TDCB: Return to Eastern Washington - Page 2

klayman · 03-03-2003, 03:42 PM

At this point I have upgraded to the 1.28 beta patch.

Gibson commits to Oregon, and Cornell commits to CS Northridge leaving us with walkon C Marquis Brownlee 3* (6-10, 209) from Bronx, NY. Brownlee has average skills and decent high school stats for a late round walk on player.

Big Sky Standings 



            Team Conf. Wins Conf. Losses Pct. Total Wins Total Losses Pct. PF PA 



            Eastern Wash. 5 1 .833 12 6 .667 1261 1204 

            Idaho State 4 2 .667 4 14 .222 1155 1305 

            Montana 3 2 .600 10 7 .588 1219 1193 

            Montana State 3 3 .500 8 10 .444 1273 1373 

            Weber State 2 3 .400 8 9 .471 1200 1198 

            CS Sacramento 2 3 .400 7 10 .412 1121 1256 

            Portland State 2 4 .333 8 10 .444 1214 1172 

            Northern Arizona 1 4 .200 4 13 .235 1058 1273



IP Top 25 Poll 



            Rank School Record Points Previous 

            1. Illinois 17-0 2,035 1 

            2. Florida 16-1 1,898 2 

            3. Texas Tech 19-2 1,766 3 

            4. Texas 18-2 1,628 5 

            5. Syracuse 16-1 1,486 7 

            6. Iowa State 17-4 1,386 14 

            7. Iowa 15-2 1,315 4 

            8. USC 14-2 1,217 15 

            9. Arizona 13-3 1,165 6 

            10. Wake Forest 17-3 1,090 9 

            11. Cincinnati 15-2 1,018 10 

            12. Alabama 16-3 971 18 

            13. Kentucky 14-4 922 11 

            14. Missouri 14-3 849 12 

            15. Boston College 15-4 780 13 

            16. Virginia 13-3 733 19 

            17. Seton Hall 15-2 685 20 

            18. Oklahoma 15-3 566 16 

            19. Maryland 13-3 497 8 

            20. California 15-4 406 23 

            21. Kansas 14-6 339 17 

            22. North Carolina 14-5 267 26 

            23. Temple 12-3 222 27 

            24. Memphis 15-2 200 30 

            25. Duke 12-5 177 21 



      Others Receiving Votes: Connecticut 165, Wisconsin 154, UCLA 132, Notre 

      Dame 109, Stanford 87, Indiana 65, Texas A&M 42, Tennessee 21, Michigan 

      10, Georgetown 6, Providence 2, Mississippi 2, Auburn 1, Mississippi St. 

      1, Ohio State 1, Massachusetts 1, Fresno State 1, Michigan State 1, 

      Arkansas 1, Georgia Tech 1, Villanova 1. 



      Dropped out of Top 25: No. 22 Wisconsin, No. 24 Stanford, No. 25 

      Georgetown

klayman · 03-03-2003, 04:56 PM

Game 19: American Eagles (7-10) @ Eastern Wash. Eagles (12-6)
We’re the favorites for our mid conference break, with a 3-2 starter advantage as well. Despite a 14-1 start, we only hit 6 for 19 in the half, and trail the Eagles 31-28 at the break. Our shooting woes continue into the second, and with 5 mins left, we find ourselves down by 11. Cue the comeback, though, and with 1:51 left to go, Bailey ties it at 58 with two free throws. Zinn then puts us on top to stay with a midrange jumper, and we go on to win 65-58. Zinn finishes with 26 points, a career high, while Bullock contributed with 13 and 8 boards.

The win puts on the bubble watch, while we crack the top 100 CRI for the first time this season, coming in at 90.

Game 20: Eastern Wash. Eagles (13-6, 5-1) @ Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (6-13, 2-4)
Back to conference play, and the Lumberjacks are the overall favorites despite us owning a 4-1 starter advantage. We continue with the cold shooting we showed against American, and quickly fall behind the Lumberjacks, but a 12-3 run late in the half, gives us a slim 39-37 advantage. We run into some foul trouble, with both Bailey and Zinn drawing early 4, but the bench comes alive and keeps us ahead of NAU, and we win 74-67. Bailey finishes with 22 and 9 but gets injured late in the game. Eddie Anderson (13) and Ezra Hathaway (10) have big contributions off the bench.

Bailey, our leading scorer, is only listed as day-to-day with sore ribs. Phew!

Game 21: Eastern Wash. Eagles (14-6, 6-1) @ CS Sacramento Hornets (9-11, 3-4)
We’re the favorites although Cal State has a 3-2 starter advantage. Bailey is out, and Anderson takes his spot in the starting lineup. A fairly good half sees Anderson’s 14 points guide us to a 31-28 half time lead. The Hornets have no answer in the 2nd half and we shoot 29-47 for the game to win easily 73-58. Anderson finishes with 18, while Zinn (13) and Bullock (12 and 8) both put up respectable numbers.

So after losing 3 straight, we’ve put up 8 straight wins as we head into February with a 15-6 record.

klayman · 03-03-2003, 06:49 PM

Game 22: Eastern Wash. Eagles (15-6, 7-1) @ Montana Grizzlies (12-9, 5-3)
We’re the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage as well. Bailey is back in the lineup to matchup against rival Brent Page. The Grizzlies are of course the only team in the Big Sky that has defeated us this year. A 3-2 zone shuts down Page, but we still trail the Grizzlies 37-36 at the half. Montana has our number this year, and although we shut down their best player and shoot over 60% on the night, we still lose by 11, 63-74. Bailey led the way with 15, while Johnson grabbed 11. King left the game with an injury in the 2nd half.

King is gone for a month with a pulled hamstring, so unless we do well in the tournament, his career is over.

Game 23: Eastern Wash. Eagles (15-7, 7-2) @ Montana State Bobcats (9-13, 4-5)
We’re still the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage, but we saw how our coaches’ evaluations helped us last game. The Bobcats take a 37-32 half time lead, thanks to heavy foul trouble by us, letting them grab 14 point from the stripe. There’s nothing we can do in the 2nd half. We play very well offensively, but any change I make to the defensive produces zero effect, and the Bobcats match us basket for basket handing us a 66-69 loss. Bailey once again led the way with 15 in another losing effort, while Jamal Richardson came off the bench for 12, a career high.

The Bobcats do us a favor however, by beating the Grizzlies later in the week, giving us a one game lead over Montana with a game in hand.

Game 24: Eastern Wash. Eagles (15-8, 7-3) @ Portland State Vikings (11-12, 5-5)
PSU are the favorites although we own a 3-2 starter advantage. Hathaway shows some flair, and his 10 points lead us to a 38-32 half time lead. We continue to add to the lead, and as we work up a 12 point lead early in the 2nd half, the bench takes us the rest of the way for the 71-57 win. Bailey finishes with a career high 26 points and 8 boards, while Hathaway gets 14 and 7 assists.

klayman · 03-03-2003, 06:51 PM



Big Sky Standings 



            Team Conf. Wins Conf. Losses Pct. Total Wins Total Losses Pct. PF PA 



            Eastern Wash. 8 3 .727 16 8 .667 1673 1587 

            Montana 6 5 .545 13 11 .542 1737 1721 

            Montana State 6 5 .545 11 13 .458 1718 1837 

            Idaho State 6 5 .545 6 18 .250 1563 1775 

            Weber State 5 6 .455 12 12 .500 1764 1727 

            Portland State 5 6 .455 11 13 .458 1648 1610 

            CS Sacramento 4 7 .364 10 14 .417 1606 1789 

            Northern Arizona 4 7 .364 8 16 .333 1585 1765

klayman · 03-08-2003, 03:29 AM

Heading into the final three conference games and a win would almost all but secure our third straight Big Sky Conference Title.

