We met with Brinkhater for this candid one-on-one at his palatial Sacramento estate, away from the bright lights/big city of Pullman. Here’s what happened.
Victory Bell: So, let’s get right down to business. What have you been up to?
Brinkhater: Well, I’m still hardly working, but I look like a workaholic compared to the activity you’ve experienced over the past year. I mean, have you considered a name change to “Moral Victory Bell.” It might help you get some more action. Look at you–you look fat!
VB: You’re such a stinking prick, BH. You care to answer the question?
BH: Well, I’ve been doing odd jobs here and there. Most of the time, I’ve been doing “handy” work for Sutra washing his array of Rolls Royce’s and taking care of the apartment which he still calls the Puraam.
What a total douche bag.
VB: So you two don’t get along?
BH: He’s the kind of best friend that you hate most of the time. A totally gutless blowhard, if you want to know the truth. I mean, look at his performance on MY BLOG this past year. I went like 74-2 in predicting Cougar fortunes over nearly three years. And Sutra, well, he picked like FOUR hoops games all year. What a stinking wuss! And picking us to beat NOTRE FRICKING DAME in San Antonio? Where’s the credibility? As Bill Walton would say, he’s “Horrrrrrribbbble. Terrrrribbbllee.”
VB: So, do you want to talk about football or hoops first?
BH: Let’s talk about hoops first….
VB: Okay. Obviously this year was a bit of a disappointment for Cougar fans. Who do you think are the biggest losers from the 2009-2010 Hoops season?
BH: Thanks for the softball question, Moral.
VB: That’s Victory.
BH: Whatever. Well, when you take a look at the biggest loser, you have to say it is Coach Ken Bone. Now, I know that Sutra talked a lot rotation patterns (wonder where he got THAT?) and went on and on about “Bone this, and Bone that.” But, really, that’s the small part of the picture.
The bigger issue is that I think that Bone failed to do what every single new coach MUST do in that first year: Establish an identity. And that’s really where Bone missed the boat. So, instead of establishing any type of identity for his boys or his fan base, everything seemed to collapse inward.
VB: …..(long pause)….I really don’t follow what you’re saying here, BH.
BH: Look, how many times over the previous four or five years did you hear Dick and Tony Bennett talk about “Washington State Basketball?” Don’t know about you, but I heard that all the time—not only from the coaches, but from the players. So, after a loss, you’d hear Bennett say, “we got away from Washington State Basketball.” Or, after a big win, Weaver would say, “Tonight, we showed them what Washington State Basketball is all about.”
But, with Bone, you heard him talk about “My system,” “The way I coach defense,” “My offense,” “My approach” and so forth. Rarely, if ever, did he assert an identity that was about WSU. Instead, it was always about him. And, quite frankly, not only is that not inspiring, it also makes me wonder about our prospects to recruit and win.
VB: What were your thoughts on the NCAA tournament? Did you see anything that you think is relevant to WSU?
BH: How about Butler?
VB: Yeah, great story.
BH: No, I’m saying that if you want to see a model for what WSU should try to become, its Butler. I mean, you look at their cast of characters and players and the resemblance to WSU is shocking. Of course, the big difference between the two is the relentless commitment to defense that Butler has. But, when you look at Shelvin Mack on the offensive end, you can see Reggie Moore doing a lot of the same things. Ditto Gordon Hayward and Klay Thompson. I mean, can you imagine what Klay would look like with a better left hand?? He’d be a smaller Hayward but with a much deeper perimeter game. And clearly, DeAngelo Casto is more talented than Butler’s Matt Howard.
Again, with a defensive mentality and some better offensive execution, we could become that TYPE of team. But, I don’t see Bone asserting that type of discipline and its disappointing, because you have to assert yourself EARLY with a young team.
VB: OK, then what about biggest winners for 2009-2010 in hoops?
