Friday's WAC basketball compendium

Randy Hollis offers a lengthy look at Utah State basketball and includes some very honest quotes from Stew Morrill. Even more re4spect goes out to the Aggie helmsman for not resorting to the party line -- his forthrightness is refreshing.

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The Seattle Times has posted excerpts from an interview with WAC Commish Karl Benson who gets an and1 for his response to the inevitable Montana question.

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Dayton Morinaga reports that Hawaii is prepared for liftoff today as three UH walk-ons will be cherishing the trip of a lifetime.

Brian McInnis supplies a recruiting note as he prepares to hook up with the Rainbow Warriors in Asia.

A Karl Benson interview

In a Diamond Leung article, Commissioner Karl Benson waxes ecstatic about the latest addition to and the state of the WAC. PTW isn't so sure about the multi-bid portion of the piece, at least in relation to expansion -- that's strictly wishful thinking without any indicators. But do watch Cameron Dollar and Seattle in the next few years.

Karl Benson speaks

The Idaho Statesman's Brian Murphy has Commish Karl Benson talking about tomorrow's get-together in big D -- go here.

More WAC musical meanderings

Commish Karl Benson has another tune he's singing today, cue up Bono and the boys:

I have climbed highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you...

...I have spoke with the tongue of angels
I have held the hand of a devil
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a stone...

...But I still haven't found what I'm looking for...

A solid Sunday edition of WAC items for you

The NetScouts site is reporting these former WAC players as landing work overseas;

*** Roderick Flemings (Hawaii), C.B. Canarias (Leb Oro), Spain

*** Jonathan Gibson (New Mexico State) Oyak Renault, Turkey

*** Petras Balocka (Hawaii) Lietuvos Rytas, Lithuania

*** Chris Oakes (San Jose State) Radnicki, Serbia

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UnderdogAggie at the SCOUT New Mexico State site Sports Trough message board is reporting a Canadian backcourter as having committed to the Aggies. Daniel Mullings is a 6-foot-1 combo guard out of Toronto. It seems unclear if he is to be on the roster this season but redshirting or arriving next year.

Here's Steven Luong writing about Mullings after a June all star game in Canada:

"...Daniel Mullings led the way for Team Red scoring 32 points and also playing some outstanding defense which included two spectacular run-down blocks in the fourth quarter on [Myck] Kabongo, and UNLV commit Grandy Glaze that was reminiscent of NBA all-star’s LeBron James’ signature defensive play.

“I love LeBron [James],” Mullings said. “His tenacity on defence, how he gets back on help defense, how he gets his team involved. I look up to him a lot.”

Both Mullings and Kabongo were able to score in very similar fashions. Making good use of their quick first steps, excellent ball handling skills and athleticism to get to the hoop consistently..." 

Here's another Mullings writeup on the same event:

"...The dark horse in this game was undoubtedly 6-2 Combo guard Daniel Mullings (2010). He entertained the crowd with his high flying act and showed his combination of speed and athleticism. Mullings was able to consistently get to the rim at will and finish over the trees as he filled up the basket for 32 points. It was a break out performance by Mullings which was unexpected by most due to the lack of buzz he received leading up to the game. The good news for college coaches is that he is still uncommitted and surprisingly only has one offer from New Mexico State..."

Here is some video on the young man.

Here is 6:26 YouTube video interview of Mullings.

Does anyone know if Coach Menzies has a scholarship open for the coming season, especially with the recent addition of Remi Barry?

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Fred Lewis offers a lengthy column about past and present WAC breakups here. It's always fascinating how quick some are to hit the message boards and criticize Karl Benson and others when what is happening in the background is unknown except to a select few. Instant analysis is a modern malady especially when performed by the uninformed.

A Tuesday double-dip for you

Sam Wasson offers a link to some highlights of the recent Canadian tour by New Mexico State. Go here. Knowledge of some French would help with certain segments but isn't needed for the visuals.

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Tony Jones is reporting that Karl Benson says 'no buyout for you' if/when LA TECH departs from the WAC. Go here

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Sam Wasson interviews Karl Benson

Sam Wasson of the BleedCrimson.net site has posted his interview with WAC Commissioner Karl Benson. Go here to access it.

Holy moly! Or as they say in Las Cruces, Holy Mole!

PTW has received secretly smuggled videotape of WAC Commissioner Karl Benson's reaction surrounding all the hubbub about the various conferences in re-shuffling mode.

