Adjusting on the run

Throughout this ridiculous pandemic, we see some amazing changes taking place. The Cleveland Browns beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in a playoff game while basically doing all of their preparation online. Virtual practice is now a thing, I guess. With several coaches and players on COVID protocol, new players were signed. Quarterback Baker Mayfield introduced himself to backup linemen in the locker room before the team went out for warm ups.

Maybe that’s the key to this craziness, let your mind practice and figure out what to do, and rest your body.

I came up with a question following the Seahawks loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday. It goes like this: How many former EWU Eagles does it take to beat the Seahawks? I’m not sure what the exact number is, but the Rams used three.

Cooper Kupp, Samson Ebakam and Nsimba (pronounced Simba) Webster have all made a name for themselves as important members of the Rams team. I have fond memories of each of these guys wearing the Eagle uniform, and it is fun to see their success in the NFL, even when it comes at the expense of the Seattle Seahawks. Remember, Seattle had their chance to draft these guys too.

The Gonzaga women have started out the WCC schedule with big wins. They are predicted to finish first in the league again, but how about the WSU women? They were predicted to finish last in the Pac 12. The Coug women defeated the No. 7 ranked Arizona Wildcats by two in overtime. This is great news in Pullman. It’s just too bad that the students don’t get a chance to see this team live in Beasley.

The number 1 rated Gonzaga Bulldogs are really good this year. They were really good last year, but C-19 put a halt to a possible run to a National Championship appearance. Missing out on that opportunity may have been the deciding factor for Corey Kispert’s returning for his senior season at the GU campus. Three Bulldog players are being considered as All-American candidates as well as player of the year. The three are Kispert, sophomore Drew Timme and Freshman Jalen Suggs. The biggest thing that shows up each game is how the team plays as a team. Individual stuff is secondary to them, which is great to see. I’ve never seen big name players on a team pass up shots in order to get a teammate a chance to score. Maybe that’s why they are No. 1.

During Saturday’s game, Joel Ayayi became the first GU Bulldog to register a triple double by scoring 12 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing out 14 assists. What is interesting is that Ayayi nearly had the triple double by halftime. He completed and added on to the stat sheet during the early minutes of the second half. Why is that important? How many times have you seen a coach put a player into a the game with just a couple of minutes left in order to get that one rebound, point, steal or assist to reach that milestone? I’ve seen it on numerous occasions and it is interesting when the player doesn’t get that last piece to the stat puzzle.

If you aren’t a Zag fan, but still like to watch great team basketball and just maybe the best rebounding guard in the country, then tune in to a Gonzaga game and watch number 11 find his way to the basketball every minute he’s in the game; out-rebounding players 5-6 inches taller than him.

High School sports in Oregon and Washington is non-existent right now. Hopefully we’ll be able to see something take place in February if we are lucky. For one young man who was the Gatorade player of the year in Oregon last year, this year’s basketball season did not look promising. Ben Gregg committed to Gonzaga in November, graduated high school in December and enrolled at GU in January and began his Bulldog career.

Mark Few really fell for these kids that are being locked out from playing competitive sports right now. Since this is basically a free year of eligibility for athletes, it was in Ben Gregg’s best interest to play ball with the best team in the nation, after playing on the best team in Oregon last year. The 6’10” freshman has already seen action in three ball games and scored on a rebound put back Saturday in Portland which is near his home in Clackamas.

This year has been one of adjusting on the run whether it is by virtual practice, playing without fans, being a better teammate, enrolling in college early in order to improve your game, or working with other schools in order to play games when C-19 says you can’t play the original team scheduled. I think we’ve learned a lot about what we are able to accomplish.