Wolves soccer hosted the top-ranked team in the nation on Thursday, Oct. 13. Or, rather, both were hosted by Central High School. Weather conditions forced the teams to moved to Independence where Western Oregon fell to Western Washington 0-2.
The Western Washington Vikings were a daunting foe coming into the game. A long series of home wins saw them climb the rankings. In their last four games, all played in Bellingham, they outscored opponents a combined 14-2. After beating Northwest Nazarene they leapt from being ranked fifth to first. The Wolves were their first match at number one.
The steady stormy downpour that came Thursday forced the match off the soccer field and onto the turf at Central.
The offense was kept at bay for much of the match. All chances on goal came in the second half. Trailing only 0-1 to the nation’s top team, the Wolves attack tried for the equalizer. Sophomore midfielder Sydney Thomas and junior forward Meli Cortez each put up two shots on the day. But the shots failed to find net and the Vikings ultimately put the game out of reach with a second goal in the 82nd minute.
Western Washington emerged still undefeated while expanding the Wolves’ losing streak to five games. They look to get back to winning ways in their final few games. One thing is for certain; after playing the best team in the nation – it’s all easier from here.
Catch them this Saturday, Oct. 22, at 11 a.m., when they host Simon Fraser for senior day.
Women’s basketball started off their season with three exhibition games against Warner Pacific College on Oct. 28, University of Portland on Nov. 5, and Oregon State University on Nov. 9.
The Wolves started off their first exhibition game by scoring the first two baskets of the game by forward Dana Goularte and guard Shyla Akins. The Knights then went on a 12-3 run for a 12-7 lead.
Western took charge and tied the game up 16-16 for the last tie of the game from a lay-in by Goularte. The Wolves ended the half with a 31-19 lead with a buzzer-beater three-pointer by guard Jordan Mottershaw.
The second half started with the Wolves growing its lead to 20 points (39-19), the Knights would pull back within seven points before Western pushed the lead back to 20 (61-41). With 3:34 left, forward Kelsey Henry would score on a fast break lay-in before the Knights would finish the game with the final 14 points but couldn’t come back from the deficit. The Wolves finished the game 61-55.
Goularte led the Wolves with 20 points and Akins added 15. Mottershaw had a game-high seven rebounds and five points.
Guard Elise Miller dished out a game-high seven assists and a game-high six steals.
The Wolves shot 34.9 percent from the field, 60.9 percent at the free throw line and 23.1 percent behind the arch.
“The main things we are working towards for the season is to have a winning record,” said Goularte.
“We want to improve from last year’s record. Our game against Warner Pacific was a great starting point to kick the year off.”
In the Wolves’ second exhibition game against University of Portland in the Chiles Center, Western dropped the upset 60-70 where they shot 31.4 percent from the field.
The Wolves connected for 4-for-16 from behind the arch and shot 80 percent at the free throw line. Goularte was 7-for-13 and led the team with 25 pints, 11-for-13 from the free throw line. Guard Katie Goddard had 13 points with Mottershaw and guard Michelle Bromagem’s eight and five points, respectively.
Goularte had a team-high seven rebounds and Mottershaw added three assists.
Western trailed at halftime 39-25 after a back-to-back 20 minutes of play before the Pilots went on a 15-6 run.
The second half opened up with the Pilots scoring four points, increasing the lead to 18.
The Wolves would then go on an 11-4 run bringing the score within 11 after free throws by Henry.
Pilots pushed their lead to 17 before Western used 12 minutes to go on a 21-12 run, pulling within eight points (68-60) after a free throw by Goddard.
The Pilots would then shoot free throws for a final score of 70-60.
“We had a good start with Warner Pacific,” said head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter.
“It was a really good measuring stick to see where we are. Although we are way ahead of where we were last year at this time, the WPC game showed us the areas we still need to improve on. The team has worked really hard through the pre-season and are really focused on our team goals going into this weekend.”
In the final exhibition game of the season the Wolves traveled to Corvallis, Ore. to take on No.20 ranked division 1 Oregon State University where they fell 38-98.
The team shot 26.9 percent from the field and 26.7 percent behind the three-point line. The Wolves shot 66.7percent on 6-of-9 from the free throw line.
Goularte finished with 17 points and was 4-of-5 at the free throw line with five rebounds. Akins had six of her eight points in the first half.
“Having three exhibition games this preseason was very beneficial for our team because we were able to get more comfortable with one another on the court and build team chemistry,” said Mottershaw. “The exhibitions showed us what we are doing well and what we need to refine before our first games this weekend.”
The Wolves host the Hampton Inn and Suites D2 shootout and will play in the second game of the tournament on Nov. 14 at 4 p.m. and again on Nov. 15 at 3 p.m.
Portland had high hopes for high school sensation Martell Webster, drafting him with the No. 6 pick in the 2005 NBA draft. Webster’s stats with the Blazers aren’t terrible, but the shooting guard makes the list because he never lived up to the high expectations that come with being selected at the top of the draft, nor did live up to his potential. To make matters worse, Portland chose Webster over both Chris Paul and Deron Williams.
9) Sebastian Telfair (2004-06, 8.1 ppg, 3.5 ast, 39.4% fg)
The Blazers’ stupidity in not selecting Chris Paul can be blamed on one man: high school phenom point guard, Sebastian Telfair. A year prior to acquiring Webster, the Blazers selected Telfair with the No. 13 pick, with the hopes that he would be a cornerstone piece in rebuilding the team. Unfortunately, that didn’t pan out and the Blazers passed up on Paul thinking Telfair was their point guard of the future.
8) Bonzi Wells (1998-03, 13.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
No player epitomizes the bad-boy image of the ‘Jail Blazer’ era more than Bonzi Wells. As co-captain of the team, Wells couldn’t stay out of trouble, on or off the court. Wells publicly cursed out the Blazer’s head coach, flipped off a heckling Blazer fan, and struck and abused an official during a game in 2000. Towards the end of his time with the Blazers, Wells openly said, “Fans don’t matter to us.”
7) LaRue Martin (1972-76, 5.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
Who is LaRue Martin? If you have never heard of Martin before, there’s a good reason: the guy was absolutely horrible. Cited by many sports analysts as the worst No. 1 NBA draft pick of all time, Martin was plagued with injuries as well as alcohol and drug abuse during his four-year stint in Portland. To make matters even worse, the Blazer’s selected Martin before Hall of Famers Julius Erving and Bob McAdoo.
6) Darius Miles (2003-06, 13.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
When Darius Miles was traded to Portland from the Cleveland Cavaliers, fans raved about his athletic abilities. His potential was through the roof and the Blazers rewarded him with a six-year, $48 million dollar deal. After the contract was inked, it became clear that Miles was a cancer to the team who sought better publicity after the ‘Jail Blazer’ debacle. When Miles retired in 2006 due to medical issues, the Blazers breathed a sigh of relief; however, three years later, Memphis signed him and the Blazers were stuck paying the rest of his outrageous contract.
5) Qyntel Woods (2003-04, 3.6 ppg)
When the Portland police pulled over Qyntel Woods’ Cadillac Escalade for speeding in 2004, they noticed the vehicle was hot boxed with marijuana smoke. Without insurance or a valid driver’s license, Woods famously gave the officers his playing card as proof of identity. Shortly after the incident, Woods was found guilty of dog fighting and subsequently released from the team.
4) Ruben Patterson (2001-05, 9.7 ppg)
The only reason Ruben Patterson isn’t No. 1 on this list is because other players have been more detrimental to the franchise, but Patterson was a real scumbag. In 2001, right before the Blazers signed him to a contract, Patterson pled guilty to the rape of his child’s nanny. Why the Blazers chose to add him to the roster is mind-blowing. Then in 2002, Patterson was arrested for felony assault against his wife, but the charges were dropped and they divorced
.
3) Shawn Kemp (2000-02, 6.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
When Shawn Kemp signed a lucrative $52 million dollar contract with the Blazers, he was no longer the dominating unstoppable force he was with the now defunct Seattle Supersonics. He showed up overweight to training camp and his stats took a nosedive. Then, near the end of his first season in black and red, Kemp checked himself into rehab for cocaine addiction; Kemp was cut at the end of the following season and the Blazers were stuck paying him $52 million.
2) Greg Oden (2007-10, 9.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
When the Trailblazers received the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA draft, the final decision came down to two players: Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. The Blazer’s selected the center from Ohio State, and the fan’s hopes that Oden would live up to his potential shattered faster than his knees. Three major knee surgeries and setback after setback caused the Blazers to waive the big man in 2010, while Durant is currently one of the elite players in the league.
1) Sam Bowie (1984-89, 10.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg)
The 1984 draft was loaded with talent. The Blazers had the No. 2 pick and selected Sam Bowie, passing on Michael Jordan. Need I say any more? Bowie played four injury-plagued seasons before being traded to the New Jersey Nets. Meanwhile, Jordan went on to lead the Chicago Bulls to six NBA Championships, and is known by many as the greatest to ever play the game.
Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU
Alex Grignon (left), Abraham Villalobos (middle) and Harper Neuback (right) on Senior Day. | Photo from @wou_msoc on Instagram
April 4, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
After winning last year’s IFCPF Copa America, the U.S. Men’s Cerebral Palsy National Team, made up of players who have cerebral palsy or have suffered from a stroke or other traumatic brain injury, began its preparation for the IFCPF Cerebral Palsy World Cup with a training camp from March 11-15 in Lakewood, Florida. Western Oregon forward Abraham Villalobos was invited to participate in the camp.
“I was actually in the library doing my homework, and then I got a call from coach Behonick that the U.S. national team’s social media person, they found my story on the video that Western made for me and they contacted coach Behonick, and then they talked with him to confirm the story,” Villalobos said. “He told me that they’re interested and he connected me with their team, and after that everything was settled.”
