Washington State University Athletics

Cougars gearing up for No. 3 Stanford, California.

January 18, 1999

PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State will face a top three team for the first time in nearly a decade when WSU and Stanford meet Thursday at Maples Pavilion. The third-ranked Cardinal will be the highest ranked team the Cougars have faced since losing to No. 1 Arizona 62-54 March 10, 1989, in the Pac-10 tournament. WSU's Bay Area trip concludes in a Saturday matinee versus Cal. That game will be televised live on Fox Sports Bay Area.

WSU-STANFORD SERIES: Cardinal lead 51-47. Stanford has forged a four-game series edge by virtue of its current five-game series winning streak. The Cougars' last win was a 68-59 decision at 24th-ranked Stanford in 1996; that game also marks WSU's last road win over a ranked team. Last year, Stanford swept the Cougars 72-56 in Maples and 82-72 at Pullman. WSU has experienced relative success at Maples and owns a 13-17 all-time record at the facility. In fact among Stanford's opponents, only UCLA (19 wins) and Oregon State (14 wins) have more wins at Maples than the Cougars. The Cardinal are trying to match their longest winning streak against WSU. Stanford won six straight over the Cougs between 1988-91. The series dates back to a 36-18 Cougar win in 1917.

WSU-CALIFORNIA SERIES: Golden Bears lead 54-39. This has been one of the league's best series of the 1990s -- it's 10-8 in WSU's favor this decade. Cal swept WSU last year (69-60 in the New Arena, 86-75 at Pullman) and has won four of the last six games. WSU last defeated the Bears 89-87 in 1997 and last won at Cal 92-89 in 1995. The Cougars were also credited with a win for the 1996 game at Berkeley that the Bears forfeited. WSU is 14-30 all-time at Cal. Six of the last seven games in this series have been decided by nine points or less. The series dates back to a 28-20 Cal win in 1917.

PAC-10 POWER: If WSU and Oregon State can manage a split this weekend, all 10 Pac-10 teams will remain at .500 or better.

THIS WEEK

Radio: The Crimson & Gray Sports Network will broadcast all WSU games on its 16-station network with Bud Nameck (6th season) calling the play-by-play. Broadcasts are also available via the Internet, www.broadcast.com

WSU at No. 3 Stanford
Thursday, January 21
7:30 p.m. PST
Maples Pavilion (7,391)

Television: None.

Records: WSU is 8-8 on the year (2-3 Pac-10) after splitting a pair of home games versus the Oregon schools -- an 87-83 triple-overtime loss to Oregon and an 84-79 win against Oregon State. Stanford is coming off a big road sweep of USC (72-55) and UCLA (72-59) and has won 11 straight.

WSU at California
Saturday, January 23
1:00 p.m. PST
New Arena in Oakland (19,200)

Television: Fox Sports Bay Area.

Records: Cal, 11-4 overall, and WSU come into the weekend with identical 2-3 Pac-10 records (tied for fourth). The Golden Bears are coming off a split in Los Angeles, losing to UCLA 72-61 before beating USC 89-75. Cal hosts Washington Thursday night before Saturday's game.

On Deck: The Cougars open a four-game homestand by hosting No. 12 UCLA on Thursday, January 28. The homestand continues with USC January 30, followed the next week by Arizona State and No. 9 Arizona.

EASTMAN NEARS 200 VICTORIES: Kevin Eastman is in his fifth season as head coach at WSU. He has a 67-67 (.500) five-year record. Among Cougar coaches with at least a four-year tenure, Eastman's winning percentage is tied for fourth with Kelvin Sampson's .500 (103-103/1988-94). The New Brunswick, N.J., native's winning percentage also trails three WSU coaching legends, Jack Friel's .568 (495-377/1929-58), Fred Bohler's .561 (226-177/1909-26) and George Raveling's .551 (167-136/1973-83).

Overall in 11 years as a head coach, Eastman holds a 191-142 (.574) record. Included in that are a 65-22 mark at Belmont Abbey and a 59-53 mark at UNC-Wilmington.

Eastman is 2-6 all-time versus Stanford and 4-4 all-time against California.

ROOKIES RACK UP STATS: Washington State's three new players -- junior guard Jan-Michael Thomas, sophomore forward Eddie Miller and freshman guard Mike Bush -- have made quite an impact on the Cougar basketball squad. Combined, the trio accounts for 44 percent of WSU's total scoring (34.3 ppg), 52 percent of its three-point baskets and 41 percent of its total steals.