BH: If you take the long view – something Sutra never can do – there were lots of winners. At the top of the list, you have Klay Thompson. Granted, he hit that slump at the end of the year. But in so doing, he had lots of weaknesses in his game exposed—which will make him a much better college player and pro. If he can develop that left hand, then I think he becomes a guy that could average 25 points a game while also making his teammates better.
Reggie Moore also had a special season, and the fact that he slumped late should serve as motivation to get better and avoid that dreaded sophomore slump. I also liked what I saw from Brock Motum at the end of the year, and I think James Watson could be a nice energy guy.
But the biggest winner has to be Casto. I know he’s undersized at roughly 6-7 or somewhere in there, but the guy looks like a future pro to me. I see him becoming the next Reggie Evans – albeit with a much better post game. He has a really nice future if he can stay healthy.
VB: Well, then what were your thoughts about the transfers?
BH: The Xavier Thames loss was huge. And there’s no way to sugarcoat that. Depth is a huge asset when you’re trying to play an uptempo offensive game and play defense at the same time. Even with Faisel the JC shooter coming in, Thompson and Moore played way too many minutes this past year. And, it would have been so nice to see X develop that great mid-range game that he has. You think about the way that kid played – he was gutty and fearless. The EXACT type of guy you want and need to have if you’re trying to build a team that can make it to and out of the first weekend of the Dance.
In terms of the rest of the guys, well, I think they made the right move for them and for us. Maybe we get a JC post guy as a result of the freed up scholies. But more than that, Bone has the ability now to bring in some kids that will make the drop-off less stark when Casto, Klay, and Capers leave. And that is big if he’s going to stick a around for a few more years…..
VB:…..hang on, IF he’s going to stick around a few more years? You think that’s in doubt?
BH: I think Bone has to win next year—and I’m talking about an NCAA appearance. If he doesn’t, then I think Moos will have some tough decisions to make. We’ll have talent next year, so if Moos is truly about winning, then the accountability marker will need to be laid down quickly.
I mean, you look at our roster right now, and a case can be made that we have three legit pro prospects in Klay Thompson, Reggie Moore, and DeAngelo Casto. When have we EVER been able to say that? And so, if you don’t punch two tickets with that group then something is wrong. Next year is REALLY big for the Hoops program.
In fact, I think its more important for Bone to win next year then Wulff.
VB: So, you want to talk about football now?
BH: Sure.
VB: What are you looking for in the rest of the offseason?
BH: An extension for Paul Wulff.
VB: …..ummmm…..What?
BH: You heard me. When I last posted on the blog following the Hawaii game last season, I told Jim Sterk to either fire Wulff on the spot, or at least back him up for the long haul. And, Jim did just that, issuing a couple of votes of confidence along the way despite the year-long struggles on the field.
But, now Bill Moos needs to take it one step further – give Wulff that fifth year of his deal RIGHT NOW.
VB: Why? I mean, what happens if we go 1-11 again this year?
BH: Look, if we tank this year and fire Wulff, then we’re going to lose the money that we’ve guaranteed for that fourth year. On top of that, if Wulff gets fired this year, you can put money in the bank that a 71st-91st ranked recruiting class will follow. So, you lose out on money and kids if you fire Wulff now. Do we need that?
VB:…..Keep going.
BH: Think of a football coach being a CEO of a corporation. That CEO has two responsibilities: 1) Bring in resources and then 2) manage those resources. Obviously, we’ve had no resources whatsoever in the program over the last few years. So, Wulff’s first and only job has been to turn what has been a resource poor organization into a “company” that has viable assets.
And in his two plus seasons, Wulff has shown that he can bring kids into the program.
Granted, the jury is still out about whether or not he can effectively manage (coach) those resources, but until such time that the cupboard is reasonably full, then you simply cannot make a determination about his ability to coach.
VB: So, you’re saying…?
BH: You give Wulff an extension NOW. Allow him to continue to recruit. And then, following the 2011 season, if we aren’t winning, THEN you can consider making a move.
