I figure since the season is approaching, might as well start updating again. Lots of stuff to get to, so this will be one long post!
Some interesting stuff about some real future stars, from Mkristo Bruce and his Cougfan diary. Mrkisto, by the way, has had some recent news:
Mkristo Bruce has been named to the watch list for the 2005 Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award, Washington State announced on Thursday.Named for Ted Hendricks, three-time All-American and NFL Hall Of Famer, the award is based on several criteria including on-field performance, leadership abilities, and contributions to school and community. Bruce, a redshirt junior, is one of 24 players on the preseason watch list.Last year, Bruce (6-6, 255) was selected to attend an NCAA development conference for student-athletes with strong leadership abilities.
“One young player I simply cannot wait to see take the field is Michael Willis. He’s a big guy with great speed — he can really move. I don’t know that some of the Pac-10 veterans I’ve seen can do the things he does. Already in skelly, he’s doing stuff that’s far from ordinary.So I say — Where there’s a Willis, there’s a way!”
“The next guy is Jason Roberts, whom Adam Braidwood and me have taken under our wings. Jason is an extremely aggressive player who will be a future star at WSU and I can’t wait to see him get on the field.Another kid I really see maturing is the “Catching Samoan”, Anthony Thompson. At first Tony was shy and rough around the edges, and I whipped him around the field for a little while. Then one day Tony blocked me, and he blocked me really good. Ever since that day, I noticed a complete change. He’s lifting, running, and working ten times harder to be the best.These are some of the new guys to look out for in Cougar football.”
premium stuff:
Washington State announced on Tuesday senior linebacker Will Derting has been named to yet another prestigious preseason watch list, this time for the 2005 Chuck Bednarik Award.The WSU wrecking ball was named earlier this year to the 2005 Lombardi Award and Lott Trophy watch lists.Named for Chuck “Concrete Charley” Bednarik, a Philadelphia Eagles great and college and pro football hall of famer, the award is presented to the college defensive player of the year. The award is voted on by NCAA head college football coaches, members of the Maxwell Football Club and sportswriters and sportscasters from across the country. Derting (6-0, 228-pounds) is one of 50 players on the 2005 Bednarik Award watch list, joining fellow Pac-10 standouts Spencer Havner of UCLA and Darnell Bing of USC.
2005 summer camp is under way:
IF PAST IS PROLOGUE, WSU will come out of its annual summer camp that begins today with a verbal commitment or three — if not at the conclusion of the sessions, then shortly thereafter. The camp for kids and high schoolers has been a boon to Cougar recruiting over the years. Brandon Gibson wasn’t expected to garner an offer a year ago, but his camp work — like unheralded Will Derting and Pat Bennett before him — was so explosive that he was offered and accepted, a scholarship at camp’s end.
BACK IN 2000, Okanogan coach Denny Neely was trying to get the Huskies to take a look at Derting. Hitting a brick wall, he asked coach Bill Doba at a football clinic near Sea-Tac to take a look at Derting’s tape. Doba almost made the same mistake as his cross state rival, instead telling Neely to send the tape on the linebacker to the WSU coach who handled eastern Washington.”We didn’t know about him either,” Doba said of Derting during a season press conference last season.Fortunately for the Cougs, the tape didn’t lay on a shelf gathering dust and Derting was invited to camp. WSU coaches got a chance to see the talent live and in person, and that was all it took. Derting immediately accepted the full ride when it was offered after the camp had come to a close.Per NCAA rules, during summer camps, a recruit has to leave campus before a school can offer.
AT THE SAME camp, Bennett emerged. Coming from a 2A school, the Forks, Wash., native had yet to have his breakout senior campaign, and running back was where he garnered most of his acclaim but the Cougs saw him as a linebacker from Day One.WSU put him on defense on the same side as Derting and the pair tore it up. It was Bennett’s second WSU camp and feeling a special connection with Doba, he knew Pullman was the place for him. After camp, Doba and the WSU coaches knew it too, and the offer was made.Shortly thereafter, in the second week of July, Bennett became a Coug.
AT LAST YEAR’S camp, Gibson caught everything near him on his way to taking home co-MVP honors. Already in the Cougar fold, Shelton Danzy and Arkelon Hall watched appreciatively during the sessions, until they started to urgently look around for a Cougar coach they could talk to about getting the wide receiver in the crimson and gray.The Cougar coaches had already taken notice, and Gibson was offered at the conclusion of the camp and accepted. With the early verbal, and because at Puyallup’s Rogers High, they run it more than they throw it, rival schools didn’t have much of an incentive to go after him. They might regret that.Gibson has an excellent chance to be one of those players the Cougar Nation marvels at in the years to come, wondering how in the heck this guy slipped through the cracks of other schools besides WSU.He’s put on about 20 pounds since last season, with 190-pounds spread out over his 6-foot-1 frame, which should serve him well in all areas of his game including blocking, a key component in the WSU offense. Gibson is a perfectionist and a precise route runner, with an already keen understanding of all the things a wide receiver does besides catch the ball to make an offense successful.He’s also a talented defensive back, and Doba has mentioned he could certainly play in the defensive backfield if necessary, but all things being equal, look for him on offense at WSU.