Thomas leads WSU in scoring (16.3 ppg), three-pointers (57), three-point FG Pct. (.471) and free throw percentage (.852). In fact, Thomas leads the Pac-10 in free throw percentage. Miller leads the Cougars in field goal percentage (.605) and ranks second in rebounding (5.6 rpg) and fourth in scoring (10.9 ppg). Bush paces the Cougs with 28 steals this season and is the only newcomer who has played in all 16 games. Bush is also second among Pac-10 freshmen with 1.75 steals per game.

MILLER GRINDING AWAY INSIDE: Sophomore forward Eddie Miller has been right on the money from the field of late. He has connected on 50 percent or better of his field goal attempts in eight consecutive games. Miller is shooting 63 percent (29-46) during that span, punctuated by his career-high 20 points Saturday against Oregon State.

For the season, Miller leads WSU with a 60.5 percent field goal average, which would rank third in the Pac-10 if he had the minimum requirement of four FGM per game (he's currently four FGM shy). In 14 games, Miller has shot below 50 percent just twice -- his very first game versus Central Washington (1-3) and Brigham Young (5-12).

CLOSE ONES GO WSU'S WAY: Last year, WSU was 2-9 in games decided by seven points or less. This season in that same category, WSU is 4-1 with a pair of one point victories.

AIRWOLF JAN-MICHAEL THOMAS: Junior guard Jan-Michael Thomas has really been impressive from beyond the arc. The Cougar gunman ranks fifth nationally in three-point field goals made per game at 3.8 (the national leader is Brian Merriweather of Texas-Pan American at 4.9 per game).

Jan-Michael, who was named after actor Jan-Michael Vincent, has made 39 of his 57 three-pointers in his last nine games; that's an average of 4.3 per game! Only once during that span has Thomas been held below two treys and that was the Washington game when his sole three pointer with three seconds remaining was the game winner.

The Inglewood, Calif., native set McKale Center and Arizona opponent records when he nailed eight threes at Tucson January 7. Thomas scored a career-high 34 points versus the Wildcats.

He also set Sun Classic and Don Haskins Center records when he buried eight three pointers in WSU's first round loss to UTEP on December 28. His first record of the season came at the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, when he netted a tournament-record seven treys versus Nebraska.

THOMAS EYES SEASON MARK: At his current pace of 3.8 three-point baskets per game, Jan-Michael Thomas would record 106 treys during the regular season (28 games; he missed the Arizona State game with the flu), which would easily shatter the Cougar single-season record of 83 set by Eddie Hill in 1994. With 57 treys on the season, he needs just two more to enter WSU's season top 10. Thomas could challenge the Pac-10 record of 114 set by Arizona's Steve Kerr in 1988. The league's top two three point threats -- Thomas (47.1 percent) and Stanford's Arthur Lee (47.2 percent) -- square off Thursday at Stanford.

As a team, the Cougars lead the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.406) and three-pointers made per game (8.0). WSU is also on pace to break the school record of 221 three-point goals set in 1994.

THOMAS NAMED PAC-10 POTW - Junior guard Jan-Michael Thomas was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week on December 14 for his performance in the Cougars' 70-69 win against Brigham Young December 8 in Pullman.

Thomas scored 17 of his team-high 22 points in the second half. He converted three of his final four free throw attempts, including the game-winner with nine seconds remaining. Thomas, a native of Inglewood, Calif., is among the Pac-10 leaders in three-point field goal pct., having connected on 57 of 121 attempts (.471). It was the first career award for Thomas and the first Pac-10 player of the week award for WSU since Mark Hendrickson was honored on January 23, 1995. It is the Cougars' 13th all-time player of the week award.

WSU VS. RANKED OPPONENTS: No. 3 Stanford is the second ranked opponent WSU will face in 1998-99. The first was No. 8 Arizona (a 98-87 loss Jan. 7 in Tucson) The last time WSU defeated a ranked opponent was February 22, 1997, when the Cougs beat No. 25 Cal 89-87. The last time WSU beat a ranked opponent on the road was February 22, 1996, a 68-59 decision at No. 24 Stanford.

WSU has not defeated a Top 10 team since beating No. 8 USC 82-68 on March 8, 1992. WSU last defeated a Top 10 team on the road on March 6, 1976, when the Cougars downed No. 10 Washington 61-59 in Seattle. That is the only time in WSU history that WSU has defeated a Top 10 team on the road.