Game 25: Idaho State Bengals (6-18, 6-5) @ Eastern Wash. Eagles (16-8, 8-3)
We’re the favorites at home with a 9-2 record and a 4-1 starter advantage. ISU received the kiss of death on their season when I said they would be the only team challenging us in the pre-season. A rough first half with 24 fouls, 14 by us, but we hold a 38-26 lead at the break. In the 2nd, it’s all Roy Bailey as he finishes with 30 and 12 boards on route to an easy 79-55 win. Anderson filled in with 13 off the bench. Only Montana State keep pace, but we’ve taken the Conference Title with an overall better record. It’s our third straight!!

Bailey gets robbed of the player of the week award, who’s been on fire since return from injury with 21.5 PPG in four games.

Game 26: Weber State Wildcats (13-12, 6-6) @ Eastern Wash. Eagles (17-8, 9-3)
We remain the favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage. We come out cold and give the Wildcats a 11 point cushion to start the game, but we fight back, and Bailey (11) and Anderson (10) combine for 21 points to give us a commanding 45-30 lead. The subs take us through most of the 2nd, as we cruise to the 74-53 win. Bailey finishes with another double-double with 23 and 10, while Anderson responds again off the bench with 12.

Game 27: Portland State Vikings (11-15, 5-8) @ Eastern Wash. Eagles (18-8, 10-3)
We close out our conference schedule favorites against the Vikings with a 3-2 starter advantage. The 1st half is back and forth and the Vikings hold a slight 32-31 lead at the break. Bailey (26) and Zinn (15) explode in the 2nd half to wrestle control of the game, and take a comfortable 75-63 win from the Vikings.

klayman · 03-08-2003, 03:32 AM

Big Sky Standings 



            Team Conf. Wins Conf. Losses Pct. Total Wins Total Losses Pct. PF PA 



            Eastern Wash. 11 3 .786 19 8 .704 1901 1758 

            Montana State 9 5 .643 14 13 .519 1979 2034 

            Montana 7 7 .500 14 13 .519 1970 1966 

            Idaho State 7 7 .500 7 20 .259 1785 2003 

            Weber State 6 8 .429 13 14 .481 1963 1993 

            CS Sacramento 6 8 .429 12 15 .444 1892 2032 

            Portland State 5 9 .357 11 16 .407 1844 1866 

            Northern Arizona 5 9 .357 9 18 .333 1795 1994

klayman · 03-08-2003, 04:01 AM

With one final game, we are barely holding on in the bubble, sitting 63rd. A win would help push for a ACT bid should we lose in the Tournament, but we don’t really want to think about that possibility. We’re gunning to get back into the NCT.

Game 28: UTEP Miners (14-14) @ Eastern Wash. Eagles (19-8)
Texas El Paso are the favorites for this game, and hold a 3-2 starter advantage. We do manage to keep pace with the Miners, but some late turnovers prove costly, and we find ourselves down 6, 36-30 at the half. The Miners shut us down in the 2nd half, and we cede the game by going with the bench for most of the 2nd, not wanting to risk a late injury, and are defeated 60-73. Zinn (12) and Bailey (11) were the leading scorers in the losing effort.

We catch a break as King returns from injury a week early and will be able to start in the Tournament for us.

Roy Bailey captures the Big Sky Player of the Year Award with a 16.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.2 BPG, 62.5% FG% and a +148 rating. Bailey is also named to the All-Conference Team, while Linton Mullahon makes the All-Freshman team (obviously a weak year for guards, as Linton only played in 5 games) Bailey finished 2nd in conference scoring behind Montana Grizzlies forward Brent Page.

klayman · 03-08-2003, 05:01 AM

Big Sky Tournament 1st Round

Game 29: NAU Lumberjacks (9-19, 5-9) vs EWU Eagles (19-9, 11-3)
We’re the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage. We beat NAU in both games this season. We’re gun shy to start the tourney, and the Lumberjacks build an early 10 point lead. A time out convinces the guys that maybe Bailey should get the ball, and we fight back with his 14 points to grab a 39-23 1st half advantage. Bailey and Zinn continue to respond in the 2nd half, and we never led by less than 10 to take the 1st round game 74-63. Bailey finishes with 20 while freshman Zinn grabs 18 in his first conference tournament game. King in his first game in a month gets 9 points and 6 assists.

The rest of the 1st round:
Portland State (7) upsets Montana State (2)

Montana (3) over CS Sacramento (6)
Weber State (5) over Idaho State (4)

Game 30: Weber State Wildcats (16-14, 7-8) vs EWU Eagles (20-9, 12-3)
We’re still the favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage. We went 2-0 against WSU this year, but they have historically given me problems in the past. The players once again have to be reminded to get the ball to Bailey after a quick start by WSU. Bailey is up to the task, and grabs 16 points leading us to a 42-27 half time lead. The Wildcats close the gap to within 4 in the 2nd before Bailey and Zinn take over, and we finish with a comfortable 75-64 win. Bailey gets 22, Zinn gets 15, and Jeff Bullock steps his game up with 9 points and 12 boards.

Montana (3) crushes Portland State (7) to set up the final.

Game 31: Montana Grizzlies (17-14, 9-7) vs EWU Eagles (21-9, 13-3)
We’re the favorites with a 5-0 starter advantage. We were of course favorites in both our conference matches against the Grizzlies but were defeated by them both times. We’re not fooling around this game, and take the early lead thanks to none other than Josh Johnson?!? The Grizzlies fight back, but Johnson’s 13 points give us a 33-30 lead going into the break. Despite Johnson’s effort and despite putting up a 11 point cushion, the Grizzlies fight back and tie the game at 64 with 1:44 left to play. Bailey gets called on a questionable double dribble, and Montana respond with a deuce a 66-64 lead with 44 seconds left. Johnson ties it up with 27 seconds left… We need a stop, and get it as Montana miss the open jumper…but grab the rebound and sink the basket. Down 68-66 with 6 seconds left…one last chance…Johnson, the man of the hour with the buzzer beater…no good. And we drop the Conference title game 66-68. Johnson finishes with 20 and 13 boards, while Bailey got 18.

Disappointing, but Montana has had our number all year. We do manage to get another ACT bid, though. Hopefully this will be the year we win a Tournament game.

Montana gets the 14th seed in the East and faces UCLA in the NCT. We get the 6th seed in the west, and face Auburn in the ACT.

klayman · 03-08-2003, 05:29 AM

Game 32: EWU Eagles (21-10) vs Auburn Tigers (16-15)
Auburn is the favorite with a 4-1 starter advantage. The first half is not pretty by any standards and our season looks to be over, as we are down 23-38 at the break. The second half is no better, and Auburn goes on to advance with an easy 48-67 win. Johnson was the only player with double digits, as he hit 12 points.

Montana’s season ends soon after with a defeat by UCLA finishing all Big Sky games for the season.

Michigan finishes the season winning the ACT.