For those who may be unaware, March 7, 2025, Villalobos suffered a stroke during a training session with the Wolves men’s soccer team. He was rushed to the emergency room in Dallas before being life-flighted to OHSU, where he would spend the next two weeks. In a video posted by Western on social media about the incident, he described the day as normal. He went to class, practice and then a weightlifting session. However, towards the end of the workout, he began to feel pressure on his head and his vision began to blur. “All I remember is just waking up with a breathing tube with both my arms and legs restrained where I had no idea what had happened and they had told me that I had an AVM blood vessel that popped inside my brain,” Villalobos said in the video. According to the National Institute of Health, an AVM, or arteriovenous malformation, is “an abnormal tangle of blood vessels that causes problems with the connections between your arteries and veins.” Eventually, this weakens the blood vessel and can cause it to rupture. While AVMs cause little to no symptoms in most cases, in some instances, they can lead to severe damage, such as a stroke.
After being released from the hospital, Villalobos had a long road ahead with a difficult rehab that included regaining balance and building back his strength after losing half of his right side eye vision. “I would do a warm-up, and then I would do a walking pattern where I had to hold a handle. And then after that, I would get on the treadmill, and I had to hold onto the bar, and that was definitely the scariest because I felt like I was going to fall. Because I was trying to push myself to get back to make it to the season, every day we’d crank up the speed and it definitely was a moment where I’m like, ‘Man, I could fall and hit my head on this treadmill right here,’ but I’m grateful for the team of the rehab center because they helped me through. That was definitely probably one of the most scary moments besides the stroke because it was just, I never knew if I would gain all my strength back, and I’ll be honest, my balance is still not the strongest, but it’s definitely getting there. I definitely was amazed to see how my strength was coming back.”
He also gives significant credit to his teammates and his family for helping him through the difficult rehab sessions. Additionally, reminders of his love of the sport, such as his old jerseys, photos of him playing or even just seeing a soccer ball, provided him with the motivation to push through. He also showed appreciation to athletic director Randi Lydum and assistant athletic director Justin Crosswhite for helping him keep his academic affairs in order. Due to the stroke happening towards the end of the term, he was unable to finish any of his courses, but, with help, he was able to avoid them being counted against him as failed classes due to the circumstances. In addition to his physical rehab, he also took two courses over the summer to catch up. “They’ve just been very supportive and they’ve always told me, ‘Hey, even though you may feel behind because you didn’t finish, don’t feel that way. Take your time.’ So definitely, I owe it to Justin and Randi for helping me on the academic side.”
After the time in the hospital and the grueling recovery, Villalobos was ready to rejoin his team in August for preseason just five months after suffering the stroke. Then, in the team’s second game of the season, in Monmouth against the University of Hawaii at Hilo Sept. 8, almost exactly six months after the stroke, Abraham Villalobos found the ball off of a deflected pass from teammate Marcos Figueroa and convincingly drove it into the net, scoring the Wolves’ first goal of the season and signifying his return after going through so much. The stroke, the hospital stay, the difficult rehab — all led him right back to the field, with his team, doing what he loves. “I think that would forever be my favorite goal. Just because it was with the team. And the whole team was there, since what happened and that was a special moment. That was just like everything I carried inside me, it kind of just released. And there’s a picture of me hugging coach Behonick because he’s been there since day one. Since the day at the hospital from the last day I was able to get out and train and do my rehab. He was there.”
When asked about his experience at the training camp with the U.S. Men’s Cerebral Palsy team, Villalobos said he was nervous but welcomed with open arms by the team. He added, “It’s been hard, definitely, since the stroke has happened to me, but they were just reminding me that you just gotta go day by day. Just be grateful that you’re here and that you survived what you survived and put a smile on your face … the main thing I got out of it is that there’s people who are worse out there but you know, they go through similar things and they literally go day by day.”
Villalobos, a senior, joined Western’s inaugural men’s soccer team when it began in 2022. In that time, the team has won two GNAC championships and had two appearances in the NCAA tournament, with Villalobos contributing 13 goals, five assists and an unforgettable story of perseverance and overcoming obstacles that may seem insurmountable to many.
As for what’s next for him, he mentioned being inspired by the work of coach Behonick and that he’s interested in working in the field of coaching or something closely related, like sports training or strength and conditioning.
He also reflected on what he’s learned since being at Western and what he told the incoming first-year players: “Enjoy the process because next thing you know you’re a senior and then you’re done.” He continued, “Enjoy the days, enjoy going to workouts with your team, going to practice, even going to class. A lot of people are like, ‘Oh I got class today,’ but enjoy it. Because not many people get to do this. And so I would definitely say I enjoyed every single day I was here, I enjoyed from my freshman year to my last year, this year, I enjoyed everything so that’s probably the one thing I would take, enjoy. And you know because Monmouth, it’s a small community here, that’s what makes it so special, we all know each other, we’re all here together as a community and so just enjoy every single day.”
Jeff Teague on a boat crossing the Delaware River with the Continental Army. | Photos from @sportscenter and @americanexperiencepbs on Instagram | Created by Addison Watts
Disclaimer: all articles featured in this issue are fake in celebration of April Fool’s Day
April 1, 2026 |Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
One-time NBA All-Star and Club 520 podcast host Jeff Teague has been the subject of speculation that he may, in fact, be a time traveler. It started off as a bit of a joke, with fans mentioning that it seemed like he was present for every single major event in modern NBA history.
He was there for the infamous Timberwolves practice where Jimmy Butler led the third-string unit to a win against the starters and won a championship with the Bucks in 2021 despite not playing much. After further investigation, however, it appears this extends even further than once thought. For starters, it seems as though Teague was present at Wilt Chamberlain’s famous 100-point game after a rare photo prior to the game showed Teague warming up with the remainder of the team. Unfortunately, it seems as though he did not capture video of the event. His appearance at this game is interesting as it took place in 1962 and Teague, as far as we know, wasn’t born until 1988. This isn’t all, though. Deep analysis of paintings from the Renaissance, Industrial Revolution and pretty much any other major historical event seems to have some sort of connection to Jeff Teague.
It’s still unclear how and why this is happening. Is he a vampire? Is he a part of some sort of time travel program? That’s still up in the air, but Teague and his cohosts, DJ Wells and B Hen, did not respond to requests for comments.
“Honestly, I don’t know either,” an anonymous former teammate said. “He never mentioned anything to me about it, but I guess he probably wouldn’t if it’s top secret, right?” When asked if this development could spur any action from the NBA, someone that was not Commissioner Adam Silver explained, “We’re looking into the situation, yeah. It’s just I’m not really sure what we would even do? He’s a one-time All-Star, I mean, if it was like LeBron or something that may be a big deal, but I don’t know. If he has some sort of alien or supernatural power and he decided to use it to be a one-time NBA All-Star, then I guess that’s his prerogative.”
As fans continue to piece together the puzzle that is Jeff Teague and his tendency to be everywhere, the podcast has continued on as normal with zero mention of the conversation currently surrounding his name.
Mark Davis addresses a crowd at a Raiders event. | Photo from @raiders on Instagram
Disclaimer: all articles featured in this issue are fake in celebration of April Fool’s Day
April 1, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
The Las Vegas Raiders have won their first Super Bowl since the 1980s, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 21-17. The game was played at 3 a.m. on Saturday morning, and Vegas clawed back from being shut out over the course of three quarters and falling into a 17-point hole. The Raiders would open the fourth quarter with their first touchdown of the game, breathing life back into their sideline. The Raiders then took the ball on their next possession after forcing a punt and would score yet again, putting the 49ers on their heels with just minutes to go.
Rather than take an onside kick, Vegas boldly decided to trust their defense and defend, making a coaching adjustment, turning strip ball from default to aggressive. Just after the two-minute warning, the Raiders forced a fumble and took the ball back. They would then march down the field and, once again, decided to be bold by running four verticals with just seven seconds remaining in the game. Vegas would find the tight end on the post route in the middle of the field and take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
The game marks the end of a journey in which the Raiders had to overcome multiple obstacles, one being poor internet connection and another being three weeks of progress being deleted, forcing the team to start over nearly from scratch. At one point of the season, Las Vegas was 2-6 but miraculously turned it around and ended the season 13-4 after trading for Jaylen Waddle, Jalen Hurts and Jalen Ramsey, each for seventh-round picks respectively.
“It’s tough to stay motivated when things like that happen,” the self-proclaimed coach said. “But we just stay motivated and keep working, that’s really all you can do. Sometimes you forget to save files, and sometimes EA servers are down, but you make do and keep pushing forward. Trading for those three guys really helped us, too.”
Critics have said that the Raiders don’t deserve the Super Bowl victory after a change from All-Pro to Rookie difficulty took place sometime midseason. “It’s a Mickey Mouse ring, honestly. I don’t know how anyone in that organization can possibly be proud of the ‘work’ they did,” an anonymous league source said. “How’d they even trade for all of those guys, too? I mean, seriously, does no one think getting all those guys for seventh-round picks is a little suspicious? Does no one think it’s a little weird that they were all listed as punters for about 30 seconds right before being traded, despite never taking any punting reps? Come on.”
The coach of the team simply responded by saying, “I don’t recall asking to be honest. I’m just doing my own thing; if that bothers people, then that’s their problem, not mine.” When asked how he felt in the aftermath of the win, the coach simply said, “Well, right after the game, I turned off my PS5 and went to bed because I had work the next morning, but it was hard to sleep after such an emotional game. I love this team so much, I would do anything for them. For all of the game’s flaws, there’s nothing like winning a Super Bowl in Madden franchise mode.”
The Wolves baseball team stands for the national anthem before a game against Central Washington University. | Photo from @wou_wolves on Instagram
March 11, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
Baseball season is back in full swing, and the Wolves completed their first home series of the season this past weekend, going 2-2 against the Central Washington Wildcats. Going into the series, coach Walker, who’s now into his 21st season with the program and his 14th as head coach, explained that winning the “freebie war” would be a key to the Wolves’ success.
For those unfamiliar with what that might mean, coach Walker described it as “taking care of the baseball, not giving them free bases, whether it’s hit by pitch, walks or kicking balls behind our pitchers.” The team then traveled about an hour away to Newberg to take on George Fox Tuesday, March 10 and won 13-8.
