Philly Gym Rat (The Perry “QM” McMullin Story)

[PointGuard]

I didn’t have any say about this year’s pre-conference schedule, but the AD decides taking on my old school would make things interesting, so New Hampshire will come to Pullman to lead us into Conference play. While not all opponents on our schedule are who I would have wanted, the overall schedule is good, particularly since 7 of the 11 games will be at home.

SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
SOUTH CAROLINA
@ Monmouth
#20 IOWA
@ Maine
@ West Virginia
NORTH DAKOTA ST.
@ Saint Mary’s
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
CINCINNATI
NEW HAMPSHIRE

[PointGuard]

I decided to redshirt PG Derrick Virgil. Although I think he will be a very strong player for us eventually, he can use a year of maturity and development.

[PointGuard]

(For Coach’s ears only since this was a closed scrimmage: “Congratulations, coach! Your New Mexico steam manhandled us. We played a half and your guys doubled our score, 46-23. After taking a break, we played a separate half. In that half we did better, playing you pretty evenly and outscoring you 29-26. But I think you were trying a lot of different things in that half which gave us a chance. Your center was simply awesome…his totals for the two halves were 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 blocks (yes 8). Anyway, it was a learning experience for our guys and we really appreciate your making the trip to The Palouse. )

(FYI: I used the “New Mexico” from my association which was 31-5 last year and ranked #8 in the nation so a close approximation of your team, but of course they didn't win the National Championship...they only got to the Elite 8.)

[PointGuard]

Here’s our starting lineup at the beginning of the season:

PG—Scott Robinson, 6-2 Jr, Hodgenville, KY, 2.0/3.5 stars (9.3 ppg last year)
SG—Shane Dix, 6-3 Jr, Selah, WA, 2.0/2.0 stars (4.9 ppg last year)
SF—Darius Bond, 6-6 Sr, SeaTac, WA, 3.5/3.5 stars (5.6 ppg last year)
PF—D. J. Asbury, 6-6 Sr, Medical Lake, WA, 2.5/3.5 stars (11.7 ppg last year)
C—Gareth Lewis, 6-8 Fr, Monroe, WA, 3.0/4.0 stars (HS senior last year)

Here’s our bench:

PG—Matt Jones, 6-5 Sr, Lacey, WA, 2.0/3.5 stars (2.1 ppg last year)
SG—Cory Malone, 6-6 So, Cowiche, WA, 2.0/2.0 stars (5.3 ppg last year)
SG—Ronnie Randle, 6-5 Fr, Milwaukie, OR, 1.0/3.0 stars (HS senior last year)
SF—Dion Lofton, 6-7 Sr, Issaquah, WA, 2.5/3.5 stars (2.3 ppg last year)
SF—Torrey Fleming, 6-7 Jr (R), Seattle, WA, 1.5/3.5 stars (0.8 ppg last year)
PF—Troy Thomas, 6-7 So (R), Sammamish, WA, 1.5/3.0 stars (2.9 ppg last year)
PF—Nigel Seabrooks, 6-6 So, Perkins, OK, 1.0/1.5 stars (ineligible due to transfer last year)
C—Rasual Smith, 6-10, Fr, Kent, WA, 0.5/1.0 stars (HS senior last year)

Ineligible due to academic probation:

C—Michael Robertson, 6-9 Fr (R), Vancouver, WA, 1.0/3.5 stars (redshirt last year)

Redshirt:

PG—Derrick Virgil, 6-3 Fr, San Marino, CA, 1.0/4.0 stars (HS senior last year)

[PointGuard]

Game #1: Nov. 16, 2021; Southern Miss Golden Eagles (0-1) at Washington State Cougars (0-0)

Freshman Gareth Lewis got the ball inside on 3 of our first 4 possessions and scored each time, plus was fouled on one shot he made and sunk the free throw to score 7 points in his first 2 minutes of collegiate ball. We held a lead through the early parts of the first half, but Southern Miss pulled ahead slightly midway in the half. The score was knotted 44-44 at the break. Gareth Lewis led our scoring with 14 points, but picked up his 3rd foul late in the half which may limit him in the 2nd half.

We took control early in the 2nd half and opened a 10 point lead with 13 minutes to play. We play some solid defense in the 2nd half and come away with an opening win.

Final Score: Washington State-82, Southern Miss-70. Washington State season record: 1-0.

Scoring leaders: Lewis-22, Bond-13, Asbury-12, Robinson-11, Dix-8.

Rebound leaders: Bond-8, Lewis-5.

Assist leaders: Robinson-3.

Player of the Game: C Gareth Lewis-22 pts, 5 reb, 1 assist.

Coach’s Pat on the Back Award: SF Darius Bond-13 pts, 8 reb, 2 assists, 2 steals.

