Cougars land 3-star Linebacker

Cougfan has announced the Cougars have received a commitment from Darryl Paulo out of Grant Union High School in Sacramento. Paulo is rated as a 3-star prospect. He also held offers from Oregon State, Fresno State, and San Diego State among others. Expect a few more commitments in the next few days with National Signing Day on Wednesday.

Reggie Moore's Dunk

Can We Get Over .500 Please?

With two wins this weekend, the Cougars will be 5-3 heading into their Dec. 30 showdown against the University of Washington, a game with so much fanfare, rumor has it there will be three Butches!

The biggest news is the anticipated return of Reggie Moore to the lineup tonight against Arizona State. According to Vince Grippi, Moore practiced with the team this week and is expected to get some playing time tonight. No word yet on if he’s starting.

Keys to cooling the Sun Devils include:

1) Recognizing the Zone - Arizona State’s defensive principles differ from most teams in that ASU will start out in a 2-3, switch to a 1-3-1 and even move to a 3-2…and that’s just during one possession.

2) Zoning it up - Arizona State is an extremely streaky shooting team. Force Ty Abbott and Rihards Kuksiks (38-percent beyond the arc) to shoot it outside.

3) Focusing, Focusing, Focusing- If the Cougs can focus on ASU and not look ahead to Arizona on Saturday, Wazzu has a great shot at being 5-3 heading into next week’s showdown against U-Dub.

The Reggie Moore Saga

As many of you have heard, Cougar point guard Reggie Moore was cited last month for possession of marijuana. And has been suspended indefinitely by Coach Ken Bone. It wasn’t the amount of Mary Jane that got two Cougar Football players kicked off the team earlier in the year, but Moore's actions demand some reprimand.

Is carrying weed the worst thing a college kid could do? No, it could be much worse. Reggie’s escapades are child’s play (pun intended) compared to what’s going on in Seattle. My beef with the whole situation is how it’s being handled by Coach Ken Bone.

I just don’t understand how this incident occurred in December, was announced last week... Then wasn't dealt with UNTIL several games later.

Maybe this is the kind of situation that will bring the team together. Junior forward Abe Lodwick was quoted at the end of the Stanford game, a game the Cougs won on the road, as saying that this team is bigger than just one person.

We don’t know how long "indefinitely" is going to be, but the Cougs have three tough home games on the horizon against ASU, Arizona and Washington. WSU has shown flashes of potential, and also flashbacks to last season (when it couldn't finish games).

Wazzu might have taken the next step in becoming an NCAA tournament type team with the win over Stanford, but in order for the process to be completed, this team needs Reggie Moore to return and make solid decisions, both on and off the court.

A Look at DaVonte Lacy

Here is a look at future Cougar guard DaVonte Lacy of Curtis High School. Lacy committed to the Cougars during the summer and his stock has gone up to a four star rating after recent evaluations. Here is a video of Lacy taking on Lincoln (San Diego) during the ESPN Holiday Classic at Torrey Pines in San Diego. Lacy is matched up with UCLA commit Norman Powell for a good portion of the game.

Lacy shows good ability to knock down the mid-to-long range jumper as well as finish around the rim. Lacy and Fresno State transfer Michael Ladd could have very important roles next season if Klay Thompson elects to take his talents to the NBA.

Cougs Land Defensive Tackle From California

Coach Paul Wulff has added another commit to the 2011 class as defensive tackle Brandon Tuliaupupu pledged crimson tonight. Tuliaupupu is the fourth defensive tackle from this class that Wulff expects to sign on National Letter of Intent Day (February 2nd).

Tuliaupupu is listed at 6-2, 290 which is great size for an incoming freshman. He has also been used as a linebacker and offensive guard with Claremont HS in California which gives Wulff and staff some flexibility to move him around on both sides of the ball.

Brandon's commit gives the Cougars nine defensive lineman in the class and 24 commits overall. I would expect the Cougars to possibly be on the trail for another running back, especially with Bishop Sankey still deciding between WSU and UW.

Cougs Manage Split in Bay Area

Playing without sophomore Reggie Moore, who has been suspended indefinitely after being cited last month for possession of marijuana, the Cougars managed to overcome a nine point halftime deficit in a 61-58 victory over Stanford.

The Cougars, 13-5, have an important three game homestand against Arizona St, Arizona, and Washington to round out the first half of Pac-10 play.
In those games, I'd like to see Coach Bone insert Brock Motum for more minutes, at least 20 minutes per game. Motum is shooting 67-percent from the field and 46-percent from beyond the arc, but he is averaging only 14 minutes per game during Pac-10 play.
Motum does more than just score points; he spreads the defense with his long range capabilities. The Cougars went to Motum early in the second half against Cal and he provided five quick points, then found himself back on the bench, replaced by Abe Lodwick.
I understand Lodwick is a catalyst for the Cougar defense, but I don't see why both these guys can't be on the floor at the same time!