The NCT final four:
Syracuse over Missouri
Illinois over Texas

NCT Championship:
Illinois 61 over Syracuse 60
Finals MVP: T.J Herr

Next up…stat dump.

klayman · 03-08-2003, 07:51 PM



Final IP Top 25 Poll 



            Rank School Record Points Previous 

            1. Illinois 34-3 1,938 1 

            2. Texas 32-6 1,744 2 

            3. Florida 27-7 1,670 3 

            4. North Carolina 29-7 1,523 4 

            5. Texas Tech 31-9 1,401 5 

            6. Wisconsin 31-7 1,330 6 

            7. Syracuse 31-7 1,253 7 

            8. Cincinnati 26-6 1,158 8 

            9. UCLA 25-10 1,107 9 

            10. Seton Hall 28-5 1,040 10 

            11. California 28-8 971 13 

            12. Temple 27-7 927 12 

            13. Kansas 25-11 883 11 

            14. Boston College 25-9 812 14 

            15. Kentucky 25-10 745 15 

            16. USC 26-8 698 16 

            17. Duke 22-9 653 17 

            18. Virginia 23-8 543 18 

            19. Notre Dame 27-8 477 20 

            20. Iowa State 23-11 387 21 

            21. Wake Forest 25-9 323 22 

            22. Iowa 24-9 257 23 

            23. Missouri 28-10 215 19 

            24. Alabama 25-9 193 24 

            25. Connecticut 24-10 171 25 



      Others Receiving Votes: Stanford 161, Memphis 149, Tennessee 125, Indiana 

      104, Arizona 83, Oklahoma 62, Mississippi 41, Mississippi St. 20, Maryland 

      10, Providence 6, Michigan 2, Fresno State 2, Massachusetts 1, Michigan 

      State 1, Georgetown 1, Texas A&M 1, Georgia Tech 1, Louisville 1, Ohio 

      State 1, Purdue 1, Vanderbilt 1.



Eastern Wash. Stats 



            Name Pos Games MPG PPG RPG APG TOPG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT% 

            C. King SF 26 30.6 8.1 3.2 6.7 2.9 0.7 0.1 46.4% 37.1% 56.9% 

            Joey Zinn SG 32 28.1 13.0 1.3 2.2 1.6 0.4 0.0 51.0% 23.5% 77.3% 

            Roy Bailey PF 31 32.0 16.9 7.2 1.2 1.4 0.6 2.1 60.1% 34.3% 72.5% 

            J. Johnson PF 32 29.2 8.6 3.5 0.7 1.0 0.7 1.2 57.1% 35.7% 57.0% 

            Jeff Bullock C 32 29.9 6.9 6.0 0.6 0.9 0.5 0.3 54.1% 0.0% 68.5% 

            E. Anderson PF 32 17.0 7.3 3.3 0.6 0.8 0.0 0.2 49.4% 28.1% 74.0% 

            E. Hathaway PG 32 17.4 5.2 0.9 2.6 1.7 0.4 0.0 41.8% 19.0% 74.3% 

            Lucas Cooper SF 32 8.9 2.7 1.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.1 58.5% 0.0% 55.6% 

            J. Richardson SG 17 8.5 3.5 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.2 0.1 37.7% 12.5% 94.4% 

            Correy Cabrera C 23 7.0 0.8 0.6 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 31.3% 0.0% 66.7% 

            Jonathan Wesby PG 1 5.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 

            Linton Mullahon PG 8 7.9 2.0 0.0 1.1 0.9 0.1 0.0 42.9% 50.0% 75.0% 

            Matt Winn PG 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%

klayman · 03-08-2003, 08:10 PM

Departing Seniors:

Chevalier King (F) 82 Gms, 20.7 Mpg, 7.5 Ppg, 2.1 Rpg, 2.9 Apg, 47.3 Fg%, 52.5 Ft%, 38.4 3p%, -53

Jonathan Wesby (G) 11 Gms, 5.3 Mpg, 1.4 Ppg, -9

Lucas Cooper (F) 52 Gms, 7.4 Mpg, 2.3 Ppg, 51.4 Fg%, -3

MylesKnight · 03-11-2003, 03:04 PM

This is great Klayman.. I need to pick this game up myself, and reading through your EWU Campaign has made more that more psyched to get TDCB..

Unfortunately it looks as if the best team in the Big Sky the past couple of seasons hasn't been the Conference Rep in the Big Dance..

One question, I've noticed EWU seems to struggle at times against inferior Non-Conference opponents, especially games that are scheduled in the middle of or after the Conference Season. Is there something in the game that has the team just a bit less focused for those games or am I looking into it too much?

Check out Idaho State as another example. They finished tied for 4th this past season in the Big Sky at 7-7, but were only 7-20 overall... The Bengals went 0 for 13 in non-Big Sky Games.. Did they beef up the schedule or what??

Anyhow, again great read.. Keep it up my friend!!

klayman · 03-11-2003, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MylesKnight
This is great Klayman.. I need to pick this game up myself, and reading through your EWU Campaign has made more that more psyched to get TDCB..

Unfortunately it looks as if the best team in the Big Sky the past couple of seasons hasn't been the Conference Rep in the Big Dance..

One question, I've noticed EWU seems to struggle at times against inferior Non-Conference opponents, especially games that are scheduled in the middle of or after the Conference Season. Is there something in the game that has the team just a bit less focused for those games or am I looking into it too much?

Check out Idaho State as another example. They finished tied for 4th this past season in the Big Sky at 7-7, but were only 7-20 overall... The Bengals went 0 for 13 in non-Big Sky Games.. Did they beef up the schedule or what??

Anyhow, again great read.. Keep it up my friend!!

Thanks, glad you are enjoying it, Myles. Interesting points you brought up.

I think the talent level between the Big Sky is pretty even. Even if we had the best talent level (which we never have), I still think you'd see a lot of disparity between the ranks. The gap between the haves and have-nots is just not that great to make a difference, which is why we've seen 3 different Big Sky reps in the NCT.

Idaho State (they beat Harvard in one of their last two OOC games, and finished 8-22) played 8 Top 100 CRI games (including 2 against us) compared to 4 by EWU, so they had a more difficult schedule. They also had the misfortune of being touted by me to challenge for the title, which of course is the kiss of death for any team. I did the same thing to NAU the season before

As for the mid season slumps, I really don't think the game models that, I think you are just seeing poor coaching on my part. Sometimes the guys just come out flat, and I'm not a good enough coach to overcome it.

klayman · 03-11-2003, 11:07 PM

Coach Report Card:
Overall: A

Season Performance: A
Overall Regular Season Performance: A
Overall Post Season Performance: B
Recruiting: B
Fan & Alumni Support: A
Academics: A
Player Development: F

Overall Record: 67-29 .698
Conference Record: 38-12 .760
NCT Appearances (Record): 1 (0-1)
ACT Appearances (Record): 2 (0-2)
Pro Draft Picks (1st Rounders): 0 (0)
Average Recruiting Class Rank: 145
Conference Championships: 1
Conference Titles: 3
Academic Suspensions: 1

klayman · 03-11-2003, 11:18 PM

No Eagles or Big Sky players get drafted in the entry draft. I get some more job offers again this year, with Washington St, Colorado, and Arizona State the standouts. They are all declined.

We make some coaching changes this year, with Assistant Coach Brian Crispin departing and being replaced by Wendel Bolton. Bolton has better skills and is $200 cheaper.

USC grabs the #1 recruiting class for 2005. No Big Sky Conference team is close to cracking the top 20, as usual. We stick with 1* Sid Nyquist’s Hoops Galore for our scouting service, and I don’t imagine we’ll be changing anytime soon.

The big news of the offseason is that our national prestige going up 1 point to 27!!! Pretty soon, when people think college basketball, EWU will be the first team they think of.

Our recruiting class is listed as Poor and our composite talent level is Poor as well, both decreases from last year. Despite that, I’m confident in winning the conference, and schedule a much tougher non conference schedule than we are used to.

