Sunday, Apr. 20, 2008

Wulff accepting duties as new WSU football coach (w/ videos)

By Jeff Morrow, Herald sports editor

New Washington State University football coach Paul Wulff, sitting at a table in the Canyon Lakes Golf Course clubhouse Saturday, was asked what the difference was being at WSU compared to Eastern Washington University, where he had his last job.

"There are more of these types of things to do," he said, referring to the 23rd annual Cougar Golf Classic, a fundraiser put on by the Tri-City Cougar Club.

More fundraisers. More media requests. More alumni interest.

But that's OK, he added.

"You're still working with individuals who are 18 to 22 years old," Wulff said. "And I'm excited about where we're headed."

Wulff was present Saturday, as were athletic director Jim Sterk and men's basketball assistant Ron Sanchez. Men's basketball head coach Tony Bennett was off on a recruiting trip, said Sanchez.

So Wulff was the star attraction, and he reported that after spring drills were completed, the offensive unit has about 50 percent of his newly installed spread offense down.

"And it'll be a continual process," Wulff said. "When they have it down, we'll add more. The nice thing about this offense is we can tailor it to our strengths. A lot of players have the opportunity to touch the football."

Wullf likes what he sees so far.

"We'll rebuild. We'll get better and better," he said. "We've got experience at certain positions. Defense is our strength, but we need depth. Offensively, I like our tight end position and our offensive line. I like the veteran leadership we have at quarterback (in Gary Rogers), even though he hasn't played that much the last few years."

Wulff said the two most asked questions he gets from alumni are "Who is gonna be our quarterback?" and "Are we gonna get a better kicking game?"

Sterk, meanwhile, said he never doubted Bennett would be back at WSU after the young coach was courted by a number of schools across the country.

"If you looked at it, he had signed a big class in November," Sterk said. "If (the decision to stay) had lingered, it would have affected the recruiting class."

Sterk said people will always call trying to recruit Bennett, "but at WSU we can compete at the highest level, leave work and go home, be there in 5 minutes, have lunch, and be back to work quickly. In Los Angeles, you can't do that."

Sterk said about an extra $700,000 in revenue has been raised in the last two years thanks to the success of the men's basketball program.

And Sanchez says the basketball coaching staff, with the help of a new recruiting class, believes that success can continue.

"It's hard to replace a Kyle Weaver, Derrick Low and Robbie Cowgill," Sanchez said. "But if we play quality basketball next year, we will have success."

And that's what the Cougar Golf Classic was Saturday: a success. Thirty-one four-person teams paid to play, up from 25 the last few years.

Tournament chair Ray Whitlow was hoping to raise $20,000, all going into the WSU Athletic Foundation for scholarships.

"In all modesty, we are the top fundraising group for WSU," Whitlow said.

The golf tournament was moved up from June, when it's usually paired with the Cougars Tailgate Party. The Tailgate Party is again scheduled for June.

* Jeff Morrow 582-1507; jmorrow@tricityherald.com

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