So far this season, the Wolves have seen some strong performances from the pitching staff, with Ayden Holker and Shane Bailey both winning GNAC Pitcher of the Week honors at separate points of the season. Holker was awarded for his performance against Fresno Pacific in a 17-0 win to open the season, where he notched five strikeouts. As for Bailey, he received the honor after pitching seven strikeouts and only allowing one run against the Stan State Warriors Feb. 21 in a game that ended in a 5-1 victory for Western.
First-year pitcher Wyatt Rosales, out of Cypress High School in Buena Park, California, has hit the ground running to start his career and currently leads the team in ERA. “You know, we don’t see too many freshmen that are in our starting rotation over the course of the time that I’ve been here,” Walker said. “So just kind of the way that he handles his business, he’s pretty resilient, really good worker, open to feedback, willing to make changes, but overall just the word that I use with him for how old he is and you know, not a ton of experience at the four year collegiate level, he’s just really mature.”
As mentioned above, Kellen Walker has been leading the Wolves baseball program for 14 seasons after taking over in 2013 for Jeremiah Robbins, who won more than 250 games for the Wolves and is someone whom Walker credits as a mentor and significant influence over his coaching career. In that time, Walker has, of course, made improvements of his own, and he specifically points towards communication and patience as the main places he’s seen those improvements. For example, Walker emphasized understanding the different types of communication that work for different types of personalities and providing athletes with what he described as “a little bit more leash” to work through problems.
As for his coaching influences who’ve helped him grow as a leader in addition to Robbins, Walker also credits his father, who was a high school football coach and allowed him to be around the team from an early age. “I was around quite a few really good men early on in life,” said Walker. “And then I played for Glen Yonan at the junior college I was at, Lassen Community College. He really helped me mature and grow up, kind of gave me a good baseline for the game of baseball, how to go about your business. And then I played for Jay Johnson my first year at Point Loma, who’s the head coach at LSU now. So that was another really good one, he was only there for one year and then took the job at University of San Diego, being the recruiting guy there, and then kind of made a quick ascent to where he’s at now, obviously doing really well. And then Jeremiah Robbins would be the other biggest one. He’s probably my biggest mentor in the game. I played for him in the summers in high school and then he was the head coach when I came here. He gave me the opportunity to come here in 2006 and I just kind of kept finding reasons to stay because I like it here so much.”
Coach Walker also expressed excitement over some new members of the team. He says that the most recent group of additions has been excited to join the team and be in Monmouth and that they’ve bought into the program’s culture pretty quickly.
There’s also a solid group of upperclassmen prepared to lead. “They’ve done a great job of just kind of helping, like, ‘Hey, this is how we do it or, like, we don’t do that here,’ kind of early in the fall that kind of I think helped get people on board earlier. And at this point that’s I think the biggest thing that we have going is the buy-in from the roster. So even though there’s been a little bit of turbulence in this challenging early season schedule that we put together, I think because of guys like Shane Bailey, (Ayden) Holker, Collin Irwin, Tyler Mohler, some of those older guys that have been through it, that have played in those big games in May and you know, done some cool stuff here. They really help kind of jumpstart and expedite that process of getting guys bought in early so that we are able to hopefully weather this storm and get this thing going in the right direction.”
The Wolves’ next series is at Montana State University Billings, starting on Friday, and will include four games in 48 hours for the Wolves. They then travel to Seaside, California March 20 for a series against California State University Monterey Bay for a series of four games in three days. When asked what improvements he hopes to see from the team throughout the remainder of the year, Walker mentioned the team having the capability to put together strong performances for full weekends and enduring high volumes of games in short periods of time as “absolutely the key to winning series, because we’ve shown signs of being a really, really good team and then we’ve shown signs of being pretty average. And so our ability to do all those little things to stay present and to be competitive for the duration of a four game series, even if it’s in under 48 hours, will ultimately be the key to how much success we have.”
If there’s one thing coach Walker would like fans to know about the team going into and leaving a game, he said, “One of my goals for a team every year is when someone comes and watches us, I want at least one person in the stands to leave saying ‘That’s the hardest I’ve ever seen the team play,’ whether it went good or bad.”
The Wolves next return home March 28 for another series of four games in 48 hours against Saint Martin’s University at the WOU Baseball Field, with the first game starting at 1 p.m. on both the first and second day of the series.
Renderings of the proposed Moda Center renovations. | Photo from @gmottatv on Instagram
Feb. 25, 2026 |Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
Since the 1995-96 season, the Portland Trail Blazers have called the Moda Center — known as the Rose Garden until 2013 — home. The arena was built starting in 1993 with a combination of funds from the City of Portland, then Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen and roughly $150 million in bonds. In addition to the Trail Blazers, the Portland Fire — a WNBA expansion team preparing to start play this spring — will use the venue for home games. The venue has played host to NBA playoff games, NCAA tournaments and concerts from household names such as David Bowie, Stevie Nicks and Elton John, just to name a few. However, with the venue now being just over 30 years old and the estate of Paul Allen working to finalize a sale of the team after his passing in 2018, discussions have begun over possible renovations and where to find funding for the project.
A possible relocation of the Trail Blazers has become a growing concern among the fan base since the announcement of the sale process, and said discussions around the Moda Center’s status have only added to the concern that if funding isn’t secured, the team could suffer the same fate the Seattle SuperSonics did. In 2008, when public funding wasn’t passed to conduct renovations for KeyArena, now known as Climate Pledge Arena, new owner Clay Bennett relocated the team to Oklahoma City and rebranded as the Thunder, where they’ve since remained; although many would say that Bennett, who is from Oklahoma City, planned to move the team from the start.
Last summer, NBA commissioner Adam Silver explained that keeping the Trail Blazers in Portland was preferred, while still acknowledging that the team “likely needs a new arena.” On Feb. 9, Senate Bill 1501 was proposed in the Oregon state Senate by Rob Wagner, which, if passed, would move income taxes currently being placed in the state’s general fund into a new “Oregon Arena Fund,” and allow the Oregon Department of Administrative Services to enter into agreements to own and operate the Moda Center. The funds would specifically come from the income of Trail Blazers players, Rose Quarter employees, performers and anyone else doing work at or around the Moda Center. The renovations are generally estimated at about $600 million and the state of Oregon is expected to partner with Multnomah County and the city of Portland to provide the funding which would become available if the Trail Blazers agreed to a lease agreement of a certain period. Exact details of how much money would come from each party involved vary; however, a source of controversy is that the city of Portland is considering bringing $75 million of that investment from the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund. Funding raised would become available if the Blazers agreed to a lease agreement of a certain length. Current reports suggest that the ownership group won’t be expected to contribute.
Proponents for the bill argue that the Trail Blazers and other events hosted at the Moda Center provide a significant boost to the state economy, and, therefore, a public investment in the renovation project is worth it. Wagner and the City of Portland provided research that says the arena provides $670 million in financial impact annually, with the people it employs and of course, revenue from ticket sales. Opponents of the bill argue that the state cannot afford to divert tax revenue away from the general fund and that the investment would be too risky, considering that the new ownership could still decide to move the team at some point down the road. They also argue that the new ownership group, which is led by Tom Dundon and includes multiple billionaires other than himself, should be expected to pay a portion of the costs at a minimum.
Controversies on arena funding are nothing new in professional sports. In fact, just last week the Chicago Bears, one of the most storied American sports franchises that currently plays in one of the most iconic stadiums in the country — Soldier Field — took a tentative step toward moving nearly 30 miles outside of Chicago into Hammond, Indiana after talks between ownership and the state of Illinois in regards to stadium funding did not advance in a way the organization felt was favorable. In the wake of the difficult negotiations, ownership began talks with the state of Indiana, and on Feb. 19, Senate Bill 27, which provides a framework for covering a portion of new stadium costs, passed the Indiana state Senate unanimously.
Additionally, in December of last year, it was announced that the Kansas City Chiefs would be moving out of Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri by 2031 and across the state border into Kansas after the state of Kansas agreed to cover up to 70% of stadium costs.
The city of Oakland, which was at one point home to the NBA’s Warriors, the NFL’s Raiders and the MLB’s Athletics, lost all of its professional sports teams within a decade due in large part to disagreements between ownership and local government about funding for facilities. Dave Newhouse, a retired sportswriter for the Oakland Tribune, was quoted in a 2025 article from Bay City News regarding the matter, saying, “If you don’t build them a new stadium every 20 or 30 years, they leave.”
An idea for a potential compromise between the Portland Trail Blazers and local governments could include a clause that if the team is relocated after tax funding is provided for a new arena, ownership would need to pay some percentage of the public investment back to the local community. A smaller renovation plan with a similar structure was already agreed upon prior to the sale of the team. This was part of a lease extension that guarantees the Trail Blazers will stay in the Moda Center until at least 2030. As for funding, the city of Portland made an agreement with the Trail Blazers that event parking revenue and a 6% tax on tickets would be used to cover the costs, with a 50% contribution limit from the city. These renovations began in the summer of 2025 and included larger and higher definition scoreboard panels. The rest of the project is taking a planned pause in the summer of 2026 in order to let the Portland Fire conduct their opening season with minimal interference, but is expected to be completed before the 2030 NCAA Women’s Final Four, which Portland is hosting for the first time. In the event that the team is relocated, the Trail Blazers would be required to pay the entirety of the city’s contribution back. Of course, the reported cost range for this project being significantly higher might complicate trying to complete a similar deal, but it does provide a point of reference.
The bill is currently in the Senate Committee on Rules and will surely garner a lot of conversation as updates arrive. For any Trail Blazers fans concerned about a move, it’s important to remember that there really haven’t been any substantially reported discussions in that regard yet, and so far, Dundon and his ownership group have verbally committed to keeping the team in Portland. Of course, it’s not outside of the realm of possibility, but it does seem that, at least for now, fans can expect to see the Blazers in Portland long term.
