Basketball preview, november 2, 2017

C O L L E G E B A S K E T B A L L 2017 -18 SPECIAL SECTION ⏐ THURSDAY, NOV. 2, 2017

LET’S DANCE! New-look Zags have familiar goal: NCAA or bust

Fresh off last season’s Final Four appearance, senior Johnathan Williams and the Gonzaga Bulldogs look to return to the NCAA Tournament in 2017-18.

THE YEAR AFTER

THE RIGHT ‘FIT’

PERFECT VISION

The Gonzaga men’s basketball program has proven over the past two decades that it’s not about rebuilding, it’s about reloading

Recruiting has evolved at Gonzaga, but as John Blanchette writes, “program guys,” whether four-year players or one-and-dones, are still key

The new giant videoboards at Gonzaga’s McCarthey Athletic Center add sizzle to an already dazzling game experience

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PHOTO BY COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

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THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

C O L L E G E B A S K E T B A L L 2 017 -18

Tar Heels aim for big follow-up to title run Miles from millions – for now

NCAA MEN’S NOTEBOOK

Instead of making millions in the NBA , Miles Bridges, the 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward, is a college sophomore and loving it. Bridges led undersized and overmatched Michigan State last year with team highs in points (16.9 per game), 3-pointers (56), rebounds (8.3 per game) and was among the top three in blocks, assists and steals. This season, the Big Ten preseason player of the year and national player of the year candidate will have a much better surrounding cast.

“Deserves all the attention he’s received,” Izzo said. “So far he’s handled it with humility and humbleness like hasn’t been seen around here that often. I say that not insulting our other guys, but more or less complimenting him. He’s handled it with class. If you talk to him, he’d much rather talk about his teammates, the program, the coaches than himself. He’s an unselfish guy, and it filters down through the team.”

From wire reports The motivation has changed for North Carolina, even if the goal hasn’t.

The Tar Heels enter the season as the reigning national champion after spending last year chasing another shot following a crushing loss in the 2016 final. It remains to be seen whether the goal of winning another one offers nearly as powerful of a driving force.

“I love winning, everybody on the team does,” senior swingman Theo Pinson said. “We’re competitors.

“I remember last year on the day of the national championship game, me and (senior Joel Berry II) woke up and said …Who ` would ever think we’d be here again?’ So why not have that same feeling again?”

Duke (1991-92) and Florida (2006-07) are the only teams to repeat as champions since UCLA’s run of seven straight ended in 1974.

“It’s really, really difficult,” said Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams, who has won three at UNC. “What you do is you try to set a standard, try to set a goal that you strive for, that you push for, and you think about every day – trying to be one of the best teams.”

Picked to finish second in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Tar Heels have plenty of holes to fill, losing Associated Press first-team All-American Justin Jackson from the wing along with big men Kennedy Meeks, Isaiah Hicks and Tony Bradley Jr. Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams has plenty of perimeter options – starting with Berry’s return as the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player

Learning from experience

DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Guard Joel Berry II, who was instrumental in North Carolina’s win over Gonzaga in last season’s NCAA final, returns for North Carolina.

– but uncertainty up front.

March hero Luke Maye, the 6-foot-8 junior who hit the last-second shot to beat Kentucky and send UNC to the Final Four, is back but is more of a stretch-4 with his ability to shoot from outside. The Tar Heels brought in freshman big men Garrison Brooks (6-9, 215), Sterling Manley (6-11, 240) and Brandon Huffman (6-10, 250) – and need them

to grow up fast.

Williams has long preferred to have two reliable big men on the court, both for interior scoring and to handle his emphasis on rebounding .

“We look really good walking through the frickin’ airport,” Williams said, adding: “If I had to play for my life, I may not play any of them. I may play really small. But that’s the reason you get to practice.”

Grayson Allen was part of one star-studded freshman class that won a national championship at Duke. He’s also been on a young team that flamed out in the NCAA Tournament’s opening weekend. So the senior guard knows what works and what doesn’t.

And he’s confident this team, with promising freshmen Gary Trent Jr., Wendell Carter Jr. and Marvin Bagley III, resembles 2014-15 – and not last year’s enigmatic group.

“The great thing is, they all have great attitudes,” Allen said. “They’re all extremely talented, from top to bottom, so I’m really looking forward to what we can put together. But we’ve got to put it together.”

COLIN MULVANY THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

STARTING LINEUP 3 13 15 16

Ernie Kent looks to hit the gas pedal in Washington State’s quest to surprise the Pac-12

Behind Jill Barta, Laura Stockton, Gonzaga women primed for another WCC run

EWU presents a new coach, Shantay Legans (pictured above), and a familiar star

Veteran-laden WSU, Eastern Washington and Idaho women all anticipate big seasons

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

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COLLEGE BASKETBALL 2017-18

WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS 2016-17 RECORD: 13-18 (6-12 Pac-12) COACH: Ernie Kent, fourth season, 35-58

COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

The Washington State Cougars will look to Malachi Flynn, left, and Milan Acquaah to lift them from the Pac-12 cellar.

CRANKING UP THE PACE

Kent’s aim is to rev up Cougars’ offense and wear out opponents

By Theo Lawson THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

PULLMAN – For all the time they spend wearing down their bodies with shuttle sprints, hill runs and VersaClimber intervals, the Washington State Cougars probably had their most exhaustive cardio program of the 2016-17 season in an actual game, against Creighton at the Paradise Jam. They spent large chunks of it chasing the Bluejays down in transition – rarely to any avail – and the Cougars were dog-tired by the time the final horn sounded on a 103-77 Creighton win. It was the kind of early-season defeat you’d usually crumple into a paper ball and toss into the nearest recycling bin.

That wasn’t Ernie Kent’s move. He saved the notes and was so fascinated by the tempo-driven offense the Bluejays had employed to can 15 3-pointers and score 19 fast-break points, that WSU’s coach made sure to get a copy of Greg McDermott’s secret recipe before leaving the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Creighton coach offered it complimentary. His Bluejays had been using a compressed shot clock in practice – just 12 seconds to inbound the ball, push it and shoot it.

Now Kent’s trying out the 12-second shot clock in year No. 4 at WSU, hoping the Cougars can start playing with the pace and pizzazz that made his teams at Saint Mary’s and Oregon such a hot ticket for so many years.

“It makes you play faster, react faster, think offense quicker, stay in attack mode quicker,” said Kent, who used different variations of the shortened shot clock at both of his previous stops, but never 12 seconds. “And quite frankly, it gives you a confidence level to be able to shoot, knowing you’ve got a green light to shoot it and everything. Then when you go back to that normal shot clock, it keeps the pace of the game moving.”

Sort of like swinging a baseball bat with a doughnut, and then without one.

Kent brings back just one starter and just 22.8 points per game from a team that scored 70 last season and finished with a 13-18 overall and a 6-12 mark in Pac-12 Conference play. WSU

WASHINGTON STATE ROSTER

No Name

Pos Ht.

Yr.

Hometown

1

Jamar Ergas

G

6-3

R-Fr

Toronto, Ontario

2

TJ Mickelson

G

6-1

Fr.

Olympia

3

Robert Franks

F

6-7

Jr.

Vancouver, Wash.

4

Viont'e Daniels

G

6-2

Jr.

Federal Way, Wash.

5

Milan Acquaah

G

6-3

R-Fr.

Bakersfield, Calif.

10

KJ Langston

G

6-4

R-Jr.

Chicago.

12

Steven Shpreyregin

G

6-1

Sr.

Seattle

13

Jeff Pollard

F

6-9

So.

Bountiful, Utah

22

Malachi Flynn

G

6-1

So.

Tacoma

25

Arinze Chidom

F

6-9

R-Fr.

Oakland

32

Davante Cooper

F

6-11

Jr.

Atlanta

35

Carter Skaggs

G

6-5

So.

Logansport, Ind.

40

Kwinton Hinson

G

6-4

Jr.

Fairmont, N.C.

43

Drick Bernstine

F

6-8

R-Sr.

Aurora, Colo.

missed out on the postseason for the sixth year in a row and received the last-place vote when the preseason Pac-12 poll was released a few weeks ago.

But for the first time, the Cougars roster is made up exclusively of Kent recruits.

Which means, above all else, it’s tailor-made to play the game with speed.

“In this system we’re playing, we don’t necessarily have a point guard in transition,” Kent said. “One time it’ll be Milan (Acquaah), next time it’ll be Malachi (Flynn), next time it’ll be Robo (Franks). Drick (Bernstine) is probably the fastest guy with the ball coming down the floor in transition.”

And Bernstine is a 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward.

The Cougars are already old pros with the 12-second shot clock. They installed it this summer and go to it whenever they convene for 5-on-5 scrimmage scenarios. It’s a chaotic way of playing the game, but now the Cougars feel they’re physically conditioned to hustle up and down the court at a rate many of their opponents shouldn’t be able to match.

“The first couple practices was a lot of turnovers, a lot of stoppage because of exhaustion when we were tired,” junior guard Viont’e Daniels said. “But as we started getting more conditioning … we got better.

And our decision-making got better while doing it.”

Now it’s at least a controlled chaos.

“I tried to do it the last three years, we threw the ball all over the place,” Kent said. “I don’t think our skill set was as good as this team.”

And Kent figures to have the best crop of shooters he’s had as the Cougars coach. WSU finished a respectable fifth in

the Pac-12 last year, shooting the 3 at a 36.5 percent clip. The top three teams in the league all did 38 percent or better last year, which could be something for WSU to aim for. Either way, the Cougars will have more people contributing. Kent’s lineups will usually have no fewer than four capable 3-point shooters on the floor at the same time, and depending on the matchup, the coach could very well deploy five marksmen to maximize the team’s run-and-gun potential.

“Small” lineups and tempo offenses have both found a home in professional basketball.

Teams play at a breakneck pace to get the ball upcourt and find the first best shot – no matter how many seconds have elapsed from the shot clock.

“If you look at Golden State, Houston, San Antonio, OKC, even with the 24-second clock, those teams are on average shooting the ball in 12 seconds because of the pace or flow of the game,” Kent said. “And we’re a team that wants to get up and down and play numbers and we can pass it well and shoot it well.”

The caveat is that the Cougars will have to defend, and it wasn’t a strong suit of theirs in 2016-17, when WSU ranked ninth in the league allowing 76.6 points per game.

For their transition game to work, the Cougars will also have to pound the defensive boards – another weakness, according to the numbers from a year ago. WSU was second to last with just 36.2 defensive rebounds per game.

“It’s all predicated,” Kent said, “on playing good defense and getting stops.”

CONTACT THE WRITER:

(509)939-5928 theol@spokesman.com

PLAYER TO WATCH

The Cougars wore rookie point guard Malachi Flynn thin last season and it started to show midway through the Pac-12 slate.

Through the first eight conference games, Flynn posted double digits six times. Through the final 11, it happened only twice. And twice in the last three games, Flynn didn’t score at all.

The one thing that never dipped was Flynn’s minutes. Just one year removed from finishing up his high school career at Bellarmine Prep, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound guard was often logging more than 35 minutes per game against high-caliber opponents and finished his freshman season playing 33.2 minutes on

KEY GAMES

average.

It won’t get any easier for Flynn as a sophomore – which is to say, the load won’t get any lighter. As a 31-game starter in 2016-17, it’s hard to imagine Flynn taking on an expanded role. That’s precisely what fourth-year coach Ernie Kent expects of him, though, now that Ike Iroegbu, Josh Hawkinson, Conor Clifford and Charles Callison have graduated. “(I) fully expect him to just embrace that role of being the man, the guy, the leader of this team,” Kent said.

– Theo Lawson

PREDICTION 1. Arizona 2. USC 3. UCLA 4. Oregon 5. Stanford 6. Oregon State 7. Arizona State 8. Utah 9. Colorado 10. Washington 11. Cal 12. WSU

The Cougars are staying in the continental U.S. for their early-season tournament this year.

After a trip to the Paradise Jam in 2016, WSU heads to Fullerton, California, for the 2017 Wooden Legacy on Nov. 23.

They’re guaranteed a meeting with Phil Martelli and Saint Joseph’s in the opening round, but could also see Saint Mary’s, Georgia or San Diego State.

The Cougars only have two true road games on the nonconference slate and one of those is the annual meeting with Idaho, on Dec. 6. The Cougars and Vandals will play the 273rd edition of the Battle of the Palouse at the Cowan Spectrum.

WSU fans in Spokane will have an easy commute to the team’s Dec. 20 game against Big-12 opponent Kansas State. The Cougars and Wildcats will tip off late at Spokane Arena (8 p.m.), but the game is set to air on national television (ESPN2).

How will WSU fare against the Pac-12’s elite this season? The Cougars should know early on. They open conference play at UCLA and USC – respectively picked to finish third and second in the preseason media poll.

WSU and UW will contend for Evergreen State bragging rights on Jan. 6 at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman and on Jan. 28 at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle. Arizona, a hot pick to win the 2018 national title, makes its always anticipated trip to the Palouse on Jan. 31. Also keep an eye on the games between Ernie Kent and his former school, Oregon. The Cougars and Ducks play twice – in Eugene on Feb. 11 and in Pullman on March 1.

– Theo Lawson

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THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

COLLEGE BASKETBALL 2017-18

P A C -12 P R E V I E W WWW.PAC-12.COM

JOHN LOCHER/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Despite a turbulent offseason, coach Sean Miller and his Arizona Wildcats look like favorites in the Pac-12.

TOP TEAMS UNDER CLOUD Favorites Arizona, USC will have investigation fallout dogging them

By John Blanchette FOR THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Arizona spent a good stretch of the spring and summer as a projected – though not consensus – preseason No. 1 nationally. Then Duke made a late recruiting snag of Marvin Bagley III and scuttled that.

And then the FBI turned college basketball upside down, and cast a big shadow over the 2018 Pac-12 season.

Assistant coaches Emmanuel “Book” Richardson of Arizona and Tony Bland of USC – the presumptive No. 2 team in the Pac-12 in early previews – were charged in the blockbuster sting that rocked the sport, alleging illicit payments among shoe companies, agents and coaches to steer recruits to specific advisers and schools. Both coaches have been suspended by their schools, with the process to dismiss Richardson underway at Arizona. And while outcomes and punishments may not be decided during the course of the season, the cloud will follow both programs – and the Pac-12.

Which might be the only part of the season that doesn’t follow a familiar tack.

The Pac-12 put just four teams into the 2017 NCAA Tournament, but three were top three seeds and reached the Sweet 16 and Oregon made it to the Final Four before falling to North Carolina. Those same four – Arizona, USC, the Ducks and UCLA – are likely to return, and there’s a slight chance that Stanford could make it five if the Cardinal’s fine recruiting class can provide some help for hard-working Reid Travis.

If the hierarchy of the Pac-12 isn’t shifting, there were a couple notable changes in the coaching ranks. At Cal, Cuonzo Martin never signed his original contract, then got an extension through 2021, then bolted for Missouri at season’s end – another bad look in a troubled athletic department that responded by elevating well-liked but lightly regarded assistant Wyking Jones. And up in Seattle, Lorenzo Romar’s run of good-recruits-but-poor-results finally petered out – his firing sending the nation’s top prep recruit, Michael Porter, and a crackerjack recruiting class to the wind.

And Romar? He didn’t stay unemployed long. He’s an assistant now – to Sean Miller at Arizona. Lots of drama in the Pac-12.

Arizona Wildcats Coach: Sean Miller (340-113), 9th year 2016-17 record: 32-5. Pac-12: 16-2, 1st (tie) Key newcomers: Emmanuel Akot (6-7, G), DeAndre Ayton (7-1, F),

Brandon Rudolph (6-6, G) Key losses: Lauri Markkanen, Kadeem Allen, Kobi Simmons Outlook: The FBI bribery sting that ensnared assistant coach Book Richardson will be a season-long shadow – possibly over the nation’s best team. That’s if guard Rawle Atkins makes full recovery from a broken foot and Parker Jackson-Cartwright is the point to take a team the distance. But Allonzo Trier’s return and the arrival of man-child DeAndre Ayton make UA the real deal.

Arizona State Sun Devils Coach: Bobby Hurley (72-55), 3rd year 2016-17 record: 15-18. Pac-12: 7-11, 8th Key newcomers: Romello White (6-8, F), Mickey Mitchell (6-7, F), Kimani Lawrence (6-7, F) Key losses: Torian Graham, Obinna Oleka, Sam Cunliffe Outlook: With a four-guard lineup, the Sun Devils were overmatched inside last year. That should be alleviated a bit by two players who had to sit out – Romello White (academics) and Vitaliy Shibel (knee) – and junior college rim protector De’Quon Lake.

Tra Holder and Shannon Evans make for a small, but potent, backcourt, but this team has to be able to guard somebody.

California Bears Coach: Wyking Jones, 1st year 2016-17 record: 21-13. Pac-12: 10-8, 5th (tie) Key newcomers: Marcus Lee (6-11, F), Darius McNeill (6-3, G), Deschon Winston (6-2, G) Key losses: Ivan Rabb, Jabari Bird, Charlie Moore Outlook: Coach Cuonzo Martin bolting to Missouri? Not a surprise.

Promoting Wyking Jones to replace him? Who-king? A low-key hire will probably get some slack, what with 7-foot defensive specialist Kingsley Okoroh the only starter back. Kentucky transfer Marcus Lee will have to have a big year, and Darius McNeill will have to blossom quickly at the point.