WSU has never defeated a team ranked in the top three. The highest ranked team the Cougars have knocked off was No. 4 Oregon State 69-51 on February 16, 1980.

Date	Score				Location
1/7		No. 8 Arizona 98, WSU 87	Tucson, Ariz.

G 1-3           Mensah-Bonsu, Crosby, Nelson, Pengelly, Bush
G 4, 13, 15-16  Mensah-Bonsu, Crosby, Miller, Pengelly, Thomas
G 5             Mensah-Bonsu, Crosby, Nelson, Pengelly, Thomas
G 6             Mensah-Bonsu, Slotemaker, Pengelly, Thomas, Bush
G 7-10          Mensah-Bonsu, Crosby, Pengelly, Thomas, Bush
G 11            Mensah-Bonsu, Miller, Pengelly, Thomas, Hutchens
G 12            Mensah-Bonsu, Crosby, Slotemaker, Pengelly,Thomas
G 14            Mensah-Bonsu, Crosby, Miller, Pengelly, Bush

ANOTHER GAME, ANOTHER RECORD: From Alaska to Texas, it seems like just about everywhere the Cougars travel this season, they set a record. The most recent trip to Arizona was no exception. Junior guard Jan-Michael Thomas set McKale Center and Arizona opponent records with eight three pointers in WSU's 98-87 loss on January 7. It was the fourth and fifth records of the season established or tied by Thomas alone. FYI: The Maples Pavilion record for three-pointers made is nine by Steve Beck of ASU in 1987, while the team mark is 15 by Stanford in 1997. The Oakland record is five by five different players, while the team record is 15 by Oregon in 1998. Here's a look at the marks WSU has left around the country:

Date	Record Set
11/21	Top of the World Classic (Fairbanks, Alaska)
		three-point field goals (7), individual single
		game, by Jan-Michael Thomas (vs. Nebraska)
12/20	TIE - WSU school three-point field goals (9),
		individual single-game, by Chris Crosby
		(at Idaho)
12/20	Kibbie Dome (Moscow, Idaho) three-point field
		goals (9), individual single-game, by Chris
		Crosby (vs. Idaho)
12/28	Don Haskins Center (El Paso, Texas) three-point
		field goals (8), individual single-game, by Jan-
		Michael Thomas (vs. Texas-El Paso)
12/28	Sun Bowl Classic (El Paso, Texas) three-point
		field goals (8), individual single-game, by Jan-
		Michael Thomas (vs. Texas-El Paso)
12/29	Don Haskins Center (El Paso, Texas) points
		(114), team single-game, by WSU (vs.
		Grambling State)
12/29	Sun Bowl Classic (El Paso, Texas) margin-of-
		victory (46 points;114-68), team single-game,
		by WSU (vs. Grambling State)
1/7		McKale Center (Tucson, Ariz.) three-point field
		goals (8), individual single-game, by Jan-
		Michael Thomas (vs. Arizona)
1/7		Arizona opponent three-point field goals (8),
		individual single-game, by Jan-Michael
		Thomas (at Arizona)
1/14	Friel Court (Pullman, Wash.) fouls -- two teams
		(62), by Oregon (30) and WSU (32)

KAZADI MISSES, STILL SHOOTING WELL AT FT LINE: Senior guard Kab Kazadi finally missed another free throw during the loss to Arizona. He had made 13 straight attempts dating back to the BYU game on December 8, and had not missed in more than a month; his last misfire came during the second half at Eastern Washington on December 5. Kazadi is still among WSU's free throw percentage leaders, connecting on 79.2 percent for the year. Kazadi came into 1998-99 a 67 percent career free throw shooter.

SCOUTING STANFORD: A 1998 Final Four participant, No. 3 Stanford has taken over where it left off last season and leads the Pac-10 at 5-0. The Cardinal are 15-2 overall and have won 11 straight. There is not much that Stanford doesn't do well. The Cardinal lead the Pac-10 in scoring margin (+17.6), scoring defense (55.4 ppg) and assist-to-turnover ratio. In fact, there are only four categories in which the Cardinal do not rank in the top five: free throw percentage (sixth/.660), blocked shots (seventh/3.18), scoring (eighth/73.0) and steals (tenth/6.06). In fact, the only significant statistical edge WSU has over the Cardinal could come in quickness: the Cougars are fourth in the Pac-10 at 8.94 steals per game. Think WSU could have an edge with its three-point shooting? Think again. WSU may lead the league with eight treys a game, but Stanford paces the Pac-10 in three-point field goal percentage defense at .274.

