WHO are these guys, and what are they doing in the Sweet 16?
They toil in the giant Pac-10 Conference shadow of UCLA, USC and Stanford, and even nearby schools Gonzaga and the University of Washington. They feel compelled to recruit in faraway places such as Hawaii and Australia, and they own more long-suffering fans than the Jets. No one ever called any of their basketball coaches the Wizard of Pullman.
Is it any wonder why Washington State head coach Tony Bennett keeps a framed Rocky Balboa poster on the wall behind his desk?
The Cougars are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since falling to Wisconsin in the 1941 championship game, and to get to the title clash this time they’ll have to knock out the Apollo Creeds, Clubber Langs and Ivan Dragos of the college basketball world.
They’ll be easy to root for against the North Carolina-Arkansas winner Friday in Charlotte, N.C., in no small part because two years ago they were the doormats of the Pac-10. Bennett is 52-16 since taking over for his father Dick, who led Wisconsin to the 2000 Final Four (with Tony as an assistant) before taking the Cougars’ reins in 2003.
“No one knows who we are,” WSU senior Derrick Low was quoted as saying back in December. “Everyone always is, “Look at them. Who are these guys? They’re not too good.’ ”
Who are these guys? Wazzu, that’s who.
A unified collection of selfless afterthoughts ignored by the major college programs who found themselves a home in a godforsaken basketball place.
Low, the former point guard, is the 6-foot-2, 196-pound shooting guard with the ponytail from Hawaii who is the Cougars’ leading scorer at 14 points per game.
Aron Baynes is the 6-10, 270-pound bruiser from Cairns, Australia, who has his temper under control.
“The kid’s a monster,” UCLA thoroughbred Kevin Love was quoted as saying earlier in the season. “I’m not afraid of anybody, but that’s one big dude.”
Kyle Weaver, much more than a defensive ace now, is the versatile 6-6 senior guard who is believed to be the first player in conference history to register at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists, 150 steals and 75 blocked shots. Winona State wanted him, but hardly anyone else did. Something about being too skinny at the time.
Robbie Cowgill is the bearded 6-10, 205-pound senior string-bean power forward from Texas who Bennett considers an unsung hero.
Taylor Rochestie is the left-handed 6-1 point guard from Santa Barbara who transferred from Tulane after requiring major knee surgery. Rochestie likes to quote former NBA player and coach Rudy Tomjanovich.
“He said, ‘Never underestimate the heart of a champion,’ ” Rochestie told the Kitsap Sun. “I kind of live by that, because it’s not about the best talent a lot of time.”
Caleb Forrest is the free-spirited, 6-8 reserve who enjoys offensive rebounding and “Seinfeld” reruns.
The Cougars held Winthrop to 40 points and Notre Dame, which had averaged 80.6 points, to 41. It was after dismantling the Irish with transition defense that Bennett couldn’t stop extolling the character of his players.
“It takes a special kind of kid to come here,” Bennett told SI. com in November. “You have to have that underdog mentality.”
The eye of the tiger, no doubt.