Colorado Buffaloes Coach: Tad Boyle (205-161), 8th year 2016-17 record: 19-15. Pac-12: 8-10, 7th Key newcomers: Namon Wright (6-5, G), McKinley Wright IV (6-0, G) Key losses: Derrick White, Xavier Johnson, Wesley Gordon Outlook: Experience didn’t get the Buffs much traction last year, so now they can try the makeover. The lone returning starter is wing George King, who doubles as CU’s top 3-point threat and best rebounder. There’s Wright

stuff in the backcourt – Missouri transfer Namon and freshman McKinley – and raw athleticism in the frontcourt in Tyler Bey.

Oregon Ducks Coach: Dana Altman (597-313), 8th year 2016-17 record: 33-6. Pac-12: 16-2, 1st (tie) Key newcomers: Elijah Brown (6-4, G), Troy Brown (6-6, G), Kenny Wooten (6-9, F) Key losses: Dillon Brooks, Chris Boucher, Tyler Dorsey Outlook: No team lost more than the Ducks, but they reeled in a terrific recruiting class, including two productive grad transfers in Elijah Brown (New Mexico) and MiKyle McIntosh (Illinois State) and gifted freshman Troy Brown. The burden is on sophomore point guard Payton Pritchard to hold it all together, but he showed a great hand with veterans last year.

Oregon State Beavers Coach: Wayne Tinkle (199-145), 4th year 2016-17 record: 5-27. Pac-12: 1-17, 12th Key newcomers: Ethan Thompson (6-5, G), Alfred Hollins (6-6, F), Seth Berger (6-8, F) Key loss: Derrick Bruce Outlook: When Tres Tinkle went down six games into the 2017 season, the Beavers went into a death spiral. So they need him healthy, strong years from Stephen Thompson Jr. and incoming brother Ethan, and forward Drew Eubanks to pare back his turnovers and fouls. But the Beavers need to shoot it, handle it and board it better.

Stanford Cardinal

Key losses: Lonzo Ball, TJ Leaf, Isaac Hamilton, Bryce Alford Outlook: Only LaVar Ball thinks his No. 2 son is the centerpiece of the UCLA recruiting class. LiAngelo won’t have near the impact of Lakers-bound Lonzo, but Jaylen Hands and Kris Wilkes are capable replacements for Bryce Alford and TJ Leaf. Expect the Bruins to be stronger up front behind 7-footer Thomas Welsh and freshmen Cody Riley and Jalen Hill. Thirty wins are certainly possible.

USC Trojans Coach: Andy Enfield (111-92), 5th year 2016-17 record: 26-10. Pac-12: 10-8, 5th (tie) Key newcomers: Charles O’Bannon Jr. (6-6, G), Jordan Usher (6-7, F), Derryck Thornton (6-2, G) Key loss: none Outlook: What are the odds of a 26-win, NCAA Tournament team returning five starters and not losing a single player to early NBA entry? That’s why the Trojans are the biggest threat to Arizona top the Pac-12. Jordan McLaughlin is the league’s top returning point guard and Benny Boatwright, Elijah Stewart and Chimezie Metu give the Trojans top-shelf weapons inside and out.

Utah Utes Coach: Larry Krystkowiak (157-105), 7th year 2016-17 record: 20-12. Pac-12: 11-7, 4th Key newcomers: Justin Bibbins (5-8, G), Donnie Tillman (6-7, F), Christian PoPoola (6-4, G) Key losses: Kyle Kuzma, Lorenzo Brown, Devon Daniels Outlook: The Utes slipped back to NIT level last year and face difficult, if not daunting, odds on returning to the NCAAs without first-round draft pick Kyle Kuzma and two other starters.

They do have a below-the-radar big man in David Collette but no other established double-figure scorers. Long Beach State waterbug Justin Bibbins and holdover Sedrick Barefield will vie to run the show.

Coach: Jerod Haase (94-70), 2nd year 2016-17 record: 14-17. Pac-12: 6-12, 9th (tie) Key newcomers: Kezie Okpala (6-8, F), Daejon Davis (6-3, G), Kodye Pugh (6-8, F) Key losses: Marcus Allen, Christian Sanders Washington Huskies Outlook: A top-20 recruiting class Coach: Mike Hopkins, 1st year and strong frontcourt should get the 2016-17 record: 9-22. Pac-12: 2-16, Cardinal into the NCAAs for only the second time in 10 years. Brawny Reid 11th Key newcomers: Jaylen Nowell Travis is the Pac-12’s top-returning scorer and rebounder and will get help (6-5, G), Nahzlah Carter (6-5, G), from esteemed freshmen Kezie Okpala Hameir Wright (6-8, F) Key losses: Marquelle Fultz, Malik and Oscar Da Silva. The key is Dime backcourt production from Dorian Outlook: The difficult decision to Pickens and Marcus Sheffield, a modest part with good-guy institution Lorenzo scorer who had 35 points against ASU. Romar was compounded when most of UCLA Bruins his splendid class of commits scattered.

Coach: Steve Alford (481-251), 5th Longtime Syracuse aide Mike Hopkins year rallied to salvage Jaylen Nowell, but will have to make do with some 2016-17 record: 31-5. Pac-12: 15-3, average core parts – feast-or-famine 3rd guard David Crisp, try-hard Matisse Key newcomers: LiAngelo Ball Thybulle and 6-8 Noah Dickerson, the (6-5, G), Jaylen Hands (6-3, G), Kris Wilkes (6-8, G) closest thing to a go-to guy.

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NOVEMBER 2, 2017

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COLLEGE BASKETBALL 2017-18

WASHINGTON HUSKIES 2016-17 RECORD: 9-22 (2-16 Pac-12) COACH: Mike Hopkins, first year

DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Matisse Thybulle, defended by Gonzaga guard Josh Perkins last December, is among the Washington returnees that new coach Mike Hopkins will need to step up if the Huskies are to rebound from last season’s dismal finish.

HOPKINS REFUELS DAWGS New coach brings intensity to rebuilding Huskies

By Percy Allen SEATTLE TIMES

Clutching a purple-colored pad close to his chest, Mike Hopkins looked like a modern-day basketball gladiator as he directed a layup drill at a recent practice.

“Hit me!” the new Washington men’s basketball coach barked. “Run through and finish!”

It’s been nearly seven months since Hopkins, the former Syracuse assistant, took over and the Huskies are discovering their new coach is a hands-on, caffeine-fueled Hopkins basketball junkie who spouts motivational sayings like Bill Walton and is quite possibly the fittest 48-year-old on the planet.

“One word to describe Coach Hop? Man, that’s hard,” junior guard David Crisp said. “Here it is: intense.”

Junior wing Matisse Thybulle said: “He’s crazy, but in a good way. He really cares about us as people before players, which I really appreciate and the guys really appreciate.

“He really wants us to get better and we see through the way he coaches us and how he treats us on and off the court. Knowing that, there’s nothing that we wouldn’t do for this guy.”

And junior forward Noah Dickerson added: “He’s all energy, and that’s something that we really need.”

PLAYER TO WATCH The biggest pick-up in Washington’s recruiting class? Noah Dickerson.

Sure, the 6-foot-8 junior was the Huskies’ leading rebounder and No. 3 scorer of a year ago. But in the Uber-hailing chaos following former coach Lorenzo Romar’s dismissal, Dickerson’s decision to pull back on his pondered transfer to either LSU or Florida felt like a recruiting win for new coach Mike Hopkins.

In fact, with all but Jaylen Nowell from Romar’s heralded recruiting class beating feet elsewhere, Dickerson’s return gives the Huskies roster at least a smidgen of credibility.

In an otherwise lost 2017 season, Dickerson made notable jumps in scoring

WASHINGTON ROSTER

No.

Name

Pos Ht.

Yr.

Hometown

0

Bitumba Baruti

G

6-6

So.

Dem. Republic of Congo

1

David Crisp

G

6-0

Jr.

Tacoma

2

Dan Kingma

G

5-10

Sr.

Mill Creek, Wash.

4

Matisse Thybulle

G

6-5

Jr.

Issaquah, Wash.

5

Jaylen Nowell

G

6-4

Fr.

Seattle

11

Nahzia Carter

F

6-6

Fr.

Rochester, N.Y.

12

Jason Crandall

G

6-0

So.

Issaquah, Wash.

13

Hameir Wright

F

6-9

Fr.

Albany, N.Y.

14

Michael Carter III

G

6-4

Fr.

Seattle

15

Noah Dickerson

F

6-8

Jr.

Atlanta

22

Dominic Green

F

6-6

Jr.

Renton, Wash.

23

Carlos Johnson

G

6-3

So.

Centralia, Ill.

24

Devenir Duruisseau

F

6-8

Jr.

Palmdale, Calif.

32

Greg Bowman

F

6-7

Sr.

Mountlake Terrace, Wash.

33

Sam Timmins

F

6-11

So.

Dunedin, New Zealand

You want proof? Listen to Hopkins’ first 2017-18 news conference as he recounts the story of freshman Jaylen Nowell, the former Garfield High standout, recommitting to UW after the coaching change.

Here’s Hopkins, mild-mannered one minute and then pounding the table and screaming, “Yes! Go Dawgs! Let’s go, baby!” while reliving one of the first recruiting wins during his short tenure at UW. It’s a good memory, but admittedly the transition hasn’t always been smooth.

And how could it be?

Markelle Fultz bolted to the NBA and Michael Porter Jr., the nation’s No. 1 prospect, bailed as part of a mass exodus from Montlake.

With the exception of Nowell, Hopkins lost every 2017 recruit who originally committed to UW. He inherited the remnants of last season’s 9-22 team that finished 11th in the Pac-12, while adding a handful of newcomers.

“It’s not exactly smooth, but it’s been pretty darn smooth because we have a great staff,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins hired Will Conroy, the former UW standout and lone holdover from Lorenzo Romar’s staff, and put him in charge of the guards.

Former Seattle University coach Cameron Dollar instructs the post players, and former Nevada coach Dave Rice oversees the forwards.

UW’s top priority is overhauling a broken defense that finished 306th

(12.5 from 7.5) and rebounding (8.2 from 5.2), but was mostly more efficient – his shooting percentage rising from 46.7 to 54.7. Minutes were up; turnovers were down.

And Hopkins senses more with Dickerson slimmed down this season.

“He is a very confident player,” Hopkins said. “You can see it just with what he’s done with his body. It has affected every part of his life in a positive way. How many programs have a guy like that who can score in the low post? And now it is more so the consistency of the domination. He went through a run last year where he was averaging 22 (points) and 12 (rebounds), or 22 and 11. Can you get that consistently?”

– John Blanchette

nationally in field-goal defense, 344th in 3-point field-goal defense and allowed 81.1 points per game last season.

Since the start of fall practice Sept.

29, the Huskies began implementing a 2-3 zone that Hopkins brought with him from Syracuse.

“I’ve been doing it for a long time, so it’s been in the DNA,” he said. “If you cut me, the zone would come out in my blood.

“People think the defense is like Little League baseball. But for the most part there’s a lot of little intricacies. There’s a lot of thought process.”

The Huskies return three starters and four of their top five scorers, including David Crisp (13.8 points per game), Dickerson (12.5), Thybulle (10.5) and Carlos Johnson (5.9).

“The guys who can help us win in our system are playing,” said Hopkins, who declined to announce a starting five. “Every game that we play, that’s the entire goal.

“One day at a time. We go and we play that game. Win or lose. We come back. We learn from it. We get better.

That’s the most important thing. It’s the buy-in. It’s the fit.”

Washington begins play tonight – an exhibition against Saint Martin’s – and opens the regular season Nov. 10 versus Belmont.

“There will be growing pains, but the one thing and the message that I want to get out to everybody is grow with us,” Hopkins said. “You got to grow with us. This is a plan. A system.

A newness.

“There’s going to be ups and downs, but I really believe that we’ll be a team that will be together. We’ll be out there fighting for our lives every day.

We’ll be organized. We will compete.”

KEY GAMES There will be lots of 509 in the 206 this college basketball season.

For the first time in 38 years, the Washington Huskies will play each of state’s other NCAA Division I basketball programs in the same season – which means trips to Alaska Airlines Arena for all four of schools, in addition to UW’s annual visit to Washington State in Pullman on Jan. 6.

Eastern Washington gets the first in-state crack at the Dawgs on the season’s first weekend, Nov. 12. Twelve days later, former EWU coach Jim Hayford – in his first year at Seattle University – takes his Redhawks across town.

UW’s big nonconference home

showdown is a Sunday afternoon date with Gonzaga on Dec. 10.

Washington State visits Seattle for its return match on Jan. 28, another Sunday game.

During the 1979-80 season, the Dawgs met both Gonzaga and Seattle in addition to the Cougars before EWU had made the jump to Division I. Other highlights of the UW nonconference schedule include an appearance in the 2K Classic in New York City where the Huskies open with Providence, and a Dec. 6 meeting with Kansas in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Huskies open Pac-12 play with a Dec. 29-31 road swing to USC and UCLA – which don’t have to make the Northwest trek this year. Arizona visits the Huskies on Feb. 3.

– John Blanchette

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WCC PREVIEW WWW.WCCSPORTS.COM

COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

The West Coast Conference race figures to come down to Johnathan Williams, left, and Gonzaga against Jock Landale and Saint Mary’s.

FINALLY, SOME INTRIGUE

Favored Gaels a threat to Zag’s run of five straight WCC regular-season, tourney titles

By John Blanchette FOR THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

The West Coast Conference has already seen its Upset of the Year.

It came in October when nine of the league’s head coaches made Saint Mary’s their pick to finish atop the regular-season standings – the Gaels’ Randy Bennett not being allowed to vote for his guys. Being favored is no real surprise in itself – the Gaels were 29-5 last year and return four starters, including Player of the Year favorite Jock Landale.

But the unanimity is certainly telling.

Especially since Gonzaga, which has swept the last five regular-season and tournament titles, won its way to the NCAA championship game last April.

Seems rather shoddy regard for the national runner-up, no?

But it certainly injects some drama into the season that 2017 lacked, what with the Bulldogs beating SMC three times and cruising through the league, aside from what’s become the annual stumble at home against BYU. The Gaels aren’t just about Landale.

Three other starters return, including all-WCC forward Calvin Hermanson, and they have a ready-made replacement for graduated all-league point guard Joe Rahon in Cullen Neal – who originally signed with SMC before his dad became head coach at New Mexico. After stops there and at Ole Miss, Neal is back where he started.

Elsewhere in the WCC, Brigham Young’s accustomed spot in the top three will be threatened both by the defection of Eric Mika to a pro career and by San Francisco’s rapid development under coach Kyle Smith.

That suggests any WCC pretensions about being a three-bid NCAA Tournament league are premature.

In the meantime, keep your programs handy. Last year, four new coaches joined the WCC at Pacific, Portland, Santa Clara and USF. Now that turnover has morphed into massive roster churn. Between old names out and new faces in through the channels of graduation, transfer, signing or being run off, WCC rosters averaged 13 transactions apiece. At Pacific alone, 11 players from the 2017 roster aren’t returning. Portland brought in an 11-player recruiting class.

But all that means is that the WCC’s

lower-division programs are building for a day when they can muster some roster continuity. For the moment, the story is whether the Gaels can upset the continuity at the top.

Brigham Young Cougars Coach: Dave Rose (305-111), 13th year 2016-17 record: 22-12. WCC: 12-6, 3rd Key newcomers: Jashire Hardnett (6-0, G), Kajon Brown (6-5, G), Rylan Bergersen (6-6, G) Key losses: Eric Mika, Kyle Davis, L.J. Rose Outlook: The stunning decision by Eric Mika to go pro and a school investigation into the possibility that Nick Emery received improper benefits clouds the prospects for BYU, where Dave Rose is starting to feel some public heat. The Cougars still have firepower – TJ Haws was all-WCC, Elijah Bryant is dynamic if his knee is whole and Yoeli Childs will be a force up front.

Loyola Marymount Lions Coach: Mike Dunlap (365-160), 4th year 2016-17 record: 15-15. WCC: 8-10, 6th Key newcomers: James Batemon (6-1, G), Cameron Allen (6-2, G), Eli Scott (6-5, F) Key losses: Brandon Brown, Stefan Jovanovic, Buay Tuach Outlook: More roster churn and the lack of a top-tier scorer suggest the Lions haven’t turned the corner four years into Mike Dunlap’s stay. The lack of offensive options – Steven Haney is the top returning scorer at 9.4 points per game – means the Lions may try to make things happen with a more relentless defensive style, if there are enough athletes on hand to do so.

Pacific Tigers Coach: Damon Stoudamire (11-22), 2nd year 2016-17 record: 11-22. WCC: 4-14, 9th Key newcomers: Kendall Small (6-0, G), Miles Reynolds (6-2, G), TySean Powell (6-8, F) Key losses: T.J. Wallace, Ray Bowles, Jacob Lampkin Outlook: Damon Stoudamire has the transfer express cranked up full, only one reason why 11 players from

the 2017 Tigers won’t return. Late grad transfer Namdi Okonkwo is the only man on the roster taller than 6-8, but expect instant impact from Kendall Small, who ran into a logjam at the point at Oregon but will be a handful for WCC defenses.

Pepperdine Waves Coach: Marty Wilson (85-113), 7th year 2016-17 record: 8-22. WCC: 5-13, 8th Key newcomers: Eric Cooper Jr. (6-3, G), Harrison Meads (6-7, F), Darnell Dunn (6-6, F) Key losses: Lamond Murray Jr., Jeremy Major, Chris Reyes Outlook: Injuries devastated the Waves in 2017 and then graduation took Lamond Murray Jr., so Marty Wilson starts over with some decent sophomore talents – point guard Elijah Lee, burly Nolan Taylor and Kameron Edwards, a gifted wing coming off a broken jaw. But the Waves have to find some defensive and rebounding identity, plus some 3-point shooters.

