference mark to 9-0. The Bulldogs are 7-2. The computers feel Gonzaga is among the best dozen teams in the country, the Gaels among the top two-dozen. ESPN at 8 Saturday night? Count us in.
• There are other things to count on in local college hoops as well the rest of this week.
Count on the Washington State men avenging their first WCC loss of the season when they visit Pacific tonight. Count on the Gonzaga women being well on their to an eighth consecutive win by the time the Cougs tip, as the WCC-leading Bulldogs host last-place USD an hour earlier than Wazzu’s 7 p.m. start time.
There is a bit of inevitability in other areas too. Beautiful shots of the Monterey Bay coastline as CBS’ Jim Nantz waxes poetic about Pebble Beach. Lots of tears as high school basketball programs around the area begin holding their senior nights. And everyone making fun of Sunday’s Pro Bowl activities. It is still a couple months until tax day, but it does not feel like it.
• You know what is not inevitable? A long, unending streak of success for an NHL goalkeeper. Just ask Philipp Grubauer.
It was just two seasons ago Grubauer seemed to have found his happy place, between the pipes with the Seattle Kraken. He helped them make the playoffs. He was carrying a six-year, $35.4 million contract he signed as the Kraken prepared for their first season. He was a face of the franchise – even if it was hidden behind his goalie mask.
Wednesday, Seattle put him on waivers, with the express purpose of sending him to the minors to work on his game.
With millions owed on a contract that once made him the franchise’s highest-paid player, and a career-worst 3.83 goals-against average, it’s probable no one will claim Grubauer. At 33, he’ll be plying his trade in the American Hockey League, trying to return to form.
Few players who man his position go through an entire NHL career without some sort of prolonged slump. It’s just that Grubauer’s has lasted a lot longer than anyone expected. And Seattle has a viable alternative in Joey Daccord, who is among the league leaders with a 2.45 goals-against average and .917 save percentage.
Is it a given Grubauer will be back in Seattle again? Unlike the big two of life’s inevitabilities, that doesn’t seem anything like a sure thing.
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WSU: Yep, the Cougar men are in Stockton, Calif., tonight. They know what they have to do to win, as they watched guard Lamar Washington go off for 40 points against them in Pullman a few weeks ago. Greg Woods has a preview of tonight’s game. … Recruiting never stops, as we inevitably write almost every day. It hasn’t for Jimmy Rogers and Washington State. They added another freshman quarterback for next season. Greg tells us all about Dalton Anderson from Seattle’s Roosevelt High. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Oregon’s Dan Lanning won a coaching award. … It’s no doubt Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders will be drafted. But the question is where and when. … In basketball news, the Oregon men are in Pauley Pavilion tonight for a Big Ten battle with UCLA. … Utah State avenged its only conference loss, winning the Logan rematch with UNLV last night. … I drove by Tommy Lloyd’s former house yesterday and it led me to this thought: How can he have been gone long enough to have 100 wins with Arizona? … Everyone needs a glue guy. Boise State has one. … San Diego State almost lost to San Jose State the other night. Why? The Aztecs were wearing their red uniforms. … Colorado State has been making a push in the MWC.
Gonzaga: Graham Ike’s lack of self-control at times has earned him a new nickname among some of the folks who walk into McCarthey each game night. It has to do with a Seattle receiver who also has a history of losing his cool at inconvenient times, DK Metcalf. It also earned Ike a trip to the bench, as he did not start against Portland following a crucial technical in a home loss to Santa Clara. Did such happenstances teach the senior anything? Yes, according to Theo Lawson’s story this morning that looks back at the OSU rout. … Greg Lee weighs in this morning with an analysis of another inevitability in WCC hoops: Gonzaga’s women finding a way to be on top of the standings – even in a transition season. …Former GU star Courtney Vandersloot is leaving New York and going back to her longtime WNBA home, Chicago. She’ll sign with the Sky as soon as the league’s free-agency period begins this weekend. … The Zags are among Jeff Metcalfe’s Best of the West rankings in the Mercury News. … Elsewhere in the WCC, we mentioned above Saint Mary’s win last night. We also have a couple stories to pass along.
EWU: There is an odd-happenstance this morning in Cheney. A basketball game that starts an hour before noon. It’s kid’s day for the Eastern women and they welcome in Idaho State for the contest. To get you ready, Dan Thompson has a story on the Eagles’ three contributing freshmen, including inside star Kourtney Grossman. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, what does the conference’s commissioner feel about the changes coming to every college athletic program? … The conference itself may have to deal with more, as Sacramento State is examining a move to the FBS ranks and UC Davis is leaving the Big West for the Mountain West, though not in its one BSC sport, football. Cal Poly, seeing its California counterparts making big changes, has assured the Big Sky it loves its football home. … Montana State is rebuilding its football roster. … We will be passing along this type of news more and more often. The first women’s basketball coach at Idaho State has died. … Weber State is preparing for three games in 11 days.
Idaho: The Vandal women have a couple new players making a huge impact, though they aren’t freshmen. Peter Harriman has a story on two graduate transfers from Division II schools that have helped UI stay among the conference leaders.
Preps: Wednesday is a wrestling night and Dave Nichols has a roundup to pass along. … He also has this small-schools basketball roundup as well. … I didn’t realize yesterday Dave covered Tuesday night’s girls basketball showdown between Ridgeline and Mead. Why? His story was nowhere to be found on the S-R’s website. I saw it after my deadline as I was reading the home-delivered copy of the paper. This morning I went to the e-edition from Wednesday. Hope you can access the link. It was a big win for the Falcons.
Zephyr: Winter break is almost over, and Spokane will return with two former loaned players on their roster full time. That news leads off the S-R’s latest local briefs column.
Sounders: For the past five years, former Seattle defender Kim Kee-hee has played in his native Korea. He will be back in a Sounders jersey this season. … Cristian Roldan got some clarity about his role with Seattle.
Seahawks: Why did Pete Carroll return to the NFL? He still has a passion. Besides, he doesn’t golf. … Will Carroll’s return make a difference in whether Geno Smith returns to Seattle? It may. … We can pass along answers to questions similar to those in this Athletic mailbag.
Mariners: Will Felix Hernandez one day reign in the Hall of Fame? Jayson Stark thinks so. … The M’s Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma has hired the first woman to be a lead broadcaster at that level.
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• In the past 48 hours I have caught a high school basketball game and a middle school one. My plan is to attend a college game today. The trifecta. Family responsibilities may intervene, however, but the plan is still in place as of now. And I am also planning to catch another high school game Friday night. I am trying to exit January with a full basketball dance card. Until later …