Eastern Washington Eagles Non-Conference Schedule

San Jose State
New Mexico State
SW Missouri State
Texas Southern
@ Alabama State
@ #2 Kansas
@ Towson
@ Arkansas LR
@ #3 Florida
Boise State
MD Eastern Shore
@ San Diego State
@ Washington
LMU
Dortmouth

IP Top 25 Initial Poll
Rank School Record Points Previous
1. Arizona 0-0 1,332 0
2. Kansas 0-0 1,229 0
3. Florida 0-0 1,177 0
4. Connecticut 0-0 1,094 0
5. UCLA 0-0 1,011 0
6. Duke 0-0 956 0
7. Michigan State 0-0 901 0
8. Illinois 0-0 831 0
9. Iowa State 0-0 798 0
10. Kentucky 0-0 749 0
11. Tennessee 0-0 697 0
12. Boston College 0-0 661 0
13. Alabama 0-0 626 0
14. Texas 0-0 578 0
15. Providence 0-0 529 0
16. Cincinnati 0-0 498 0
17. Indiana 0-0 467 0
18. Mississippi 0-0 388 0
19. Virginia 0-0 339 0
20. Maryland 0-0 277 0
21. Wake Forest 0-0 231 0
22. Texas Tech 0-0 184 0
23. Wisconsin 0-0 154 0
24. USC 0-0 137 0
25. Notre Dame 0-0 122 0

Others Receiving Votes: North Carolina 114, Georgetown 106, Syracuse 91,
Temple 75, Missouri 60, Iowa 44, California 30, Mississippi St. 15, Seton
Hall 10, Stanford 7, Ohio State 4, Georgia Tech 4, Michigan 3, Georgia 3,
Oklahoma 2, Memphis 2, Arkansas 1, Auburn 1, Purdue 1, Vanderbilt 1,
Louisville 1.

klayman · 03-12-2003, 01:05 AM

Meet the 2005-2006 Eastern Washington Eagles

SG – Joey Zinn So(rs) (6-5, 169lbs) Zinn surprised the coaching staff last year by placing 2nd in scoring on the team in his freshman season. He improved both his shooting and defense during the off season. Last season stats (32 Gms, 28.1 Mpg, 13.0 Ppg, 1.3 Rpg, 2.2 Apg, 51.0 Fg%, -22). AHC Reggie Fox says "...good passer and can often break down opposing defenses off the dribble...scores in bunches, his lack of consistency could make it hard to really depend on him...not a big liability on defence...should vie for a starting spot...continued to improve better than we expected."

PG – Ezra Hathaway SR (6-2, 160) The departure of King grants Hathaway another shot at starting this year. Hathaway has continued to decline in ability since being named to the Big Sky All Freshman team, this season being no different. However, neither Mullahon or Winn are ready to go, and we have no other real options. Last season's stats (32 Gms, 17.4 Mpg, 5.2 Ppg, 0.9 Apg, -17) AHC Reggie Fox says "...needs to improve his decision making to be a top guard in this league...shows signs of being a good defender...lost on the floor...injury prone...looks to be a starter...final season as an overachiever...never had much potential or talent, but he looks to have earned some time this season."

SF – Roy Bailey Jr (6-8, 242) What more can I say? Last year's Big Sky Player of the year, Big Sky Freshman of the year the year before that. Bailey is the EWU program right now. Amazingly, he greatly improved over the off season, making him a even more valuable member of the team. Last season's stats (31 Gms, 32.0 Mpg, 16.9 Ppg, 7.2 Rpg, 1.2 Apg, 2.1 Bpg, 60.1 Fg%, +159) AHC Reggie Fox says “…one of the tougher guys to defend...very good team player...makes good decisions with the ball...good defender and can contain both post and perimeter offensive threats...can really clear the glass...great positioning...crumbles a bit when the spotlight is on him...one of the better players on this team...come into his own...should be a banner year and it may be his last here..."

PF – Josh Johnson Sr (6-9, 225) Johnson regained his starting spot, and responded with season highs in every category. He improved his defense over the off season and will be an important starter this year. Last season's stats (32 Gms, 29.2 Mpg, 8.6 Ppg, 3.5 Rpg, 1.2 Bpg, 57.1 Fg%, +65). AHC Reggie Fox says “…can be a nice offensive threat...real tough inside defender. Most teams will stay away from him as he can really bother a shot with his presence...improved his effort and consistency on hitting the boards...a guy I would want to have the ball late in the game...ice in his veins and is un-phased in pressure situations...valuable member on the team this season...joy to coach and is a fan favorite..."

C – Jeff Bullock Jr (6-10, 254) Bullock continued to improve during the off-season after having a respectable season for us last year. He has improved both his defensive play and rebounding, making him one of the better centers in the conference. Last year's stats (32 Gms, 29.9 Mpg, 6.9 Ppg, 6.0 Rpg, 54.1 Fg%, +15) AHC Reggie Fox says “…good inside moves and can even step back and hit the jumper...real tough inside defender. Most teams will stay away from him...can dominate the glass when hi is motivated...one of the top rebounders on the team...needs some work on making good decisions on and off the ball...Players tend to really listen to Jeff when he talks...one of the better players on this team..."

Bench:

F – Eddie Anderson Jr (6-6, 241) Anderson was an important player off the bench last season. He improved defensively and should battle Johnson for mins this year as well. Last season stats(32 Gms, 17.0 Mpg, 7.3 Ppg, 3.3 Rpg, -10) AHC Reggie Fox says "…a little inconsistent from a scoring perspective...a decent defender, but he needs some more practice...improved his effort and consistency on hitting the boards...needs some more seasoning from an awareness standpoint...appears to be a role player..."

G - Matt Winn Fs (rs) (5-11, 148) Winn did not improve as much as I would have liked. I was hoping he would be able to start this year, but he regressed significantly in the off season. He has however, improved his defensive play, and will steal some mins from Hathaway. AHC Reggie Fox says "...shows signs of being a good passer...he is not going to worry too many opponents from the outside...shows signs of being a good defender...lost a lot on the floor...always seems to have some kind of nagging injury...potential to be a good player on this team...Should see some time this year."

G - Jamal Richardson Sr (6-4, 180) Seldom used Richardson had a great senior camp, and would be starting if not for the impressive year Zinn had last year. However, if Zinn shows any Sophomore let down, I'm confident to turn to Richardson as my everyday SG. Last season's stats (17 Gms, 8.5 Mpg, 3.5 Ppg, 94.4 Ft%, -6) AHC Reggie Fox says "...a little streaky from the outside...not a big liability on defence...lost a lot on the floor...players tend to really listen to Jamal when he talks...key player off the bench...final season as an overachiever."

C - Correy Cabrera So (6-9, 201) Correy is at the point where Bullock was last year, a bit too raw but with potential to improve. While Bullock was able to gain experience starting, Cabrera will have to improve off limited mins as Bullock's back up this season, a role he played adequately last season. Last season's stats (23 Gms, 7.0 Mpg, 0.8 Ppg, 0.6 Rpg, -18) AHC Reggie Fox says "...unknown offensively...shown signs of breaking through...not a good defender...improved his effort and consistency on hitting the boards...needs some more seasoning...crumbles a bit when the spotlight is one him...role player..."

Our three freshman are nothing to write home about, and will see very limited time. Of them, only SG Jack Reed seems to be a contributer down the road. Mullahon, despite making the all freshman team last year, is still not talented enough to play everyday, but might see some more mins this season as well, depending on injuries and Winn's performance off the bench.

We have Bailey for at least one more season (please don't go pro!), so he will continue to be the primary focus of this team. Hopefully I can say the same thing next year as well.

MylesKnight · 03-12-2003, 01:19 AM

Klayman, by the way, if you want to make those Statistics line up right and easier to read, use the Code Option..

That is.. {code} before & {/code} after, but replace the {}'s with []'s.

I wasn't sure if you were aware of this or not..

Here's an example...