Portland Pilots Coach: Terry Porter (11-22), 2nd year 2016-17 record: 11-22. WCC: 2-16, 10th Key newcomers: Taki Fahrensohn (6-6, G), Marcus Shaver Jr. (6-2, G) Tahirou Diabate (6-9, F) Key losses: Alec Wintering, Jazz Johnson, Gabe Taylor Outlook: Another revolving door in Portland, where there are 11 new faces in a class that got some national buzz, though perhaps for volume. Marcus Shaver Jr., a late pickup after a coaching change at UC Santa Barbara, is a likely standout, with JoJo Walker getting a look at the point. Long Tahirou Diabate grew up in Mali, but became a high school terror in Japan.

Saint Mary’s Gaels Coach: Randy Bennett (365-158), 17th year 2016-17 record: 29-5. WCC: 16-2, 2nd Key newcomers: Cullen Neal (6-4, G), Kristers Zoriks (6-3, G) Key losses: Joe Rahon, Dane Pineau, Stefan Gonzalez Outlook: There’s a reason the Gaels are getting a lot of love as a pick to unseat Gonzaga atop the WCC: the league’s most veteran lineup, and player of the year candidate Jock Landale and grad transfer Cullen Neal to replace the point guard Joe Rahon.

The ultra-efficient Gaels have also

become a much better defensive team, though GU’s athleticism will always present challenges.

San Diego Toreros Coach: Lamont Smith (22-39), 3rd year 2016-17 record: 13-18. WCC: 6-12, 7th Key newcomers: Isaiah Wright (6-2, G), Isaiah Pineiro (6-6, F), Andrew Ferguson (7-0, C) Key losses: Brett Bailey Outlook: Two transfers named Isaiah – Wright and Pineiro – become eligible, which should be a boost to the WCC’s most-painful-to-watch offense.

It’ll certainly be a boost to Olin Carter III, who has blossomed into an all-WCC caliber guard. If Juwan Gray or Tyler Williams can make a similar jump, the Toreros could make a little noise.

San Francisco Dons Coach: Kyle Smith (121-95), 2nd year 2016-17 record: 20-13. WCC: 10-8, 4th (tie) Key newcomers: Erik Poulsen (6-11, C), Souley Boum (6-3, G), Jamaree Bouyea (6-2, G) Key losses: Ronnie Boyce III, Marquille Smith Outlook: The surprise of the WCC in 2017, Kyle Smith goosed 20 wins from a young roster. Serial shooter Ronnie Boyce III is the only real loss and now the Dons have a promising big man in junior college center Erik Poulsen, who will help them do battle against Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and BYU. Charles Minlend and Jordan Ratinho will make the Dons go, however.

Santa Clara Broncos Coach: Herb Sendek (430-311), 2nd year 2016-17 record: 17-16. WCC: 10-8, 4th (tie) Key newcomers: Henry Caruso (6-4, F), Shaquille Waters (6-6, F), Matt Turner (6-3, G) Key losses: Jared Brownridge, Nate Kratch Outlook: KJ Feagin will get a new appreciation of just how much defensive attention his old teammate Jared Brownridge attracted by inheriting the go-to-guy label. Matt Hauser makes for a steady backcourt mate, but the Broncos need to find some scoring from newcomer Matt Turner and grad transfer Henry Caruso, who averaged 15.0 points a game as a junior at Princeton.

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GONZAGA BULLDOGS Zags have been able to keep a good thing going after their landmark seasons

PHOTOS: THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW ARCHIVE, ASSOCIATED PRESS

2006-’07

2013-’14

2015-’16

After the departure of Adam Morrison (pictured), the Zags rode David Pendergraft, Sean Mallon and Derek Raivio back to the Big Dance.

A year after losing Kelly Olynyk to the NBA, Gonzaga still had Sam Dower Jr., Kevin Pangos and David Stockton in the fold.

With the veteran backcourt of Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr. (pictured) graduated, big men Domantas Sabonis and Kyle Wiltjer were rock solid as the Zags waited out the development of young guards such as Silas Melson.

FOLLOWING THROUGH

By Jim Meehan THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Gonzaga seems to have the hang of this year-after-the-year thing.

Long recognized nationally for its string of 19 straight NCAA Tournaments, the Zags have moved into the forefront the last five years with arguably the three best seasons in program history.

There was the 32-win squad in 2013 led by All-American Kelly Olynyk and sidekick Elias Harris. They earned the program’s first No. 1 ranking and No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

There was the 35-win team in 2015 that went toe-to-toe with eventual national champion Duke in the regional final.

And there was last year’s 37-win crew that nearly won it all and came within a handful of possessions of an undefeated season. The Zags led both games they lost – to BYU in the regular-season finale and to North Carolina in the national championship – inside the last two minutes.

Everyone remembers the milestone seasons in GU’s near two-decade run with the big dogs of college basketball.

And everyone remembers the thought that comes to mind shortly after those landmark seasons: “Uh, what about next year?”

If Gonzaga has proven anything since the 1999 team’s improbable march to the Elite Eight, it’s that it has staying power, so much so that the word “rebuild” has essentially vanished from Gonzaga’s lexicon.

The Zags have avoided major drop-offs that strike even the bluest of

bluebloods. They’ve replaced All-Americans. They’ve adapted to fit their personnel to continue adding chapters to one of the most unique stories in college basketball history.

“One of the things we always talk about is continually growing the program and not trying to plateau,” assistant coach Tommy Lloyd said. “It’s been an accumulation and maybe you’ve earned more credibility over the years and that’s helped in recruiting higher-level players that still fit the mold of what works here.

“We’ve kind of grown and evolved as coaches, too, and become better defensively in the last 5-6 years. When you’re better defensively, good on offense and can compete on the glass, that takes away some of those anomaly upsets because you’re more rounded.”

A history lesson shows the Zags have a track record of success even after breakout years, dating back to Mark Few’s first season when he guided GU to the Sweet 16 in 2000. Ardent followers will remember that Few’s

first team lost three games by double digits in a five-game span late in the regular season, but pulled together to win the WCC Tournament and reach the Sweet 16.

G G G

The 2006 Zags won 29 games with Adam Morrison leading the nation in scoring and J.P. Batista averaging 19.3 points and 9.4 rebounds. They rattled off 20 wins in a row. Number 21 and a trip to the Elite Eight looked to be in the books until UCLA’s comeback erased a 10-point deficit with five minutes left.

Morrison bypassed his senior year to enter the NBA Draft and Batista and Erroll Knight graduated, but the 2007 squad still sported seniors Derek Raivio and Sean Mallon, juniors David Pendergraft and Abdullahi Kuso and blossoming youngsters Jeremy Pargo, Josh Heytvelt and Matt Bouldin.

Kansas transfer Micah Downs joined the mix at midseason.

They started off 5-0, including an upset of No. 2 North Carolina in Madison Square Garden. Five weeks later, they were 9-6 and saddled with a four-game losing skid.

In early February, the program was rocked by the arrests of Heytvelt and redshirt Theo Davis on drug possession charges. They were both suspended for the remainder of the season. GU promptly lost to Santa Clara, snapping a 50-game home-court winning streak.

“We lost our post so we had to move people around,” Lloyd said. “Pendo was a pick-and-pop guy. Pargo and Raivio became pretty good at playing off ball screens. That was kind of the first year we went from sets and motion to a ball-screen action, and it was out of necessity.”

The Zags regained their footing and claimed the regular-season title when Santa Clara stumbled late. They still had to win the WCC Tournament to make the Big Dance, and they did so with a 77-68 win over Santa Clara in Portland.

“That’s the most satisfying win and accomplishment I’ve ever been part of,” Few marveled at the time. “It just shows the character of these guys in the program and what the program is all about.”

They finished 23-11 – the most losses in the Few era – after falling to Indiana in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

G G G

The 2013 crew, like virtually all of Gonzaga’s best teams, was led by a dynamic frontcourt. Olynyk made an enormous jump after a redshirt season, Harris was solid, Sam Dower Jr. was a gifted scorer and freshman Przemek Karnowski was the fourth big.

Wichita State stunned Gonzaga in the round of 32. GU played without injured guard Gary Bell Jr. for nearly the entire second half.

The 2014 Zags had high hopes with a veteran backcourt of Bell, Kevin Pangos and David Stockton, and a frontcourt featuring Dower and emerging sophomore Karnowski.

The injury bug bit early with Pangos battling turf toe for months. Dower was sidelined after taking a hard fall on his back against Kansas State just before Christmas. Bell broke his hand early in the WCC season and missed six games.

Depleted by injuries and short on frontcourt depth, the Zags’ versatility helped fill the gaps. They relied on an See ZAGS, 12

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COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Guard Josh Perkins (13), who will be counted on for leadership this season, begins his fourth year at Gonzaga, along with backcourt mate Silas Melson (0).

Recruiting necessarily evolves, but Gonzaga’s standards remain

NEW KIND OF CONTINUITY JOHN BLANCHETTE SPOKESMAN COLUMNIST

How things have changed, Chapter 3,782: Once upon a time long, long ago in college basketball, there was a pretty uniform look to recruiting: junior college prospects to fill instant needs, freshmen for “program players.” There was also, with the enrollment of each recruiting class, a sense of plotting toward a grail.

“When these guys are seniors ...” a coach might tell his staff, allowing the possibilities to sink in.

Up to the last 30 seconds of the 2017 college basketball season, the ultimate possibility remained for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, and their runner-up finish in the NCAA Tournament capped the finest season in school history. Now track back four years to check out the recruiting class which – in simpler times – presumably would have launched that ship: Freshmen – Ryan Edwards, Luke Meikle.

Transfer – Kyle Wiltjer.

That’s it. Those were the scholarship players who entered GU in the fall of 2013. Wiltjer, of course, had just two years of eligibility after playing at Kentucky and made the most of them, leading the Zags to the Elite Eight in 2015. Edwards never evolved much beyond practice placeholder, and logged just 44 seconds in the 2017 NCAAs. Meikle transferred after just one season to Cal Poly.

In other words, direct impact on the 2017 magic could be measured only in trace amounts.

The fall 2012 class brought Przemek Karnowski (whose back injury resulted in a fifth) and 2014 produced a bounty, though only Josh Perkins and Silas Melson were in the Final Four team’s rotation.

It goes to show that there are a lot of ways to build a champion now – except maybe at Kentucky, where it’s one-and-done or bust. It also suggests that it’s incumbent upon a program like Gonzaga to finesse the delicate balance between the four-year player and NBA early entry talents which have now become a regular reality.

Not that who the Zags pursue has changed.

“Obviously, we’re looking for the most talented players that are the best fit for Gonzaga,” said assistant coach Tommy

FILE PHOTOS/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Ronny Turiaf, left, and Jeremy Pargo were two “program” guys who played out their entire careers with Gonzaga. That might become a rarity as a growing number of players start leaving early for the NBA. Lloyd. “We’re not a program that’s just scouring for talent, period. We want guys who fit our culture and represent Gonzaga the right way. That said, if you find a guy with the character traits you’re looking for and a high level of talent that’s a great combination.”

Nonetheless, dynamics are shifting.

In the last five years, the Zags have seen four players leave early for professional opportunities – though, in typical Gonzaga fashion, never in the same circumstances. Three of those have come in the past 19 months.

Imagine a 2018 Gonzaga team that included seniors Domantas Sabonis and Nigel Williams-Goss and sophomore Zach Collins.

Which would seem to put more importance than ever on hitting for high average on players who will exhaust their four years of eligibility in the program. And it does – to a point.

“They’re important – they really stabilize your program when you do have to absorb a couple of guys going early,” Lloyd acknowledged. “Continuity is really important, for sure.

“But when we’re sitting around talking about recruits, it’s never, ‘This is a leave-early guy, this one isn’t.’ Those things play out over time on their own.”

And they don’t always end with a player jumping early to the NBA. The fact is, a few players regarded among the most prominent “program guys” – bedrock, four-year contributors – mulled going pro early. Jeremy Pargo and Ronny Turiaf come to mind in particular; both would play in the NBA regardless.

“So sometimes there’s no defining moment or dividing line,” Lloyd said.

And it’s certainly fair to say that early entries like Sabonis and Williams-Goss – and Kelly Olynyk and Adam Morrison before them – were very much program players, too, regardless of the length of their stays.

Certainly the Zags staff was aware that Sabonis and Collins were going to attract NBA notice quickly, though Collins becoming the school’s first

one-and-done without ever starting a game added a twist. Williams-Goss and Olynyk leaving after midcareer redshirts was unorthodox, but precipitated by outstanding junior years.

But it helps to be prepared – or have flexibility.

“With Nigel leaving, we had quite a few scholarships available,” Lloyd said, “so we were able to take a player like Joel Ayayi with the understanding he might have more impact down the road.

We wanted to invest in development – but we also had a scholarship available to look for a grad transfer, and whether we didn’t get one or decided we were happy with the crew we had, we had those conversations.”

And being happy with the roster on hand speaks to the level of a program’s recruiting across the board. The makeup of the 2017 Zags was evidence enough – from a fifth-year institution like Karnowski to an August arrival like Jordan Matthews, with early NBA picks and those continuity contributors in between.

“It’s a great test of our culture,” Lloyd said, “to absorb the losses we’ve had and still have a good team representative of our program.”

Something that, at Gonzaga, never changes.

SIDING • ROOFING WINDOWS • GUTTERS Proud supporter of Gonzaga Basketball

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PICTURE PERFECT At a glance

The screens

NEW VIDEOBOARDS AT GONZAGA’S MCCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER

5-display center-hung configuration High-definition LED displays with 1080i resolution Weight 20,000 pounds

McCarthey Center court

Center screen 12.5 feet tall

Debuted Oct. 7 at Kraziness in the Kennel

50 feet

94 feet

21 21 feet feet wide wide A custom Custom hoist hoist holdsholds the the centerhung scoreboard in place over inthe place over court, thecan court. also raise Itand canlower also raise theand lower the scoreboard. scoreboard.

Two new end-wall videoboards

WILL FOSTER COURTNEY 7 feet VANDERSLOOT 5 inches 5 feet 8 inches FORMER BULLDOG MASCOT, GEN. CHESTY PULLER 15 inches

12.5 12.5 feet feet high high 12.5 12.5 feet feet wide wide 99 feet feet high high

36 36 feet feet wide wide

Operators in the control booth Ring display circling the bottom

The sound

33 feet feet high high by by 64.5 64.5 feet feet wide wide

32 32 JBL JBL Audio Audio speakers speakers which which includes includes four four inside inside the the center-hung center-hung screen screen

Sharp, clear video

66 subwoofers subwoofers located located above above the the center-hung center-hung screen screen

6-millimeter 6-millimeter line line spacing spacing (distance (distance between between the the lines lines of of the the LEDs) LEDs) Old Old end end wall wall videoboards videoboards had had 12-millimeter 12-millimeter line line spacing spacing

Director of video services Jared Myers oversees production that delivers graphics (e.g. picture and stats of Johnathan Williams if he’s shooting free throws) sponsor content, preloaded video content (intro video, happy birthday video), crowd prompts (make some noise) and instant replays.

The technical director oversees 3-to-4 cameras and communicates with camera operators for live shots (crowd shots, etc.)

A third person cuts replay video for instant replays.

The fourth person is added for games GU livestreams to reach people that can’t get broadcast on SWX/KHQ/ROOT

Sources: Gonzaga University; Daktronics

The operators are stationed in a control room on the east end of the McCarthey Center above the lower bowl.

MOLLY QUINN/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

GU adds three dazzling videoboards to McCarthey Athletic Center

By Jim Meehan THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Gonzaga coach Mark Few shows up for work, winding his way around fenced construction zones, stepping on temporary plywood paths and walking past the entrance of the men’s basketball locker room.

“It’s like showing up to your house every day when it’s being built,” Few said a few weeks ago. “The construction people have been unbelievable, working weekends, nights. It’s going to be phenomenal once they get it all done.”

That day is coming soon for the building boom involving Gonzaga athletics. The majority of the three-story Volkar Center for Athletic Achievement should be done by late November. The expanded locker room is nearly ready to open its new glass doors.

Several improvements have already debuted, including the new center-hung scoreboard and two new end-wall videoboards inside the McCarthey Athletic Center. Similar videoboard upgrades have been made at the Martin Centre (volleyball) and Luger Field (soccer), and another is under construction at the Patterson Baseball Complex. The videoboard projects were funded by booster donations.

“You step inside the (MAC) concourse and the center-hung (scoreboard) jumps out at you,” athletic director Mike Roth said. “It adds to the whole atmosphere of the building.”

The four-sided, center-hung scoreboard is visible from every one of the 6,000 seats that are routinely filled for men’s basketball games. The end-wall videoboards are 36 feet wide, replacing boards that were 16 feet wide, and can provide a combination of video

and statistical information.

The high-definition video is crystal clear and so is the sound emanating from the 32-speaker JBL Audio system.

Or, as senior guard Silas Melson put it, “I think you can see every bump on my face on the screen.”

Fans attending men’s basketball’s Kraziness in the Kennel and women’s basketball’s Fan Fest last month saw the new videoboards in action. What they didn’t see was the scramble to complete installation of the center-hung scoreboard before the men’s event on Oct. 7.

