Northwest hoops hysteria

It’s great a time to be a hoops fan in the Northwest.

On Monday night, Gonzaga thumped Santa Clara clinching their eighth consecutive West Coast Conference title. In the opening five minutes GU harassed Santa Clara and jumped out to a 12-0 lead. It only got uglier from there. The Zags continued an unprecedented string of dominance, now having won 10 of the past 11 WCC titles. Holding rankings in both top 25 polls, the Zags are getting primed for yet another NCAA tournament run.

Just 90 miles south in Pullman, typical Pac-10 doormat Washington State is almost a lock for its second-consecutive NCAA bid. The Cougars hit a rough patch in late January dropping four of five games, but bounced back winning four in a row. A disappointing loss at No. 8 Stanford over the weekend wasn’t a bad thing. Guards Kyle Weaver and Derrick Low will lead the stingy Cougs into March again. It’s a surprise, considering the recruiting mecca the Palouse is.

And yes, even Idaho Vandal fans have reason to smile. Not only has the men’s team doubled its win total from a year ago (four to eight), but the team boasts a two-game win streak heading into their regular season finale. Also, former Vandal women’s star Leilani Mitchell is thriving in her new home in Salt Lake. Mitchell transferred to Utah after her high school and Idaho assistant and her two high school teammates left. The 5-foot-5 guard is fifth in the nation in assists per game (7.2) and paces the No. 15 Utes. Mitchell is garnering national attention, first by SI’s Kelli Anderson and then by ESPN’s Graham Hays. Great to see her playing well and getting credit where credit is do.

Unfortunately, there’s little solace to be found in Seattle. However, ESPN’s Bill Simmons did a fantastic job accumulated nearly 15,000 words of anguished e-mails from Sonics fans finally giving a voice and national publicity to the pending departure of Seattle’s beloved NBA franchise.

Simmons writes “…This isn't a case that you can say, ‘You know, I kind of understand both sides here.’ There is only one side. An NBA team is getting hijacked and there's no way of sugarcoating it, defending it or justifying it. Again, if it happens to the Sonics, it could happen to your team. That’s why you should care.” And that’s why you should read on.

Now, Simmons published a sequel to his "Save The Sonics" piece, including a possible solution David Stern could facilitate – “assuming he cares at all about not murdering the Sonics in Seattle.” That is eerily familiar to another solution brought to light here.

In parting, ESPN’s Jim Caple takes a humorous shot at David Stern and his passive approach to keep Seattle a viable NBA market in this biting piece, which I highly recommend.

Blogger’s Note: How could I leave out my Alma mater. That’s right the Whitworth men’s basketball team, champions of the Northwest Conference, earned a first round bye in the NCAA Division III Tournament. That was a truly shocking development, due to a recent number of snubs by the NCAA for past brilliance. Can someone say make-up call? Anyway, the best of luck to them, go Pirates!