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About six months ago, an interesting email showed up in my inbox one morning. It was from the wife of a friend of mine. They were expecting their first child and the email contained a link to an online baby pool they were doing with their friends. Having not had any kids myself, I had no idea people did baby pools or what they were, but it was something to bet on, so I was in.
If you're unaware like I was, a baby pool is essentially a contest where people guess various aspects of the birth. The date, gender, time, eye color, etc. A college basketball coaching hiring doesn't have a lot in common with the birth of a child, but I'm always looking for an excuse to create a contest. So as a result, let's play: Name WSU's Next Coach! (working title).
Here is how this works. Everyone will guess an answer to the four questions below. They'll get points depending on how close their answer is to the actual result. I'll keep track of it all in the table below and at the end someone will be praised as the best degenerate gambler CougCenter has ever known. Here's a rundown of the four questions and how the points will be awarded.
Q1: The name of the next head coach (200 points)
Q2: The date WSU officially announces the hire (140 points, -20 points per day off)
Q3: The length of the contract in years (50 points, -10 points per year off)
Q4: Average annual salary (100 points, -10 points per $50,000 off)
I'll get it started with my best guess
| Member | WSU's next coach | Official announcement | Contract length | Average annual salary |
| Mark Sandritter | Leon Rice | April 1 | 5 years | $925,000 |
| CarolinaCoug | Eric Musselman | March 30 | 4 years | $800,000 |
| J.J. FeKl | Ernie Kent | March 26 | 5 years | $1.1 million |
| B-Lot tailgater | Saul Phillips | April 2 | 5 years | $1.1 million |
| Jeff Nusser | Rodney Terry | March 28 | 5 years | $900,000 |
| Kyle Sherwood | Saul Phillips | March 31 | 5 years | $1.2 million |
| Brian Cobb | Saul Phillips | April 1 | 5 years | $1.25 million |
| Ryan Eames | Marvin Menzies | March 26 | 5 years | $1.05 million |
| TrueCoug | Ben Howland | March 25 | 5 years | $1.8 million |
| SoCalCoug | Reggie Theus | March 31 | 4 years | $1.2 million |
| CougarsRockHuskiesSuck | Ben Johnson | March 31 | 5 years | $1.05 million |
| RG84 | John Calapari | April 1 | 12 years | $5 million |
| kukuforcougs22 | Phil Jackson | March 25 | 5 years | $10 million |
| hollyweirdcoug | Ernie Kent | March 24 | 5 years | $1 million |
| Fractal | Ernie Kent | March 27 | 5 years | $1.1 million |
| 02Coug | Bob Hoffman | April 4 | 5 years | $800,000 |
| spokanecougar | Saul Phillips | March 31 | 5 years | $1.2 million |
| klokkins | Leon Rice | March 31 | 5 years | $1.25 million |
Have at it.
Men's basketball:
Commentary: What’s next for the Washington State men’s basketball program?
As soon as Washington State’s inevitable firing of basketball coach Ken Bone was made official Tuesday, Cougars fans began pondering what athletic director Bill Moos’ search list might look like.
Football:
2014 NFL Draft: Deone Bucannon prospect profile - Niners Nation
The 49ers signed safety Antoine Bethea, but could the 49ers still invest an early round pick on a safety? We scout Washington State's Deone Bucannon.
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