Roth kept an eye on the progress, making the short walk from his new office inside the Volkar Center.

“It was going to be hard to hold Kraziness if that 10-ton scoreboard was still sitting on the court,” Roth cracked.

“It would have made for funky fast breaks, swerving around the scoreboard.”

Once the scoreboard was in place, Gonzaga’s staff had to get up to speed with the operations manual.

“We had a couple people that stayed

all day that Friday (before Saturday’s Kraziness), Friday night and slept in the building because they had to run all the videos and they hadn’t had any time to do it,” Roth said.

The scoreboard will probably hang 30 feet above the court, said Todd Zeidler, assistant athletic director for communications. As one might guess, the illimitable NCAA rule book has an entry dedicated to the minimum height (25 feet) for a center-hung scoreboard.

The highest GU’s scoreboard can rise is 34.5 feet.

Fans seated in the top rows of the upper section are able to see the entire lower bowl on the opposite side. For example, those seated in the upper reaches of the south side can witness the Kennel Club bring Zombie Nation to life.

Response from fans has been overwhelmingly positive.

“People loved it,” Zeidler said. “It provides them with a great new experience and a continued growth in the experience they’re receiving in our building.”

At left: The new center-hung videoboard can be seen from every seat at McCarthey Athletic Center.

PHOTOS/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Above: A new banner showing Gonzaga’s first trip to the Final Four hangs from rafters.

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2016-17 RECORD: 32-2 (17-1 WCC) C

Among the players Gonzaga is counting on this season are returnees, from left, Silas Melson, Rui Hachimura, Johnathan Williams, Killian Tillie and Josh Perkins.

RETOOLED ZAGS NOT LOOKING BACK

Loads of talent gone, loads of talent remain this season

By Jim Meehan THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Established veterans Johnathan Williams, Josh Perkins, Silas Melson and Killian Tillie. Promising talents Corey Kispert, Rui Hachimura, Jacob Larsen, Zach Norvell Jr., Jeremy Jones, Jesse Wade and Joel Ayayi.

Those are the key names on Gonzaga’s roster for the 2018 season.

The preceding was offered as a public-service announcement since virtually every offseason article in the Websphere centered on who’s no longer around following last year’s 37-2 campaign.

To recap the departures: Nigel Williams-Goss, All-American guard and WCC player of the year; Przemek Karnowski, winner of the Kareem

Abdul-Jabbar Award as the nation’s top center; Zach Collins, NBA lottery pick and GU’s first one-and-done player; and Jordan Mathews, whose clutch 3-pointer against West Virginia ranks among the biggest shots in program history.

“That’s the nature of the beast at Gonzaga. Last year, I remember reading a deal on us and for the first time we lost two NBA guys in (Kyle) Wiltjer and (Domantas) Sabonis,” coach Mark Few said.

“It’s a great opportunity for J3 (Williams), Tillie, Perkins, Silas and then we have some other guys coming up the ranks.

“We’re counting on (Hachimura) to step in and help us. We’re banking on (Larsen) to really contribute. Norvell is going to have to play significant minutes. Certainly we have to play a little differently because we’re not as big and bulky but that will be a fun challenge for the players and staff.”

The exodus of four standouts and the absence of a high-profile transfer or two joining the lineup has created a bit of angst among some Zag faithful this

autumn.

“It’s natural, human nature,” assistant coach Tommy Lloyd said. “This team is being evaluated against last year’s team, which isn’t fair. We consider every season to be its own.

“This team has some really talented pieces and some guys that are ready to step up. This team has to create its own identity and how it wants to play.”

That could include more open-court opportunities with mobile, athletic bigs Williams, Tillie and Hachimura. Or small-ball with a three-guard alignment of Perkins, Melson and Norvell. Or going bigger with 6-foot-8 Hachimura or 6-6 Kispert handling the wing.

The presence of several new faces in the rotation doesn’t lower the team’s expectations.

“We made it that far (last season) but we came up a little short,” Perkins said. “We’re taking that momentum from last year and carrying it into this year. We have even bigger chips on our shoulders.

I’m glad we made it that far, but we’ve got other things coming.”

FILE/THE S

Under coac Gonzaga Bu or shared 16 West Coach in his 1

MAN-REVIEW THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

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KETBALL 2017-’18

A BULLDOGS

COACH: Mark Few, 19th season, 503-113

SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

ch Mark Few, the ulldogs have won 6 regular-season Conference titles 18 seasons.

COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

GONZAGA ROSTER No Name

Pos Ht.

Yr.

Hometown

11

Joel Ayayi

G

6-5

Fr

Paris, France

2

Jack Beach

G

6-3

R-So San Diego, Calif.

15

Brandon Clarke

F

6-8

Jr

Phoenix, Ariz.

21

Rui Hachimura

F

6-8

So

Sendai, Japan

22

Jeremy Jones

F

6-7

R-Jr San Antonio, Texas

24

Corey Kispert

F

6-6

Fr

14

Jacob Larsen

C

6-11

R-Fr Holte, Denmark

5

Alex Martin

G

6-5

R-So Overland Park, Kan.

0

Silas Melson

G

6-4

Sr

23

Zach Norvell Jr.

G

6-5

R-Fr Chicago, Ill.

13

Josh Perkins

G

6-3

R-Jr Park Hill, Colo.

33

Killian Tillie

F

6-10 So

Cagnes-sur-Mer, France

10

Jesse Wade

G

6-1

Fr

Kaysville, Utah

3

Johnathan Williams

F

6-9

R-Sr Memphis, Tenn.

KEY GAMES Gonzaga’s scheduling philosophy rarely deviates from year to year, loading up in the nonconference to bolster its resume in the eyes of the NCAA selection committee.

This year, the Zags will be tested from November through February. They’ll take part in one of the biggest tournaments ever, the PK80 Invitational in Portland over the Thanksgiving holiday. GU opens against Ohio State and then could potentially face

PLAYER TO WATCH

Edmonds, Wash.

Portland

Johnathan Williams tested the NBA Draft waters last summer before deciding to return to Gonzaga for his senior season. The 6-foot-9 forward is a unique talent. He’s a high-level rebounder, a capable finisher and he’s athletic enough to defend multiple positions, as demonstrated by his quality work on Xavier wing Trevon Bluiett and South Dakota State post Mike Daum in the NCAA Tournament.

preseason No. 7 Florida and No. 1 Duke.

December will be a challenging month, beginning with Creighton’s visit on Dec. 1. The Bluejays made the NCAA Tournament last season and return Marcus Foster, one of the top guards in the country. The Zags take on No. 6 Villanova, four-time defending Big East champions and the 2016 national champs, on Dec. 5 in New York City.

Gonzaga faces road games against Washington on Dec. 10 and San

Williams was part of GU’s four-man interior rotation last year but the Zags will rely more on the bouncy, 230-pound Memphis native this season. His 2017 averages of 10.2 points and 6.4 rebounds should climb and approach double-double territory.

The left-handed Williams wants to improve numerous aspects of his game after hearing feedback from his NBA workouts.

“Being a force down low,” he said.

“Also working on my outside shot to get it more consistent. You saw me bring the ball upcourt (at Kraziness in the Kennel), I’m starting to work on that aspect of it but also don’t forget what I’m good at, which is rebounding and finishing around the basket.”

Williams made 59.2 percent from the field and 40 percent of 40 3-point attempts last season.

– Jim Meehan

Diego State on Dec. 21, two teams the Zags crushed at home last season.

The conference slate has a twist with Saint Mary’s regarded as the unanimous favorite, according to the WCC coaches’ poll. The Zags and Gaels clash Jan. 18 in Spokane and Feb. 10 in Moraga.

Gonzaga has dropped one regular-season game to BYU each of the last four seasons. The teams collide Feb. 3 in Spokane and Feb. 24 in Provo, Utah, in the regular-season finale.

– Jim Meehan

PREDICTIONS 1. Gonzaga 2. Saint Mary’s 3. San Francisco 4. BYU 5. Santa Clara 6. San Diego 7. Pepperdine 8. Portland 9. Pacific 10. LMU

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GONZAGA BULLDOGS

COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Losing Nigel Williams-Goss, left, and Zach Collins hurts, but as Gonzaga has proven over the years, there’s always someone else ready to step up. and Oklahoma State. Bell played on, but his knee would require extensive surgery in the offseason.

ZAGS Continued from 7 undersized three-guard alignment of Stockton, Pangos and Bell, but grad transfer Drew Barham stepped up as a stretch ‘4’ and Kyle Dranginis shifted between guard, wing and the ‘4’.

Karnowski began to assert himself on an eventual 29-win team.

“Part of what makes Coach (Few) great is he can adjust his system and style of play to best fit what the group has,” assistant coach Brian Michaelson said.

“One of his greatest strengths is identifying that and making it work.”

Just as Pangos was getting over turf toe, he rolled his ankle. It happened a few more times, including during a second-round NCAA blowout loss to Arizona, but he still delivered 30-plus minutes every game. Bell injured his knee in a first-round win over Marcus Smart

G G G

The 2015 Zags didn’t sneak up on anybody. It was Pangos’ and Bell’s senior year. Kyle Wiltjer was eligible after sitting for one season following his transfer from Kentucky. Karnowski handled the interior and freshman Domantas Sabonis was an immediate contributor. USC grad transfer Byron Wesley was an ideal fit at the wing.

They were in the top 10 from Thanksgiving on, reeling off 22 straight wins before BYU spoiled Senior Night in the regular-season finale. GU blasted the Cougars by 16 less than two weeks later in the WCC title game and had double-digit NCAA wins over North Dakota State, Iowa and UCLA before losing to Duke in Houston.

The Zags were No. 9 in the 2016 preseason poll and looked strong on paper with a frontcourt of Wiltjer, Sabonis and Karnowski, but the Polish center went down with a back injury after just five games. Wiltjer and Sabonis logged heavy minutes and were the focus of every opposing scouting report as guards Josh Perkins, Eric McClellan, Silas Melson and Dranginis needed most of the season before finding their stride.

Karnowski’s uncertain status complicated matters.

“You thought he’d be back any day and then obviously it took a turn for the worse,” Michaelson said. “That group of guards was told to do one thing (feed the bigs), then caught in limbo for a month, now you have to do x-y-z. To their credit they figured it out and those guards were fantastic.”

The Zags dropped four home games for the first time since 1991. They were so thin with a seven-man rotation that

practicing was a chore, but they meshed over the second half of the conference season. Wiltjer and Sabonis combined to average 38 points and 18 boards. The pair learned to avoid foul trouble while logging heavy minutes. The quartet of guards contributed points and defense.

“When Przemek went down it threw off the dynamic a little bit,” Lloyd said.

“The guards had to learn how to keep defenses honest. On Wiltjer ball screens, teams weren’t respecting it at all. They’d sit tight on him. Our guards had to turn the corner and make some plays.”

The Zags won the WCC Tournament, and probably had to to keep their NCAA Tournament streak alive. They blitzed Seton Hall and Utah. They led by nine late but Syracuse rallied with a 15-3 closing run.

Gonzaga won 28 games and nearly reached the Elite Eight, the most recent example of the Zags following up one great season with another.

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GONZAGA BULLDOGS 2016-17 RECORD: 26-7 (14-4 WCC) COACH: Lisa Fortier, fourth season (71-29)

COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Gonzaga’s Laura Stockton, left, and Jill Barta and being called upon to contribute even more toward another another trip to the NCAA Tournament.

TANGIBLE TALENT

Barta, Stockton expected to step up even more for Zags

By Jim Allen THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Jill Barta and Laura Stockton have some big shoes to fill: their own.

Last year they helped lead Gonzaga to a West Coast Conference title and a return to the NCAA Tournament, but coach Lisa Fortier has increased expectations since then.

And why not? Both are juniors, so they’re being asked to contribute more than points, rebounds and assists.

“Junior year, that’s when you get a little more picky,” said Fortier, who wants her upperclassmen to excel at the intangibles that can make the difference between another WCC title and something a lot less satisfying.

For Barta, GU’s versatile 6-foot-3 forward, that means keeping her emotions in check and showing the right body language on the court.

For Stockton, who’s otherwise developed into a complete point guard, it means staying level-headed.

“One of the things I love about Laura is how competitive she is,” Fortier said.

“But there’s times when she’s too emotional … we need her to find a level where we don’t have spikes or lulls.”

The Bulldogs had few of those last year during a 26-7 season that ended in the NCAA Tournament. A return trip will depend on how well Barta and Stockton handle the mantle of leadership after the graduation of Kiara Kudron and Elle Tinkle.

Last year, Barta did a little of everything, leading the Bulldogs in

PLAYER TO WATCH Quietly and efficiently, Emma Stach has become the GU’s “glue guy.”

The 5-foot-9 guard from Buchholz, Germany, not only is the Bulldogs’ best defender, she grabbed almost three rebounds a game last year and was the fifth-best 3-point shooter in the West Coast Conference.

Stach – a 63-game career starter – is now a senior, and coach Lisa Fortier is raising the bar for her captain, especially on defense.

“We’ve challenged her to step out of her comfort zone,” Fortier

GONZAGA WOMEN’S ROSTER

No. Name

Pos

Ht

Yr

Hometown

00

Zykera Rice

F

6-1

Jr

Lakewood, Wash.

3

Jenn Wirth

F

6-3

Fr

Chandler, Ariz.

4

LeeAnne Wirth

F

6-3

Fr

Chandler, Ariz.

5

Louise Forsyth

G

6-0

Fr

Langley, B.C.

10

Gillian Barfield

F

6-1

Fr

Phoenix

11

Laura Stockton

G

5-8

Jr

Spokane

12

Emma Wolfram

C

6-5

R-Sr

Kamloops, B.C.

13

Jill Barta

F

6-3

R-Jr

Fairfield, Mont.

14

Emma Stach

G

5-9

Sr

Buchholz, Germany

15

Jessie Loera

G

5-6

So

Moses Lake, Wash.

22

Corryn Douglas

G

6-0

So

Newbury Park, Calif.

24

Katie Campbell

G

5-10

So

Oxnard, Calif.

30

Chandler Smith

G

6-0

R-Jr

Brewster, Wash.

32

Jill Townsend

G

5-11

Fr

Okanogan, Wash.

scoring (16.8 points per game) and free-throw shooting (84.7 percent), while averaging six rebounds.

Stockton, a Gonzaga Prep product, had 75 assists and only 43 turnovers while averaging 8.4 points and a team-leading 2.5 steals.

They will lead a team that already has great chemistry, according to Fortier.

“I love this group of players,” Fortier said. “They get along and care about each other … and they seem so coachable. Everything is new and fresh.”

In the backcourt, Fortier likes the fact that everyone is versatile. “In the past, sometimes we had people we were trying to hide, offensively or defensively,” Fortier said. “That’s not the case this year.”

Besides Stockton and returning

said.

“We need her to be a little more reckless, to take a risk every once in a while on defense.”

Stach – who shot almost as well from 3 last year (37.6 percent) as from inside the paint (40.1 percent) – will be key outside shooter for the Zags again this year.

Last year, Stach averaged 21 minutes and 5.8 points, but both of those numbers should go up this year.

– Jim Allen

starter Emma Stach, the Bulldogs bring back junior wing Chandler Smith, speedy sophomore point guard Jessie Loera and sophomore Corryn Douglas.

They will be pushed by Jill Townsend of Okanogan, Washington, who’s only 5-10 but has the strength and versatility to compete for minutes as a true freshman.

Smith, a 6-footer from Brewster, Washington, played in all 33 games last year. She found her rhythm in WCC play, averaging 5.0 points and shooting 37 percent from long range, while averaging almost three rebounds in 16 minutes of playing time. She’s also a strong defender on the wing.

A potential concern is overall 3-point shooting from the guards. GU lost two of its best with the graduation of Makenlee Williams and the transfer of

KEY GAMES Gonzaga always expects to take care of business at the WCC Tournament, but what if it doesn’t?

“Resume builders,” Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier calls them, those nonconference games in November and December that can come in handy in March.

GU has several of those this year, highlighted by the eight-team Play4Kay Showcase on Nov. 23-25 in Las Vegas. The Bulldogs open with Belmont, but the field also includes 2017 Final Four

Zhane Templeton, while Stockton shot only 22.2 percent.

“Worried? A little bit,” Fortier said.

“But I think we’ve improved our shooting percentage in general. I don’t think we’ve have the kind of team that fills it for 17 3s (as the Bulldogs did last winter in a home win over BYU), but we didn’t add any people who should never shoot a 3.”

On the contrary, Templeton’s spot was filled last summer by transfer Katie Campbell, a 41.3 percent shooter (32.2 percent from 3) last year at Ventura (California) College.

Besides, GU also can count on Barta, who shot 36.3 percent from 3 while taking 113 shots, most on the team.

Last year, Kudron averaged almost eight boards and was the Bulldogs’ best defender in the paint. Barta and Zykera Rice will be doing most of the heavy lifting this season.

“Jill has been such a capable scorer that she hasn’t had to think as much about that part of the game,” Fortier said. “But she and Zykera are both capable. … It’s up to her or Zykera to see who defends the other team’s best post player.”

Rice, a 6-1 junior from Lakewood, Washington, will be a key player this year. Last season, she averaged 4.4 points and 2.9 rebounds while playing less than 10 minutes a game. Those numbers should rise significantly this season.

The Bulldogs will be without injured post Emma Wolfram, but could get more help inside from a trio of true freshmen, including 6-3 twins Jenn and LeeAnne Wirth, and 6-1 Gillian Barfield.

