Grip on Sports: The changing state of college athletics leads to new faces in new places, some of which seem a little jolting

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Where were we? Oh, ya. Not appreciating enough what we have. Maybe it’s time to change that.

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• Sometimes all it takes to appreciate the little things of life is to rip them away. Like working electricity. No, we’re not talking about “The Last of Us” apocalyptic breakdowns. More mundane. Like settling into a hotel room for a weekend stay and finding half the outlets in the room don’t work.

Nice. The overnight laptop charging didn’t take. Had to get on our knees and hands this morning, move furniture and use an extension cord to power up the darn thing. Fun.

You would think the words “status quo” would, in a major-chain hotel room sense, would include working plugs. Then again, “status quo” is changing in every aspect of life.

Heck, we spent decades seeing the West Coast Conference as the home of the Jesuit schools in this part of the country, albeit with a secular beach school added on to supply some pepper. Then the league became the destination of choice for those in need of a safe harbor.

Giving succor to BYU seemed to fit the Jesuit mission of aiding those in their time of need, but the giant LDS school always seemed a bit out of place. Still, most years the decade-long marriage helped the conference, and, most importantly, Gonzaga, in its never-ending quest for NCAA basketball respect.

Of course, the Cougars from Provo were always searching for a football conference to call home and they finally found it in the Big 12. Last basketball season seemed a bit odd without them.

But odd will seem a bit normal soon. Two Power Five residents of the Pacific Northwest will be joining next season, as Oregon State and Washington State needed a new port after another conference-realignment tsunami destroyed theirs.

Turns out, their two-year docking is just the beginning. For the WCC. Two more members will join in 2025 and they couldn’t be more different.

Seattle University is a perfect fit, in one sense. A Jesuit school with a history, albeit an ancient one by today’s standards, with many of the conference’s schools. But when it comes to helping the basketball programs at Gonzaga – the No. 1 priority for a few people on campus – with their NET rankings, the Redhawks only recently became a positive. And one wonders how long that will last.

Grand Canyon University is the antithesis of the Redhawks. No Jesuits, no history, no problem. After all, the for-profit Christian school has, under Bryce Drew, morphed into a basketball power. The men were good enough last season to bully their way into the NCAA’s second round. And, even if Drew leaves for a more high-profile position, that probably won’t change. The godfather of Antelope hoops is Jerry Colangelo, the 84-year-old former NBA owner and director of USA Basketball. The business school at Grand Canyon? It’s named after him.

And he still influences the Antelopes’ basketball fortunes.

During the NCAA Tournament in Spokane last month, we met an old friend at the Davenport Tower to catch up. We sat and watched Yale upset Auburn. Behind us, in a booth, sat WCC commissioner Stu Jackson and Colangelo, sharing food and conversation prior to the Lopes’ game against Saint Mary’s.

Were the two of them working out the details of yesterday’s announcement? There is no way to know for sure but we can be positive the addition wouldn’t have occurred without Colangelo’s involvement and blessing.

One has to wonder if the latest WCC add-ons will last. We know WSU and OSU are just stopping by. Seattle U? It’s been angling for a conference seat for at least a decade. But GCU? The marriage’s odd nature makes it seem unlikely to last. Then again, are any these recent conference nuptials long-term affairs?

Those questions, of course, are for tomorrow. Today, the Jackson and the schools of the WCC have done what was needed. They have adapted to the changing times. And given the conference another jolt of electricity.

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WSU: The Cougars continue to add to their football roster, adding a former Auburn linebacker Friday. Greg Woods has this story. … Washington State has one of the better starting pitchers in the always tough Pac-12. Colton Clark has this story on righthander Grant Taylor. … Jaden Hicks is considered one of the steals of the NFL draft by some. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner has a mailbag in the Mercury News. There is a question, and answer, about the money UCLA will soon have to start paying California. Add the new costs up and, as John Canzano writes, the Bruins helped destroy the Pac-12 for pennies. … Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. is on to the next stop in his football career, the Atlanta Falcons. … The Huskies still have questions. … The rivalry between Utah and BYU has already reached a new level and will only grow in the Big 12. … On the basketball court, Tara VanDerveer’s name will be on Stanford’s. … The roster will look different at Colorado next season. … Oregon’s men officially added another player. … Arizona State will bring back just two players from last season’s roster.

Gonzaga: Forget our blather about the WCC’s expansion. Want intelligent thoughts? Can we suggest Dave Boling’s column? … Theo Lawson has all the particulars of the additions. … From Friday morning, Theo also had a story on the upcoming two-year scheduling deal with UCLA. … The conference additions aren’t just local news.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Montana added a junior college basketball transfer and Montana State welcomes in a player from USC.

Preps: We can pass along a track roundup from Greg Lee and a roundup of the other sports from Dave Nichols.

Indians: For the second consecutive night, host Hillsboro walked-off Spokane, winning Friday 3-2 in 10 innings. Dave Nichols has more in this story. … Elsewhere in the Northwest League, Vancouver defeated Everett 4-3 and visiting Tri-City handled Eugene 9-4.

Velocity: Spokane will host Omaha in the second USL League One Cup group stage match today. Ethan Myers has more in this preview.

Mariners: Need more offense? Turn to Dylan Moore. His career night lifted the M’s to a homestand-opening 8-1 victory over Oakland. Bryan Woo started and left early but the Mariners say he’s OK. … That’s not true of Matt Brash, who had Tommy John surgery this week. … Julio Rodriguez is not launching the ball.

Storm: Jewell Loyd is still the brightest gem Seattle has, not matter how many additions there are to the roster. But it is time to win.

Seahawks: Yes, there have been many changes. But there are still questions on the offensive line.

Sounders: It’s rivalry weekend. The Sounders face Portland while hoping to find a scoring touch. … Seattle learned its next U.S. Open Cup opponent.

Reign: This weekend’s match with the Thorns will be different without Megan Rapinoe to stir things up.

Sonics: There is another report Seattle is getting closer to finally getting an NBA team back.

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• We’re pretty sure having working outlets should be a perquisite for all hotel rooms. But what do we know? Until later …