Washington State Names Jon Harrlow as Permanent Athletic Director, Removes Interim Label
Washington State University athletics has officially named Jon Haarlow as its full-time athletic director, promoting him after he served in the interim role since November.
Haarlow stepped in as interim AD following the dismissal of former athletic director Anne McCoy. Prior to that, he had been serving as the university’s senior associate athletic director and chief financial officer since 2021, where he built a reputation for strong financial leadership and strategic planning.
Storm Core Ezi Magbegor, Extend Reserved Qualifying Offers to 2 Others
The Seattle Storm made a trio of qualifying offers on Tuesday as they attempt to retain Ezi Magbegor, Mackenzie Holmes and Zia Cooke, per the WNBA’s transaction wire.
Seattle extended a core qualifying offer to Magbegor, which is a one-year, fully guaranteed deal valued at the new supermax figure of $1.4 million. It does not guarantee Magbegor will sign for that amount, but it does give Seattle exclusive negotiating rights.
Gonzaga’s Depth Takes Big Hit as Braeden Smith, Steele Venters Enter Transfer Portal
With the NCAA transfer portal officially opening on Tuesday, two more names from Gonzaga’s 2025-26 roster have thrown their names into the hat. Both falling out of the rotation’s favor by season’s end, Braeden Smith and Steele Venters are both headed to the portal, becoming the third and fourth Zags to do so at this point in the offseason.
Smith began the year as GU’s starting point guard before getting lapped by freshman Mario Saint-Supéry midway through the season, as the Spaniard brought more to the floor offensively and defensively. The 6-0 redshirt junior continued to get into each game, but his minutes both dwindled and became inconsistent.
Venters entered the season healthy for the first time in three years after suffering a torn ACL and Achilles, respectively, before each of the two previous seasons kicked off. The 6-7 graduate student was meant to be a sniper from the outside, and even though he shot 36.7% from the outside – the second-highest mark on the team – it wasn’t enough to make up for his deficiencies defensively, even for a Bulldogs group that was devoid of three-point shooting.
Seattle U’s Offseason Begins with Trio of Redhawks Entering Transfer Portal
Since the Seattle Redhawks season ended two weeks ago at the hands of the Auburn Tigers in the NIT, the program has had three players enter the transfer portal looking for new teams for the 2026-27 season.
Senior guard John Christofilis became the first Redhawk to officially enter the portal Tuesday. Still with one year of eligibility remaining, he appeared in 35 games and averaged 6.5 points on 38% from three-point range in 16 minutes per game.
This season, Christofilis saw a decrease in playing time from the previous two seasons. In both his sophomore and junior seasons, he started 25 games and played averaged over 25 minutes per game. While he served as a spark off the bench, scoring double digits in nine games, the senior lost opportunities to Jojo Murphy, who became the first guard off the bench for coach Chris Victor.
Bats Go from Quiet to Silent, Mariners Drop Third Straight to Open Texas Series
Sometimes, when a good team is in a rut of bad performance, it only takes one good break to open the floodgates and turn things around.
But when the M’s put up eight against the Guardians, or walked off the Yankees, or stole a theretofore scoreless match in extras from the Angels - or when Cal Raleigh launched one halfway into the upper deck on Monday night in Arlington, Texas - it was less like the great floodgates opening and releasing an overpowering torrent and more like little droplets of water gathering on the collection surface of a solar desalination plant: the tiny pellet of hydration was followed by yet more aridity.
Cal Raleigh finally found his stroke in his first at-bat of the game, torching a middle-middle Jacob DeGrom fastball 418 feet to right field.
What’s that old saying about the darkest time of the night? Well, the sun only shone for one at-bat in the top of the first and then quickly went away again (what’s the inverse of an eclipse?), but at least Cal Raleigh got himself into the .500s in OPS (talk about scarce droplets of water!) by the end of the night.
