Ground zero at Washington

Crammed into Dennis Dodd’s lengthy, compelling piece on the state of University of Washington football is this 24-karat nugget about new defensive coordinator Nick Holt, who came from USC with head coach Steve Sarkisian:

Holt received a $200,000 signing bonus and signed a contract worth $650,000 annually.

The job of reviving a program that didn’t win a game last year and that Tyrone Willingham dropped in the bottom of Puget Sound in four short years isn’t going to come cheaply, easily or quickly. Unlike some other rebuilding BCS programs, however, Washington’s apparently got plenty of loot to try and get back into the big time.

College sports spending on the rise

An NCAA-commissioned report says the Football Bowl Subdivision schools are spending 11 percent more over the last three years, to a total of $42.2 million.

The culprits seem to be high coaching salaries, but I’d love to see how administrative and bureauctratic costs have gone up too.

NCAA wants it both ways on gambling

So says the FanHouses’ Greg Couch, who calls out some bland NCAA flackery that decries “student-athlete” wagering (in response to point-shaving allegations involving Univeristy of Toledo football) but is steadfastly neutral on “the membership” doing individual deals with casinos and other gaming entities.

Naturally, Murray Sperber can be counted on to be the snake in the garden party:

“At the very core of the NCAA, the mother’s milk they live on, the March Madness money, is this deep, deep hypocrisy. I remember their own poll showed that one in five athletes had bet on college sports.

“Should they encourage gambling? Especially when one of the problem groups of gamblers, people who can’t control their gambling, are college kids? They get in over their heads.”

Ah yes, the “H” word. Can’t write an NCAA-related piece about subjects like this without it.

Vaccaro speaks out on Jeremy Tyler

The wheeler-dealer who got Brandon Jennings to Italy out of high school is just as adamant that rising senior Jeremy Tyler has every right to do what he’s doing, the college basketball industry be damned:

“Why aren’t those people interested in the other 30 percent of kids in the state of California who don’t graduate high school? Why are they so concerned with one individual who won’t graduate right now, but who will be financially secure for the rest of his life.

“And let me take it a step farther. What if Shaun Livingston [who turned pro out of high school] would’ve gotten hurt at Duke and would’ve never been able to play again? By the grace of God, he got hurt when he was in the NBA, and so even if he hadn’t ever played again, he would’ve been financially secure for the rest of his life.

“People always talk about what happens if the players get hurt [in the pros without a college degree to fall back on]. I ask, what happens if they get hurt in college [and don't have the pro contract to fall back on]? We are so shortsighted that we forget the basic things in our existence are to be a good person and to financially take care of you and your family. Those are the two things. I don’t know what else there is, really. Be good and be self-sufficient.”

Hoops coaches living with April rule

As the month of April concludes, Andy Katz talks to men’s basketball coaches about not being able to evaluate high school players in non-scholastic events right after the college season.

Doesn’t sound like much opposition has surfaced, especially from BCS-level coaches who typically aren’t scrounging around for unsigned seniors in April.

Stafford’s already a bust

The draft hasn’t even begun, but already the second-guessing of the No. 1 pick is underway.

Tom Curran says the Lions will regret choosing Georgia QB Matthew Stafford, who’s inked a 6-year, $41 million deal but whom he predicts will suffer the same fate as David Carr.

Says super agent Leigh Steinberg:

“Developing a quarterback is a slow and methodical process and usually the team that selects a quarterback No. 1 has the fewest tools to provide to that player. So when a quarterback is least able to mentally withstand the pressure on and off the field, he is facing the situation at its worst.”

Gloomy outlook for the WNBA

Reducing roster sizes is just one action taken by the WNBA to rein in expenses during an economic recession.

Bob Corwin rounds up some other ominous signs that could endanger the long-term future of the league, whose fate is tied to the health of its benefactors at the NBA.

High school junior heads to Europe

Jeremy Tyler, a 6-foot-11 prep sensation from San Diego, has outdone Brandon Jennings and is bypassing his senior season — of high school basketball — to play two years in Europe in preparation for the NBA.

“His game will be picked apart [by scouts], but long-term it’s much better for his development as a player,” said one Western Conference general manager, who can’t comment publicly due to NBA rules. “It’s a bold move, but I’ve seen tape and that kid could play in the NBA right now. He’s an incredible talent.”

Oklahoma issues social media limits

As part of its compliance efforts related to ongoing NCAA probation, the University of Oklahoma is restricting what “student-athletes” can say online on such places as Facebook and MySpace.

Postings must conform to an acceptable code of conduct, and ideally should reflect a particular player’s individual interests and activities. Constructive ones, at least:

” ‘Partying,’ ‘drinking,’ and ‘getting wasted’ do not qualify as real hobbies or interests.”

Well, shoot.

Will a new look help the Lions?

New uniforms and a supposedly fiercer looking logo were unveiled today by the Detroit Lions, coming off an 0-16 and just days before they’ll have to make a much more significant decision: How to use the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

Frankly, I see only a very slight difference with the roaring creature on the helmet. The Lions better hope that’s not the case on the field.