Responding to Boise State's departure from the WAC in particular, plus the plaintive rumblings about the willingness of Nevada and Fresno State to latch on to a lifeline, any lifeline, from another conference, Benson demonstrated a previously unknown talent.

We won't display it but the tape shows Benson morphing into musical mode using the moniker KBe and offering Edwin Starr-like in a basso profundo voice:

Conference changing, huh, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Uh-huh
Conference changing, huh, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again, y'all

Conference changing, huh, good God
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me...

Friday and the WAC

So who do you want in the WAC once the expansion/contraction smoke clears? It seems to be among Cal Davis, Cal Poly, Montana, Sacramento State, Portland State and Texas State. Teddy Feinberg has the details of Commish Karl Benson's trip to Las Cruces. 

We say forget Texas State unless a close-by companion also surfaces. The same goes with Montana.

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Chris Murray has more on the hoops court firm of George, Johnson and Babbitt and we're still abiding by our stand that says Babbitt goes before Johnson.

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Gib Arnold is trying to reach into Chicago and possibly middle America with his latest coaching hire. Dayton Morinaga has the scoop. 

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Any WAC coach wishing to add former BYU player Michale Loyd might wish to consider the young man is also prolific in another type of court.

Your Tuesday WAC - O- Rama

San Jose State lost to Seattle 90-88 on a last second three-pointer. The Seattle athletics site has the report and a photo of the game-winning shot here. The San Jose State athletics article can be found here.

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Steve Cleveland goes back to the basics with his 'bigs' as Daniel Lyght reports here.

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Chris Murray analyzes the highs and lows of the BracketBuster event through a WAC lens here.

Chris' conference notebook is here with a detailing of the top defenders in the WAC and much more.

The NCAA needs more money? For what? PTW sees no need for the Big Dance to expand -- there is enough mediocre basketball on display throughout the season b-- ut the opportunity for additional revenues will drive this beast to fruition. Can the NIT and the other tourney which escapes our fading in and out memory at the moment then be put down? Please.

Chris has Karl Benson's take here.

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Shawn Harrison explores Tai Wesley's world here and plows through a bunch of telling USU stats here.

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Ferd Lewis look at Hawaii hoops here.

Jeff Portnoy notes Lewis' column and add more here.

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We'll end with this non-WAC-related item which produced an early morning smile in the PTW household:

Posted at Kraig Williams' Twitter page:

RT @jaredeborn: It's OK, Canada. You'll always have baby seal clubbing that you rule the world in. 7:11 PM Feb 21st via TweetDeck

Eh?

Travel costs to force the WAC into changes?

In personal terms, high prices tend to modify our various behaviors when sometimes nothing else can and the WAC appears to be edging into similar circumstances:

WAC being squeezed by high travel costs
Commissioner Karl Benson says the league will discuss possible solutions at its fall meetings. He says that ‘anything is on the table.’
Chadd Cripe
Idaho Statesman
8/13/08

Saturday matines for basketball?

A 10th member of the WAC?

More regional matchups in college football?

Another round of conference realignments?

All are possible results of escalating travel costs, which will eat an extra $268,000 out of Boise State’s athletics budget this school year.

“At our fall meetings in September, this whole issue will be on the agenda,” WAC commissioner Karl Benson said last month at the football media preview. “My message as they come to that meeting is, ‘Anything’s on the table.’ … It may cause us to do some drastic measure that might have been unheard of or even unthought of two or three years ago....”

Go here for the remainder.

Karl Benson on the WAC

Some of the following requires reading the proverbial tea leaves but here's Commissioner Karl Benson recently on the state of the Western Athletic Conference:

Commissioner sees WAC getting stronger
Graham Watson
ESPN
July 23, 2008

SALT LAKE CITY -- Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson had little to complain about as he gave his state of the conference address to open WAC media days Wednesday.

The WAC sent a team to a BCS bowl for the second consecutive season and earned more BCS money than any other non-BCS conference for the second consecutive season.

So it was no surprise when Benson announced the bigwigs that were attending WAC media days, he made sure to note representatives from the Fiesta Bowl, Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl.

"The WAC has re-established itself as the second-most recognized conference in the West behind the Pac-10," Benson said. "It wasn't intended to compare the WAC to the Mountain West. The WAC is well-grounded, well-established and continues to perform at a high level...."

Go here for the remainder.

Get Karl Benson to a nunnery

Heck, the Utah State fans weren't even anywhere close to that of the fans of their fellow Aggies down Las Cruces way and their "nice shot a--hole" but Commisar Karl Benson has still interceded.