Code:

  ACC            W  L   PF  PA    W  L   PF  PA    Streak 
 
x-Florida State  7  1  307 103    8  3  377 194    Won 1 
Clemson          7  1  199 111    8  3  245 186    Lost 2  
Georgia Tech     6  2  190 116    9  2  319 168    Won 1          
North Carolina   5  3  200 154    5  6  238 278    Won 1                   
Maryland         4  4  208 124    6  5  314 173    Won 2     
Virginia         3  5  152 166    5  6  277 221    Lost 1
N.C. State       3  5  134 148    5  6  199 228    Won 1
Wake Forest      1  7   75 267    1 10  113 373    Lost 2 
Duke             0  8   36 312    2  9   84 394    Lost 8

Sorry if you already knew about this, just giving you a head's up..

klayman · 03-12-2003, 01:50 AM

Actually code doesn't quite work properly. I used it above, only I used the html version instead of the Vb version (no code lines that way). It still doesn't line up, so the text from the game output isn't spaced properly (it's html output, converted to text, so there probably is no spacing at all). I was formatting the text properly before, but I got lazy, and decided to just use the text output from the game (which is new in v1.28). It might be the font, but I don't think the text output is spacing correctly, meaning I either have to type it all in instead of cutting and pasting, or try to line it up. I didn't think it was worth the effort I was putting into before, but if you disagree, I can put more effort in a better presentation.

klayman · 03-12-2003, 02:17 AM

Recruiting Targets:
We have 3 graduating seniors (Johnson, Hathaway, Richardson) so 3 scholarships to hand out, providing Bailey doesn't go pro (I'm hoping if I write about the possibility enough here, it won't happen

). We're in the same boat as we were in my first year, with 3 impact players leaving. We're still having a poor time with guards and with Johnson leaving, and Anderson and Bailey entering their Jr years, we need to look at forwards again, something we haven't looked at for awhile. With that in mind, here are our top targets.

1. Brian Marquardt C (6-6. 222) 4* out of Stanwood, WA. Brian is a JC player from John Wood JC. He is ranked #26 for Centers, #109 Overall, and #24 in the West. We're soild at center and he's too small, but should be a good forward behind Bailey and Anderson next year. HS stats 18.0 Ppg, 9.7 Rpg, 4.3 Apg.

2. Tim Williams PF (6-8, 225) 3* out of Las Vegas, NV. Ranked #30 PF, #34 in the west, #170 overall, Tim has good skills and should be a valuable player in the Big Sky. HS Stats 10.6 Ppg, 11.5 Rpg, 2.8 Apg.

3. Starzee Honeycutt SF (6-3, 173) 3* out of Roswell, NM. How can you not like a guy named Starzee out of Roswell? Ranked #24 SF, #26 in the West, #133 Overall, I see Starzee possibly solving our guard problem next year. He's a little small to play forward for my preferences, but should be a good Big Sky player nonetheless. HS Stats (9.5 Ppg, 4.7 Rpg, 2.4 Apg)

4. Jarvis Benoit PG (6-2, 159) 3* out of Dayton, OR. Jarvis is not rated, but looks to be one of the better guards coming out of the west, that would be interested in going to EWU. He's is evaluated higher than his HS stats are showing, which isn't a good thing at all. HS Stats 5.5 Ppg, 2.5 Rpg, 3.0 Apg.

Instead of grabbing 7 or 8 targets like I've done previously, I'm sticking this year with 3-4 I know I can get. Last year we lost a lot of ground early cause we chased after guys we didn't get, and the result was a very poor recruiting class. As long as Bailey doesn't turn pro, I'll stick with these targets.

Our first week recruiting sees Marquardt, Williams and Honeycutt get Aggressive efforts, with both Marquardt and Williams getting offers and visits. Benoit gets a light effort as well. All four players have moderate interest in EWU, while Marquardt has us shortlisted.

klayman · 03-12-2003, 03:00 AM

Season outlook: Once again we should vie for the conference title, making it our 4th straight. With a more difficult schedule, we will concentrate more on winning the Big Sky Tournament to get into the NCT. Both Portland State and Northern Arizona have better talent levels than us, and should compete. You can’t rule out Montana either, as we’ve lost our last 5 straight against them.

The motion is out this year, as our handling has taken a beating in the off season. Instead will run an isolation offence against man coverage, and throw looks to a Swing offense and a One-guard Front against zones. Defensively we remain the same, employing a Help Man or specific zones to combat problem areas. We’ll toy a little with straight man coverage, but only when Zinn is not on the floor.

klayman · 03-12-2003, 04:43 AM

Very little changes on the recruiting front for week 2. All 4 targets interest levels stay the same, and Marquardt, Williams, and Honeycutt grab Aggressive effort with Honeycutt getting a visit and offer. Benoit once again gets Light effort.

Game 1: San Jose State Spartans @ EWU Eagles
We open the season favorites against SJSU despite them having a 3-2 starter advantage. The isolation nets Bailey a goose egg in the first half, but Bullock and Anderson combine with 6 each to give us a slim 28-27 half time lead. The 2nd half shows an improvement on our part, as we shut the Spartans down offensively and Zinn ignites to lead us to a 68-57 win. Zinn finishes with 22, while Anderson grabbed 11 off the bench. Hathaway picked up 8 assists against 2 turnovers, which would be very good numbers if he keeps it up.

Game 2: New Mexico State Aggies (1-0) @ EWU Eagles (1-0)
We’re the favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage. I’ve thrown out the isolation, because it just didn’t feel right. We’ll go with a one-guard front and swing offensive, and fall back on the motion if things are not working out. We jump to an early 11 point lead and hold it through the half, thanks to Bailey’s 15 points, and enter the break with a 40-30 advantage. We lose Bailey early in the 2nd half when he picks up 3 quick fouls and fouls out before I can sub him. Missing their star player, the rest of the team rallies, and despite heavy foul trouble we stay ahead of the Aggies and take the 78-70 victory. Anderson grabs 19 off the bench, while Bullock got 11 and 11 boards, Richardson scored 11 off the bench, and Hathaway got 11 assists against 4 turnovers. Bailey finishes the game 2nd in scoring with 15, despite only playing 15 mins.

Marquardt looks a lock to commit, but for some reason both Williams and Honeycutt’s interest drop off the board in the 3rd week!?! Our efforts remain the same, but we add 2* Stephen Hill, a PG out of Corning, CA with a moderate effort. He has decent HS stats and a high GPA, and might fill the role better than Benoit could.

Game 3: SW Missouri State Bears (2-0) @ EWU Eagles (2-0)
We are the underdogs as the Bears hold a 4-1 starter advantage. We hold the Bears scoreless for the first 10 mins, but are only able to put 11 points up on the board ourselves. With Bailey’s 15, however, we take a 14 point lead, 30-16, into the break. Incredibly we give the Bears every opportunity to win the game. Luckily for us, they don’t take advantage, thanks in large to a dominating Roy Bailey, and we win by 10, 54-44. Great defensive game as we held the Bears to 17-50 from the field, but only shot 18-55 ourselves. Bailey was the difference with 24 points and a career high 17 rebounds. Anderson once again proving his worth off the bench with 11.

Game 4: Texas Southern Tigers (2-1) @ EWU Eagles (3-0)
We the favorites despite the Tigers holding a 3-2 starter advantage. We start off playing well, especially defensively, and jump to an early lead. But our game quickly falls apart, and we let the Tigers back into the game, and trail 30-40 at the half. Zinn leads the team with 9, but is -3 on the night. Richardson replaces Zinn in the 2nd half, and his quick 7 points closes the gap along with his better defensive play, and eventually we regain the lead with 5 mins remaining. Bailey gives us a 4 point lead with 2:16 left. Hathaway makes an important steal, and Bailey goes to the line for 2, making both, and giving us a 66-60 lead with 1:42 remaining. The Tigers get a basket and foul to cut the lead to 3…Johnson takes a tough shot, gets only air, and it is the Tigers ball with less than 50 seconds remaining. They get the basket to make it a one point game. Bailey goes to the line again…but misses, Tigers get the rebound. Johnson fouls on the shot with 18 seconds left…which they make both shots. 66-67…time running down…Hathaway finds a cutting Bailey…the last second shot…NO GOOD! But he’s FOULED! Bailey to the line for 2 with 1 second left…GOOD…GOOD…Eagles squeak out a 68-67 win! Phew! Bailey is the hero with 18 and 7, while both Richardson and Zinn grabbed 11 sharing time.

klayman · 03-12-2003, 06:07 AM

Recruiting takes a turn for the worse, as Marquardt is now looking at hated Gonzaga. Williams and Honeycutt still show no interest. Our efforts remain the same, regardless. It is shaping up to be a horrible recruiting year though.