PREDICTIONS 1. Gonzaga 2. Saint Mary’s 3. San Diego 4. BYU 5. Santa Clara 6. San Francisco 7. Loyola Marymount 8. Pacific 9. Pepperdine 10. Portland

participant Stanford, Big Ten champ Ohio State and Big East titlist DePaul.

Gonzaga also plays at WNIT

CONTACT THE WRITER:

(509)459-5437 jima@spokesman.com

semifinalist Washington State on Dec. 8.

The regular season opens Nov. 13 at Colorado State, which won the Mountain West regular season last year.

The final nonconference game is Dec. 21 against Summit League regular-season winner Western Illinois.

On paper, the biggest WCC challenge will come Jan. 18 at Saint Mary’s, which is picked to finish second behind GU. The Bulldogs also have a tough stretch in early February, hitting the road at San Diego and BYU, then hosting the Gaels on Feb. 10.

– Jim Allen

SPECIAL 14

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THURSDAY

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NOVEMBER 2, 2017

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

COLLEGE BASKETBALL 2017-18

IDAHO VANDALS 2016-17 RECORD: 19-14, 12-6 Big Sky COACH: Don Verlin, 10th season (150-140)

TYLER TJOMSLAND/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Victor Sanders, left, and B.J. Blake lead a veteran crew returning for the Idaho Vandals.

EMBRACING EXPECTATIONS

Loaded Vandals feel up to challenge as Big Sky favorites

By Peter Harriman FOR THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Picked by the Big Sky Conference coaches and media to win the league this year, the University of Idaho Vandals can either shrink from the challenge or embrace it.

Coming off a 19-14 season, 12-6 in the Big Sky, Idaho has all its key players back, including leading scorer Victor Sanders (20.9 points per game). In addition, stellar point guard Perrion Callandret has recovered from a leg injury that cost him most of last season.

He returns as a redshirt senior. Vandals coach Don Verlin believes he has a team that will embrace living up to high expectations.

“Obviously we’re honored to be picked at the top of the league.” It reflects “all the hard work our guys have put in,” Verlin said. “But it’s where you finish that counts.”

For the Big Sky poll voters, the axiom about past performance predicting future behavior seems to have been persuasive. The Vandals made it to the semifinals of the league tournament last season, narrowly losing to eventual champion North Dakota 69-64. Idaho also played in the CollegeInsider postseason tournament. It defeated Stephen F. Austin State before falling to Texas State in the quarterfinals. The top seven scorers from that Vandals team, representing 85 percent of the scoring and 75 percent of rebounding, are back, older and experienced.

Sanders leads them. For the second year, he has been picked to the All-Big

Sky preseason first team. Sanders is 11th in career scoring at Idaho with 1,215 points. His 191 3-pointers are the second-most at Idaho, and his quick hands have accounted for 98 steals, tied for sixth all-time at Idaho.

Watching him move up the record book will be a pleasant diversion for Vandals fans this year. Verlin, though, says it is secondary to what Sanders is about.

“Vic is all about winning. He doesn’t care if he averages two points if we win the conference championship. He would do it.”

Sanders also embodies a valuable quality Verlin sees throughout the Vandals: versatility. Sanders, at 6-foot-5, Jordan Scott, 6-6, and B.J. Blake 6-7, can all play either guard or forward. “One thing I like about this team is the interchangeable parts, not only at guard but at the small and power forward,” says Verlin.

Blake was Idaho’s second-leading scorer (10 points per game) and second-leading rebounder (6.1) last year, with season highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds. He is in his second year at Idaho, coming from North Idaho College, and Verlin expects greater consistency from him this season.

“B.J.’s physical conditioning is a ton better than a year ago,” he says. “He has shown flashes of being a really good player in this league. The challenge for him is to be consistent.

“I am looking for big things from him I expect him to be a consistent 12 (points) and eight (rebounds) guy.”

Scott averaged 4.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game a year ago. Berlin said he could come close to doubling those averages this year. “He is a guy a lot of us don’t talk enough about. I know what kind of effort I am going to get every night from Jordan Scott,” says Verlin.

IDAHO ROSTER No

Name

Pos Ht.

Yr

Hometown

1

Perrion Callandret

G

6-2

Sr.

Bothell, Wash.

3

Losini Kamara

G

6-3

Fr.

Brooklyn Park, Minn.

4

Brayon Blake

F

6-7

Sr.

Seattle

11

Victor Sanders

G

6-5

Sr.

Portland

12

Chance Garvin

G/F

6-4

Fr.

Coulee Dam, Wash.

13

Geno West

G

6-2

Fr.

Portland

14

Chad Sherwood

G

6-2

Sr.

Albany, Ore.

20

Jared Rodriguez

F

6-8

Fr.

Glendale, Ariz.

21

Arkadiy Mkrtychyan

F

6-7

Sr.

Portland

22

Garrett Kingman

G/F

6-6

Fr.

Gig Harbor, Wash.

23

Nate Sherwood

PF

6-8

Jr.

Albany, Ore.

25

Trevon Allen

G

6-2

So.

Lapwai, Idaho

31

C. Smits-Francisco

F/C

6-9

Fr.

Cave Creek, Ariz.

34

Scott Blakney

F

6-9

Fr.

Prosser, Wash.

44

Jordan Scott

SF

6-6

Sr.

Colorado Springs, Colo.

Arkadiy Mkrtychyan, who averaged 8.3 points and 4.3 rebounds a game last year, got the opportunity this past summer to play six games as a member of Team Armenia in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European prequalifiers.

“He got to play against older guys in as highly competitive situation. It definitely helped him,” said Verlin.

Junior power forward Nate Sherwood, 6-8, had a knack for producing big performances in key moments last year. He equaled a career-best 11 rebounds in the Big Sky semifinal game against North Dakota, and he scored in double figures in both of Idaho’s postseason wins.

The most anticipated returner only played two games for Idaho last year.

After Callandret, 6-2, suffered a season-ending injury, Idaho went with Trevon Allen, a 6-2 freshman from Lapwai, at point guard before Sanders moved to the position midway through the year. Callandret also missed a substantial portion of the 2015-16 season with injuries. But when he was healthy he averaged 14 points, four rebounds and two assists per game, with season highs of 26 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Having lost so much time to injuries has given Callandret the perspective to enthusiastically throw himself into his senior year, according to Verlin: “He’s hoping to get back to who he is. He’s in great physical shape. He’s 100 percent.

He’s not missing a step.”

Idaho is bringing on to its team seven freshmen. Losini Kamara, a 6-3 point guard from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, might be the most heralded. Their role with such an experienced group is “to come in and compete. I have challenged every one to come in and take minutes, and I expect two or three to break through and get substantial playing time,” Verlin says.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Could this be the year?

For the past two seasons Idaho Vandals fans have wistfully anticipated a dynamic backcourt featuring Victor Sanders and Perrion Callandret for a complete season. However, both missed substantial portions of 2015-16 with injuries. Sanders was out seven games with a broken hand. Callandret lost nine games to a Lisfranc injury in his right foot.

Before they were hurt, each was averaging about 15 points a game.

While Sanders came back spectacularly in 2016-17, leading Idaho with a 20.9 scoring average, Callandret, a senior, played only two games before a knee injury shut him down again.

He obtained a medical redshirt and is back for one last run with the Vandals.

If he can remain healthy he could be the difference-maker to help Idaho measure up to preseason predictions it will win the Big Sky Conference Two years ago, Callandret averaged 14 points, four rebounds and two assists per game although his foot never fully healed until after the season. Last year, he was expected to be the Vandals point guard. Without him, that task fell to Sanders for much of the year. Both can handle the responsibility as both point and shooting guard.

– Peter Harriman

KEY GAMES Idaho’s preseason schedule doesn’t feature any marquee names, but it is packed with winners. Add a brutal league roadtrip with a game New Year’s Eve, and by the beginning of January the Vandals might have a good idea how they will fare in the Big Sky Conference.

Vandals coach Don Verlin says “we’re usually pretty good on the road.” Good thing. The Vandals open the season Nov. 5 in Reno with defending Mountain West champion Nevada. They are at home Nov. 18 with Sam Houston State, a 21-game winner last year, before heading out to the final edition of the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage on Nov. 23.

PREDICTION 1. Idaho 2. Weber State 3. Montana State 4. Montana 5. Northern Colorado 6. North Dakota 7. Eastern Washington 8. Sacramento State 9. Portland State 10. Idaho State 11. Northern Arizona 12. Southern Utah

Idaho’s first-round opponent will be Santa Clara, 17-16 last season and 10-8 in the tough West Coast Conference.

The Battle of the Palouse is always a highlight. Idaho hosts

Washington State in the Cowan Spectrum on Dec. 6.

The Vandals go on the road again to take on WAC champion Cal State Bakersfield, 25-10 last year, on Dec. 9 before entertaining Big West champion UC Irvine, 21-15, on Dec. 21.

The Vandals close 2017 with the toughest Big Sky Conference road swing, in terms of travel. On Dec. 29 they take on defending champion North Dakota, 22-10, in Grand Forks before heading to Northern Colorado. The Bears were only 11-18 last year, but Verlin picks them to be one of the most improved teams in the league.

The entire Big Sky, he adds, “is on an uptick.”

– Peter Harriman

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

NOVEMBER 2, 2017

G

THURSDAY

G

SPECIAL 15

COLLEGE BASKETBALL 2017-18

EASTERN WASHINGTON E A G L E S 2016-17 RECORD: 22-12, 13-5 Big Sky COACH: Shantay Legans (first year)

PLAYER TO WATCH

Bogdon Bliznyuk provides a range of talents for Eastern Washington, from scoring to rebounding to ball handling.

COLIN MULVANY THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

INTENT ON SUCCESS New coach Legans determined to keep EWU in mix

By Jim Allen THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Eastern Washington basketball coach Shantay Legans is expecting great things next spring.

So is his wife, Tatjana, who’s due March 29 with the Legans’ second child.

“She told me I can miss the birth if we’re still playing then,” said Legans, letting that date sink in for dramatic effect: March 29.

The NCAA national semifinals are two days later.

“Heck, if we’re still playing on March 29, that would be a lot of fun,” Legans said.

But if basketball is about dreams, the 36-year-old Legans has been living the dream ever since … wait for it … last March 29, when he was named to succeed Jim Hayford as head coach.

All Hayford did in six seasons was turn the Eagles into a perennial Big Sky contender.

Legans was there for all of them, following two previous years under former coach Kirk Earlywine.

“I am proud of where we’ve come from and look forward to the places we will go together,” Legans said.

In the short term, that means a lot of road trips. The Shantay Legans era opens Nov. 10 at home against Walla Walla; after that, the Eagles will play 10 straight games away from Reese Court.

That should mean plenty of bonding time for an 18-man roster that’s split evenly between veterans and newcomers.

The cupboard certainly isn’t bare – the Eagles return three starters in guard Luka Vulikick

and forwards Bogdan Bliznyuk and Mason Peatling – but it’s not overflowing either.

Eastern (22-12 overall and 13-5 in the Big Sky last year) graduated Big Sky MVP Jacob Wiley and lacks a proven point guard.

Based on that, the media and coaches picked Eastern to finish in the middle of the conference, seventh out of 12 teams.

“I think we’re better than that,” Legans said.

The biggest asset is Bliznyuk, a 6-foot-6 forward who led the Eagles in both scoring (20.6 points and assists (4.0) and was second behind Wiley in rebounding (6.5).

“I think we have one of the best players in the league, and he has a chance to be the league MVP,” Legans said of Bliznyuk, who also handled most of the ball-handling chores last year.

However, this is the first year that Bliznyuk won’t be complemented by a teammate who can dominate the paint.

Last year it was Wiley, and for two years before that Bliznyuk worked alongside Venky Jois.

The next big thing at Reese Court is Benas Griciunas, a 7-foot Lithuanian by way of Auburn and UNC Charlotte.

Despite his modest stats (3.0 points and 1.5 rebounds last year at Charlotte), the graduate transfer “is a solid mid-midmajor player, and he’s going to surprise people,” Legans said.

Injury cost him one season at Auburn and a coaching transition impacted his playing time at Charlotte, added Legans, who added that despite his size, Griciunas will be able to keep up in Legans’ up-tempo offense.

The Eagles also expect get help inside from forward Mason

EASTERN WASHINGTON ROSTER

No

Name

Pos Ht.

Yr.

Hometown

0

Tyler Kidd

G

5-11

R-Jr.

Seattle

2

Ty Gibson

G

6-3

Jr.

Issaquah, Wash.

4

Sir Washington

G

6-3

R-Sr.

Las Vegas

5

Richard Polanco

F

6-8

Fr.

Santiago de los Caballeros, Dom. Rep.

10

Jacob Davison

G

6-4

R-Fr.

Montebello, Calif.

11

Jack Perry

G

6-2

Fr.

Melbourne, Australia

12

Grant Gibb

G

6-5

R-So. Longview, Wash.

13

Luka Vulikic

G

6-6

So.

Belgrade, Serbia

14

Mason Peatling

F

6-8

So.

Melbourne, Australia

15

Benas Griciunas

C

7-0

R-Sr.

Silute, Lithuania

20

Cody Benzel

G

6-4

R-Jr.

Spokane

23

Brendan Howard

F

6-6

Fr.

Great Falls, Mont.

24

Kim Aiken Jr.

G/F

6-7

Fr.

Redlands, Calif.

25

Steven Beo

G

6-3

So.

Richland, Wash.

32

Bogdan Bliznyuk

G/F

6-6

Sr.

Lutsk, Ukraine

34

Jesse Hunt

F

6-7

Jr.

Geraldton, Australia

35

Tanner Groves

F

6-9

Fr.

Spokane

42

Joshua Thomas

G

6-3

R-Fr.

Spokane

Peatling (4.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg), who started 17 games last year and averaged 16 minutes. Jesse Hunt (2.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg) also should see more playing time.

The Eagles – and the rest of the nation – also expect big things from freshman Brendan Howard, a 6-6 forward who was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year at Great Falls High in Montana.

The backcourt should carry a bigger burden this year. Point guard Vulikic and senior Sir Washington lead a deep group that includes returnees Cody Benzel and Ty Gibson.

“I’m looking for a strong senior year from Sir,” Legans said.

The 6-3 Washington showed his versatility last year while starting 11 games and playing 26 minutes per contest. He averaged 6.6 points –

second-most of any returnee this year – along with 3.4 boards and 1.9 assists.

Always a prolific 3-point shooting program, Eastern will be counting heavily on Benzel and Gibson from beyond the arc.

Both stepped up last year as senior Felix Von Hofe struggled at times.

Benzel, a 6-4 junior from Ferris High School, was the top 3-point shooter in Big Sky games at 56.8 percent (21 of 37).

“Cody is one of the best shooters in the league,” Legans said. “On any given night, he can sink multiple 3s and change the game. He has been working hard on adding other dimensions to his game, and we are excited to see how that translates to the game situations.”

Right behind Benzel was the 6-3 Gibson, who shot 50 percent (28 of 56) in league play.

For Luka Vulikic, the future is now.

The 6-foot-6 point guard from Serbia spent his freshman year easing into the lineup, averaging 16 minutes as “point-forward” Bogdan Bliznyuk handled much of the ball-handling chores.

“The transition period is over now, and Luka is eager to show that he can be our point guard on a consistent basis,” coach Shantay Legans said.

“He is no stranger to playing a lock-up defense and we think he has a chance to surprise many people this year,” Legans said.

Vulikic had a solid start last year, starting 22 of the 32 games he played while averaging 2.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists while playing 16 minutes per game.

He started in every game from Dec. 20 to Feb. 9 as part of a starting lineup that went 8-6 in those 14 games.

In a program that’s thrived with strong point guard play, Vulikic’s progress will be a critical as Legans wants to push the pace this year.

A Big Sky Conference all-academic selection, Vulikic “wants to learn,” Legans said.

– Jim Allen

KEY GAMES Save the date: Nov. 10 at Reese Court. The Shantay Legans era begins against Walla Walla University.

Want another reason to attend? It’s Eastern’s only home game until mid-December. In between, the Eagles’ best litmus test comes on Nov. 20-22 in the MGM Resorts Main Event, as the other teams in the field are Georgia State, Prairie View and Eastern Kentucky.

December offers more opportunities for a program that’s reached the postseason three straight years. On Dec. 3, the Eagles visit Seattle for a game against former coach Jim Hayford.

Four days later, Eastern is at San Francisco, a team the Eagles have beaten twice in the last three years.

Finally, Eastern is home for its last nonconference games, Dec. 17 against Cal State Northridge and three days later against Providence of Montana.

Picked for a middle-of-the-pack finish in the Big Sky, the Eagles open the New Year with three straight home games against Portland State, Sacramento State and preseason favorite Idaho.

– Jim Allen

PREDICTION 1. Idaho 2. Weber State 3. Montana 4. Northern Colorado 5. Montana State 6. EWU 7. North Dakota 8. Portland State 9. Sacramento State 10. Idaho State 11. Northern Arizona 12. Southern Utah

SPECIAL 16

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THURSDAY

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NOVEMBER 2, 2017

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

COLLEGE BASKETBALL 2017-18

WOMEN’S DIVISION I

COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Washington State guard Chanelle Molina, who averaged 12.8 points per game a year ago, battles Gonzaga’s Chandler Smith, left, during their game last season.