OTHER PLAYERS in recent years who have verballed at the conclusion of the WSU summer camp include Andy Roof and Eddie Vickers, two offensive linemen who along with fellow redshirt freshman Dan Rowlands, look to be the future of the Cougar offensive line.Over 600 prospects are expected to descend upon WSU during the 2005 Cougars summer camp. The four day event runs Wednesday through Saturday. The WSU camp has always been a key component but with recruiting trending more and more towards early verbals, its taken on added significance in order to keep up with Joneses. As such, the newest members of the Cougar family could be just days away from joining the crimson fold.
Big receiver from San Diego so impressive on video, Cougs offer immediately:
ANTHONY HOUSTON, a 6-4, 200-pound wide receiver out of San Diego’s Mission Bay High, comes across pretty darned well on film. So much so that shortly after Washington State looked at his video, there was a scholarship offer from the Cougs waiting for him in his mailbox.
Houston was surprised at the WSU offer, saying they’ve had conversations with his prep coach at Mission Bay, Dennis Pugh, but he himself hasn’t yet spoken with the Cougar coaches.”I haven’t talked to a coach up there yet,” said Houston. “What happened was one of my coaches sent my film up there and then I got the (offer) from them in the mail about two weeks ago.”NCAA rules limit the time periods and number of contacts a school is allowed to initiate with a recruit. Houston said its early in the process and he wasn’t very familiar with Washington State yet.”I do not know much about them at all,” said Houston. “I’ve seen some highlights on them but that’s pretty much it.”
A LACK OF familiarity isn’t the case with Nebraska and hometown San Diego State. Houston talks to the NU coaches on a regular basis.”I try to talk to them once a month to let them know I’m interested,” he said. “They have the new West Coast Offense…I think that could work for me being a wide receiver. That could suit me very well.”One player Houston patterns himself after is SDSU’s star wide receiver, Jeff Webb.”There was an article in the newspaper I read about him and it was just, ‘Wow, he was just like me, going through the same things I was'”, said Houston. “Just basically coming out and being a leader, stepping up your game that much more and doing that much more to become a better player.”
IN ADDITION TO WSU, San Diego State and Nebraska, the first school to offer and with whom he has an official visit set for the weekend of September 3, Houston holds offers from Miami, Kansas State, Colorado, Arizona and SDSU. He said he has no favorites at this time.”No, there’s not,” said Houston. “I’m pretty much open to all schools.”Also a standout defensive back with a 4.46 time in the 40, Houston said schools are primarily recruiting him at receiver. Saying he’ll line up wherever his school needs him, he prefers receiver, all things being equal.”Basically, they leave it up to me when I’ve talked to them,” he said.
MISSION BAY employed a run dominated offense last season — 333 carries to 133 passing attempts, making Houston’s early offer list all the more impressive. He also said his junior season stats have been recently been corrected.”Actually, I talked to my coach not too long ago — it was 17 receptions for 410 yards and 5 TDs, said Houston. “And I had three interceptions and 54 tackles.”
A SCHOOL’S ACADEMICS will be a primary consideration for Houston. A good Business Management program could also be a plus. On the football side of things, he wants to play for a coach who can help him reach his full potential.”How I can become a good academic leader as well as an athletic leader will be important,” said Houston. “And constant constructive criticism. Let me know what I can do to constantly become a better player.”
5 Future Cougs prepare for All-Star game:
BRANDON GIBSON made the weight room his second home this off season — the incoming Cougar wide receiver out of Puyallup’s Rogers High adding considerable size and strength. He’ll be showcasing his new look and talents at the 4A/3A East-West all-star game two weeks from today. Also taking part in the annual event, incoming Cougars Kenny Alfred and Shelton Danzy, plus a future Cougar who’ll make his mark on the WSU baseball diamond and a Spokane product who’ll walk on at Washington State.