Our 4-0 start gets us 3 votes in the IP poll and 5 in the .400 Sports poll, the most since I took over the program.

Game 5: EWU Eagles (4-0) @ Alabama State Hornets (4-0)
ASU are the favorites, with a 3-2 starter advantage as well. Once again we start off great, but are unable to keep it up, and ASU take advantage for the 28-34 point lead at the break. Zinn leads the team with 9 but is a horrid -7 so far. A Richardson for Zinn swap again does the trick and we pull to within 1 point, but are unable to take advantage of several ASU miscues. With 2:45 Bailey closes the gab to 5 points, 57-62. ASU hit there next shot before Richardson hits 2 frees, and Anderson sinks an off balance shot after a jump ball to close the gap to 64-61 with 1:01 to go. The Hornets make 2 frees, before Bullock puts us with 3 again with a quick jumper. 27 seconds left, ASU go to the line again with 2…they get only one, it’s a four point game…Bailey grabs a deuce with 12 seconds left, 65-67…we need the ball back, but for some reason our players refuse to foul and ASU kill the clock and hand us a 65-67 loss. Zinn lead the team with 13 but finished -9. Bailey and Johnson both had 12 in the losing effort. Tough loss, but we threw away several chances to win the game in the 2nd half.

Game 6: EWU Eagles (4-1) @ #6 Kansas Jayhawks (6-2)
KU are the favorites of course and hold a 4-1 starter advantage, Bailey being that sole player for us. He’s so turning pro this year

I have yet to beat a ranked team in 4 years. Bullock hits the first shot, most likely giving us our only lead of the game. The Jayhawks are way too good defensively for us, but we’re actually holding our own through out the first half, and manage to tie the game several times, until Zinn hits a three giving us our 2nd lead of the game with 2:48 left in the first half. That’s short lived however, and Kansas holds the 38-34 half time lead. Despite being out shot, we’re not turning over the ball and out rebound the Jayhawks. Only real problem is foul trouble, sending them to the line 18 times in the first half. Things stay close through the 2nd and with 7 mins remaining, Anderson drains a three that hands us a 57-54 lead!!! Once again short lived however, and with 2:25 left KU leads 70-66. KU hit all their free-throws down the stretch however, and we lose a tough one 73-80. We played very well despite the loss, with Bailey grabbing 21 and 11 boards against a tough Jayhawk defense. Zinn finishes with 18, Anderson with 14, and Hathaway grabs 11 assists in the loss.

We get some good news in recruiting as Gonzaga rescind their scholarship offer to Marquardt, and we’re back to being his number one choice. No change anywhere else however, and our efforts remain the same as the previous week.

Our two tough losses take away our votes in the polls, but we grab the 68th CRI ranking with a 72nd schedule rank. We’re behind #44 Montana, #53 Cal State Sacramento, #57 Montana State, and #66 Idaho State however. Sigh. Looks like a tough year in the Big Sky.

Edit: I change my mind about the recruiting. It's obvious that Honeycutt is not going to commit to us, with higher prestige teams offering him scholarships, so I drop him from our radar and rescind the scholarship. Williams still has no interest as well, but at least no higher prestige ranking teams are offering him a scholarship. I'll hold out for him. So this week Marquardt and Williams both get aggressive efforts. I also find a 5* recruit without any offers. SG Earl Holly out of Hamlet, IN. No idea why he hasn't been offered. He's #3 SG, #18 overall, #5 in the midwest and a 3.05 GPA. His HS stats are a little low, but still better than anything we're looking at. He understandably has no interest, but we bite anyway, and offer him Honeycutt's scholarship and give him aggressive effort...we'll see what happens.

klayman · 03-13-2003, 02:28 AM

Game 7: EWU Eagles (4-2) @ Towson Tigers (4-2)
We’re the favorites on the road despite Towson holding a 3-2 starter advantage. Despite playing very poorly in the first half, and shooting 12 for 31, we’re able to take a 36-34 advantage into the break thanks to Zinn (13) and Bailey (10). We run an early lead in the 2nd only to watch it quickly disappear, and find ourselves struggling to get back in the game. We turn to the three in desperation, and hit 6-9 in the half to push us into an 8 point lead with 5 mins left. We take advantage of some poor Tiger shooting down the stretch, to walk away with a 79-65 win. Zinn finished the game with 23 points, despite picking up an early 4th foul. Bailey grabbed 18 and 6 while Anderson was 10 and 8 off the bench.

We lost Cabrera early in the 2nd half to injury, but he is only listed day-to-day with migraines.

Game 8: EWU Eagles (5-2) @ Arkansas LR Trojans (2-5)
We’re the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage. I have a lifetime 1-1 record against the Trojans in my coaching career. Turnovers are the name of the game in the 1st half, as we play well, the Trojans don’t, but we constantly give them 2nd and 3rd chances. Somehow, we only find ourselves down by 1, 35-36 at the break. It should be more. The second half is much the same. Jim Varley, the Trojans Junior SG, ignites for 18 points to go with his 17 1st half points, and I cannot do anything about it. After a Hathaway basket with under 2 mins left, we find ourselves with a slim 69-67 lead. Varley gets the ball, but Hathaway quickly steals it, one of the few stops on Varley all night, and then throws the ball out of bounds…seems like the sensible thing to do. 1: 51 left…Varley…net…69-69…Bailey answers with a 16 footer, but Varley gets the quick jumper on the next possession…71-71, 58 seconds left. Johnson takes the inbound pass…throws it out of bounds. Great basketball we are playing. Varley lines up the three with 38 seconds remaining and it goes in…and back out. Hathaway gets the foul and goes to the line. Good. Miss…72-71 EWU. Varley quickly down the court for the Trojans, but his shot is blocked by Johnson. Hathaway goes back to line with 9 seconds left in the game. Miss. For crying out loud. Last possession of the game…Varley all alone of the wing…the guy has 35 points in the game…I have my best defender on him…I’m running a pressure man to prevent him from shooting …and in the dying seconds he is ALL ALONE to measure up the game winner…that hits the rim and stays out. EWU 72 -71. A game we shouldn’t have won. Bailey lead the team as usual, with 20 and 10 boards, while Hathaway surprised with 15 points and 8 assists.

klayman · 03-13-2003, 05:34 AM

I get an early Christmas present when Bailey decides to stay in school for one more year. I guess the lack of exposure in the Big Sky paid off in this case. I’ve done some quick checks and he would have been in the top 5 forwards entering the draft this year, IMO. Of course, I’m biased.

Our recruiting looks a lot better this week as well, since Earl Holley gives us a much warmer reception. He, along with Marquardt and Williams, get aggressive efforts again this week. Thankfully I don’t have to worry about Bailey leaving anymore, so I can fully concentrate on these three guys.

Game 9: EWU Eagles (6-2) @ #1 Florida Gators (8-0)
Yikes…the #1 team in the country. They are, not surprisingly, the favorites with a 5-0 starter advantage as well. We play a solid first half, but even at our best I don’t think we could beat the Gators at their worst. We’re dictating the pace, and forcing turnovers, but some poor shooting see us down 30-33 at half. Still better than I thought we would be. We keep pace with the Gators throughout the 2nd, but they hold the lead the entire game. With 1 min left, it’s 50-54 Florida. Bailey makes it a 1 point game with a long 3, but that’s as close as we can get, and lose 55-59. Despite losing, we played very well against the top team in the country. Bailey finished with 13 and 8, while Hathaway, Johnson and Bullock all had 10. I’ll take losing by 4 to the #1 team any day.