The Wolves’ softball team poses for a photo after a game against the Dominican University of California which they won 1-0. | Photo from @wousoftball on Instagram
Feb. 18, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
This Saturday, the Wolves softball team hosts its first home game of the season in a doubleheader against Bushnell University at 11 a.m. The Wolves have already gotten started this season, however, and are currently at 4-6 going into their home opener. On Feb. 8, the team wrapped up their time at the D2 West Collegiate Classic with an 8-0 win against Regis, putting them at 3-2 overall through the tournament.
First-year pitcher Braeli Martin was particularly impressive against Regis, pitching a shutout and helping keep Regis from ever advancing past second base. Senior Lexi Baumgartner, who boasted a two-run homerun, and Haley Homan, a first-year outfielder, received All-Tournament team honors. “My mentality all weekend was to attack the pitches left over the middle of the plate and believe in myself,” Baumgartner said.
Outfielder Madelynne Hommel is also having an amazing start to her season with a .469 batting average and currently leads the team with 15 hits. When asked about what changes she’s made to allow her to start the season at such a high level, Hommel said the biggest improvement she’s seen is in her mindset, and she’s gone from a defensive to an offensive approach. She also credited her faith, saying, “I think the biggest place I continue to see improvement is in my trust that God alone is my strength and that He will have His way no matter who I am playing against.”
This season is a bit of a rebuild for the Wolves after a 13-37 record last season which put them in last for the GNAC. This year’s team is also fairly young, having only three seniors on the entire roster. Of those seniors is Victoria Zimmerman from Ellensburg, Washington, who led the team in hits last season with 46 and made the All-GNAC second team in the outfield. In addition, Zimmerman tacked on eight RBI and held a batting average of .319. As previously mentioned, Lexi Baumgartner’s numbers on the season show a significant improvement so far, jumping from a .258 batting average in 2025 to a .323 batting average in the first ten games of 2026. Baumgartner also has three home runs this season already, which surpasses her total from last year. Finally, the third senior on the team is Emma Cordero in the utility position. So far in 2026, Cordero has a .267 batting average and four hits on the year. Of course, the leadership of the upperclassmen is important on a team so young. “As a leader I have learned that the best relationships start from genuinely being kind and open-minded,” said Lexi Baumgartner. Baumgartner added, “I have enjoyed (the new players’) want and passion to be better themselves. We have a talented new group that has a desire to better themselves for our success.”
Hommel added that she feels that working with younger players is among the best parts of a new team each season and that the younger players in the program teach the upperclassmen a lot themselves such as how to be better leaders and athletes. As for the coaching staff, the Wolves are led by fourth year coach Aly Boytz. Boytz is a former pitcher for the Wolves and had a record of 13-8 when pitching for Western. While only in her fourth year in the head coaching role after taking over midseason in an interim role back in 2023, Boytz is in her tenth season overall as a coach for the Wolves having served in an assistant role starting in 2016. Rounding out the staff is assistant coach Tyler Smith, who enters his first season with the team as a coach and graduate assistant Isabelle Lewis who was on the team last year as an infielder. Lewis had 36 hits last season and 27 RBI. As for Smith, he comes over from UC Riverside where he was an assistant coach focused on infielders and hitters. Smith’s father, Mike Smith, was the Mississippi softball head coach from 2015-2019 and won an SEC championship in 2017. In August, coach Boytz expressed her excitement of adding Smith to the coaching staff, saying, “He comes from a strong softball background and a family deeply rooted in the game. His passion for developing student-athletes on and off the field makes him a great fit for our program. We can’t wait to welcome him to campus.” His impact has definitely been felt so far, with coach Boytz adding, “I think Tyler has done a great job with our hitters and that’s obviously being shown with Hommel and Baumgartner’s performances, but I think his dedication to our hitters and wanting them to get better and doing everything on the back end of scouting reports and watching video of opponents and of our players in their swings has obviously had a huge impact.”
Boytz also commended the job Lewis has done, saying, “And then for Isabelle, she was in the program for five years so it’s just nice to have a familiar face for the players but she’s done great with everything. She kind of just helps out anywhere that’s needed so she kind of does a little bit of everything.”
In addition to having a young roster, the coaching staff is also on the younger side in terms of a collegiate coaching staff. However, the staff continues to learn. Coach Boytz explained, “I think for our staff specifically, we have the opportunity to go to the softball coaching convention in December. So that’s huge because that’s just where all other coaches from different divisions are giving presentations of drills and things that worked for them or didn’t work for them. So that’s huge and then just having your network of people outside of Western. Having either coaches you played for or just from within the business and getting different insights and outlooks on things is huge.”
For anyone making their way to any Wolves softball games this season, expect to see a close knit team that plays hard and plays for each other. When asked what fans should know about the team this season, Hommel described the team as “level-headed and resilient” and that they’ll never let another team beat them mentally. On Saturday, the first game of the doubleheader will take place at the WOU Softball Field at 11 a.m with the second one following shortly thereafter at 1 p.m. The Wolves’ next home game will be March 6 in another doubleheader against Simon Fraser, which will open GNAC conference play for the 2026 season.
Joe Lorig and his family after the 2024 Fiesta Bowl win against Liberty. | Photo from @jwlorig on Instagram
Feb. 18, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
Oregon Ducks special teams coordinator and Western alum, Joe Lorig, recently completed his fourth season with the team which saw the team go 11-1, picking up a victory in the Orange Bowl and making a run to the College Football Playoff semifinal. While he’s entering just his fifth season with the Ducks, his coaching career experience ranges nearly 30 years.
It started right here in Monmouth in 1997, when Lorig became the Wolves’ safeties coach after a playing career that saw him start at Walla Walla Community College before transferring to Western. When asked about his time at Western and what brought him there, Lorig emphasized the criminal justice program, being close to home and the football program. “I was recruited by a coach that became a mentor of mine, Blaine Bennett, I think he was the offensive coordinator at the time and then Arne Ferguson, who’s currently the head coach was also involved in that.”
On the note of coach Ferguson, who of course coached Lorig and coached with him, Lorig commended Ferguson not only as a coach but as a human being. “He’s very genuine, cares more about people than just the player. He’s important enough to me that he was in my wedding, so he’s a pretty important person in my life and again, really just what separates him is being able to do the football side of things and the business side of what football brings but also the personal side.”
Lorig continues to keep up with Western athletics, saying, “I follow it every week.” Crediting the program for the relationships he was able to build, he continued, “The program is very, very important to me and I’m not talking about wins and losses necessarily. I’m talking about how they influence and mold young people.”
Lorig joining the University of Oregon coaching staff in 2022 signified a return home. Having grown up in Washington, then of course spending time in Monmouth, Lorig’s career took him to the eastern side of the United States with stops at Memphis and Penn State in a time period that spanned from 2016 to 2021. When asked about what it means to return to the Pacific Northwest, Lorig said, “It means everything. That’s why we came back. I would have never left Penn State. I left Penn State because of two things. One, the University of Oregon. Two, Dan Lanning. Those are the two reasons. But I’m no different than anybody else. I’m just a person. So to be here around family, my three kids … Jordan, Tyler and Emma, my wife’s from Klamath Falls, Oregon — a lot of people don’t know that. So this is literally her home and I consider Oregon my home, even though I grew up in Washington. I really formed at Western Oregon, in Oregon.”
Lorig mentioned that his mother is now able to attend every game, whereas when he was at Penn State, she could only attend two games a season. He continued, saying, “When I get up in the morning and I put on the O, it’s different than when I put on Penn State. It just means more to me. And it doesn’t mean that it didn’t mean a lot at Penn State, it did, I worked really hard and I cared a lot, but here, when I put on the O and I walk out, I grew up watching the Civil War, I grew up watching the Apple Cup. I know what those games mean. I cried when Kenny Wheaton returned the pick because I was a Washington fan. I grew up a Washington fan, I literally remember that play and I cried. So it just means more to me which I think is pretty cool.”
The Ducks enter the 2026 season with their eyes on the football program’s first national title. They’ll open the regular season in Eugene Sep. 5 against the Boise State Broncos, but fans can catch an early look at the team April 25 during the annual spring game held in Autzen Stadium.
The coaching staff are determined to take the next step to their ultimate goal — “Coach Lanning works tirelessly, we’re doing everything that we can to make the University of Oregon proud, the state of Oregon, the fans of Oregon proud. Anything that we possibly can, we are doing. We work tirelessly and endlessly. We know the standard that needs to be upheld and we work really, really hard and take a lot of pride, take it very personally, to uphold that standard.”
The Ducks also return a significant number of starters next year. Many, such as quarterback Dante Moore, passed up the 2026 NFL draft despite being projected to be drafted early. Lorig feels that’s a testament to the culture Dan Lanning has set at Oregon, and along with Lanning, takes a lot of pride in the fact they’ve never had a starter leave via transfer portal. “So people talk about the portal and all these things, but the guys that portal out of here are guys that aren’t going to play typically. So the starters stay … Dante Moore coming back is, you know, he’s no more important than anybody else, but it’s just one prime example because he left a lot of money on the table. That tells you what this culture must be like, the belief that he has in this team, the belief that he has in this staff, the belief that he has in this school. I think that’s an obvious testament for sure.”
Coach Lorig reiterated his appreciation for Western and what it means to him, saying, “I think that Western Oregon is a really special place. I think coach Ferguson and his staff do a great job. It’s a place that really forms a lot of people’s lives. Certain people go to certain schools. I tell that to guys a lot in recruiting. A certain type of person goes to Oregon, a certain type of person goes to Washington, not better or worse, they’re both good football programs and they’re both good schools, just different schools attract different people. And I know I haven’t been there in a long time, obviously, as a student, but I know the type of people that Western Oregon attracts are typically the people that are going to really set the foundation of this state. That they’re going to be teachers, they’re going to be police officers, they’re going to be social workers and so just people that are looking at going there or people that are there really embracing that place because it’s a really special place. It’s a great community, the location of it’s awesome. You’re just close enough to Salem and Portland but you’re not so caught up in the hustle bustle. There’s a lot of continuity together there because there’s not a whole bunch of other stuff in the town, so you tend to hang out with each other more. We hung out more at each other’s apartments and houses and stuff because there wasn’t a big, huge city to go other places. So I think that naturally creates a pretty cool environment to make a really unique, fun, close knit, tight knit college experience that again, really forged me and many of my friends’ lives to be where we are today. I’m proud to be a Wolf.”