Emmanuel Innocenti Enters Transfer Portal, Leaves Gonzaga Devoid of Defense
With the Gonzaga Bulldogs leaning heavily into the defensive side of the ball entering the 2025-26 season, they had two impactful players in mind that were already on its roster. One was Jalen Warley, who transferred in from Virginia midway through the previous season and is now graduating after a stellar season as the team’s versatile chess piece.
The other was Emmanuel Innocenti, who transferred to the Zags after playing his freshman year with Tarleton State, and was limited to more of a reserve role with GU during the 2024-25 campaign. But after emerging as a key starter for the Bulldogs this past year, Innocenti’s agency, “THE·TEAM”, surprisingly told DraftExpress that the incoming senior intends to enter the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining, leaving a larger hole in Gonzaga’s defensive personnel.
The Zags have typically done an admirable job of retaining players year-over-year in this era of frequent player movement, but Innocenti will be headed elsewhere after an impactful season spearheading the Bulldogs’ stout defense, announcing his departure from Spokane four days after redshirt freshman Cade Orness did the same.
Mariners Waste Lucky Breaks that Angels Take, Drop Series with 8-7 Loss in Extras
There’s always a strange air around games between the Angels and Mariners. Any divisional rivalry series will have an edge to it, but for the Halos and M’s, it just feels a bit different.
It probably has something to do with this: the modern Perry Minasian Angels are a mirror of the Jack Zduriencik-era Mariners: both teams stuck in the doldrums of mediocrity, wasting the career of two generational players (one Japanese superstar each), but each doing it in the opposite way.
Where the 2010s M’s caromed between 95-loss disasters and missing the playoffs by a game or two, the 2020s Angels hover around 70-75 wins year-in and year-out. The Zduriencik Mariners failed to shore up generational pitcher Felix Hernández, while the Minasian Angels have left future Hall of Fame center fielder Mike Trout out to dry. Ichiro was the first Japanese position player to light up the MLB (doing so with an old-school Wee Willie Keeler-style approach), but was nearing the last few years of his career by the time Zduriencik sent him to the Yankees. Shohei Ohtani, a much more homer-focused modern great (who, by the way, can also pitch) was a few years into his pro career before going to Anaheim.
Kraken Buried in ‘Unacceptable’ Loss to Blackhawks
The Seattle Kraken’s odds to make the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs were slim entering Saturday night’s matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks at Climate Pledge Arena.
However, facing the team with the second-worst record in the league provided Seattle an opportunity to at least extend its hopes. The Kraken can’t control the other bubble team’s results, but they can control the effort and urgency required to put themselves in the best position possible.
Even then, there wasn’t enough on Saturday night. With a 4-2 loss to a bottom-feeding Blackhawks, the Kraken all but solidified their place among them.
“I would just use one word,” Seattle coach Lane Lambert said. “I’m disappointed.”
Reign Close Spokane Fixture Trio with Draw to Expansion Denver
The Seattle Reign stayed perfect in their Spokane closer on Saturday, tying expansion side Denver Summit FC 0-0 on Saturday night to move to 3-1-1.
The Summit, fresh off their home opener, which drew over 60,000 fans in Colorado, have built a reputation of being tough to break down. Paired with a true scorer on the left wing in Melissa Kössler and a chance generator in striker Yazmeen Ryan, Denver was always on Seattle coach Laura Harvey's mind as a threat.
Indeed, the Summit burdened Seattle with 18 shots, but the Reign's active backline pressured many of those attempts. In the end, Denver produced just three shots on target and 1.2 expected goals on a day where the teams shared possession almost evenly.
Danny Sprinkle, Huskies Back to Drawing Board for Another Rebuild
It looks like Danny Sprinkle and his Washington Huskies men’s basketball will be starting over.
Again.
As Sprinkle heads into his third season at UW, it would appear that another massive roster shakeup is coming after Zoom Diallo, JJ Mandaquit and Courtland Muldrew all have announced intentions to enter the transfer portal when it opens on Tuesday.