I believe it was the late Dorothy Parker who coined the phrase "if you don't have anything nice to say, come sit by me" -- she would have been persona non-grata at WAC games but, then again, what would she have had to say about basketball itself?

Parker also offered this: "Those who have mastered etiquette, who are entirely, impeccably right, would seem to arrive at a point of exquisite dullness."

Touche Karl Benson.

Chant outlawed in Spectrum
Shawn Harrison
Logan Herald Journal
January 15, 2008

When the Utah State men’s basketball team took on New Mexico State last Saturday, there was something different about the students.

They turned out in force with most wearing blue and were as loud as ever, but one of their chants had been shelved. “You Suck” can no longer be used at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

The students had used it when a visiting player was called for a foul or after an Aggie opponent made a free throw, adding “still” between the previously mentioned two words.

The Western Athletic Conference has ruled that particular chant is offensive. When the doors opened an hour before tip-off, students rushed to get the best seats in the general admission student sections. They were greeted by a blue note on each chair.

It informed them: “That chants or cheers that contain obscene, vulgar, offensive or threatening language will result in a technical foul on the home team. Please be aware that the ‘You Suck’ cheer is considered offensive according to the WAC and USU will be in jeopardy of a technical foul.” USU’s Scott Randall, who works for the Aggie athletics department in game management, was also on hand to talk with the students as they arrived.

The Aggie students complied with the blue note, but some were not happy about it. Several signs indicated that their First Amendment rights were being violated by the WAC.

“They say it is freedom of speech, but it isn’t in the arena,” USU athletics director Randy Spetman said. “They have a right to come in to the game, but you have to abide by the sportsmanship rules in there.”

Following the Hawaii game at the Spectrum, a WAC referee told Randall the “You Suck” chant could be translated as offensive. Spetman decided to call the league office and inquire. The head of WAC officials called it “borderline,” Spetman said. Spetman then went to WAC commissioner Karl Benson.

“His (Benson) staff called back and determined the chant was outside the guidelines of sportsmanship,” Spetman said. “That we needed to take action to have the students change.” Go here for the remainder.

WAC predictions ... but for 2025

We are up for the challenge. However, some like to make predictions in late December about the coming new year and we will stick our necks out and go a few steps further -- such as what we see for the year 2025 in the WAC:

*** 37-year old Herb Pope is still awaiting word regarding his eligibility from the NCAA. New Mexico State Coach Reggie Theus Jr. said, "It should be just another day or two and we'll know something for sure. I'm confident Mr. Pope will play this season." To keep in shape, Pope has been playing for the Vatican City European team.

*** WAC Commissar Karl Benson on his recent 'nyet' to UCLA's request to join the WAC: "The fit just didn't seem right at this point. But North Texas State still has a standing invitation to join hands with us."

*** Utah State Coach Stew Morrill on the recent blurry photo in the Salt Lake City Tribune supposedly of him momentarily dancing a jig after a comeback last-second win against BYU in Logan: "It was just a doggone cramp but consider that our record is horrible, Northern Utah Valley State University won't play us because 'we're not a big enough draw,' my team reeks, I couldn't coach five Lebrons to a win right now, the players aren't performing up to their capabilities and we just might lose every game the rest of the season. Other than all that, things are peachy."

*** Sections of Moscow, Idaho were razed to the ground when Vandal fans and supporters got out of control and mayhem ensued after the Idaho State basketball team won two in a row. -- (yeah, yeah, we know it's a cheap shot)

*** The California State University regents announced that enough funding had been raised to resurrect Fresno State University. The school had been shuttered after payouts from various athletic department lawsuits had emptied the university till. Also, rumor has it that Dr. Phil has been hired as an advisor for all the men's sports and Oprah Winfrey for the same role on the women's side. On another note, FSU's mascot has been switched from the Bulldog to the Poodle in order to foster a kinder, gentler athletic department.

*** In a sad note, Jayvee Carroll, the son of Utah State's all-time scorer, failed to make the varsity squad at Logan High.

*** The San Jose State University football stadium has undergone a name change. New major donor Kirk Douglas requested it now be called Spartacus Stadium and the Athletic Department relented.

*** Legal scholars voiced concern in Idaho when the U.S. government filed a Title IX suit against Boise State University for gender discrimination. It seems that Boise State must now be known as Girlse State half the year.

Well, if you made it through all the above ... you defintely deserve to enjoy a happy New Year!