A photo of the 2/6/26 Portland Trail Blazers vs Memphis Grizzlies game after the Portland Trail Blazers Career Fair. | Photo taken by Isaac Garcia
Feb. 11, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
On Feb. 6, 22 Western students had the opportunity to attend a career fair at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, followed by a game between the Trail Blazers and the Memphis Grizzlies. Tickets and transportation were provided by the Center for Professional Pathways, and students were also given the option to travel to the event on their own. Western students were not the only ones in attendance, with students from multiple universities around the area attending, as well as individuals looking for more information regarding the industry. The career fair was focused on career fields within the sports industry and featured local teams as well as other sports-related organizations. Upon check-in, attendees were given the chance to receive complimentary professional headshots. The event continued with a panel of current Portland Trail Blazers employees. The department most represented was the sales team, although it was made clear that there were many different options within the Trail Blazers’ organization for employment. These career options include, but are not limited to, media communications, fan engagement and game day operations. The panel was subject to questions about their path into the sporting industry as well as advice for aspiring professionals. Questions lasted for about 45 minutes, after which students were able to go up individually to introduce themselves to the three panel members and have a discussion about what they might do in the coming years to achieve their career goals.
Just down the Veterans Memorial concourse from where the panel was held, representatives from multiple teams and companies were present, sharing information about their upcoming career opportunities. Along with the Trail Blazers, representatives from the Portland Timbers, Rip City Remix, Portland Fire, Portland Thorns, Seattle Storm, Corvallis Knights and Portland Bangers were also in attendance. As for non-team-affiliated representatives, the University of Oregon Sports Product Management and Oregon Golf Association were in attendance along with others. Attendees were not only allowed, but encouraged to bring paper copies of their resumes to the event to share with representatives from different tables. The career fair portion of the event lasted just over an hour and was an excellent opportunity for students to put themselves in front of professionals and decision makers within organizations they aspire to become a part of.
After the conclusion of the fair, students were then able to make their way to the other part of the Rose Quarter to see the 23-28 Trail Blazers take on the 20-29 Grizzlies. Both teams sat next to each other in the Western Conference standings going into the game, with the Blazers at 10th and the Grizzlies at 11th. The Grizzlies were without point guard Ja Morant due to an elbow injury and were fresh off of trading 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, Jaren Jackson Jr., to the Jazz. As for Portland, it was point guard Scoot Henderson’s first game of the season after suffering a torn hamstring in the offseason. With 7:39 left in the first quarter, Henderson subbed in for Shaedon Sharpe, prompting heavy cheers from Trail Blazers fans who’ve been waiting for months to see Henderson return to the lineup. Henderson struggled a bit, which is typical of players returning from a long layoff. He was still able to make some decent contributions, especially in setting up shots for teammates, finishing with nine assists. In addition to the assists, he concluded the game with 11 points, five rebounds, one steal and five turnovers, which the Blazers will hope to see cleaned up in the coming weeks as Henderson reacclimates to the intensity of NBA competition. Students at the game were also able to witness the Trail Blazers debut of Vit Krejci, who came over from Atlanta in a trade that included Blazers fan favorite Duop Reath. Krejci made an impact early, scoring 11 points and adding two blocks. Krejci may turn out to be a steal of a player and provide quality three-point shooting, which the Blazers have lacked in recent seasons following the initial departure of Damian Lillard. At six-foot-eight, Krejci might provide some defensive versatility to the team as well. Up big towards the end of the game, the Blazers subbed in Yang Hansen, the Blazers’ 2025 first-round draft selection. While the crowd was smaller and a bit less interested due to the lopsided score of the game, it was rejuvenated when Hansen entered the court and absolutely erupted when he found his first points of the game off an assist from Blake Wesley to put the Blazers ahead by 30. The game ended in a 135-115 Blazers victory — capping off a fun night for students in attendance.
The next upcoming event from the Center for Professional Pathways is the HEXS ProConnect. The event will take place Thursday, Feb. 19, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the upstairs portion of the Student Success Center. The event will include food, bingo and the ability to earn Paw Points that can then be redeemed for prizes. ProConnect events are similar to a career fair and a way for students to meet with professionals in a field of their interest; HEXS ProConnect is geared towards anyone who is interested in a career in health and exercise science and would like to learn more about it. Even those who’ve never considered a career in the HEXS field can attend and see if something piques their interest. Students who would like to attend the event can register on Handshake and email any questions regarding the event to pathways@wou.edu.
The 2026 U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team poses for a photo on the ice ahead of the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. | Photo from @teamusa on Instagram
Feb. 4, 2026 |Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
The 2026 Winter Olympics start this Friday in Milan, Italy when the opening ceremony takes place at 11:30 a.m. PST. The ceremony will be headlined with a performance from Mariah Carey and will be focused around a theme of “armonia,” which is the Italian word for harmony. The Games will last for 16 days before concluding Feb. 22. Interestingly enough, this will be the first time there have been two different official host cities at one time with Milan and Cortina, Italy, sharing the host duties. The two cities are about a four-to-five hour drive from each other, making it a particularly intriguing decision. The plan is for Milan, a more modern and large city, to host events like figure skating and hockey, while Cortina, with its mountainous backdrop, will be hosting events such as alpine skiing. For the first time, the Games will also include ski mountaineering. For those unfamiliar, ski mountaineering is a sport in which athletes race uphill in ski gear through different stages. Through the first stage, athletes are required to carry their skis on foot, in the second stage they climb with skis and in the third stage they descend down the hill with their skis to the finish line. There will also be a ski mountaineering mixed relay. Other new events being added to the Games this year include mixed-team skeleton, a type of bobsledding; women’s double luge; men’s and women’s freestyle skiing dual moguls; women’s large hill ski jumping; and men’s and women’s combined team alpine skiing.
The conversation in the lead-up to Milano Cortina 2026 for Team USA is currently being dominated by legendary alpine skier Lindsey Vonn. Vonn has two bronze medals and at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, became the first, and to this point only, American woman to win gold in downhill skiing. At age 36, she retired due to an extensive list of injuries but has since decided to return. Unfortunately, Jan. 30 she injured her knee during her final race before the Olympics and while it was initially unclear what her status would be for the Games, Vonn announced on social media that she would participate. “After extensive consultations with doctors, intense therapy, physical tests as well as skiing today, I have determined I am capable of competing in the Olympic Downhill on Sunday. Of course I will still need to do one training run, as is required to race on Sunday, but… I am confident in my body’s ability to perform,” Vonn wrote Feb. 3.
These Olympics will also mark the first under new International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry. Coventry, who represented Zimbabwe, has two Olympic gold medals in the 200 meter backstroke swim, two silver medals in 100 meter backstroke, a silver in 400 meter medley and bronze in 200 meter medley. She was also a national champion swimmer at the collegiate level with Auburn. She was elected IOC president in 2025 after Thomas Bach stepped down, making her the first woman to ever hold the role. In anticipation for her first Games as president, Coventry said, “I’m somewhat calm but I’m sure that could potentially change.” She then continued by saying, “We’ve done everything we can to set these Games up for success. We now have to release it and let it go.”
A photo of the Wolves men’s basketball team huddling up during a game. | Photo by Moth Martinez-Faccio
Feb. 4, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
In men’s basketball coach Ryan Orton’s first season, the Wolves, like many of Western’s athletics programs, are moving in the right direction. They’ve already surpassed last season’s win total and are fielding an improved defense. Senior forward and guard Jadin Penigar, a transfer from UT Tyler, leads the team in scoring at 20.7 points per game, which is the second highest among all players in the GNAC. Penigar also hit the go-ahead shot with one second left against Seattle Pacific, the school he started his college career with, giving the Wolves a 50-49 win and their eighth win of the season.
When asked about the addition of Penigar and how he’s come along this season, coach Orton said, “I had coached against Jadin when he was at Seattle Pacific and so knew what he was about, knew his skill set, thought he was a bigger guard that could create his own shot, could create offense and when we were kind of formulating our team this summer that was one of the pieces that we didn’t really think that we had at the time and so just tried to sell him on the vision of being a guy that we could play to and through.”
Coach Orton, who is from Creswell, Oregon, carries an extensive coaching resume with him that’s allowed him to develop as a coach, having worked in an assistant role at Alaska Fairbanks, a head coaching role at Western Wyoming Community College and has spent time at the NCAA Division I level as an assistant with Eastern Washington and Montana State. “I always think about the people that have had a lot of influence on me as a person, but then professionally as a coach,” Orton said. “All the guys that I’ve worked for, all the head coaches I’ve worked for. Coach Osborne at Anchorage. I learned a ton from coach Giacoletti, Eastern Washington. Coach Huse at Montana State. Coach Hills, who was a former coach here, I worked for him at Northwest Nazarene. So I think you kind of take things and then you try to mold it to what you’re about. So I think I’ve learned a lot from guys I’ve worked for and obviously my dad was a coach, I played for him so I learned a lot from him.”
Something fans might notice at a Wolves men’s basketball game is the intensity at which Orton coaches the team. He’s not afraid to be vocal and hold players accountable, but the team responds to it well, a testament to the positive culture being built. After being asked about his style and willingness to coach the team passionately, he said, “I think what I appreciate about them is they allow me to, but they allow me to because I have a relationship with them.” He continued, saying, “I think our players understand we’re there for them and so a lot of our conversations are just about life, about ‘Hey, who’s your favorite NBA team?’ Just things like that, so that when it’s time to get on them, they understand that you care and there’s a relationship and there’s a foundation that’s been set so that they can quickly have some resilience and just move on and understand the message.”
