Bennett.COACHING CORNER: Kent, the former Oregon coach, led WSU to a 13-18 record, including seven conference wins, in his first season. Last year was quite a drop-off. Washington State did man

Geelong star Tom Hawkins is confident teammate Steve Motlop can bounce back after being put on the AFL trade table by the Cats.List manager Stephen Wells admitted there had been little interest in the mercurial midfielder after the club made it known they would listen to trade offers following his inconsistent 2016 campaign.Richmond quickly rebuffed Motlops inclusion in a potential trade for star veteran Brett Deledio and, with three days remaining in the trade period, he looks likely to remain a Geelong player.Motlops departure would have also given the Cats room to move as they try to land Carlton defender Zach Tuohy.At his best, Motlop is a damaging line breaker and Hawkins believes he is committed to returning to the club in peak fitness after the harsh reality check.I would say hes had some pretty honest conversations, Hawkins told AFL Trade Radio.I know from speaking to him over the break hes certainly been training and hes looking forward to playing next year.Steve would admit himself, he didnt put himself in the best position when he turned up to the start of the 2016 pre-season in bad shape.He would admit again that he didnt have his best year of footy. He certainly played some great games, but wasnt as consistent this year.I think hes learned a lot about himself this year. I love playing with him ... the year wasnt a disaster for him by any means.Im very happy that hes staying.Hawkins is a big fan of Deledio and Tuohy, but the Cats have been hamstrung in their efforts to land the pair by last years trade bonanza that netted four players, including star midfielder Patrick Dangerfield.Shane Kersten and Nathan Vardy are expected to depart the club in coming days but those deals are unlikely to allow the Cats to make significant inroads in negotiations for Deledio and Tuohy.Hawkins struggled himself at times this season and admitted he had been hampered by a niggling knee injury.I had a little bit of an issue with my meniscus so they repaired that, he said of last weeks surgery.My recovery has been pretty good so far. Ive spent a fair bit of time on the couch, but it probably changes my off-season plans.I only found out on the morning of the best and fairest that I was going to get it done.But it was a good time to get it done. I can rehab it slow and steady. Authentic Custom Hornets Jersey . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. Custom Hornets Jersey China . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. http://www.customhornetsjersey.com/custom-muggsy-bogues-jersey-large-79r.html . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. Custom Hornets T-shirts . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. Hornets Jerseys China . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. PULLMAN, Wash. -- Washington State coach Ernie Kent is promising his third season will see an improvement in the Cougars talent level.That would be good news after a forgettable campaign last season that saw Washington State finish 9-22 overall and just 1-17 in the Pac-12.There was lots of roster churn after the season, and this years edition of the Cougars also took a tour of Italy to hone their basketball skills.With the talent level coming in the door, I think people should be pleasantly surprised when they see this team play, Kent said. Much improved shooting, passing and defense.A better team may also help increase the average of 2,800 fans at home games last season.The Cougars have some bright spots.Most notable is Josh Hawkinson, who averaged 15.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game last season and led the Pac-12 in rebounding and with 20 double-doubles. The 6-foot-10 forward is now a senior and was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention last season.Hawkinson said he must do more to help the team.Ive got to step up more defensively, he said. I can be more of a distributor.Also back is senior guard Ike Iroegbu, who averaged 12.7 points and 3.6 assists, and guard Charles Callison, who recorded 7.9 points and 3 assists per game.Kent promised an up-tempo game last season, but didnt have the athletes to deliver. He believes the six newcomers on the roster are more suited to faster play.This team will be able to score more so we can speed the game up again, Kent said. Theres a different talent level, and a different energy coming in the door that allows us to play at a higher level.ddddddddddddAmong the newcomers is Malachi Flynn, who had 15 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds during WSUs final game in Italy. Freshmen Jeff Pollard, Milan Acquaah and Jamar Ergas are also expected to contribute.Iroegbu said everyone has to contribute this season.It cant just be me and Josh. Iroegbu said. Thats what Italy was for.The Cougars have not made the NCAA Tournament since the 2008 season under former coach Tony Bennett.COACHING CORNER: Kent, the former Oregon coach, led WSU to a 13-18 record, including seven conference wins, in his first season. Last year was quite a drop-off. Washington State did manage to beat No. 25 UCLA at home, then lost 17 games conference game in a row.ECHOES IN BEASLEY: A low-wattage non-conference schedule wont do much to raise attendance at Beasley Coliseum, which averaged 2,800 fans per game last season. No teams from Power 5 conferences are playing a non-conference game in Pullman this year. But fans can see three teams from the Big Sky.QUE CHECKS OUT: Que Johnson, once a highly touted recruit, transferred to Western Kentucky for his senior year, taking his 11.3 points per game with him. Center Valentine Izundo, guard Ny Redding and forward Brett Boese are also gone.THE HAWK: Hawkinson led the team with 33 minutes a game and ranked 11th in the nation in rebounding. He had a streak of 11 consecutive double-doubles. ' ' '