‘Greatest News Ever’: Gonzaga’s Mark Few Inducted Into Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
In just his second year on the ballot, Gonzaga head coach Mark Few has been inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026. Officially announced on Saturday, the 63-year-old will be enshrined in basketball immortality.
“This is the greatest news ever. It's just such a thrill to be elected to the Hall of Fame, something I never would have imagined happening in my life,” Few said in a statement. “I'm so grateful and so proud of everything our players were able to accomplish here at Gonzaga. It's a credit to having incredible people around you: incredible players, incredible staff members, an unbelievable wife and family, and God directing me through this crazy life. I can't thank everybody enough at the Hall of Fame. I'm just thrilled to be part of this phenomenal class."
Becoming eligible in 2024 for the first time, Few was a Hall of Fame finalist for the last two years. Active coaches must be at least 60 years old and have 25 years of service time under their belts. He joins fellow coaches Mike D’Antoni and Doc Rivers, former players Amare Stoudemire, Candace Parker, Elena Della Donne, and Chamique Holdsclaw, official Joey Crawford, and the 1996 United States Women’s National Team as this year’s inductees, who will have their induction ceremonies scheduled for August 14-15 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Cougars Leading Scorer Ace Glass Enters Transfer Portal as Roster Shakeup Continues
The biggest domino of the offseason has fallen for coach David Riley and the Washington State Cougars, as WCC All-Freshman Team selection and Second Team All-West Coast Conference guard Ace Glass has announced his intention to enter the transfer portal.
The Rancho Cucamonga, California native was a breakout star this past season, averaging 16.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. Glass shot an efficient 45.5% from the field, 36.4% from three-point range, and 88.2% from the free-throw line. He quickly established himself as one of the most dynamic and reliable scorers in the conference, emerging as a centerpiece of the Cougars’ offense.
Known for his ability to score in bunches, Glass brought a skill set that was largely unmatched on the roster — the ability to consistently create his own shot. He was equally comfortable scoring off the dribble or catching and firing, making him a constant threat in both half-court sets and transition.
Davy Coetzer, Seawolves Overcome Late Front Row Red in 33-16 Win over Old Glory
TUKWILA, Wash. - Before the 2026 season began, it wasn’t clear at all how the Seawolves stacked up against their five opponents. All the teams in the MLR consolidated talent from the folded teams, but as to the strength of each team as compared to each other, there wasn’t a whole lot to go off of besides conjecture. It was clear Anthem were majorly improved while the defending champion Free Jacks lost a grand total of 13 Canadian-eligible players and had a heap of general turnover. But with all the chaos, last year’s point totals, win totals, and point differentials weren’t the biggest thing weighing in the preseason projections.
In the first week, however, the team with a positive-38 point differential last year beat the team with a minus-40. Both sides had to work past some early season jitters, but with a new elite flyhalf in tow and the home turf grit to battle past a late red, the Seawolves logged the opening win under the Friday night Starfire lights.
Davy Coetzer had an excellent first match with the Seawolves, scoring 18 of Seattle’s 33 points.
A couple of Old Glory penalties in the early minutes led to offseason-acquired flyhalf Davy Coetzer’s first penalty kick of the season in the fourth minute. It was a relatively easy shot in windless conditions, but Coetzer shanked it a bit to the left and it bounced off the post into the visitors’ hands. That, along with a couple half-fumbles, was the only real mistake Coetzer made all match.
Injured Storm G Nika Mühl Selected By Portland Fire in WNBA Expansion Draft
Guard Nika Mühl, who tore her ACL in early March for the second straight year and had surgery on March 31, was the only Seattle Storm player selected in the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft. The Portland Fire selected Mühl with their last pick in the draft.
The Storm knew early enough that Mühl was going to miss the entire 2026 season, which is clearly why they didn’t protect her in the draft. There’s a chance she would’ve remained unprotected even if she were healthy after playing in just 16 games since being drafted in 2024.