WSU has injured stars back; EWU, Idaho have key vets

GREAT EXPECTATIONS WASHINGTON STATE ROSTER

By Jim Allen

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Has any basketball team defied the odds more than last year’s Washington State women’s squad?

With their three top scorers out for the season with injuries, the Cougars still managed to finish seventh in the Pac-12. Then they made the most of their second season, a trip to the WNIT that didn’t end until the semifinals.

Coming off her best coaching performance in 10 years at WSU, coach June Daugherty credited the players: “Hats off to them – they’re the ones who did it, being so mentally tough.”

Now they can’t wait to play again. The Cougars eager to make up for lost time and try to replicate what they did when the team was whole, including an 82-73 win over No. 7 UCLA that stands as the biggest upset in program history.

“Our offense is the best it’s ever been,” Daugherty said. “We have the leadership, the talent and the depth to take WSU to a place it’s never been.”

Perhaps the most exciting returnee is sophomore guard Chanelle Molina, who made the Pac-12 All-Freshman team despite suffering a season-ending knee injury.

In just 17 games, the 5-foot-9 Molina started them all, averaging 12.8 points on 52 percent shooting while scoring in double figures in 12 straight games.

Fully recovered, the five-star recruit from Hawaii is “quicker than ever,” according to Daugherty.

Also back is forward Borislava Hristova – WSU’s top scorer in 2015-16 – who played only nine games before suffering a foot injury. Forward Louise Brown made it only seven games, also falling to a foot injury.

Back too are the players who picked up the slack last year. The biggest is guard Alexys Swedlund, who averaged 18 points and 38 minutes in five WNIT games.

Senior guard Caila Hailey – a 33-game starter – figures to get heavy minutes after averaging 8.3 points and almost three assists per game. Senior Pinelopi Pavlopoulou (8.2 ppg) also will see plenty of action.

Eastern Washington Delaney Hodgins appreciates the honor – Big Sky Conference coaches voted her the preseason MVP – but not the implications of her Eagles being picked for a seventh-place finish.

“That means they don’t respect our returning players,” said Hodgins, who pointed out that two years ago, the Eagles were picked to finish ninth, yet wound up in second place.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s a preseason poll and really has nothing to do with what our season will look like,” said coach Wendy Schuller, who’s won a combined 60 games in her last three

No

Name

Pos

Ht.

Yr.

Hometown

1

Caila Hailey

G

5-10

Sr.

Inglewood, Calif.

2

Krystle McKenzie

G

5-8

Sr.

Gold Coast, Australia

4

Louise Brown

F

6-3

R-Jr.

Melbourne, Australia

5

Kayla Washington

F

6-0

So.

San Bernardino, Calif.

10

Johanna Muzet

G

6-0

So.

Lyon, France

11

Chanelle Molina

G

5-9

So.

Kailua Kona, Hawaii

12

Cameron Fernandez

G

5-10

So.

Makawao, Hawaii

20

Maria Kostourkova

C

6-4

Jr.

Lisbon, Portugal

21

Nike McClure

F

6-3

R-Jr.

Tenino, Wash.

22

Pinelopi Pavlopoulou

G

5-8

Sr.

Athens, Greece

23

Alexys Swedlund

G

5-11

Jr.

Rapid City, S.D.

24

Celena Molina

G

5-9

Fr.

Kailua Kona, Hawaii

41

Jovana Subasic

F

6-4

R-Fr.

Sabac, Serbia

42

Taryn Shelley

F

6-3

Fr.

Shoreline, Wash.

45

Borislava Hristova

F

6-0

R-So.

Varna, Bulgaria

EASTERN WASHINGTON ROSTER No

Name

Pos Ht.

Yr.

Hometown

00

Lily Perkins

F

Fr.

West Covina, Calif.

2

Uriah Howard

F

5-11

So.

Oakland, Calif.

3

Symone Starks

G

5-6

So.

Denver, Colo.

4

Delaney Hodgins

F

6-0

Sr.

Pasco

5-11

5

Baylee Rexing

G

5-3

R-So.

Suwanee, Ga.

10

Kianna Baker

C

6-3

R-Fr.

Tulare, Calif.

11

Amy Hartleroad

F

6-0

R-Fr.

Dallas

12

Violet Kapri Morrow

G

5-8

Jr.

Tacoma

13

Lea Wolff

G

5-5

Fr.

Leverkusen, Germany

22

Brittany Klaman

G

5-11

Fr.

Melbourne, Australia

23

Mariah Cunningham

F

6-0

Sr.

Spokane

24

Amira Chandler

C

6-2

Jr.

Wenatchee

30

Alissa Sealby

F

6-0

Jr.

Wenatchee

52

Cailyn Francis

C

6-3

Fr.

Yuba City, Calif.

54

Andie Easley

G

5-10

R-So.

Phoenix

IDAHO BASKETBALL ROSTER No

Name

Pos

Ht.

Yr.

Hometown

1

Jenae Lewallen

G

5-8

So.

Surprise, Ariz.

3

Nina Carlson

P

6-3

Fr.

Post Falls

10

Sarah Bersang

G

5-6

Jr.

Horsens, Denmark

11

Isabelle Hadden

P

6-4

So.

Boise

12

Nejra Solo

P

6-5

Sr.

Zenica, Bosnia

13

Haley Blankinship

G

5-7

Fr.

Springfield, Va.

14

Taylor Pierce

G

5-7

Jr.

Carlsbad, Calif.

20

Allison Kirby

G

5-7

Fr.

Spirit Lake, Idaho

21

Mikayla Ferenz

G

5-10

Jr.

Walla Walla

31

Geraldine McCorkell

P

6-0

Sr.

Melbourne, Australia

42

Natalie Klinker

P

6-1

Fr.

Fairfield, Mont.

seasons. Two of those campaigns ended in the postseason.

The Eagles return three starters from last year’s 19-14 squad, but lost two impact players in point guard Tisha Phillips and forward Ashli Payne.

Guard Violet Kapri Morrow and forward Alissa Sealby each started 31 games last year, but the action figures to revolve around Hodgins.

A starter since the first game of her freshman year, the 6-foot senior forward from Pasco was as consistent as it gets last year, playing 35 minutes a game and averaging 17.5 points, 6.2 rebounds while leading the team in almost every category.

In three seasons, Hodgins has scored in double figures in 82 of 98 games, including 61 of the last 65.

Eastern returns experienced depth with guard Symone Starks, forward Uriah Howard and Amira Chandler.

The Eagles also hope to get an immediate impact from four true freshmen, including center Cailyn Francis, forward Lily Perkins and guards Brittany Klaman and Lea Wolff.

Idaho After reaching the semifinals of the Women’s Basketball Invitational last year, the Vandals had to wait almost six months to get back on the court.

“I feel like this has been a long time coming,” said head coach Jon Newlee, who went 19-15 (11-7 in the Big Sky) last year.

Idaho, picked to finish fifth in the Big Sky, returns its top three scorers, including senior forward Geraldine McCorkell and junior guards Mikayla Ferenz and Taylor Pierce.

Ferzenz, a first-team preseason pick from Walla Walla, did it all last year, averaging a conference-leading 18.5 points while finishing second in free-throw percentage (88.8), third in the league in 3-pointers (91) and fourth in minutes (34.6 minutes per game).

Pierce added 12.6 points a game, while McCorkell averaged 12.8 points and a team-leading 6.5 rebounds.

The Vandals’ 11-player roster includes three returnees: senior post Nejra Solo, sophomore post Isabella Hadden and sophomore guard Jenae Lewallen.

However, Idaho will need to develop depth in a hurry among five newcomers.

Freshmen Nina Carlson, from Post Falls, and Natalie Klinker will provide help at the post.

Junior Sarah Bersang, a Horsens, Denmark, native, transferred in over the summer from Eastern Wyoming College.

Freshmen Haley Blankinship (Springfield, Virginia) and Allison Kirby, from Spirit Lake both will battle for time at guard.

CONTACT THE WRITER:

(509)459-5437 jima@spokesman.com

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

NOVEMBER 2, 2017

G

THURSDAY

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SPECIAL 17

COLLEGE BASKETBALL 2017-18

WHITWORTH/CCS/NIC MEN

COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Among the players Whitworth will be counting on are, from left, Jordan Lester, Kyle Roach, Jared Christy and Ben College.

‘MORE LIKE RELOADING’

Whitworth has no senior starters but finds new talent

By Whitney Ogden THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

The Whitworth men’s basketball team has been well-known to power through tough conference play before falling abruptly in the postseason.

Last year, the Pirates sang the same song. Four seniors and a promising sophomore led Whitworth to a 23-4 record last season ahead of the NCAA Division III Tournament, where the Pirates fell in the first round.

The Pirates, who have fought in the Big Dance for 11 consecutive seasons, now face a different battle. The Pirates have no seniors in starting roles this year to guide a team that looks very different from recent seasons.

More than half of the roster this year is new to Whitworth, but head coach Matt Logie (143-31, six seasons) is hesitant to admit his program is undergoing a rebuilding process.

“It’s more like reloading,” Logie said.

Ten of Whitworth’s 19-man roster are new to the Pirates program. It’s the largest incoming group in Logie’s seven seasons.

After losing four starters to graduation, Logie is turning to his lone returning starter, 6-foot-5 junior guard Kyle Roach from Marinwood, California, to lead the young squad.

Roach quickly stepped into a leading spot last season, averaging 32.5 minutes – second on the team behind now-assistant coach Kenny Love’s 34 minutes. Roach led the team in scoring

WHITWORTH ROSTER

No

Name

Pos

Ht.

Yr.

Hometown

1

Kyle Roach

G

6-5

Jr.

Marinwood, Calif.

3

Xavier Cooke

G

6-0

So.

Brisbane, Australia

4

Ben College

G

6-1

So.

Portland, Ore.

5

Garrett Hull

G

6-0

Jr.

Ellensburg, Wash.

10

Jordan Lester

G

6-2

Jr.

Sammamish, Wash.

11

Isaiah Hernandez

G

6-1

R-Fr.

Spokane

12

Sam Lees

G

6-4

So.

Christchurch, N.Z.

15

Kevin Crosno

F

6-6

Jr.

Martinez, Calif.

20

CJ Johnson

F

6-4

R-So.

Clarkston, Wash.

22

Jared Christy

F

6-6

Sr.

Spokane

23

Brandon Kohler

G

6-2

Sr.

Inchelium, Wash.

24

Kea Vargas

G

6-1

Fr.

Spokane

32

Tanner Fogle

G

6-3

Fr.

Camas, Wash

34

Joel Gabriele

G

6-0

Sr.

Camden, Maine

35

Ben Bishop

P

6-8

Jr.

Olympia

41

Chewy Zevenbergen

P

6-10

Fr.

Edmonds, Wash.

42

Cameron Rutherford

P

6-7

So.

Sydney, Australia

44

Reed Brown

F

6-6

Fr.

Portland

50

James Harland

G

6-2

Fr.

Melbourne, Austalia

at 15.9 points per game, rebounding (5.2) and steals (1.3).

“Our program has really leaned on him during this transition, along with Ben Bishop, for leadership,” Logie said.

“They’ve done a great job of providing leadership and a consistent voice for newcomers, and obviously that will translate on the court.”

Half of the newbies are new to college play. Logie recruited five freshmen this year, including guard Kea Vargas from Gonzaga Prep.

The other five fresh faces were picked from other collegiate programs.

Jordan Lester, a 6-2 junior guard, transferred to Whitworth after playing two years at Robert Morris University, a Division I school in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. The Sammamish, Washington, native started two games at Robert Morris, but missed the remainder of the season because of injuries and illness.

Isaiah Hernandez and Garrett Hull will also bring some experience to the

Whitworth Fieldhouse.

The two guards are local draws.

Hernandez, who transferred to Whitworth after redshirting his freshman year at Carroll College in Helena, was a standout from Lewis and Clark High. Hernandez was named to the first team All-Greater Spokane League in 2016 while guiding the Tigers to the State 4A tournament.

Hull, originally from Ellensburg, became a Pirate after playing two years at CC Spokane.

Logie lost a lot of size inside after the Pirates were left without 7-footer Drew Sears in the post and 6-5 forward Christian Jurlina because of graduation.

Logie made a point to pull in some experienced big men to fill the vacant spots inside.

Freshman Chewy Zevenbergen, from Edmonds, Washington, is expected to use his 6-10 stature to provide heavy pressure at the rim behind 6-8 junior center Bishop.

Logie also expects forward Reed Brown, a 6-6 freshman from Portland, to run the court well. Brown is quick inside, but can also step out for long shots beyond the arc.

“He brings a really unique blend of size and scoring ability,” Logie said.

Despite the young roster and the lack of experience, Logie said his rotation still has the potential to be deep this year. But the rest of the Northwest Conference, which is used to seeing Whitworth with experience and size, might not be convinced of the Pirates’ strength come conference play in December.

“It’s kind of fun not to be, maybe, the team with the target on your back. And so our guys are embracing the opportunity to build something new now,” Logie said.

CCS men have experienced sophs; NIC has talented transfers JUNIOR COLLEGES

By Whitney Ogden THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Jeremy Groth will have a young roster to develop this season.

The head coach of the CC Spokane men’s basketball team said he might only have four sophomores on his 16-man crew this year, but they were all significant contributors last season.

“We don’t have a lot of guys back, but we have a ton of experience back,” Groth said.

Returning sophomores Cameron Gay (Lakeside), Ryan Alexander (Gonzaga Prep) and last year’s All-Northwest Athletic Conference center Cesar Sandoval were all starters last season.

Groth’s fourth returning sophomore, 6-foot-6 forward George Pilimai (Shadle Park), wasn’t a starter, but he saw

the floor roughly 20 minutes a game.

All four will likely fall right back into their leading roles, but Groth is still scoping out his large group of freshmen to build a deep rotation.

“We’re not exactly sure how it’s going to pan out over the next couple weeks, but we do have some guys that will come in and make major contributions as freshmen,” Groth said.

Some of those newbies include Anthony Parker, of Anchorage, Alaska, and Taron Mesropian, of Glendale, California, who are both in the run for a starting role at point guard.

Freshman Dedrick Pakootas, a 6-1 guard from Lewis and Clark High, is also expected to contribute.

NIC men The North Idaho College Cardinals attracted a few transfers that head coach Corey Symons said could be key players in the team’s fight to redeem itself after falling in the first round of the NWAC Tournament last season.

Symons will particularly look to Idaho transfer Tyler Brimhall to step into a starting position at shooting guard and bring some of his Division I experience to the NIC floor.

The Cardinals also brought in 6-foot-2 guard Aushanti Potts-Woods, who came to NIC from College of Southern Idaho and Seth Christiaens, a 6-11 center who transferred from Northern Montana.

“We weren’t all that big last year,” Symons said. But this season “we’re a lot bigger than most teams … we recruited a little more size, and Seth was a big piece to that.”

The Cardinals have the option to be much deeper this season than NIC’s usual eight- or nine-man rotation because of this year’s strong freshman class, Symons said.

Freshman guards RayQuan Evans (Billings) and Keegan Crosby, who played for Nathan Hale High’s No. 1 nationally ranked team in Seattle last year, will likely start.

Jarod Greene, a 6-9 forward from Blackfoot, Idaho, will also have the opportunity to compete for a starting spot at the post.

SPECIAL 18

G

THURSDAY

G

NOVEMBER 2, 2017

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

COLLEGE BASKETBALL 2017-18

WHITWORTH/CCS/NIC WOMEN JUNIOR COLLEGES

Unexpectedly, CCS fielding young team But NIC women will have a more veteran squad

By Whitney Ogden THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Whitworth’s leading scorer last year, Grace Douglas, left, returns, as does Chloe Quinnett, who battled through injuries to start 10 games last season.

BEYOND SURVIVING Pirates looking for more fun after last season’s challenges

By Whitney Ogden THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

The Whitworth women’s basketball team couldn’t seem to escape the chaos that enveloped their roster last season.

The Pirates, who ended last season with a 10-15 overall record, were bombarded with the flu and injuries, including a concussion just five games into the season that sidelined now-sophomore guard Sidney Riggs for the remainder of the year.

The ongoing illnesses and injuries forced head coach Helen Higgs to work with an incomplete roster in 22 games.

But there is always a silver lining.

“Last year was a crazy year with injuries and illness, but lots of players got experience,” Higgs said.

“Even though we only have three seniors this year, we’ve got a lot of players that got quality minutes and a lot of time at different points in the season.”

Some of that extra experience has already proven to be useful.

Over the summer, swing player Courtney Gray told Higgs she had torn her ACL and would be out for the season.

Now Higgs is looking to her prominent wings to change positions and step inside in place of

WHITWORTH ROSTER

No

Name

Pos Yr.

Ht.

Hometown

1

Sidney Riggs

G

5-5

Sitka, Alaska

2

Madison Moffat

G

Jr.

5-7

Ellensburg, Wash.

3

Erika Kuehn

G

Sr.

5-7

Billings

4

Grace Douglas

G

Sr.

5-5

Lynnwood, Wash.

R-So.

After capping last year with a Northwest Athletic Conference championship, the first for CC Spokane since 1984, Bruce Johnson thought he would at least see a few of his strong freshmen back this season to fight for another title.

Instead, the Sasquatch head coach got only two returning sophomores – Shaye Swannack and Lauren French. French saw limited court time last season, so Johnson is primarily looking to Swannack, a guard on last year’s starting squad, to guide the majority of newbies.

“It’s just one of those years where you want to have that perfect six-six flop – six freshmen coming in and six sophomores (leaving) – and it just didn’t work out this year,” Johnson said.