Fans can catch the Wolves’ next game in the Wolves Athletic Center, formerly called the New P.E. Building, on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 4:15 p.m. when they take on the Saint Martin’s Saints, who currently sit at first place in the GNAC. The Wolves will be looking to avenge a 74-57 defeat from earlier in the season.
A photo of both teams’ helmets with the Lombardi Trophy during Super Bowl media week. | Photo from @nfl on Instagram
Feb. 4, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
Before the season began, it was inconceivable that this year’s Super Bowl matchup would feature the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. In fact, according to preseason betting odds, this Super Bowl matchup is the most unlikely in the game’s history at 80-to-1 odds, or a 1.23% chance. While both teams were generally considered to be headed in the right direction, both have ascended far quicker than expected. The Seahawks were coming off of a decent season, having gone 10-7 but just barely missing out on the playoffs. The Patriots were coming off of back-to-back 4-13 seasons after ruling the NFL for the better part of two decades. Now, Feb. 8, both teams will look to cap off their pleasantly surprising seasons by winning the coveted Lombardi Trophy. Seattle will be looking for their second title in franchise history, while New England will be looking for their seventh, which would put them in the lead for the most titles among any NFL franchise.
The game is a rematch of the 2014 Super Bowl, which is widely considered one of the most entertaining Super Bowls of all time, ending with the Patriots erasing a ten point fourth quarter deficit and intercepting a pass intended for Ricardo Lockette on the goal line with 21 seconds remaining in the game, securing a 28-24 victory. The decision to throw on the goal line as opposed to handing the ball to running back Marshawn Lynch is one that’s haunted the franchise and has been questioned ever since. This year’s game marks their first time back since that heartbreaking defeat.
On offense, the Seahawks are led by quarterback Sam Darnold and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is having an incredible year with 119 receptions, a league-leading 1,793 receiving yards and ten touchdown catches. The passing game has been improved by the midseason acquisition of Rashid Shaheed who came over in a trade with the New Orleans Saints. The addition of Shaheed has been valuable both on offense and special teams, as he returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown in the divisional round game against the San Francisco 49ers that eventually ended in a 41-6 victory.
The Patriots are led by second year MVP candidate Drake Maye at the quarterback position and running back duo Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, who’ve combined for more than 1,500 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. Veteran receiver Stefon Diggs leads the team with 1,013 receiving yards and 85 receptions, although it’s tight end Hunter Henry who leads the team with seven receiving touchdowns. Both teams are of similar quality on offense and average 5.9 yards per play. When looking exclusively at yards per pass attempt, the Patriots lead the league with 8.6, but the Seahawks follow very close behind with 8.5.
Defensively, the Seahawks have an elite unit and are tied for second place in the least yards allowed per play with 4.7. The defense is led by three Pro Bowl selections with linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence, cornerback Devon Witherspoon and defensive tackle Leonard Williams. Rookie safety Nick Emmanwori is a defensive Rookie of the Year candidate and gives the defense a lot of flexibility in their schemes due to his versatility and ability to wreck plays from anywhere on the field. A unique element of Seattle’s defense is that they will call different components of their defensive coverage, such as formation, pressure type and coverage type in pieces as opposed to a singular call that covers it entirely. This allows Seattle to mix and match different components and even install new defensive plays on the fly, which makes it incredibly difficult for offenses to prepare as the plays might not show up on film studies.
With the talk around Seattle’s defense, New England’s defensive unit may be a bit overlooked. The Patriots ranked just a few spots below Seattle in yards allowed per play, giving up only 4.9. Their defense is headlined by former Oregon Ducks cornerback and 2026 Pro Bowler Christian Gonzalez. Gonzalez only has one interception this season, but that stat is misleading. He is an elite defender who does such a great job in coverage that opposing quarterbacks rarely throw his direction, therefore limiting his chances to create a turnover. Linebacker Harold Landry leads the team with 8.5 sacks while K’Lavon Chaisson is right behind him with 7.5. They’ve also benefited greatly from the return of defensive end Milton Williams who missed five games this season due to injury.
As for who wins the matchup, it’s important to understand the weaknesses of both teams and how they may be attacked by the opposing team. For Seattle, they turn the ball over at a very high rate which is cause for concern. Over the course of the season they were 31st in giveaways, averaging 1.8 per game. They’ve avoided turning the ball over completely in the playoffs, and if that trend continues, they should win as expected. In fact, Seattle is undefeated this season when having fewer than two giveaways. New England is an opportunistic defense, coming in 10th in forced turnovers with 1.4 per game.
For the Patriots, they’ll need to find a way to keep the rush off of Maye as he is sacked at the fifth highest rate in the entire league and has been sacked a total of 15 times in just the past three games. Plus, for as good as their offense has looked all season, the playoffs have been a bit of a different story. They scored only 16 against the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild card game. Against the Texans in the divisional round, they scored 28 points but turned it over three times. In the conference championship game they only put up ten points against Denver, and while yes, the snow was a factor, they only scored seven points in the first half before the snow even really took effect. Luckily for Maye, Seattle is actually the lightest pass rush they’ve faced in the postseason thus far, sitting at 13th in the league for sack rate compared to Denver in first, Houston in fifth and Los Angeles in sixth. With that said, it’s still slightly above average and Seattle forces turnovers at a high rate as well.
Seattle also brings the best offense that New England has seen in the playoffs, and possibly the entire season, making the margin for error significantly lower. While some might say that the Patriots could have Christian Gonzalez shadow Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Seahawks move him all over the field and have even had him run routes out of the backfield, making it incredibly difficult to dedicate any sort of shadow or double team onto him. In addition, Shaheed and Cooper Kupp make dedicating heavy resources to stopping Smith-Njigba a less formidable strategy. Not to mention the Seattle running game having improved significantly over the home stretch of the season means New England will need to stay honest and keep at least a few players close to the line of scrimmage. Through the entire season, and especially as of late, Seattle seems like a stronger and more consistent team, and while New England most certainly has a path to victory, it feels like Seattle’s game to lose. Again, if they protect the ball like they’ve done in these playoffs, they should be able to take care of business.
Sam Landry and Sis Bates pose in Hillsboro Ballpark, the Portland Cascade’s home stadium. | Photo from @sportoregon on Instagram
Jan. 28 2026 | Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor
On Jan. 13, it was announced that Portland will be home to one of the six teams from the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, or AUSL.
Portland is already a prolific city when it comes to women’s professional sports. The Portland Thorns, which play in the National Women’s Soccer League, have been a big name in the state since 2012, with notable players from Team USA rounding out their roster. In September 2025, Portland Thorns owner RAJ Sports, led by the brother-sister duo of Alex Bhathal and Lisa Bhathal Merage, also bought the rights to a WNBA expansion team, the Portland Fire, which will begin its inaugural season in May this year. Portland even has The Sports Bra, a sports bar dedicated to showcasing women’s collegiate and professional sports. The AUSL Portland Cascade is the newest team to join this lineup.
In 2024, the AUSL began its first season with four teams playing round robin-style games on its touring season. Each team was named for its captain, typically the pitcher or catcher, and was packed with the best names of collegiate softball. During the season, the AUSL picked up traction, and it was soon announced that the league would have its inaugural season in 2025, with the four teams being renamed to the Volts, the Bandits, the Blaze and the Talons. This inaugural season also meant a partnership with the MLB, with the league investing in the AUSL to help establish it as a sustainable organization.
Late 2025 meant that two expansion teams were announced, along with the league moving to become city-based rather than touring-based. The Oklahoma City Spark was the first team to establish its headquarters in the aforementioned city, known as the home of the College Softball World Series. The other five teams had to wait until 2026 to announce their home cities.
The Portland Cascade will play at Hillsboro Ballpark, which is the home of the Minor League Baseball Hillsboro Hops. Hillsboro Ballpark is currently under construction, which came after the MLB changed ballpark standards for minor league teams in 2021, forcing the team to build a new venue altogether. However, the ballpark will be completed in time for the Hops and the Cascade to begin their 2026 seasons in April and June, respectively. The stadium is 229,000 square feet and can hold up to 6,000 fans for games and 7,000 for concerts, costing Hops ownership, the state of Oregon and the city of Hillsboro a combined $150 million.
The Cascade boasts a strong lineup, including standouts Sam Landry, fresh from the University of Oklahoma, and Sis Bates, a former University of Washington player. Both received multiple All-American awards during their collegiate careers, while Landry boasts an NCAA National Championship with Oklahoma, and Bates brings multiple defensive player of the year titles, including the AUSL’s defensive MVP award in her rookie season. Both Landry and Bates played for the Volts in the 2025 season.
The storied Tairia Flowers was announced as the Cascade’s head coach. During her time with Team USA softball, Flowers won gold at the Athens Olympics, silver at the Beijing Olympics and gold in the 2002 and 2006 Softball World Championships. In her coaching career for Team USA, Flowers has played multiple roles, including head coach, assistant coach and selection committee member.
The Cascade will play the season opener in Durham, North Carolina June 9 against the Carolina Blaze, and their home opener June 18 against the Oklahoma City Spark.
Brennen Murphy mid-race on day two of the GNAC Indoor Championships. | Photo from @wou_xctf on Instagram
March 4, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
Four school records were broken at the GNAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, which took place from Feb. 16-17. Jack Burgett broke his own record in the 60-meter dash at 6.75 seconds, Tate Herber set the record for the 60-meter hurdles at 8.24 seconds and Brennen Murphy broke the 400-meter dash record at 47.13 seconds, as well as his own record in the 200-meter dash at 21.24 seconds. Murphy would go on to win the men’s 200-meter conference championship the next day with a time of 21.3 seconds, but came up just short of the 400-meter title. Regardless, his efforts still led to him being named Male Track Athlete of the Meet.
“It means a lot,” Murphy said about winning the award. “Especially after losing the 400. I’ve won that one the past couple of years. To come back, win the 200, that meant a lot to me.” Murphy’s record clears the next best time in Western history by a full second. When asked about their performances, Burgett and Murphy both discussed the importance of mental preparation and visualization to achieve high-quality performance. “Before my race, almost all my races, I meditate for at least ten minutes,” Murphy said. “Both when I’m back in the hotel and right before the race.”
