A judge in California has ruled that Reggie Bush will be ordered to give a deposition under oath on April 23rd concerning money and gifts he and his family received while he was a student at USC.
The NCAA, thanks to Bush not paying Lake the alleged $3.2M settlement, will now be hanging on the Heisman Trophy winner’s every word on April 23. That day, Bush’s Heisman Trophy, Pete Carroll’s legendary USC coaching legacy and the future of the Trojans football program will hang in the balance.
What will Bush’s truth cost USC? I’m betting more than $3.2M.
The NCAA has everything about wrapped up except for this final piece of the puzzle. Word on the street is the NCAA will not make a final decision on USC sanctions until they have had ample time to examine the deposition which will be made public. Expect a late May or early June announcement concerning the sanctions and they should be significant but will end by 2012.
Al Reser Passes
Oregon State Univeristy lost its biggest fan and supporter this week when Al Reser passed away at age 74. Reser built his mothers tiny homemade Potato Salad company into a multi million concern employing over 2000 people. Reser was described as a tireless worker who was extremely unpretentious and generous.
Reser donated around $17.5 million over the last decade to the Oregon State Athletic Department which kick started much needed stadium renovations. The stadium was renamed in his honor.
"Al touched the lives of anyone he met -- and thousands more through his support," Gov. Ted Kulongoski said in a statement on Tuesday. "Al Reser was a man of great generosity, kindness and compassion."
Aziz N'Diaye
Washington received a letter of intent from Aziz N'Diaye, the 7-foot center from Dakar, Senegal. Aziz who has been playing at Southern Idaho JC will add immediate bulk to the Washington front line. Aziz has three years of eligibility. Romar says the Huskies won't have to change the way they play because Aziz runs the court so well.
He averaged 8.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 31 games as a freshman at CSI. He made 26 starts and averaged 21.4 minutes in helping his team to a 22-9 record. His career best totals were 24 points, 14 rebounds and 8 blocked shots in a game.
Dick Baird says Roster Size Matters
Dick Baird touches on the reality of the football teams roster size and says it should be increased by 15-20 more walk on players. The amount of walk on players a program can have is restricted by Title IX regulations. If Washington added 15-20 more slots on the football team they would have to add 15-20 more opportunities for the the women.
Barbara Hedges considered adding either womens Lacrosse or Field Hockey before the hammer came down on her administration. Perhaps Bab's was trying to find a way to massage the numbers so the football roster sould increase. Since Scott Woodward took over the athletic program has been shrinking rather than growing. For example the Husky Swim program got the axe last year.
In the 80’s and 90’s, we regularly had over 130 kids on our roster and always felt that it was one of our real strengths. It gave us an advantage over other teams in our conference. For every five walk-ons there was always one kid who would find his way on to the field, exactly like Cole Sager did last year as a true-freshman against Notre Dame. And it's becoming true again this spring, as Bellevue's Brendan Lopez is emerging as the team's number-one snapping specialist.
I don't think the UW administration is in any mood to add another scholarship sport for women but I like Baird's idea about adding some womens non scholarship JV programs to increase gender equity and get the football numbers back up where they should be.
Practice Schedule
The Huskies will practice again today at 4:00 PM. As usual the public is invited. They take the day off Friday and will be at it again on Saturday. Last week over 2000 fans showed up for the Saturday scrimmage.
So far the squad has been able to accomplish its biggest goal this spring and that is staying healthy. Roster numbers are down this spring but the expected influx this fall should get the numbers back closer to where they need to be.
Another goal that has been accomplished is simply having a more cohesive group of players to work with this spring. Last year the coaches and players were in a feeling out sort of mode. This spring because of the familiarity of a year working together the coaches have been able to concentrate more on teaching rather than sorting out the contributors and non contributors which takes quite a bit of time.