Sounders Sign Peter Kingston to First-Team Deal
The Seattle Sounders signed Tacoma Defiance midfielder Peter Kingston to a contract through the end of the season, with options for the 2027 and 2027-28 seasons, on Friday morning.
The move comes after weeks of lobbying from head coach Brian Schmetzer, injuries and transfers of key depth pieces.
Kingston, who played for the Sounders academy growing up, has had a unique journey to the first team.
Huskies Ready to Pad Up and Find Out ‘Who the Real Dawgs Are’
SEATTLE, Wash. — The first two days of Huskies spring football show a team that looks ready to take another step or two forward this season.
They look big, fast, lively and engaged. Practices move quickly, with virtually no wasted time as players move from drill to drill, station to station.
Washington’s second-year defensive coordinator Ryan Walters wants to see more, however. He’ll get that opportunity on Saturday, when UW players put on pads for the first time this spring and pop each other during live sessions.
“This is fake football out here right now. We’re out here in shorts and T-shirts. That’s not how the game is played. We’ll find out who the real dawgs are.”
Kraken Blow Lead, Allow Six Unanswered in Critical Loss to Utah
SEATTLE, Wash. - Jacob Melanson was doing Jacob Melanson things.
Moments after beating out a potential icing for the Seattle Kraken, which faced the Utah Mammoth at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday, the 22-year-old forward redirected a Ryan Lindgren shot past Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka to extend Seattle’s lead to 3-1 early in the second period.
That kind of high-motor, physical play getting instantly rewarded is just what a Kraken team fighting for a Western Conference wild card spot needs. Instead, it was instantly stripped away.
The Mammoth successfully challenged for goaltender interference, bringing the score back to 2-1. Utah tied it four minutes later, erasing its 2-0 deficit and scoring four more unanswered goals to secure a 6-2 win.
Gonzaga Bulldogs Guard Cade Orness to Enter Transfer Portal
The first member of the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ 2025-26 roster to move on from the program this offseason, Cade Orness announced via Instagram on Wednesday that he would be entering the transfer portal.
“This has been one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make,” Orness wrote. “There’s a lot that comes with stepping away from a special place like this, especially because of the people and relationships that have meant so much to me. But after a lot of thought and prayer, I have peace in knowing this is the next step for me in my journey through life and basketball.”
Redshirting for the past two seasons, Orness appeared in eight games with the Zags – all of them during this past season. The 6-5 guard initially made the team in 2024-25 as a walk-on but earned a scholarship before his second year at the collegiate level. Orness totaled three points, one defensive rebound, one assist, and a steal. He also shot 1-of-2 from the field and was 1-for-5 at the free-throw line in his action on the floor.
UW Extends Huskies WBB Coach Tina Langley Through 2031-32 season
The University of Washington and women’s basketball head coach Tina Langley have agreed to a landmark six-year contract extension worth $7.1 million, the school announced on Thursday.
With the new deal, Langley will be under contract with the Huskies through the 2031-32 season. The school locked down the coach who has brought the women’s program immense success over the last few seasons.
Transfer Portal Strikes Again as Cougars Lose Two More Starters
The transfer portal has bit the Washington State Cougars yet again, as ND Okafor and Rihards Vavers have both entered their names. With two more departures, as of this publication, Ace Glass, Jerone Morton, Dominik Robinson, and Brunel Madzou are the only scholarship players remaining from last year’s roster.
Only two weeks after initially refuting an earlier report that he planned to go elsewhere, Vavers entered the transfer portal after developing into one of the Cougars’ top perimeter threats. After starting his career at Quinnipiac, the Latvian native became known primarily as a sharpshooter during his time in Pullman. Vavers took a significant step forward from year one to year two, showing improvement in his ability to attack off the dribble while also flashing growth defensively.
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