Game 10: Boise State Broncos (2-7) @ EWU Eagles (6-3)
We come back home after a difficult 5 game road trip. We’re the favorites, but Boise State holds the 3-2 starter advantage. Off the confidence we gained against Florida, we come out flying turning an 8-1 start to a quick 15 point lead. We’re unable to sustain our offensive prowess, and the Broncos answer with 4 threes to close out the half, to cut our lead to 39-36 at the break. Zinn is on fire with 17 1st half points. It’s all Zinn and Bailey in the second half, which is good because our defense that shut down the Gators, is nowhere to be found. We win 83-72 thanks to Zinn with 30 and Bailey with 24 and 12.

Tim Williams commits to EWU, not surprisingly since we were the highest prestige ranking team offering him a scholarship. Marquardt is still on the fence, but we’re his number one choice right now. He continues to get an aggressive effort from us. Holley is still reluctant to commit to EWU, understandably, but takes an aggressive effort and a week 7 visit to the campus anyway. I’m sure he’s holding out for a top tier school to offer, but I’m praying that none will.

Committed: Tim Williams PF (***, 6-8, 225) Silverado HS Las Vegas, NV PF: #30, National: #170, Regional: #34 West. Offense: Average, Defense: Good, Handling: Good, Rebound: Good, Athleticism: Average, Potential: Poor HS Stats 6.7 Ppg, 4.4 Rpg, 3.6 Apg 3.37 GPA

klayman · 03-13-2003, 07:38 AM

Game 11: MD Eastern Shore Hawks (3-7) @ EWU Eagles (7-3)
We’re the favorites but the Hawks hold a 3-2 starter advantage. As goes Roy Bailey, so go the Eagles, and it’s never more apparent as Bailey goes 3-13 in the half. He still manages to lead the team with 9 points, thanks to the team shooting a dreadful 9-32. Somehow, we’re only down 29-23 at the break. It gets no better in the 2nd half. Somehow we fight the mediocrity to tie up the game, but the Hawks finish with a 7-1 steal advantage and a 15-5 turnover advantage to keep things close. With 1:26, Hathaway hits a 3 to give us a 58-56 lead. Hawks get only iron on their possession and Zinn hits 2 from the line to give us a 4 point lead with 56 seconds left. Hawks respond with a deuce, and Hathaway responds by turning it over for his 9th time this game. 28 seconds left…The Hawks get a questionable traveling call, and Hathaway goes to the line with 11 seconds left. MISS. Apparently Hathaway doesn’t want to play anymore…luckily Bullock picks up the rebound, and time runs out for the brutal 60-58 win. Bailey leads with 13 despite a 5 for 17 night. Anderson came off the bench for 12 much needed points, the only player who could shoot this game.

Game 12: EWU Eagles (8-3) @ San Diego State Aztecs (6-5)
We close out our last game before conference play on Christmas and with SDSU holding the favorites as well as holding a 3-2 starter advantage. We’re here to avenge SirFozzie beating the hapless Eagles in the SDSU VC dynasty

No repeat of last game, as Bailey hits his first 5 shots, finishing the half with 15 points and giving us a nice 37-27 half time lead. The Aztecs fight back, and we find ourselves down by 2 with under 2 mins to go. Hathaway and Anderson combine to put us up 66-64 with a min left, and some good defending forces late turnovers by SDSU. Bullock can put the game away with 28 seconds, but misses both frees. The Aztecs miss on a long three with 5 seconds left, and Bailey goes to line to shoot 2. Miss…Miss. Nice, Aztecs with the buzzer beater…no good. We win, barely 66-64. Bailey had a disappointing 2nd half, and finished with only 17, while Hathaway picked up his game and also got 17. Richardson came off the bench for an ineffective Zinn, and grabbed 13.

Marquardt commits to Oregon State, leaving me up the creek late in week 8. I turn to 4* Kevan Price, a PG out of Jopin, MO. He’s not interested, but he’s one of the few players left uncommitted. He only gets a moderate effort with a scholarship offer though, as we’re still after Holley with an aggressive effort, and cannot afford both.

Game 13: EWU Eagles (9-3) @ Montana Grizzlies (6-6)
We’re the favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage. The Grizzlies have been a thorn in my side, defeating us 5 straight including the Big Sky Championship game last year. How I would love to blow them out. That’s not going to happen though, as we have another one of offensive lapses and shoot horribly to start the game. Luckily, the Grizzlies can’t take advantage and it’s Linton Mullahon, controlling the game from the one-guard set, who leads the Eagles back into the game. Yes, Linton Mullahon! He orchestrates an 8-0 run that leads us to a 30-25 half time advantage. As we all know, no lead is safe against the Grizzlies, specially a measly 5 point lead, and they take advantage during the 2nd half. We play catch up for the most part and find ourselves down by 2 with 1:36 left in the game. That means a loss of course, as I won’t be able to stop them at all. Johnson’s shot is blocked by Page, the Grizzlies 12th block of the game, but Anderson takes a foul off the loose ball and sinks both to tie the game at 55. The Grizzlies only get 1 of 2 from the line on their next possession and Mullahon makes them pay with a basket for the 57-56 lead, 39 seconds to go. Montana is called for the walk on the restart, and Anderson hits 2 after drawing the foul for a 3 point lead. The Grizzlies reply with 2 with 7 seconds left, and Bailey has a chance to put the game away, but misses the free. Thankfully, they miss the prayer, and we squeak away with a 59-58 win. Anderson lead all scorers with 11 on the night (in only 18 mins) while Bailey grabbed 10 and Mullahon got 9 off the bench.

Yikes we've had a lot of close games this year. My poor heart cannot take much more. We close out 2005 10-3 with a CRI rank of 59.

klayman · 03-14-2003, 05:41 AM

Neither Holley nor Price commit. Something tells me they’re both going to hold out until week 11. Our recruiting options remain the same with Holley getting an aggressive effort and Price a moderate one.

Game 14: Idaho State Bengals (8-6, 2-0) @ EWU Eagles (10-3, 1-0)
We are the favorites although ISU have a 3-2 starter advantage. They’re definitely having a better year than last year. We dominate on the floor, but are unable to capitalize on our stellar play due to poor shooting. Bailey picks up an early 3 foul, and his limited mins don’t help much either. Nonetheless we squeak out a 34-31 1st half lead. Our offensive doldrums continue into the 2nd half and the Bengals keep the game close until the subs ignite to pull away a 10 point lead. The bench takes us the rest of the way for the 62-49 win. Anderson led with 13, while Mullahon again rallied the team with 8 points and 2 assists off the bench.

Game 15: Weber State Wildcats (4-11, 2-1) @ EWU Eagles (11-3, 2-0)
We’re the favorites undefeated at Reese Court this year, and hold a 4-1 starter advantage. We always seem to have trouble against Weber St. This game is no different, as we just can’t seem to get our offense and defense clicking at the same time. One thing becomes apparent however, and that we are a completely different team with Mullahon in at PG, as his solid play eats up mins in the 1st half. Regardless, we hold a slight 32-31 lead at the break. A great start to the 2nd is followed by Hathaway igniting off the bench after his short benching, and grabbing 9 assists in the 2nd half, most of them off Zinn’s 24 points, and we win easily 76-60. Zinn (24) was the leader, while Anderson (13) and Bullock (12 and 11 boards) both had great games.