SCOUTING CALIFORNIA: The Golden Bears have been tough at home and bring an 8-1 New Arena in Oakland mark into this weekend. Cal has played at Oakland the past two years and will move into the brand new Haas Pavilion (a renovated Harmon Gym) next season. Cal leads the conference in turnover margin (+5.87) and forces more than 20 turnovers per game. The Golden Bears make the fewest three pointers per game (3.8), while WSU hits the most (8.0). Both Cal and WSU struggle in rebounding, ranking at or near the bottom of the conference. Leading scorer Gino Carlisle (17.9 ppg) came off the bench in last Saturday's 89-75 win at USC.

WSU-OREGON RECAP: In one of the wildest games in Friel Court history, Oregon prevailed 87-83 in triple-overtime Thursday night at Pullman. Junior guard Jan-Michael Thomas led the Cougars with 28 points (four three-pointers) in a career-high 52 minutes, while senior forward Kojo Mensah-Bonsu added 17, sophomore forward Eddie Miller had 13 and senior forward Steve Slotemaker had 11 in a career-high 34 minutes. Junior guard Blake Pengelly tied a career high with six rebounds in a career-high 44 minutes, while Mensah-Bonsu matched a career high with four steals. It was just the fourth triple-overtime game in Cougar history and the third ever at Friel Court.

Oregon set a Friel Court record with 65 rebounds (breaking WSU's mark of 55 set December 11, 1974 versus DePaul). The two teams combined to break the building's two-team total fouls record with 62 (30 by Oregon, 32 by WSU). WSU and Stanford held the previous mark of 56 set in 1996.

WSU-OREGON STATE RECAP: WSU snapped a three-game losing streak by beating Oregon State 84-79 on Saturday. It was WSU's ninth straight home win over the Beavers. The Cougs have also won 10 of the last 11 overall against OSU. Junior forward Chris Crosby had a game-high 22 points, while sophomore forward Eddie Miller scored a career-high 20 points. Junior guard Jan-Michael Thomas added 16 points. Crosby and Thomas both netted four three pointers. As a team, WSU hit 55 percent of its threes (11-20) against the Beavers. The OSU win was WSU's second Pac-10 victory of the season. Last year, the Cougars did not earn their second Pac-10 win until February 14.

KOJO'S MOJO: Senior forward Kojo Mensah-Bonsu is emerging as one of the best all-around players in the Pac-10. He recorded his fourth double-double of the season at Arizona State when he scored 15 points and collected a career-high 11 rebounds. He currently ranks 16th in scoring (13.1 ppg), 10th in rebounds (6.6 rpg) and eighth in blocked shots (1.13 bpg). His four double-doubles rank fifth in the Pac-10.

During the last 11 games (during which he recorded all four double-doubles), Kojo is averaging 13.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

In the January 3 upset of Washington, Kojo had 19 points and 10 rebounds and helped hold Washington All-America center Todd MacCullough to just two points.

Kojo has been WSU's leading rebounder in seven of the last 11 games and has scored in double digits in 10 of the last 14.

INJURIES TAKE TOLL: For the first time this season, all 12 WSU players were in uniform and healthy when the Cougars took the floor December 28 versus Texas-El Paso. One day later, all 12 Cougars saw action in the rout of Grambling State.

From game one, WSU had at least one player unavailable due to injury. The first four games, back-up point guard Kab Kazadi was nursing a deep thigh bruise. Then just as Kazadi returned for the Gonzaga game, another player, sophomore forward Eddie Miller went down during the last 15 minutes of the last practice before the Gonzaga game. He was the first of WSU's six left ankle injuries.

Sophomore center Brian Stewart was ankle No. 2 just three days later, while senior forward Steve Slotemaker suffered the team's third left ankle sprain during the first half of the December 2 win against Portland State when he fell on a Viking player following a three-point shot attempt. That was a span of six days when three players sprained their left ankle. Miller and Stewart each missed two games, while Slotemaker was lost a span of three games.

In mid-December, freshman guard Mike Bush sprained his left ankle walking on an icy sidewalk, while Kazadi suffered a left ankle sprain during a finals week practice. Both returned in time for the Idaho game.

