Former WSU star Hristova signs pro deal in Poland

SPOKANE — After being rescheduled from its usual end-of-June date to the last weekend in August, the massive Hoopfest tournament in downtown Spokane has been canceled for 2020 due to concerns about increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases in the region.

Tournament director Matt Santangelo announced the decision Monday.

“Under the continued guidance of the Spokane Regional Health District, Hoopfest 2020 will not take place as previously planned,” Santangelo announced in a press release. “The rising number of COVID-19 cases has made Hoopfest 2020 unplayable for the first time in its storied 31-year history. We are disappointed and understand if you are, too.”

Although half-court games on the streets of downtown Spokane won’t happen, there will be a virtual event for those who have registered, or who wish to sign up. The challenges, drills and contests of Hoopfest HomeCourt may be competed between Aug. 20 and 23 to earn this year’s player shirts and championship shirts.

For more information, visit spokanehoopfest.net

Borislava Hristova, the all-time leading scorer in Washington State women’s basketball history, has signed a professional contract with AZS AJP Gorzów Wielkopolski in Poland for the 2020-21 season.

Hristova heads overseas to play for an AZS AJP Gorzów Wielkopolski team that competes in the top professional basketball league in Poland, Basket Liga Kobiet. Gorzów Wlkp. is coming off a successful 2019 campaign that saw them qualify for the 2019 FIBA EuroCup.

Hristova is the first player in Cougar women’s basketball history to score over 2,000 points, and is also WSU’s only four-time All-Pac-12 Conference selection. In 2019-20, she averaged 18.4 points per game to lead the team in scoring for the third-straight season. She shot 45.2 percent from the floor in 31 contests and pulled down 5.1 rebounds per game.

No basketball player, male or female, has scored more points at Washington State than “Bobi Buckets.” She amassed 2,269 career points from 2015-20, breaking WSU’s career scoring record, which was held by Jeanne Eggart for over 38 years. Hristova is also the only player in WSU basketball history, male or female, to collect over 2,000 points and 500 rebounds in their career. The Varna, Bulgaria, native sits at No. 11 on the Pac-12 women’s basketball all-time scoring list and holds seven school records.

Hristova is the seventh former WSU standout to play professionally overseas in 2020, joining Ireti Amojo (ALBA Berlin; Germany), Maria Kostourkova (ZKK Cinkarna Celje; Slovenia), Nike McClure (Anorthosis Ammochostou; Cyprus), Pinelopi Pavlopoulou (Olympiacos Pireus; Greece) Jazmine Perkins (BBC Les Portes du Soleil Troistorrents; Switzerland) and Tia Presley (Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan; Israel).

WSU linebacker Woods named

to Bednarik Award Watch List

PHILADELPHIA — Washington State rising senior linebacker Jahad Woods was named to the 2020 Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, The Maxwell Football Club announced Monday.

The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995 and is named in honor of Chuck Bednarik a former standout at the University of Pennsylvania and with the Philadelphia Eagles. Bednarik is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of ’69 and the NFL Hall of Fame’s Class of ’67.

Woods, a two-time All-Pac-12 Conference honorable mention pick recorded 141 tackles last season, fourth-most in the country and tied for the fifth-most in WSU single-season history, the most by a Cougar since 1991. Woods also tallied a team-high 10 tackles-for-loss, three sacks, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one interception. Woods set a WSU bowl game and Cheez-It Bowl game record with 20 tackles against Air Force, tied for the seventh-most in WSU single-game history.

Woods enters 2020 with 287 career tackles and 25.5 tackles-for-loss in 39 career games.