Johnson lost quite a few of his star sophomores last season, including guard Brianna King (now at Montana Western), who was named MVP of the conference tournament after scoring 31 points in the championship game and a school-record 46 in the quarterfinals.

The Sasquatch also said goodbye to 5-foot-9 guard Imani Guillory, who averaged six points last season and hit the game-winning shot in the final seconds of the championship game.

Johnson looked to last year’s freshmen to take over, but few stepped up this season.

Three of those six freshmen decided to drop college athletics and transfer to four-year universities in Washington. Molly Webster, a 5-7 wing, also stepped away from the court to become a goalkeeper for Whitworth soccer.

Johnson currently has eight freshmen on his 10-player roster, a much different mix than last year’s deep roster and starting crew that featured all sophomores, with the exception of Swannack.

Swannack will step into starting point-guard role. It’s currently a tossup between five freshmen as to who will fill the remaining four starting spots on the floor.

Freshmen guards Shania Graham, a 1B Player of the Year from Republic, Washington, and Syndee Mongeon, from Cashmere, Washington, will likely start with Swannack.

The Sasquatch have some options between a handful of quick bigs who can also run the perimeter and shoot from distance – a lucky break for Johnson, who likes to run the four-out, one-in motion often.

Freshman 5-10 forward Marissa Blair, of Arlington, Washington, is a threat inside but is not afraid to step out for a longer shot.

“She’s just a scorer,” Johnson said. “She can shoot 3s, she can post up. She’s pretty versatile.”

Jessica Olson will also bring some power inside. The 5-11 freshman forward, who guided Moses Lake to fifth place in the State 4A tournament last season, can work the perimeter and drive to the basket.

“She can run and she can finish at the rim.

She’s very athletic,” Johnson said. “She also has 3-point range. I mean, she can shoot the ball.”

Rose Mongoyak, a center from Barrow, Alaska, is the only player at CC Spokane to break 6-0, measuring up to a long 6-1.

Surprisingly, Mongoyak wasn’t afraid to step behind the arc in high school and take the occasional long shot. But her strength remains inside, using her size and quick feet to deliver heavy pressure at the rim.

The Sasquatch will be a small crew, not just in bodies, but in height. Johnson said their size just means they will be quick, giving them more opportunities to work on improving the press this year.

“It’s not how big you are, it’s how big you play,” Mongoyak said. “I think we’re pretty tough.”

5

Alli Kieckbusch

G/F

Jr.

5-7

Billings

10

Lexi Tinney

G

So.

5-9

McCall, Idaho

11

Alyse Jackson

F

Fr.

5-10

Spokane

NIC women

12

Shannon Tran

G

So.

5-5

Portland

21

Chloe Quinnett

C

Sr.

5-10

Moscow

22

Madison Abbott

C

Fr.

5-11

Davenport, Wash.

30

Sierra Jackson

C

Fr.

5-10

Elk, Wash.

32

Camy Aguinaldo

G

Fr.

5-2

Honolulu

41

Annie Estes

G

Jr.

5-7

Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.

Head coach Chris Carlson had quite a steep hill to climb last season.

The Cardinals’ young team of 10 freshmen and only two sophomores suffered season-ending injuries and fell in the first day of the NWAC tournament.

“It was a tough year, it was just too much,” Carlson said. But this season, “we have six returners, a nice transfer, and then I think our freshmen class is really solid.”

Sophomore guards Cierra Dvorak and Whitney Meier will likely return to their starting roles.

Dvorak, a Lake City High alumna, was an all-league player last year and led NIC in nearly every statistical category. She was outnumbered in 3-pointers by her former Timberwolves teammate Whitney Meier, who led the team with 61 3s.

“They know each other well. They’re a really good guard combination and they’re both very good basketball players,” Carlson said.

Redshirt sophomore Ronnie Harris, a 5-foot-9 guard from Billings, is Carlson’s lone transfer this year. Harris came to NIC after spending two years in the basketball program at Rocky Mountain College.

Gia Sorn, a 6-2 returning sophomore, and 6-0 freshman Sydney Hovde, from Columbia Falls, Montana, will bring some needed height and power to the post this year.

Gray, a seemingly difficult task for a pair of undersized outside shooters.

Annie Estes, a 5-foot-7 junior guard from Rancho Santa Margarita, California, has stepped up and worked inside at practice this month, along with Alli Kieckbusch, a powerful 5-7 junior guard out of Billings. “(Kieckbusch is) strong and she’s one to be physical, so she can kind of make that transition,” Higgs said. “Her perimeter skills will set up well for that defensively.”

Whitworth signed four freshmen this season after losing two to graduation.

Higgs has already taken note of 5-10 forward Alyse Jackson, who was dominant beyond the arc at

Mead last year. “(She) knew how to find her shot in the Mead offenses,” Higgs said.

The Pirates have three returning seniors, including last year’s leading scorer Grace Douglas, who will take another starting role this season. Higgs also expects bigger roles from Erika Kuehn, a 5-7 senior guard from Billings, and Madison Moffat, a 5-7 junior guard out of Ellensburg.

Higgs said she’s not overly concerned about how Whitworth’s record will look at the end of the season, she just hopes for a smoother road to March.

“Obviously we want to win,” Higgs said. “But (we want) to make the experience more fun than just survival like it felt like last year.”

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

NOVEMBER 2, 2017

G

THURSDAY

G

SPECIAL 19

2017-18 COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCHEDULES GONZAGA MEN

CCS MEN IDAHO MEN Nov. 10 ..........................at Nevada 7 p.m.

Nov. 13 .......................George Fox 7 p.m.

Nov. 18 ....................Sam Houston 7 p.m.

Nov. 22 .................Santa Clara 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 3 ..............................at Nicholls TBD Dec. 6 ...................Washington St 7 p.m.

Dec. 9 ...............at CS-Bakersfield 7 p.m.

Dec. 15 .....................Simon Fraser 7 p.m.

Dec. 18 ...................at W Michigan 4 p.m.

Dec. 21 ..................at UC Irvine 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 29 ..................at North Dakota TBD Dec. 31 .......................at N Colorado TBD Jan. 4 ....................Sacramento St 7 p.m.

Jan. 6 .....................Portland State 7 p.m.

Jan. 12 ..........at E Washington 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18 ..................at Southern Utah TBD Jan. 20 .........................at N Arizona TBD Jan. 25 ........................N Colorado 7 p.m.

Jan. 27 ....................North Dakota 7 p.m.

Feb. 1 .................at Portland State 8 p.m.

Feb. 3 ..........at Sacramento St 7:05 p.m.

Feb. 9 ...............E Washington 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 15 ...................Montana State 7 p.m.

Feb. 17 .............................Montana 7 p.m.

Feb. 22 ..................at Idaho State 6 p.m.

Feb. 24 ................at Weber State 6 p.m.

Mar. 1 .............................N Arizona 7 p.m.

Mar. 3 ....................Southern Utah 7 p.m.

WHITWORTH MEN WSU MEN

Nov. 10 ........................at Montana 6 p.m.

Nov. 15 .......................La Verne 12:01 a.m.

Nov. 17 ...........................Gallaudet 8 p.m.

Nov. 18 .....................Waynesburg 6 p.m.

Nov. 24 ......at North Central (Ill.) 5 p.m.

Nov. 25 ...................at Arcadia 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 1 ...................at Puget Sound 8 p.m.

Dec. 2 ............at Pacific Lutheran 6 p.m.

Dec. 10 ......................Colorado Col. 1 p.m.

Dec. 19 ....................Wheaton (Ill.) 7 p.m.

Dec. 29 ........................Wis.-Stout 8 p.m.

Dec 30 .................................Calvin 6 p.m.

Jan. 5 ......................Lewis & Clark 8 p.m.

Jan.. 6 ......................Pacific (Ore.) 6 p.m.

Jan. 9 .........................at Whitman 8 p.m.

Jan. 13 ........................George Fox 6 p.m.

Jan.19 ......................at Willamette 8 p.m.

Jan. 20 ..........................at Linfield 6 p.m.

Jan. 26 ...............Pacific Lutheran 8 p.m.

Jan. 27 .....................Puget Sound 6 p.m.

Febi. 2 .................at Pacific (Ore.) 8 p.m.

Feb. 3 .................at Lewis & Clark 6 p.m.

Feb. 6 .............................Whitman 8 p.m.

Feb. 9 ....................at George Fox 8 p.m.

Feb. 16 ...............................Linfield 8 p.m.

Feb. 17 .........................Willamette 6 p.m.

Nov. 12 ..................Texas Southern 1 p.m.

Nov. 15 ................................Seattle 6 p.m.

Nov. 18 ...........................Idaho State TBD Nov. 23 ..................Saint Joe’s 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 2 ...............................UC Davis noon Dec. 6 ...............................at Idaho 7 p.m.

Dec. 9 ...............................at UTEP 6 p.m.

Dec. 16 .................................. IUPUI 3 p.m.

Dec. 20 ....................Kansas State 8 p.m.

Dec. 22 ..........Bethune-Cookman 6 p.m.

Dec. 29 ............................at UCLA 8 p.m.

Dec. 31 ................................at USC 6 p.m.

Jan. 6 ..........................Washington 1 p.m.

Jan. 11 ...............................Stanford 6 p.m.

Jan. 13 .........................................Cal 1 p.m.

Jan. 18 ........................at Colorado 5 p.m.

Jan. 21 ................................at Utah 5 p.m.

Jan. 28 ..................at Washington 5 p.m.

Jan. 31 ...............................Arizona 7 p.m.

Feb. 4 .......................Arizona State 1 p.m.

Feb. 8 ............at Oregon State 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 11 ............................at Oregon 5 p.m.

Feb. 15 ............................Colorado 8 p.m.

Feb. 17 ....................................Utah 7 p.m.

Feb. 22 .................................at Cal 8 p.m.

Feb. 24 .......................at Stanford 4 p.m.

Mar. 1 .................................Oregon 6 p.m.

Mar. 3 .........................Oregon State TBD

WASHINGTON MEN Nov. 2. ....................Saint Martin's 7 p.m.

Nov. 10 .............................Belmont 7 p.m.

Nov. 12 ........Eastern Washington 5 p.m.

Nov. 16 ..............Providence At N.Y. TBD Nov. 17 ..........................TBA At N.Y. TBD Nov. 24 ...............................Seattle Noon Nov. 26 ...........................UC Davis 5 p.m.

Nov. 28 ..............Kennesaw State 6 p.m.

Dec. 3 ...............Nebraska Omaha 4 p.m.

Dec. 6 ...........................At Kansas 6 p.m.

Dec. 10 ............................Gonzaga 5 p.m.

Dec. 17 ............Loyola Marymount 3 p.m.

Dec. 19 ...........Bethune-Cookman 7 p.m.

Dec. 22 ............................Montana 8 p.m.

Dec. 29 .........................At USC 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 31 .............................At UCLA 5 p.m.

Jan. 6. ................................At WSU 1 p.m.

Jan. 11 .........................................Cal 8 p.m.

Jan. 13 ..............................Stanford 5 p.m.

Jan. 18 ...............................At Utah 7 p.m.

Jan. 20 ......................At Colorado 3 p.m.

Jan. 28 ...................................WSU 5 p.m.

Feb. 1 .......................Arizona State 8 p.m.

Feb. 3 ..........................Arizona 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 8 ...........................At Oregon 7 p.m.

Feb. 10 ...............At Oregon State 7 p.m.

Feb. 15 ....................................Utah 6 p.m.

Feb. 17 ............................Colorado 5 p.m.

Feb. 22 .......................At Stanford 6 p.m.

Feb. 24 ................................At Cal 8 p.m.

March 1 ....................Oregon State 8 p.m.

March 3 ................................Oregon TBD

EWU MEN Nov. 10 ..................Walla Walla 1:05 p.m.

Nov. 12 ..................at Washington 5 p.m.

Nov. 14 ........................at Stanford 8 p.m.

Nov. 17 .............................at UNLV 7 p.m.

Nov. 20 .......at Georgia State 12:30 p.m.

Nov. 24 ..............................at Utah 5 p.m.

Dec. 3 ..............................at Seattle 1 p.m.

Dec. 7 .................at San Francisco 7 p.m.

Dec. 10 ................at South Dakota 11 a.m.

Dec. 12 .......................at Wyoming 6 p.m.

Dec. 17 ............CSU Northridge 1:05 p.m.

Dec. 20 ........Providence (MT) 6:05 p.m.

Dec. 29 ..................at N Colorado 6 p.m.

Dec. 31 ................at North Dakota 2 p.m.

Jan. 4 ...............Portland State 6:05 p.m.

Jan. 6 ..............Sacramento St 2:05 p.m.

Jan. 12 ..............................Idaho 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18 ..........................at N Arizona TBD Jan. 20 .........at Southern Utah 11:30 a.m.

Jan. 25 ..............North Dakota 6:05 p.m.

Jan. 27 ..................N Colorado 2:05 p.m.

Feb. 1 ...........at Sacramento St 7:05 p.m.

Feb. 3 .................at Portland State 1 p.m.

Feb. 9 .........................at Idaho 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 15 .......................Montana 6:05 p.m.

Feb. 17 .............Montana State 2:05 p.m.

Feb. 22 ................at Weber State 6 p.m.

Feb. 24 ..................at Idaho State 6 p.m.

Mar. 1 ................Southern Utah 6:05 p.m.

Feb. 1 ...........................Portland St 6 p.m.

Feb. 3 ....................Sacramento St 2 p.m.

Feb. 9 ..........Eastern Washington 5 p.m.

Feb. 15 ....................at Montana St 6 p.m.

Feb. 17 ..........................at Montana 1 p.m.

Feb. 22 ............................Idaho St 6 p.m.

Feb. 24 ...........................Weber St 2 p.m.

Feb. 28 ....................at Northern Arizona Mar. 2 ......... at Southern Utah 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 15 ......At Loyola Marymount 7 p.m.

Feb. 17 ....................At Pepperdine 1 p.m.

Feb. 22 .........................San Diego 6 p.m.

Feb. 24 ...................................BYU 2 p.m.

Mar. 3 ......................N Arizona 2:05 p.m.

Nov. 10 ................Texas Southern 6 p.m.

Nov. 14 ..............................Howard 6 p.m.

Nov. 18 .........................Utah State 7 p.m.

Nov. 24 ........................Ohio State 9 p.m.

Nov. 24 ......................................TBA TBA Nov. 26 ......................................TBA TBA Nov. 29 ...............Incarnate Word 6 p.m.

Dec. 1 .............................Creighton 7 p.m.

Dec. 5 .............................Villanova 4 p.m.

Dec. 10 ..................at Washington 5 p.m.

Dec. 16 .....................North Dakota 5 p.m.

Dec. 18 ..................................IUPUI 6 p.m.

Dec. 21 ................at San Diego St. 7 p.m.

Dec. 28 ...............................Pacific 6 p.m.

Dec. 30 ......................Santa Clara 4 p.m.

Jan. 4 .....................at Pepperdine 8 p.m.

Jan. 6 ....................at Loyola Mary 7 p.m.

Jan. 11 ...............................Portland 6 p.m.

Jan. 13 ...........at San Francisco 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 18 ........................Saint Mary's 6 p.m.

Jan. 20 ...................at Santa Clara 5 p.m.

Jan. 25 ........................at Portland 8 p.m.

Jan. 27 ...................San Francisco 5 p.m.

Feb. 1 ............................San Diego 6 p.m.

Feb. 3 ......................................BYU 7 p.m.

Feb. 8 .............................at Pacific 7 p.m.

Feb. 10 .......................Saint Mary's 7 p.m.

Feb. 15 .......................Loyola Mary 6 p.m.

Feb. 17 ........................Pepperdine 5 p.m.

Feb. 22 .....................at San Diego 6 p.m.

Feb. 24 ...............................at BYU 5 p.m.

Nov. 4 ........................At Whitworth TBA Nov. 10 ..Air Force/GU Club at SCC TBA Nov. 17 ....................... Alumni Game 7:30 Nov. 24 ....TBA at Lower Columbia TBA Nov. 25 ....TBA at Lower Columbia TBA Nov. 26 .... TBA at Lower Columbia TBA Dec. 1 ............................. TBA at SCC TBA Dec. 2 ............................ TBA at SCC TBA Dec. 3 ............................ TBA at SCC TBA Dec. 8 ......................TBA at Eugene TBA Dec. 9 ......................TBA at Eugene TBA Dec. 10 .....................TBA at Eugene TBA Dec. 15 ................TBA at Vancouver TBA Dec. 16 ...............TBA at Vancouver TBA Dec, 17 ................TBA at Vancouver TBA Dec. 30 ..............At Whatcom CC 2 p.m.

Jan. 3 ..............At Walla Walla CC 8 p.m.

Jan. 6 ......Treasure Valley at SCC 4 p.m.

Jan. 10 ................Big Bend at SCC 8 p.m.

Jan. 13 .........At Yakima Valley CC 4 p.m.

Jan. 17 .....Columbia Basin at SCC 8 p.m.

Jan. 20 .................At North Idaho 4 p.m.

Jan. 24 .............At Blue Mountain 8 p.m.

Jan. 27 Wenatchee Valley at SCC 4 p.m.

Jan. 31 .....Walla Walla CC at SCC 8 p.m.

Feb. 3 .............At Treasure Valley 4 p.m.

Feb. 7 ........................At Big Bend 8 p.m.

Feb. 10 ......Yakima Valley at SCC 4 p.m.