But until Jeff Tuel is a junior and Louis Bland and company are seniors, you just can’t evaluate his ability to coach. So, give him the year now, get another year of GREAT recruiting in the bag, and then see where we’re at.
VB: But what about the upcoming season?
BH: It’s probably going to be a lot like the last two. Last year, we were basically a LAST PLACE TEAM in the WAC. This year, our goal is to be a last place team in the Pac. Realistically, if we can compete in nearly every game, that would be great.
I mean, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that we were down 35-0 by the mid part of the second quarter in nearly every game last year.
VB: What are you looking for in terms of wins and losses?
BH: One Pac-10 win, maybe two. I think the fortunes of this year’s team depend on those first few games. Clay Bennett State will beat us, but with all of their youth, we might be able to compete with them. And if we can, that will be a real confidence booster for a young team trying to move in a new direction. Then, unlike the last two years, we get a real cupcake in Montana State in that second game. So, the real swing game on our schedule is game #3, at SMU.
If we start 2-1, this team might be able to sniff what UW did last year (5-7 and pretty competitive for most of the year). Otherwise, we could have a major crisis of confidence on our hands.
And, again, that’s the reason why you HAVE to give Wulff that extension RIGHT NOW. Don’t let other Pac-10 coaches rumor monger that Wulff may not be back.
GIVE PAUL WULFF HIS FIFTH YEAR!!!!
VB: Whoa, easy there big fella! We get it. OK, moving on…..Sutra huffed and puffed a lot last year about offensive coordinator Todd Sturdy. What are your thoughts about him?
BH: I think that he is the one guy who really has to show this year. I mean, you look at that first year when he pulled the plug on Gary Rogers at QB, after just six quarters of action, followed by his officious praise of Marshall Lobbestael…..who looks now like at best a serviceable back-up. But then factor in most of his game plans last year. I mean, there’s a lot to doubt there. So, we’ll see how things go this year with more pieces and experience.
VB: What about Jeff Tuel?
BH: I think it’s pretty obvious Tuel looks and plays the part of a Pac-10 quarterback. The question is “will he be a GOOD or GREAT Pac-10 quarterback?” And quite frankly, we don’t have that answer right now. And I don’t think we’ll know at the end of this year, either.
You’re seeing in practice now that Tuel is starting to let it fly a bit more, and with that, will come turnovers. Remember, the road to stardom at WSU has been filled with struggles of the sophomore QB. Rosenbach, Bledsoe, Leaf, Gesser, they all suffered some major growing pains in their sophomore seasons. Tuel has played barely one-half of one season. And on top of that, we still don’t know what’s up with that offensive line. If they don’t improve by A MILE in ’10, then Tuel’s life could still be miserable because of how HORRIBLE we were up front last year. So, my sense is that we’re going to see what Tuel has to offer NEXT season…..did I mention that it’s time to give Wulff an extension?
VB: Yes, yes…..sigh….so, what else are you looking for in this year’s team?
BH: Defense. This young group is going to get burned some, but without question, the 2010 Cougar defense will be the most improved unit in the country. So, if the offensive line can step up and if we can get any type of deep threat going in the passing game, then we just might start to resemble a mediocre team.
And how GREAT would that be?
VB: Thanks for the time, BH. Any other thoughts?
BH: Yeah, Sutra decided that he wanted to set up a new group of followers in the Northeast. So, we’re packing up the Dog Truck this summer and headed to the great state of New York. So, it’s goodbye California time for us.
VB: Wow. Headed to Big East Country? How are you going to follow the Cougs?
BH: Its called “Direct TV”, Moral. You know, you’ve GOT to get out some more.
VB: Ok then. That’s all the time we have. Thank you again Brinkhater. Maybe we’ll do this again in the future?
BH: I doubt it…..but you never know.
All for now. GO COUGS!
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