Perhaps the strangest left ankle sprain happened to senior center Leif Nelson who suffered the injury on December 13 while playing with some local youths during a Cougar appearance in the Pullman community. Nelson missed the Idaho game but returned to play versus UTEP.

The flu bug hit junior guard Jan-Michael Thomas for the January 9 Arizona State game as he missed his first contest of the year. Cougar players have sat out a combined 13 games in 1998-99 due to injury or illness.

WSU WINS 200th AT FRIEL COURT: Washington State's 74-71 victory December 2 against Portland State was the Cougars' 200th all-time win at Friel Court. Beginning with an 80-78 WSU victory against Louisiana State on December 1, 1973, the Cougars have won nearly two-thirds of the games they have played there (.652). WSU has a 202-108 all-time record in Beasley. WSU is 4-1 at Friel Court this season with wins over Central Washington (91-78), Portland State (74-71), BYU (70-69) and Oregon State (84-79) and the triple-overtime loss to Oregon (87-83). Milestone wins at Friel:

No. 1	WSU 80, LSU 78, 12/1/73
No. 3	WSU 71, USC 56, 1/5/74 (first league win)
No. 25	WSU 77, Cal 63, 1/8/77
No. 50	WSU 77, USC 57, 1/24/80
No. 100	WSU 75, Oregon 71, 2/14/86
No. 150	WSU 95, Oregon 79, 1/21/93
No. 200	WSU 74, Portland State 71, 12/2/98

The streak began with a 112-81 win over BYU-Hawaii in the first game of the 1990-91 season. WSU's 41 wins include 36 at Friel and five at Bohler Gym (all during the 1990-91 season). The streak also includes NIT victories in 1992 (Minnesota), 1995 (Texas Tech) and 1996 (Gonzaga).

CROSBY HANDLES VANDALS: Junior forward Chris Crosby was nearly unstoppable in WSU's 84-69 December 20 win at Idaho. He tied a school record with nine three pointers (set by Bennie Seltzer, vs. Stanford, 2/27/93), was one shy of the Pac-10 record and nearly set another by hitting 90 percent (9-10) of his three point attempts (Eddie Hill's 1.000/6-6 is the school mark).

Crosby scored a career-high 38 points (tied for the fifth-highest single game total in WSU history) on 13-of-17 shooting and was a perfect three-for-three at the free throw line. His 38 points was the most by a WSU player since Isaac Fontaine had 38 in a double-overtime loss to Arizona on March 2, 1995. Crosby's 13 field goals and 17 attempts were also career-highs.

CROSBY EARNS ALL-TOURNEY NOD: Junior Chris Crosby was named to the all-tournament team for his play at the Top of the World Classic, November 19-22, in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was the first career all-tournament selection for the Littleton, Colo., native. Crosby was among the tournament's top scorers and rebounders, averaging 17.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest for the three-game event. Included in that was 25 points and career-highs in rebounds (13) and free throws (12) versus Alaska-Fairbanks.

MANAGER COHN HONORED: Perhaps the surprise of the Top of the World Classic came during the awards ceremony when WSU student manager Jeff Cohn was honored with the Order of Nanook Award. The Fairbanks Princess Hotel presents the award to the top manager, "for meritorious demonstration of courtesy, cooperation and competence." Cohn, a senior from Foster City, Calif., majoring in communications, was honored with two different plaques and a giant collectable polar bear (stuffed, of course).

ABOUT THE SCHEDULE: Washington State is again playing a challenging schedule. The Cougars have eight games against teams ranked in the preseason polls (Stanford, UCLA, Washington and Arizona - twice) and 13 games versus teams that played in the 1998 postseason (NCAA: Stanford, UCLA, Washington and Arizona - twice, Nebraska - once; NIT: Arizona State - twice, Gonzaga - once; NAIA: Central Washington).

THE PENGELLY IS MIGHTIER THAN: Junior guard Blake Pengelly is climbing WSU career lists in assists and three-point shooting. He passed Anthony Kidd for eighth in assists during the Oregon game and needs just two more assists to pass No. 7 Brad Johnson (263/1972-74) and eight to pass No. 6 Isaac Fontaine (268/1994-97). The Eugene, Ore., native ranks third in three-point field goal percentage at .421 and ninth in both three pointers made (106) and attempted (249).

Junior forward Chris Crosby passed Shamon Antrum (113/1995-96) to move into sixth in career three-pointers made during the Oregon State game and needs 13 more to enter the top five. Here's a look at where Pengelly and Crosby rank: