Steele Venters
Wazzu keeps Steele Venters in one place: 3 stories so far. The section currently leads with “We Showed Up, They Showed Out: Cougs Top UW 84-80 in Exhibition”, “Hoop dreams are fading, and the Huskies just lost the Apple Cup fight”, and “After 108 years, Cougs-Huskies hoops goes exhibition only”. Seven thousand and eleven people showed up to watch a basketball game that doesn't count, and it counted for everything. The Huskies just lost the Apple Cup fight, and not even Isaiah Thomas hanging from the rafters could save them. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every Steele Venters story on Wazzu, newest first.
We Showed Up, They Showed Out: Cougs Top UW 84-80 in Exhibition
Seven thousand and eleven people showed up to watch a basketball game that doesn't count, and it counted for everything. The Cougs beat UW 84-80 in an exhibition at Alaska Airlines Arena, and if you think that doesn't mean something, you weren't there. This is the first time since 1917 these two teams won't play in the regular season, but the Cougars got their shot anyway and took it. They trailed by ten in the first half. Then they trailed by seven in the second. Then Ronnie Harrison, a senior transfer from East Texas A&M, went back-to-back on a tip-in and a dunk, broke a tie with five minutes left, and finished the night with 23 points and 11 rebounds. He also blocked LeJuan Watts' game-tying three-pointer with six seconds left. That's the kind of ending you don't script. This is a brand-new roster. Transfers from Central Missouri, Oregon, Providence, Eastern Washington, guys who had to learn each other's names a few months ago. After a 28-point loss at New Mexico last week, this win says something about the kind of fight this team has. The Apple Cup rivalry isn't what it used to be, and our story on that, "Hoop dreams are fading, and the Huskies just lost the Apple Cup fight", digs into why that matters. But for one Sunday in Seattle, the Cougs showed up, and they showed out. Go Cougs.
Hoop dreams are fading, and the Huskies just lost the Apple Cup fight
The Huskies just lost the Apple Cup fight, and not even Isaiah Thomas hanging from the rafters could save them. Washington State went into Seattle and walked out with an 84-80 exhibition win, which is nice, but the whole thing felt a little hollow. This used to mean something. Three hundred and one games between these two schools, one of the oldest series in college hoops, and now it's an exhibition that might not even happen again. Thomas tried to explain the rivalry to a UW roster full of fresh faces from outside the state. His logic was simple: if they win, they get it. If they lose, they don't. They lost. The Cougars took control with a 13-2 run in the second half, capped by an alley-oop dunk from Ronnie Harrison. Wazzu's own LeJuan Watts, who has now lost to his former team twice, summed it up best: there's no little brother thing at Washington. The underdog drive lives on the other side. But here's the part that stings. WSU coach David Riley is begging for a real game next year, and UW coach Danny Sprinkle is politely saying his Big Ten schedule is too tough. The Cougars are hitting the road against High Point and Duquesne while the future of the Apple Cup sits in someone else's hands. That August Apple Cup in Pullman next year sounds great, but the bigger question is whether this series survives the conference realignment mess at all. Go Cougs.
After 108 years, Cougs-Huskies hoops goes exhibition only
For the first time since 1917, the Cougs and Huskies won't play a regular-season basketball game. That streak, 301 games, is on pause. Instead, they'll meet for an exhibition in Seattle this October. It feels wrong to type that. Both coaches agreed to a two-year extension after the Pac-12 fell apart, but talks for this season fell through. David Riley wanted to keep it going. Danny Sprinkle said it wasn't that important to him, then later said he'd keep it if it benefitted UW. He's 2-0 in the rivalry, so maybe that colors his view. It colors mine too. This one stings because the game would have been fascinating. The Huskies poached two of Riley's former guys, LeJuan Watts and Steele Venters, out of the portal. Watts played for Riley at WSU last year before bouncing to Texas Tech and then to UW. Venters followed Riley from Eastern Washington to Gonzaga and now to Seattle. That's a lot of subplots for an exhibition. The nonconference slate still has some juice, Duke in Palm Springs, LSU on the road, and Eastern Washington in Spokane. And the athletic department made a smart hire in Tyler Mariucci from Fresno State, a guy who knows how to raise money in a new conference. That matters more than ever. For more on how Cougs are making moves in basketball, check out our piece on Riley's mystery big man, Mohamed Sankhe. Big French kid, 6-10, and the last piece of the roster. Go Cougs.