Burgett, who went into the meet having strained his hamstring just a couple of months prior, discussed the ways his mental preparation helped him overcome the roadblocks that came with the injury. “Running on a strained hammy, you could injure yourself anytime, even if it’s a little tight … but there’s a lot of visualization and just practicing it over and over in your head,” he said.
Both Burgett and Murphy were also dealing with sickness in the lead-up to the meet but were able to use their strong preparation to push past it as well as prepare for worst-case scenarios, such as forgetting a jersey or spikes, being ill or other unforeseen circumstances that could go wrong. “You just visualize that and then how you would get through it. Just kind of preparing for (the) worst case scenario,” Burgett said.
As for initial reactions to setting the new school records, both athletes kept a focus on what was ahead. Murphy explained, “I was pretty excited, the time clocks up on the board, so you know instantly, but I was pretty excited. But yeah, I was focused on the next day.”
A school rarely sees its two best runners in its history for an event competing at the same time, but that’s currently the case here in Monmouth for the 60-meter hurdles. Tate Herber, a sophomore out of Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis, surpassed the previous record — one that teammate Jackson McQuain, a junior from Beaverton and transfer from Clark Community College, was a co-owner of — by just a tenth of a second, putting the two right next to each other at the top of school record books.
Aside from the new record holders, other members of the team had successful showings as well. Sophomore Jordan Vega from Independence clocked the sixth fastest time in the 60-meter dash at 6.93 seconds. Jackson McQuain qualified for the finals in the 60-meter hurdles, while senior Landon Theisen got second place in the 800 and scored the eighth-best time in school history at 1:51.41. First-year Maren Anderson scored the third-best time in Western history for the women’s 1500-meter with a time of 4:56.87, the women’s team in the 4×400-meter relay had the eighth-best time in school history with 3:55.53 and Aaliyah Taba, a member of the relay team, became the fourth woman in school history to complete the 60-meter hurdles in under nine seconds.
“People are really popping off,” coach Zach Holloway said. “And once two or three people really start running, well, then it’s just kind of infectious and the whole group is getting better.” Holloway, who took over the interim head coaching role late last July after Octavious Gillespie-Bennett stepped down, has overseen the strong performances not only through the indoor season, but the cross country one as well, with Matthew Resnik, Kyla Potratz and Remedan Seman all having All-Region performances last fall. When asked about how he’s handled the new role with short notice, Holloway said, “It definitely has been more responsibility and more time consuming but I’ve really enjoyed having the opportunity to be more connected to the rest of the track and field team and have some more control on how we can operate our program and provide an experience and where we’re traveling to and what opportunities that we can give for people and so yeah, it’s been more but honestly, it’s been really enjoyable to have that opportunity to do that with the team. So yeah, that’s something I hope to continue to do long term.”
The Wolves are currently preparing for the outdoor season by working on the small aspects of their fundamentals. Murphy mentioned working on his block starts. “There’s like a whole science to it,” he said. “But just pushing behind you, you gotta really jump out the blocks too.”
The team starts their outdoor season at the Erik Anderson Memorial Ice Breaker in McMinnville, Oregon, at Linfield University, just over 25 miles away from Western’s campus. The Wolves will hold their first and only home meet of the year, April 10-11, which is a great opportunity for fans and students to attend. For those who’ve never been to a track meet at any level before, it’s a unique viewing experience compared to other sporting events, but anyone who might be interested should take advantage while it’s right here on campus. The atmosphere, while hard to describe, is enjoyable, especially on days when the weather is nice, and fans can comfortably witness high-level competition in multiple events, of which new spectators are sure to find one they enjoy. For regular updates on how the track program is doing, fans and students can follow the team on Instagram and X @wou_xctf or @WouXCTF on Facebook.
Nijawn Sterling (left) and Daron Ulrich Jr. (right) celebrate with other members of the team after a win against Midwestern State University Texas. | Photo from @wou.fb on Instagram
Feb. 11, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
The current recruiting cycle for the Wolves concluded Feb. 4 and saw the Wolves add a total of 44 recruits in what some are calling the strongest class ever brought to Monmouth. The 44 additions are a significantly larger group than the Wolves have brought in over the past two years, having 29 in 2025 and 27 in 2024. The class sets a great foundation for the future of a Wolves football program that is coming off of its strongest season since 2007, going 8-3 and coming up just short of a Lone Star Conference title. In addition, the class keeps a strong focus on players within the region, with 41 of the 44 signees coming from either Oregon or Washington and the remaining three coming from either California or Hawaii.
Head coach Arne Ferguson, who was the 2025 Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year and is entering his 21st season in the role, mentioned the advantage Western has in regional recruiting, saying, “The combination of our success in recent years, the quality conference we’re in and us being the only Division II school in the state, this is an exciting opportunity for players in our region to come and play at a very high level.”
The Wolves leaned heavily on the trenches in this class, signing 10 defensive linemen and eight offensive linemen. Last season, the Wolves had the fourth-best rushing offense in the LSC at 4.5 yards per carry and tied for first in the conference on the other side of the field, allowing only 3.1 yards per carry to opponents. These additions along both lines should allow Western to continue with this playstyle and grow stronger within it, providing significant depth after recent departures at both positions, notably those of Joseph Northcutt and Emilio Castaneda, who were both team captains in 2025 as well as seniors at defensive and offensive line positions, respectively. One notable addition along the defensive line is Brady Knowlton, a six-foot-two-inch, 300-pound linebacker from Chiawana High School in Washington who was first team All-State in 4A and won the Mid Columbia Conference Lineman of the Year award in 2025. The linebacker room was also hit with significant departures as Malcolm Liufau and Aden Murphy, both standouts and captains on the defensive end, have completed their final seasons as Wolves. The team added six linebackers and two running backs in this year’s class, which should further aid in the running game on both sides of the ball.
The passing game was not neglected, however. The Wolves picked up seven defensive backs, three quarterbacks, four receivers and a tight end. Western did struggle a bit in both pass coverage and in gaining yards through the air last season, coming in ninth for both pass defense and offense in terms of yards gained and allowed per attempt.
Western added two athletes under the “athlete” designation, meaning it’s still to be determined what role they will play for the Wolves. One of these players, Jarret Martin, is a Banks High School product who had 3,550 total yards, 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions over his last two seasons. Martin was first team All-State at the 3A level as a tight end/wide receiver and third team All-State as a defensive back. Ethan Adams was brought on at the quarterback position after completing his high school career at Battle Ground High School, where he won the Greater St. Helens League offensive MVP in 2025, putting up 1,586 passing yards and 17 passing touchdowns. Kellen Bailey is another enticing prospect for the Wolves as a six-foot-seven-inch wide receiver out of Summit High School. Bailey’s size at the receiver position could make him an interesting weapon in the Wolves’ passing offense within the coming seasons.
The heavy emphasis on high school recruitment will be a refreshing sight for some who’ve grown tired of the transfer portal system often seeing teams moving away from high school recruiting and focusing on established players. Many have raised concerns that in this new era, high school players are being passed up, thus making it increasingly difficult for them to receive a high-quality opportunity. However, the Wolves seem to be pushing high school recruitment more than ever, which could signal a more long-term recruiting strategy in this new and largely uncharted landscape where every program at all levels is working to understand where they can find the strongest advantage with the resources provided to them. Some smaller schools, such as Western, may find that with larger schools moving away from a heavy portion of high school recruits, they have a newfound advantage in locating local talent and bringing them on.
Western football will now set its sights on spring camp and sorting out its lineups for next season. It remains to be seen how much of a role some of the new signees play in their first seasons this fall, but they will certainly have the opportunity to compete and set a foundation for high-quality play to keep the football program trending in the right direction. Fans should keep an eye out for any announcements from the university’s athletics department regarding the date and time for the 2026 spring game, which is an exciting opportunity for fans to get their first look at the roster heading into the upcoming season.
Antonio Blakeney fields questions during an interview in October 2025. | Photo from @antonioblakeney on Instagram
Jan. 28, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
The newest addition to an unfortunate saga regarding gambling affecting the integrity of sporting competitions was exposed Jan. 15 when a federal indictment named 39 current or former college basketball players across 17 different schools in a point-shaving scandal and charged 20 players with federal crimes. In addition, six non-athletes or “fixers” were reportedly charged for conspiring in the scheme. According to the indictment, players were given anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 from conspirators to throw games and underperform. Fans may remember last fall when Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, along with others, was charged in relation to an illegal gambling ring. Two defendants from that case, Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, were also charged in this case and may face up to 25 years in federal prison for their roles.
The operation is alleged to have begun in September 2022 when Antonio Blakeney of the Jiangsu Dragons in the Chinese Basketball Association engaged in the point-shaving scandal and attempted to recruit his teammates as well. One such example was when Blakeney scored 21 points below his average. Blakeney was charged separately from the rest of the indictment.
The scheme made its way to college basketball, where conspirators are said to have targeted players who didn’t have significant name, image and likeness contracts, and would therefore be easier to recruit for the scheme, as well as non-athletes who had ties to collegiate basketball, such as trainers and other “people of influence.” 29 different games between February of 2024 and January of 2025 are said to have been affected, including four postseason games in various tournaments, although NCAA Tournament games, also known as “March Madness,” seem to have been unaffected.
Simeon Cottle of Kennesaw State, who is charged for his role in helping fix a game March 1, 2024, played as recently as Jan. 14 and was his team’s leading scorer. According to a statement from the university given to Sports Illustrated, Cottle has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities. Other current players named in the indictment are Carlos Hart from Eastern Michigan, although his involvement took place when he was still with New Orleans, Oumar Koureissi from Texas Southern, with his involvement taking place with Nicholls State, and Camian Shell from Delaware State, whose involvement took place at North Carolina A&T. It appears that like Cottle, all of these players have been suspended or removed from their teams.
