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Aug. 28—Late afternoon heats into one of those blistering triple-digit early evenings in Eastern Washington. Carrying smoke from a wildfire, the breeze feels like an acetylene torch.
It’s mid-July in Cheney, and those with sense are at a lake or within arm’s reach of unlimited cold beverages.
But in a small, windowless office on the Eastern Washington campus, Aaron Best is grinding. It’s what he does.
And toward the end of this day, he makes time for an interview, even though he has to know that the guy with the notebook and tape recorder is going to ask him why the EWU football team, with such a proud tradition of success in the FCS ranks, has won only seven of 22 games in the past two seasons.
After some chitchat, the question is posed delicately, as if merely out of mild curiosity. Does he have any “theories” on the causes for the dipping win totals?
” ‘Theories’ can be disguised as excuses,” Best said, then pre-empted a logical follow-up. “(And) if you were to ask me what has to be fixed, then some would say, ‘Why didn’t you fix it while it was going on?’ “
An uncomfortable coaching conundrum, to be sure. To elaborate on problems might come across as affixing blame, and to outline solutions amounts to empty words until evidence is displayed.
So, as Best heads into his eighth season as EWU head coach, here’s a point that is real and relevant and indisputable: Nobody wants the Eagles to have football success more fervently than head coach Aaron Best.
And witnessed by the sight of the coach laboring in his bunker-like office deep into a midsummer day, it becomes obvious that Best is giving EWU everything he has.
Everything except excuses. He doesn’t go there.
He believes that his Eagles forebearers and brethren deserve that level of utmost effort.
“I try to make those guys proud,” he said. “You want to do it every second…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/hurts-more-alum-two-straight-020200936.html
Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-08-29 02:02:00
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