The Season That Was

I'll admit, when I first heard about Klay Thompson being arrested for marijuana possession, I -- like many Coug fans -- sat there in disbelief and thought that someone was playing a cruel, cruel early April Fool's joke. There was no way our golden child of Cougar basketball was busted for pot just moments after a huge win vs USC. Unfortunately, as more and more details came to light, it was ultimately determined Klay would be suspended.

I was angry, sad, furious, and did I mention angry? Sullenly, I sat at work and considered asking for the day off. I texted friends who shared my sentiment. The Cougs started the year 5-0, later losing to Butler in the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic. As Pac-10 play began, however, the Cougars lost their opening games in LA -- fashion capitol of the west coast -- in typical Coug fashion. They blew a lead against UCLA, and no-showed against USC until the final two minutes of the game. The rest of the season, great games would be followed by 20 minute efforts. Players were in and out of the line-up due to injuries and suspensions.

Last year, this would've been easier for me to swallow, but not this year. The starters for this year's team are four juniors and one sophomore. With the exception of Aden, all these players have been here and played since their freshman year. All season long, I've questioned this team's leadership, and clearly, the lack of leadership has cost this team a berth in the NCAA tournament. It's been a season of highs and lows. Unfortunately, most of the highs have been off the court.

Analysis of Cougars' Season

This about sums it up.

January 20 vs ASU = WIN
January 22 vs UA = LOSS
January 30 vs UW = WIN
February 3 vs UO = LOSS
February 5 vs OSU = WIN
February 10 vs STAN = LOSS
February 12 vs CAL = WIN
February 17 vs UA = LOSS

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.