In the wake of the scandal, NCAA President Charlie Baker issued a statement that said over the past year, 40 players from over 20 schools have been investigated, with 11 of those athletes being ruled permanently ineligible due to betting on their own performances. An additional 13 of the investigated student athletes did not cooperate with investigations, and while it’s unclear whether they were also ruled permanently ineligible, Baker said in his statement that “none of them are competing today.” Baker also urged states to bolster regulations regarding sports gambling in order to “better protect athletes and leagues from integrity risks and predatory bettors.”
One of the protections the NCAA is looking for is a ban on what are considered “high-risk” player prop bets, similar to restrictions placed at the NBA level regarding prop bets on players with comparatively lower salaries. When it comes to the state of Oregon, all gambling on collegiate sports is currently prohibited; however, some tribal casinos are able to offer it via their own sportsbooks, due to operating under a different set of laws. Legal proceedings are still ongoing, and it remains to be seen what will come of the charges and what future protections may be put in place.
James Nnaji poses in his Baylor Bears uniform. | Photo from @cbbcontent on Instagram
Jan. 21 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
The intense shift in college sports over the past few years has been well documented and discussed ad nauseam. College athletes can now earn money through contracts and brand deals after being strictly prohibited from doing so for essentially the entire history of college sports. In addition, transfer restrictions have been loosened, allowing athletes, for the most part, to become immediately eligible after transferring schools, while the old rule had required them to sit out for a season unless they were a graduate transfer or received some sort of waiver from the NCAA.
For some, the changes are ruining college sports. For others, the changes are welcome and make the system more fair for athletes. Every few months, it seems a new controversy pertaining to these name, image and likeness rules becomes a topic of debate in the sports industry. The newest of these controversies is the eligibility of Baylor center James Nnaji.
Nnaji, age 21, was drafted 31st overall to the Detroit Pistons in 2023 after playing professionally for FC Barcelona’s basketball team and then promptly traded to the Charlotte Hornets. A year later, he was traded to the Knicks as part of a larger deal that included All-Star center Karl Anthony-Towns. Nnaji never played official NBA minutes, playing only in the Summer League in 2023 and 2025. Nnaji was also a “draft and stash” player, meaning that while he was drafted to the NBA, he would hold off on signing a contract and continue playing overseas until he and the team that held his draft rights — essentially the right to be the only NBA team negotiating with him — worked out a deal. The practice has been common with international players over the years, with players like Manu Ginobili, Arvydas Sabonis and current Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic all taking extra seasons with their pre-draft teams for various reasons before joining their teams in the NBA. Some players are drafted and stashed due to outstanding contractual obligations with their pre-draft teams and/or because their team in the NBA thinks their development as a player is better off with a team in which they’ll be getting more playing time. Some never sign contracts and end up continuing the remainder of their career in another league.
Nnaji continued playing for Barcelona before being placed on loan to Girona and remaining there until March of 2025, when Nnaji and the club mutually agreed to part ways. Shortly thereafter, he would be loaned again, this time to Merkezefendi Belediyesi Denizli, a basketball club based in Turkey. In July, he announced that he and Barcelona had parted ways, making him a free agent. Nnaji, however, was not ready to give up on his dream of playing basketball at a high level and the Baylor Bears needed the help. After Nnaji’s agent learned that Baylor’s center depth was running thin due to injuries, he proposed the option of Nnaji joining the program to both Nnaji and the Baylor coaching staff. On Christmas Eve, his signing with the team and immediate eligibility were announced, drawing the ire of both coaches and fans. Arkansas coach John Calipari called the situation out in a press conference, saying, “Why did they let that kid play? Tell us all, ‘Here’s the reason.’ Then we’ll all go get pros.” Baylor coach Bryce Drew defended the decision to add Nnaji, saying, “When it came out that you could recruit G-League players, I was against it at first. I didn’t want to do it, but we don’t make the rules. If they say you can drive 80, you’re going to drive 80. If you drive 70, you’re going to get passed.”
UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close came to the defense of Drew, saying, “The reality is that I don’t blame him for doing that if it’s within the rules and it’s the landscape we’ve been given. We didn’t ask for those.” Close continued, “The reality is it’s such a chaotic mess and the rules change every couple weeks, and there’s no accountability, and what they said was going to be true about revenue share and caps and what third parties were going to be allowed to do and not allowed to do … hasn’t transpired.”
Close’s comments speak to a larger conversation around the NCAA and its ability to enforce rules. It’s important to note that the changes in name, image and likeness rules didn’t come from the NCAA itself but rather from the NCAA essentially having its hand forced by a unanimous Supreme Court ruling that determined rules against student athletes monetizing their name, image and likeness violated antitrust laws. Still undetermined is whether college athletes legally have the same rights as employees of an organization do. There’s also been legal challenges on the NCAA’s rules about their eligibility timeline, and although for the most part those have stood, challenges are still currently going through court cases and could bring significant change. Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo voiced his displeasure with the NCAA as an authority figure, stating, “I’m not real excited about the NCAA or whoever is making these decisions, without talking to us, just letting it go. They’re afraid they’re going to get sued.” Calipari simply said, “Let them sue us.”
Since joining the Bears, Nnaji has appeared in five games, playing an average of 14.2 minutes with 2.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, .4 assists and .4 blocks per game. The Bears have gone 1-4 in those five games and currently sit at 13th in the Big 12, although it is still pretty early in conference play. In his first game on the road against TCU, the crowd booed him. Nnaji believes the frustration is unwarranted, saying, “I didn’t do anything illegal. I didn’t try to break any rule.” Technically, Nnaji is right. He’s still within five years of what his high school graduation would be, which is the window of eligibility the NCAA provides for student athletes, save for a few special cases. He’s never been enrolled in college before and he never signed a real NBA contract.
It’s not that people are upset at James Nnaji; he’s just an athlete doing whatever he can to chase a dream. In general, they’re upset at the NCAA for what they perceive is a now lawless landscape in college athletics that is slowly turning it into a semi-pro development league, whether that be in football, basketball or any other sport.
Mike Tomlin addresses the Steelers’ locker room post game. | Photo from @miketomlin on Instagram
Jan. 21 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
While the remaining four teams continue their push to win the 2026 Super Bowl, the remainder of the league is left with a long offseason ahead of them, wondering what changes need to be made in order to take the next step towards winning the elusive Lombardi Trophy. For some, that’s free agency signings and big trades, for others, it’s finding new talent in the draft and some teams are completely cleaning house and starting over with a new coaching staff. While the Giants, Falcons, Dolphins and Titans have already found their coaches of the future, the Ravens, Raiders, Cardinals, Bills, Browns and Steelers are all still looking for their next head coach. For teams like the Ravens and Steelers, this is rather unfamiliar territory as both teams had the first and second longest tenured coaches in the league, respectively. Next season will be the first time in nearly two decades that the two rivals will face off without either Harbaugh or Mike Tomlin on either sideline.
When it comes to some of the other teams, however, they’re back on the search for their next coach after a relatively recent hire. For teams like the Raiders, they’re right back in the hunt after thinking they’d secured their coach of the future last season. Next year, there will be another handful of teams moving on from their coaches after a short period of time. It happens every single season and will continue to happen as long as there are still head coaches for football teams.
So why is nailing a coaching hire so difficult? Of course, there are more reasons than one, but to start, we must consider that an NFL head coach is a pretty exclusive job. Only 32 human beings in the entire world are considered knowledgeable enough about the game of football while also having the ability to connect with a large roster of players that all have different strengths, weaknesses and personalities. On top of that, every single week during the season, a coach is tasked with watching hours of film and learning about an opposing team’s strengths and weaknesses while another football genius does the exact same thing on said opposing team. Coaches often have a nonexistent work-life balance, some doing 16-hour days for about six days a week for 18 weeks. If they make the playoffs, that can extend another five weeks. If they don’t make the playoffs, they probably won’t have the job much longer. While they’re far from underpaid, earning annual salaries in the multi-millions each year, it’s incredibly difficult to find someone who can handle all of that and stay focused enough to coach the team at the level required to be successful in professional football. There’s an old saying that NFL stands for “Not For Long.” Usually, that’s used in reference to the average career length of just three years for players, but it’s true for coaches as well. According to Sports Illustrated, the average tenure for NFL coaches is also three years, a downturn from a reported 4.3 years by Business Insider in 2016, meaning that of the coaches hired in the coming weeks, for all the excitement they might bring to a fanbase, there’s a better chance than not that they won’t even finish their initial contract. In half of that time, the fanbase will be calling the coaches’ capabilities into question.
This year, like most years, the most discussed candidates for the current coach openings are a mix of old and new. Some, like Harbaugh and former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, are known commodities. Others, like Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, are exciting yet unproven candidates. Then there are guys like Broncos defensive coordinator and former head coach of the team, Vance Joseph, who are almost a mix of the two, having been head coaches in the past before being fired and returning to the coordinator ranks, and now being looked at for a second chance. Some may be inclined to go with what’s familiar, and others may try to go with the unfamiliar in an attempt to put themselves ahead of the curve amongst the remainder of the league. There are disappointments and success stories for both, and no approach has necessarily proven better than the other, which is what continues to make the process so difficult.
So, as the 2026 coaching carousel continues, it’s important to remember that, in many ways, picking a good head coach is a dart throw. Maybe an educated guess at best. Even if the right candidate is selected, it may not be the right fit for their skill set and coaching style. Coaches like Bill Belichick are a great example of things not working out at one location and then working wonderfully at another — some coaches are just meant to be high-quality assistants as opposed to running the whole show.
Coaches, just like players, have to grow and develop their skill set over time, but unlike athletes, there isn’t a clearly defined prime of their career, and the unique circumstances of coaching aren’t necessarily something that can just be taught. Currently, multiple organizations are dedicating countless hours to researching, interviewing and putting together the best contract possible for their preferred coaching candidate in the hopes that they’ll find the next elite head coach. And while they certainly might, the only certainty in the NFL coaching carousel is that people will keep on getting fired, and the cycle will just keep spinning.