Other notes: We dropped in 46% of our shots, but Southern Miss hit 45% of theirs. We were out-rebounded 32-29. But the difference in the game was that we forced the Golden Eagles to turn the ball over 18 times while making just 9 turnovers ourselves. We scored 36 points in the paint, primarily due to Gareth Lewis’ big first college game. Gareth needs to learn to avoid making silly freshman fouls though. SG Nick Morant scored 21 points and C Coupe Bollman pulled down 11 rebounds for Mississippi State.

[PointGuard]

Game #2: Nov. 19, 2021; South Carolina Gamecocks (1-0) at Washington State Cougars (1-0)

During the early portion of the 1st half we played a stout defense and led 17-9, but we let the Gamecocks come back and take a small lead. A streak by us late in the half gave us a 38-30 lead when the buzzer sounded. South Carolina out-shot us 52% to 41% but we held a 12-4 turnover advantage. Scott Robinson scored 10 points and Gareth Lewis added 9 points to lead our scoring.

We pulled ahead in the 2nd half and led by 6-8 points most of the way, but South Carolina cut our lead to 4 with 2 minutes left in the game. We clamped down defensively to keep them from scoring. They fouled Scott Robinson with 39 seconds left and he sunk both shots to put us ahead 69-63. We stole the inbounds pass and Robinson was again fouled. He made both free throws to put the game away with 31 seconds to go.

Final Score: Washington State-73, South Carolina-66. Washington State season record: 2-0.

Scoring leaders: Robinson-20, Lewis-11, Asbury-10, Jones-10, Bond-9.

Rebound leaders: Bond-8, Thomas-5.

Assist leaders: Bond-4, Jones-3.

Player of the Game: PG Scott Robinson-20 pts, 2 reb, 2 assists.

Coach’s Pat on the Back Award: SF Darius Bonds-9 pts, 8 reb, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 block.

Other notes: Although we let South Carolina drop in 53% of their FG attempts and out-rebound us 34-27, we forced them to make 26 turnovers while we made just 10.

[PointGuard]

Game #3: Nov. 23, 2021; Washington State Cougars (2-0) at Monmouth Hawks (1-0)

After playing in the warm, fuzzy confines of Beasley Coliseum, we journey onto the road for our first away game of the season. Senior SF Zendon Gelbard has consistently scored well during his entire career at Monmouth. He was the Northeast Atlantic Conference Freshman Player of the Year and has been named to the All Conference 1st Team all three of his previous years.
The score was close throughout the first half, but we escaped with a 33-31 lead at the break. Gareth Lewis led our scoring with 11 points. We didn’t allow Monmouth’s Zendon Gelbard to score in the half.

We held the lead throughout the 2nd half, but could not shake the Hawks who kept within 2-6 points. With us leading 59-55, Monmouth hit a 3 with 2:20 to play to cut our lead to a single point. Both teams turned the ball over on successive possessions, then we did it again and Monmouth drove down for a dunk that put them ahead 60-59 with 1:20 to go. We answered when Scott Robinson hit a 3 at the 1:05 mark to put us up 62-60. Both teams missed shots and Monmouth called a time out with 30 seconds left. Monmouth brought it up court under pressure, passed inside, then kicked the ball back to Zeldon Gelbard (who had hit just 1 of 8 shots thus far). SWISH...he sunk a 3 with 21 seconds on the clock to put us down by a point. The Hawks had a foul to give and did so to take some time off the clock. Matt Jones then cut around a screen and got off a 10-foot jumper with 4 seconds to go, but it was off the rim, the Hawks rebounded, and we lost a squeaker.

Final Score: Monmouth-63, Washington State-62. Washington State season record: 2-1.

Scoring leaders: Lewis-19, Asbury-14, Robinson-9, Bond-8.

Rebound leaders: Lewis-10, Jones-5, Bond-5.

Assist leaders: Bond-6.

Player of the Game: Monmouth’s SG Scott Chatman-16 pts, 2 reb, 1 assist.

Coach’s Pat on the Back Award: C Gareth Lewis-19 pts, 10 reb, 1 steal.

Other notes: Monmouth out-shot us 47% to 41%, so while we got to the line more and had a 16-13 turnover advantage, it was not enough to overcome the Hawks advantage scoring from the field. We held prolific scorer, Zendon Gelbard to 5 points. Gareth Lewis played a great game and had a double-double (19 points and 10 rebounds).

I was disappointed we let the game get away from us in the final few minutes, but life on the road isn’t easy, so what are ya gonna do? Given our rather pedestrian talent level, we actually played pretty well, although our shooting was sub-par.

