Northwest Notes: July 26, 2022

Gonzaga to meet Portland State

at Phil Knight Legacy Nov. 24

PORTLAND, Ore. — Rip City Management announced the brackets for the 2022 Phil Knight Legacy and Gonzaga will take on Portland State in the second game of the evening session at Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Nov. 24.

The multi-team tournament will feature eight men’s teams and four women’s teams competing during ESPN’s annual Feast Week, Thursday, Nov. 24 – Sunday, Nov. 27.

Men’s teams competing in Phil Knight Legacy include Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Oregon State, Portland State, Purdue, West Virginia and Xavier. These skilled teams have a combined 202 NCAA Tournament appearances, 30 Final Fours and seven NCAA titles.

Three of the eight teams reached the NCAA Tournament last season, including Duke in the Final Four. Xavier won the National Invitation Tournament.

The women’s Phil Knight Legacy field features Duke, Iowa, Oregon State and UConn. That group has combined for 97 NCAA Tournament appearances, 44 Elite Eights, 28 Final Fours and 12 national championships.

WSU's Henley named to

2022 Butkus Award list

Washington State linebacker Daiyan Henley was named to the 2022 Butkus Award Watch List, the Butkus Foundation announced Monday.

The Butkus Award is presented annually to the best linebacker in college football. Henley, one of 51 players named to the list, is the first Cougar to be named to the Butkus Award Watch List since Jahad Woods prior to the 2020 season. Note on criteria: The Butkus Award is focused on recognizing linebackers who consistently play off the ball on their feet in a two-point stance in traditional LB form. (Outside linebackers primarily rushing the passer in 30 fronts are regarded as pass rushers, not linebackers.)

Henley is set to begin his first season at Washington State after transferring from Nevada where he earned All-Mountain West Conference second-team honors last season. The Los Angeles native led the Wolfpack with 103 tackles including three for loss with four interceptions, three fumble recoveries, four pass breakups and five double-digit tackle efforts.

Johnson named director of operations

for Boise State men's basketball

Boise State men’s basketball has announced the addition of Michael Johnson as the program’s new director of basketball operations, head coach Leon Rice announced Monday. The previous director of operations, David Moats, has been promoted to director of recruiting.

Johnson will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the basketball office, including travel and equipment arrangements. Johnson will also serve as the director for all Bronco men’s basketball institutional camps and clinics.

“We’d like to welcome Michael to Boise as our new director of basketball operations,” said Rice. “He brings a wealth of experience coming from a successful program at Utah Valley. We are excited to welcome his family back to Boise. He will be a great addition to the community and our Bronco Family!”

Johnson comes to Boise State after serving as the director of men’s basketball operations for Utah Valley, where he joined in 2019. Prior to his role with the Wolverines, Johnson was an assistant coach at College of Idaho, helping lead the Yotes to a No. 1 ranking for the first time since 1992.

Moats steps in to fill the newly created role of director of recruiting, in which he will be responsible for managing Boise State’s recruiting database and be the point of contact between the coaching staff and future Broncos. Additionally, Moats will work with the coaching staff on the player development of current student-athletes both on and off the court.