Puyallup’s Brandon Gibson, Gig Harbor’s Kenny Alfred and Seattle’s Shelton Danzy all head to the eastern side of the state next week to take part in the 4A/3A East-West all-star game. All three incoming Cougars said they’ve achieved qualifying SAT scores and are all set academically.Jared Prince, who signed a LOI to play baseball at WSU, buckles up the chinstrap for the last time as a high school senior. His future, though, appears set on the pill rather than pigskin. NCAA rules preclude Prince from walking on to the Cougar football team while holding a baseball scholarship.Andy Largent (6-0, 180) is a wide receiver/kicker out of Spokane’s Shadle Park High who will walk on at WSU in August. Largent did everything for Shadle Park last season, playing wide receiver and seeing time at running back. He started at free safety and was on nearly every special team, as the Highlanders’ punter, place kicker, kickoff man and punt returner. An outstanding student, he carries a 3.9 grade point average. A top soccer player and all-around athlete, his best chance to excel at the next level looks to be at place-kicker or punter.
DECIDING TO FOREGO track this year, Gibson, a wide receiver with 4.4 speed who played around 170 pounds last season, instead spent his time hitting the iron. He now checks in at a sturdy 190 pounds.”I figured this year I would just lift and stuff,” said Gibson, who stands 6-foot-1. “I’ve put on almost 20 pounds.”Gibson is finalizing plans on when he’ll head over to WSU, saying he might end up going with Danzy on July 15. Gibson projects at wide receiver but coach Bill Doba has also said he has the tools necessary to play cornerback at Washington State. All things being equal, however, his future looks to be on offense.
SHELTON DANZY heads over to Pullman for the WSU summer camp June 22-25. Then its off to Spokane for the all-star practices and game before heading back to Seattle to say all his goodbyes. Danzy arrives in Pullman for good on July 15. He hopes to immediately join the defensive backs for voluntary workouts after he gets to Washington State.”I’m trying to get with Teems and the other DBs — Teems I consider the captain of the DBs since he’s had the most experience and is the one returning starter,” said Danzy. “Depending on what group I get put in, I’m just trying to learn as much as I can, work out as much as I can, so they might have to tell me to slow down a little bit.”Upon his arrival, Danzy (5-10, 182, 4.51) will room with quarterback Arkelon Hall.”I’m bringing a lot of stuff,” said Danzy. “I know Hall is planning on taking over the whole room, so we’ll just throw his stuff over to the side. We’re probably going to have stuff on top of stuff.”Hall (6-2, 204) and Lorenzo Bursey are enrolled in summer school classes and will participate in the team’s voluntary summer workouts. Bursey has been in town since Wednesday evening, Hall arrives on Sunday, after playing in his all-star game tonight down in Fresno. The pair begin college coursework this Monday.Later today, Danzy is attending the Seattle PI All-Star Awards event, honoring the top Washington State high school athletes. It will be held at Safeco Field, with Danzy and the other all-stars taking in the Mariners-Mets game following the ceremonies.Danzy earned a perfect 4.0 his last trimester at Rainier Beach High.
KENNY ALFRED (OL, 6-3, 295) spent his spring excelling in track and field for Gig Harbor High, helping the Tides capture the 4A title by 3 points over Ballard High.Alfred took second in the state finals in the shot put, finishing one inch out of the lead. He took first place in all but two regular season meets in the shot, with a personal best throw on the year of 60-10 1/2 coming in the districts. His top discus throw on the year was 160-5.Alfred plans on heading over to Pullman around the end of July, first of August.”I want to get over, get settled in and get ready to play ball,” said Alfred, who’s regularly touched base with coaches George Yarno, Mike Levenseller and Doba this winter and spring.He’s also eager to get to Spokane and put on the pads this next week for the West squad practices.”I’m just excited,” said Alfred. “I want to get to know the guys a bit better and I just want to play football again. I spent a couple days watching my team play spring ball and I just wanted to go out there and hit with them.”The 4A/3A East West all-star gameJuly 1, 7pm at Central Valley High school. Players report on Sunday, June 26. Monday through Thursday, June 27-30, the West team will practice at East Valley High, while the East Team practices at Central Valley High. Practice times are at 9am and 3pm. Friday is game day, with both teams holding a final practice at Central Valley at 9am, with the contest being played that evening.
Arnold wants to blow up the moon???
Howard Stern has a theory.
It goes like this: Tidal waves, tsunamis, PMS. Who needs ‘em? Solution: BLOW UP THE MOON.
So Howard presented this theory a few weeks ago and the next day a show regular who does a fairly believable impression of Arnold Schwarzenegger called up and announced he was proposing a bill to take the lead and blow up the moon. If the California legislature refused to take action he promised he’d go up their himself and take care of it.
A few internet “news” sites wrote this up as fact (though anyone who heard it couldn’t have taken it seriously) and before you know it Joe Scarborough was ripping Arnold to shreds over it.
Here’s the call. You can either download it, or just click and your media player should open up and play it:
Here’s the “actor” who is building a career impersonating Arnold in a very believable manner:
http://www.fakearnold.com/
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