[CoachC]

(for Q's ears only, that went a lot better than MY version of the closed scrimmage, where your leading scorer burned us for 28, and our defense looked better in the locker room than on the court. Those stats for Martin Ray though were pretty much right on the mark!)

[PointGuard]

Game #4: Nov. 26, 2021; Iowa Buckeyes (1-1) at Washington State Cougars (2-1)

Our biggest weakness thus far has been that no one has stepped up at the 2 position. Shane Dix seems not to have the confidence to put the ball up often enough (and this has been the case even more so for his replacement, Cory Malone). That’s allowing opponents to play Dix (and Malone) loose and put more concentration on PG Scott Robinson and SF Darius Bond. I decide to bench Dix to see if we can generate some offense from the 2 position. I’ll start our two PG’s (Robinson and Matt Jones) at the guard positions in this game. Maybe it will be a wake up call for Dix. This also may necessitate trying Dix and/or Malone at PG a little to see if they can handle that.

We came out firing darts and took an 18-8 lead with 13-1/2 minutes to play. But the refs kept their whistles busy nearly every time Iowa brought the ball down court. We picked up our 7th team foul at the 13:01 mark and Darius Bond headed to the bench with 2 personals. But our hot shooting cooled letting the Hawkeyes get back into the game. We went to the locker room with a 40-35 lead. D. J. Asbury scored 10 and Gareth Lewis added 8, as again, our inside game carried us.

We came out in the 2nd half combining a dominating defense with a scorching offense. With 13:30 left we led 59-41.

Iowa put on a run late in the half to cut our lead to 6 points with 1:45 to go. Then with 50 seconds left, the Hawkeyes’ leading scorer, Andre Montgomery, drove into the lane and pulled up to drop in a 5-footer to make the score 78-74. Iowa fouled on the inbound pass and Cory Malone sunk both shots. Iowa scored on a drive up the lane on which Gareth Lewis fouled. The Hawkeyes free throw cut our lead to 80-77 with 31 seconds on the clock. Again Iowa fouled immediately and this time Scott Robinson hit both free throws making it 82-77. Iowa missed a 3 and fouled again. Darius Bond hit the first but missed the 2nd free throw. Iowa’s last second 3 was wide.

Final Score: Washington State-83, Iowa-77. Washington State season record: 3-1.

Scoring leaders: Lewis-17, Robinson-16, Asbury-14, Jones-11,Thomas-8.

Rebound leaders: Lewis-7, Jones-7, Asbury-5.

Assist leaders: Robinson-4, Dix-3, Asbury-3, Jones-3, Bond-3.

Player of the Game: C Gareth Lewis-17 pts, 7 reb, 2 assists, 4 steals.

Coach’s Pat on the Back Award: PG Scott Robinson-16 pts, 4 reb, 4 assists.

Other notes: We hit 54% of our shots, Iowa dropped in 47% of theirs. We won the battle of the boards 30-27 and held a 14-13 turnover advantage.
My experiment of starting both PGs and at points playing one or the other at SG was successful. Scott Robinson and Matt Jones scored a combined 27 points. Shane Dix came off the bench to play at PG instead of SG tonight. He scored 6 points and dished out 3 assists in 19 minutes on the floor which was good, but he turned the ball over 4 times. The inside duo of Gareth Lewis and D.J. Asbury continues to be very effective, scoring a combined 31 points tonight. Troy Thomas came off the bench to add another 8 points inside.

[PointGuard]

Our 3-1 record has a buzz beginning on campus and around town as the enthusiasm for our team grows amongst students, alumni, local residents, and the media. They're starved for success here.

When I got a haircut this week, the barber would NOT allow me to pay and I’m being comped meals at local restaurants even though I try to pay.

In my interviews by the student and local media, I try to put our record in perspective, telling them all our wins have been at home, that we’ve not yet played any really tough competition and none that are equal to what we will encounter with conference play begins. But they point out we’ve beaten a Big 10 team and a Southeastern Conference team. I counter than neither of those teams are likely to end up in the upper half of the standings in their conferences. I’m happy people are getting excited and enthused, but I’m afraid the bottom will fall out if/when we begin losing…and then I’ll probably have to pay double price for meals and may be scalped by the barber.

But it’s a different environment here in Pullman…WSU students don’t have the outside diversions available for students across the state at the University of Washington in the large metropolitan city of Seattle. The beaches and mountains aren't near Pullman. The weather is much harsher here. The media doesn’t have other teams to focus upon such as the Seahawks and Mariners in Seattle.

Therefore there seems to be a more intense loyalty to WSU teams, particularly when they do well. Anyway, I guess enjoy it while it lasts…the growing crowds and growing fan reactions at our games are a real bonus…and if continued, will give us more of a home court advantage.