Feb. 17 ..........North Idaho at SCC 4 p.m.

Feb. 21 .......At Wenatchee Valley 8 p.m.

Feb. 24 ..........At Columbia Basin 4 p.m.

Feb. 28 .....Blue Mountain at SCC 8 p.m.

WSU WOMEN Nov. 10 .......................at UC Davis 7 p.m.

Nov. 12 ....................at Saint Mary’s 1 p.m.

Nov. 15 ...............at San Francisco 7 p.m.

Nov. 19 .............................Kentucky 1 p.m.

Nov. 24 .............vs. South Florida 2 p.m.

Nov. 25 ......................................TBA TBD Nov. 26 ......................................TBA TBD Dec. 1 ..........................Idaho State 7 p.m.

Dec. 4 ..........................Saint Louis 7 p.m.

Dec. 6 .............................Gonzaga 7 p.m.

Dec. 18 ....................at Boise State 6 p.m.

Dec. 22 .......................at Nebraska 11 a.m.

Dec. 29 .........................at Oregon 3 p.m.

Dec. 31 .................at Oregon State 11 a.m.

Jan. 5 ..............................Colorado 8 p.m.

Jan. 7 ......................................Utah 11 a.m.

Jan. 12 .........................at Stanford 6 p.m.

Jan. 14 ....................................at Cal 1 p.m.

Jan. 17 ........................Washington 7 p.m.

Jan. 21 .....................at Washington 1 p.m.

Jan. 26 ....................................USC 7 p.m.

Jan. 28 .................................UCLA 3 p.m.

Feb. 2 ...........................at Arizona 5 p.m.

Feb. 4 ....................at Arizona State TBA Feb. 9 .....................Oregon State 6 p.m.

Feb. 11 ..................................Oregon 1 p.m.

Feb. 16 ...............................at Utah 6 p.m.

Feb. 18 ........................at Colorado 11 a.m.

Feb. 23 ......................................Cal 7 p.m.

Feb. 25 .............................Stanford 1 p.m.

NIC MEN Nov. 17 ..... Northwest College 4:30 p.m.

Nov. 18 ........... Northwest College 11 a.m.

Dec. 2 ... Edmonds CC at Everett 5 p.m.

Dec. 3 .......................... At Everett 6 p.m.

Dec. 7 ..................... TBD at San Jose CC Dec. 8 ..................... TBD at San Jose CC Dec. 9 ..................... TBD at San Jose CC Dec. 17 ................. Chemeketa CC 8 p.m.

Dec. 18 ..................... Shoreline CC 8 p.m.

Dec. 19 ....................... Highline CC 2 p.m.

Dec. 28 ............................ PM TBD at NIC Dec. 29 .................................. TBD at NIC Dec. 30 .................................. TBD at NIC Jan. 6 ............... At Yakima Valley 4 p.m.

Jan. 10 ................ Columbia Basin 8 p.m.

Jan. 13 ...... At Treasure Valley CC 4 p.m.

Jan. 15 ................ At Big Bend CC 4 p.m.

Jan. 17 ................. Walla Walla CC 8 p.m.

Jan. 20 ................ CC of Spokane 4 p.m.

Jan. 24 ........... Wenatchee Valley 8 p.m.

Jan. 27 ........... Blue Mountain CC 4 p.m.

Feb. 3 ................... Yakima Valley 4 p.m.

Feb. 7 ............ At Columbia Basin 8 p.m.

Feb. 10 .......... Treasure Valley CC 4 p.m.

Feb. 14 ..................... Big Bend CC 8 p.m.

Feb. 17 ................. At CC Spokane 4 p.m.

Feb. 21 ....... At Blue Mountain CC 8 p.m.

Feb. 24 .......... At Walla Walla CC 4 p.m.

Feb. 28 .......... Wenatchee Valley 8 p.m.

GONZAGA WOMEN Nov. 5 ..........Northwest Christian 2 p.m.

Nov. 13 ............At Colorado State 5 p.m.

Nov. 18 .......................At Montana 6 p.m.

Nov. 23 ............................Belmont 8 p.m.

Nov. 24 ......................................TBD TBA Nov. 25 ......................................TBD TBA Nov. 30 .......Eastern Washington 6 p.m.

Dec. 2 ....................Portland State 2 p.m.

Dec. 6 ........At Washington State 7 p.m.

Dec. 9 ...................................UNLV 2 p.m.

Dec. 17 .............Saint Francis (PA) 2 p.m.

Dec. 21 .................Western Illinois 6 p.m.

Dec. 28 ...........................at Pacific 7 p.m.

Dec. 30 ..................At Santa Clara 2 p.m.

Jan. 4 .........................Pepperdine 6 p.m.

Jan. 6 .............Loyola Marymount 2 p.m.

Jan. 11 ..........................At Portland 7 p.m.

Jan. 13 .....................San Francisco 2 p.m.

Jan. 18 ..............at Saint Mary’s 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 20 .......................Santa Clara 2 p.m.

Jan. 25 .............................Portland 6 p.m.

Jan. 27 ..............At San Francisco 2 p.m.

Feb. 1 .......................At San Diego 6 p.m.

Feb. 3 ..................................at BYU 1 p.m.

Feb. 8 ..................................Pacific 6 p.m.

Feb. 10 .......................Saint Mary’s 2 p.m.

WHITWORTH WOMEN Nov. 17 ..............................Whittier 6 p.m.

Nov. 18 ............................La Verne 4 p.m.

Nov. 22 ............at Lewis-Clark St. 5 p.m.

Nov. 24 Evergreen St. at Whitman 4 p.m.

Dec. 1 ...................at Puget Sound 6 p.m.

Dec. 2 ............at Pacific Lutheran 4 p.m.

Dec. 8 .....................Colorado Col. 6 p.m.

Dec. 9 ...................Carroll (Mont.) 4 p.m.

Dec. 17 ............at East Tex. Baptist 1 p.m.

Dec. 18 ...............at Howard Payne Noon Dec. 20 ...........at Texas-Tyler 10:30 a.m.

Jan. 5 ......................Lewis & Clark 6 p.m.

Jan. 6 .......................Pacific (Ore.) 4 p.m.

Jan. 9 .........................at Whitman 6 p.m.

Jan. 13 ........................George Fox 4 p.m.

Jan. 19 .....................at Willamette 6 p.m.

Jan. 20 ..........................at Linfield 4 p.m.

Jan. 26 ...............Pacific Lutheran 6 p.m.

Jan. 27 .....................Puget Sound 4 p.m.

Feb. 2 ..................at Pacific (Ore.) 6 p.m.

Feb. 3 .................at Lewis & Clark 4 p.m.

Feb. 6 .............................Whitman 6 p.m.

Feb. 9 ....................at George Fox 6 p.m.

Feb. 16 ...............................Linfield 6 p.m.

Feb. 17 .........................Willamette 4 p.m.

EWU WOMEN

CCS WOMEN

Nov. 5 .......................The Master's 5 p.m.

Nov. 10 ...........at Fresno State 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 14 .......................at Air Force 6 p.m.

Nov. 17 ...............................BYU 6:05 p.m.

Nov. 21 ..........................at Oregon 6 p.m.

Nov. 25 .................Utah Valley 2:05 p.m.

Nov. 30 .........................at Gonzaga TBA Dec.3 ......................Boise State 1:05 p.m.

Dec.8 .....................Multnomah 11:05 a.m.

Dec.11 ...........................Cal Poly 6:05 p.m.

Dec.17 ..............................Purdue * 9 a.m.

Dec.18 ........................Saint Mary's* 1 p.m.

Dec.20 ...........Tennessee-Martin* 8 a.m.

Dec.28 .....Northern Colorado 6:05 p.m.

Dec.30 ...............North Dakota 2:05 p.m.

Jan. 4 ................at Portland State 8 p.m.

Jan. 6 ....at Sacramento State 2:05 p.m.

Jan. 12 .............................Idaho 5:05 p.m.

Jan. 18 .........Northern Arizona 6:05 p.m.

Jan. 20 ............Southern Utah 2:05 p.m.

Jan. 25 ................at North Dakota 5 p.m.

Jan. 27 .......at Northern Colorado 11 a.m.

Feb. 1 ..........Sacramento State 6:05 p.m.

Feb. 3 ...............Portland State 2:05 p.m.

Feb. 9 ...............................at Idaho 5 p.m.

Feb. 15 ........................at Montana 6 p.m.

Feb. 17 ................at Montana State 1 p.m.

Feb. 22 ...............Weber State 6:05 p.m.

Feb. 24 .................Idaho State 2:05 p.m.

Feb. 28 ........at Southern Utah 5:30 p.m.

Mar. 2 ..............at Northern Arizona TBA *Traveler’s Basketball Invitational

Nov. 17 .......CCS Alumni at SCC 5:30 pm Nov. 30 .....Gonzaga Club at SCC 6 p.m.

Dec. 8 ......................TBD at Everett TBD Dec. 9 ......................TBD at Everett TBD Dec. 10 .....................TBD at Everett TBD Dec. 15-17 ..........Grays Harbor Crossover Dec. 15 .................TBD at Aberdeen TBD Dec. 16 .................TBD at Aberdeen TBD Dec. 17 .................TBD at Aberdeen TBD Dec. 27-29 ....Skagit Valley Tournament Dec. 27 ........TBD at Mount Vernon TBD Dec. 28 ........TBD at Mount Vernon TBD Dec. 29 ........TBD at Mount Vernon TBD Jan. 3 .........................Walla Walla 6 p.m.

Jan. 6 Treasure Valley CC at SCC 2 p.m.

Jan. 10 ..........Big Bend CC at SCC 6 p.m.

Jan. 13 .........At Yakima Valley CC 2 p.m.

Jan. 17 .....Columbia Basin at SCC 6 p.m.

Jan. 20 .................At North Idaho 2 p.m.

Jan. 24 .......At Blue Mountain CC 6 p.m.

Jan. 27 Wenatchee Valley at SCC 2 p.m.

Jan. 31 ...........Walla Walla at SCC 6 p.m.

Feb. 3 ........At Treasure Valley CC 1 p.m.

Feb. 7 ..................At Big Bend CC 6 p.m.

Feb. 10 .......Yakima Valley at SCC 2 p.m.

Feb. 17 ...........North Idaho at SCC 2 p.m.

Feb. 21 .......At Wenatchee Valley 6 p.m.

Feb. 24 ...........At Columbia Basin 2 p.m.

Feb. 28 .....Blue Mountain at SCC 6 p.m.

NIC WOMEN Nov. 16 ...... Okanogan College 11:30 a.m.

Nov. 17 .......... Northwest College 12 p.m.

Nov. 18 Southwestern Oregon CC 8 p.m.

Nov. 19 ............................. Bellevue 1 p.m.

Dec. 1-3 ...... At Bellevue Bulldog Classic Dec. 15-17 ........ At Clackamas Crossover Dec. 28-30 At Lower Columbia Holiday Classic Jan. 6 ............... At Yakima Valley 2 p.m.

Jan. 10 ................ Columbia Basin 6 p.m.

Jan. 13 ...... At Treasure Valley CC 2 p.m.

Jan. 15 ................. At Big Bend CC 2 p.m.

Jan. 17 ................. Walla Walla CC 6 p.m.

Jan. 20 ................ CC of Spokane 2 p.m.

Jan. 24 ..... At Wenatchee Valley 6 p.m.

Jan. 27 ............ Blue Mountain CC 2 p.m.

Feb. 3 .................... Yakima Valley 2 p.m.

Feb. 7 ............ At Columbia Basin 6 p.m.

Feb. 10 .......... Treasure Valley CC 2 p.m.

Feb. 14 ..................... Big Bend CC 6 p.m.

Feb. 17 ............ At CC of Spokane 2 p.m.

Feb. 21 ....... At Blue Mountain CC 6 p.m.

Feb. 24 .......... At Walla Walla CC 2 p.m.

Feb. 28 .......... Wenatchee Valley 6 p.m.

IDAHO WOMEN Nov. 5 ...................................LCSC 2 p.m.

Nov. 10 .............at Colorado St 4:30 p.m.

Nov. 15 ......................... at Ohio St 4 p.m.

Nov. 18 ...........at Abilene Christian noon Nov. 24 ...... at CS Northridge 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 25 ..........TCU or Arizona 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 1 .........................Washington 6 p.m.

Dec. 4 ..................CS-Fullerton 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 9 ............................Wyoming 6 p.m.

Dec. 15 ...................................Seattle TBA Dec. 18 .........................at Arizona St TBA Dec. 21 ............E Oregon at Boise 4 p.m.

Dec. 28 ...................North Dakota 6 p.m.

Dec. 30 ..........Northern Colorado 2 p.m.

Jan. 4 ..........at Sacramento St 7:05 p.m.

Jan. 6 .......................at Portland St 1 p.m.

Jan. 12 .....at Eastern Washington 5 p.m.

Jan. 18 ...................Southern Utah 6 p.m.

Jan. 20 .............Northern Arizona 2 p.m.

Jan. 25 ..........at Northern Colorado TBA Jan. 27 .................at North Dakota noon

NORTH IDAHO WOMEN’S ROSTER

JUNIOR COLLEGES

CCS WOMEN’S ROSTER Name

Pos.

Ht.

Yr.

Hometown

Marissa Blair

F

5-10

Fr.

Arlington, Wash.

Lauren French

F

5-10

So.

Boise

Shania Graham

G

5-8

Fr.

Republic

TaSheeNa Kohler

G

5-8

Fr.

Inchelium

Syndee Mongeon

G

5-8

Fr.

Cashmere

Rose Mongoyak

C

6-1

Fr.

Barrow, Alaska

Jessica Olson

F

5-11

Fr.

Moses Lake

Shaye Swannack

G

5-8

So.

Nine Mile Falls

Charity Talo

F

5-9

Fr.

Moses Lake

Tory Wolf

G

5-6

Fr.

Spokane

CCS MEN’S ROSTER

No

Name

Pos

Ht.

Yr.

Home Town

5

Lana Berg

F

5-10

So.

Rollins, Mont.

10

Cierra Dvorak

G

5-9

So.

Coeur d’Alene

12

Ronnie Harris

G

5-9

R-So.

Billings

15

Abby Hamilton

F

5-11

Fr.

Vale, Ore.

21

Shae Logozzo

G

5-6

R-Fr.

Pasco

22

Shelby Jordan

G

5-10

So.

Kansas City

23

Whitney Meier

G

5-5

So.

Coeur d’Alene

24

Zosha Krupa

G

5-9

Fr.

Sitka, Alaska

25

Siera Combo

G

5-8

Fr.

Minneapolis, Minn.

32

Gia Sorn

P

6-2

So.

Richland

33

Kelsey Auer

F

6-0

Fr.

St. Maries, Idaho

35

Sydney Hovde

P

6-0

Fr.

Columbia Falls, Mont.

NORTH IDAHO MEN’S ROSTER No

Name

Pos

Ht.

Yr.

Hometown

No.

Name

Pos. Ht.

Yr.

Hometown

0

RayQuan Evans

G

6-5

Fr.

Billings

1

Lamar Harris

F

6-6

Fr.

Los Angeles

1

Brody Lundblad

G

6-3

Fr.

Coeur d’Alene

2

Cameron Gay

G

6-4

So.

Nine Mile Falls

2

Milan Lester

G

5-10

Fr.

Manchester, Conn.

3

Aushanti Potts-Woods

G

6-2

So.

Tacoma

3

Dedrick Pakootas

G

6-1

Fr.

Spokane

4

Edgar Najera

G

5-10

Fr.

Brewster, Wash.

4

Drew Sheridan

G/F

6-4

So.

Missoula, Mont.

5

Isaiah Gotell

F

6-5

Fr.

Everett, Wash.

5

Iain McLaughlin

G/F

6-7

Fr.

Bellevue, Wash.

10

Wallace Ungwiluk

G

5-8

Fr.

Gambell, Alaska

10

Kyrie McRaven

F

6-6

Fr.

Honolulu

13

Anthony Parker

G

6-1

Fr.

Anchorage, Alaska

11

Jalen Burkett

F

6-6

So.

Phoenix

14

Taron Mesropian

G

5-11

Fr.

Glendale, Calif.

14

Cameron Tucker

G

6-5

Fr.

Spokane

20

Charles Williams

G

6-3

So.

Houston

15

George Pilimai

F

6-6

So.

Spokane

20

Ryan Alexander

G/F

6-0

So.

Spokane

21

Peter Middlemore

G/F

6-5

So.

Georgetown, Ill.

22

Jeremie Portuondo

F

6-6

Fr.

Las Vegas

22

Jarod Greene

F

6-9

Fr.

Blackfoot, Idaho

24

William Gattrell

G

6-2

Fr.

Lovelock, Nev.

23

Jacob Cowley

F

6-9

Fr.

Vancouver, B.C.

32

J.R. Delgado

G

6-3

Fr.

Warden, Wash.

24

Tyler Brimhall

G

6-5

So.

Logan, Utah

33

Cesar Sandoval

F

6-6

So.

Moses Lake

31

Connor Chapman

G

6-6

Fr.

Newcastle, Wash.

40

Terry Lewis

G

6-2

Fr.

Seattle

32

Seth Christiaens

C

6-11

So.

Billings

42

Asher Cox

F

6-8

Fr.

Colbert, Wash.

33

Keegan Crosby

G

6-7

Fr.

Seattle

SPECIAL 20

G

THURSDAY

G

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Spokane

509-892-5463 Coeur d’Alene 208-664-5858 Cont. #DZLINI*901RB

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