Mullahon’s increased mins gives me hope for some major improvement over the offseason for his abilities. However, with one recruiting week left, I go hard after PG Kevan Price, giving him a moderate effort with a late week 10 campus visit. That pretty much breaks the bank, and we can only offer Holley a light effort in the last week. Hopefully we’ve already put in enough effort for him.

klayman · 03-14-2003, 07:44 AM

Game 16: EWU Eagles (12-3, 3-0) @ CS Sacramento Hornets (7-9, 0-4)
Off a 6 game winning streak, we’re the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage. We hit our first 6 shots and grab a quick 12-1 lead. We then proceed to shoot 7-31 the rest of the half. Thankfully, the Hornets don’t shot any better and we hold a 41-28 half time advantage. Bailey has 11 and 12 boards already in the half. Cal State fly in the second half and close the gap. With 3 mins remaining we hold a 69-68 lead. Bailey makes a free throw to give us a 70-68 advantage…it’s the only scoring in the final 3 mins, and we win 70-68. Bailey finishes with 21 and 18 boards, while Zinn had 14.

We are extremely inconsistent this year, especially offensively. But at least we are pulling out the wins, even if they’re not pretty.

Game 17: EWU Eagles (13-3, 4-0) @ N. Arizona Lumberjacks (10-7, 2-3)
NAU has a 9.6 more points per game average than we do. They’re the favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage as well. Turnovers kill us in the 1st half, giving NAU control of the game and a 33-31 lead. The good news is that the turnovers stop in the 2nd half, the bad news is it comes at the cost of the defense. Poor shot selection doesn’t help as well, and NAU hold the lead throughout the entire 2nd half. We show brief signs of lucidity, and close the gap to 1 point 3 times, but eventually fall back on our lapses to let NAU control the game. With 1:01 left, we’re down 61-63. Bailey’s prayer gets blocked, but NAU return the ball to us with a shot clock violation. :27 seconds left, Bullock draws a foul, hits the first but misses the 2nd. Anderson grabs the rebound, sinks the basket, and we have our only lead of the game with 7 seconds left. NAU miss the buzzer beater, and we steal yet another close one, 64-63, Zinn leads the team with 18 points, while Bailey had 12, but only shot 35%, well below his career 56%. Ugly, but we'll take it.

What looked like a disastrous recruiting season turns into our best as we get both Holley and Price committing in week 11. I really don’t know why neither player was not picked up by even a mid major school, but I’m not going to complain. Holley is our 2nd 5 star player, and our highest ranked recruit, ever.

Committed: Earl Holley SG (*****), 6-4, 161) Oregon-Davis HS Hamlet, IN SG: #3, National: #18, Regional: #5 MidWest. Offense: Excellent, Defense: Excellent, Handling: Good, Rebound: Average, Athleticism: Good, Potential: Excellent HS Stats 22.0 Ppg, 5.7 Rpg, 1.4 Apg 3.05 GPA

Committed: Kevan Price PG (****, 6-1, 166) Joplin HS Joplin, MO PG: #14, National: #60, Regional: #10 MidWest. Offense: Average, Defense: Excellent, Handling: Excellent, Rebound: Below Average, Athleticism: Average, Potential: Good HS Stats 10.5 Ppg, 2.4 Rpg, 7.8 Apg 2.47 GPA

Nyarlahotep · 03-18-2003, 05:52 AM

Loving the dynasty, can't wait to see how the new crop of recruits do.

klayman · 03-18-2003, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nyarlahotep
Loving the dynasty, can't wait to see how the new crop of recruits do.

Thanks Nyarlahotep, glad you are enjoying it. The new recruits do look awesome, next year could be a historic year for EWU.

Btw, I sent you a PM that answered the questions you sent me, but I noticed you still haven't read it.

Nyarlahotep · 03-18-2003, 11:34 PM

Oops, sorry. I figured it out that later that same day. Unfortunately I can't play because my computer is cursed and doesn't want to go above 800X600.

klayman · 03-25-2003, 02:22 PM

Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been in the hospital the last while getting my gallbladder removed. The good news is that I'm now off for awhile with nothing much to do but play

At this point I've upgraded to the v1.30 patch.

Game 18: Portland State Vikings (7-10, 2-3) @ EWU Eagles (14-3, 5-0)
PSU get the favorite tag with a 3-2 starter advantage. A poor first half by our standards sees us turnover the ball more than we have possession of it. We’re redeemed only by Bailey and Bullock who combine for 16 points and 14 boards between them (against PSU’s 1st half 7 boards) and we only trail by one, 35-34 at the break. A 15-3 run to start off the 2nd half puts us in control and never look back for the easy 76-59 win. Bailey was the star with 24 points, while Bullock (13) and Bailey (15) each had individually more rebounds than PSU had as a team (12).

That game closes out our first half of the conference schedule at an impressive 6-0.

Big Sky Standings

Code:

Team              W   L   Overall
EWU               6   0   15-3
Montana State     5   0   12-5
Montana           3   3    9-9
Idaho State       2   3    8-9
N.Arizona         2   4   10-8
Portland State    2   4    7-11
Weber State       2   4    4-14
Cal State Sac     1   5    8-10

klayman · 03-26-2003, 08:14 PM

Game 19: EWU Eagles (15-3) @ Washington Huskies (10-9)
Huskies are the overall favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage. Our first 10 possessions: 1 basket, 5 turnovers, and 4 steals. However, it’s freshman Linton Mullahon leading off the bench once again, as we ignite a 17-4 run to steal a 36-32 1st half lead. We build on the lead early, but the Huskies rough up the team with the subs on the floor and quickly close the gap, tying the game at 53 with 5 mins left. With 1:04 left, Anderson drains his 9 point to tie the game at 61. Huskies ball…they draw the foul and sink both for the 63-61 lead. 36 seconds left. Mullahon to Zinn, nothing but net…63-63. 18 seconds left…we need a stop. But time runs out and we head to OT, where we fail to make any kind of impact and lose 70-78. Bailey lead the way with 17 and 11, while Mullahon had 16 and 5 assists, and Bullock finished with 7 and 10 boards.

Game 20: N. Arizona Lumberjacks (11-8, 2-4) @ EWU Eagles (15-4, 6-0)
NAU are still the favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage, despite our 9-0 record at home this year. NAU play well, except for a bad case of turnoveridis, and we take a 39-22 advantage into the break. Despite our best efforts to throw away the game in the second half, including watching a 24 point lead disappear in 3 mins, we hold on for the 71-60 win. Bailey led with 22 and 9 boards despite fouling out, while Zinn (13) and Johnson (13) both contributed to the win.

Game 21: CS Sacramento Hornets (9-11, 1-6) @ EWU Eagles (16-4, 7-0)
We are the clear favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage. I am lifetime 7-0 against Cal State Sac. We build an early lead thanks to Zinn’s 17 1st half points, but suffer a terrible defensive lapse late in the 1st half, as the Hornets storm back from 20 down to cut our lead to 5, 42-37 at the break. We run into foul trouble in the 2nd, with both Johnson and Zinn picking up early 4’s, and turnovers continue to dog us keeping the Hornets in the game. However, Roy Bailey steps up at finishes with 27 giving us the 78-65 win. Bailey grabbed 8 boards along with his 27 points, while Zinn finished with 20 and Hathaway grabbed 10 assists in the win.

tucker342 · 03-27-2003, 12:18 AM

Loving the dynasty. Keep it up!!!

klayman · 03-27-2003, 12:40 AM

Bailey’s heroics earn him the Big Sky Player of the Week for week 12, with 24.0 PPG, 1.0 APG, 8.5 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 1.5 BPG, +27, 51.4 FG%, 50.0% 3P%, 71.4 FT% stats.

Our CRI is at 39, the highest I have ever seen it, although our weak 2-4 record against Top 100 teams is troubling.

Game 22: Montana Grizzlies (11-10, 4-4) @ EWU Eagles (17-4, 8-0)
We are the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage and an 11-0 record at home. The Grizzlies have historically given us problems, and we beat them by just one point in the first meeting between the two clubs early this season. Both teams are evenly matched regardless what the assistant coaches think. Bailey and Bullock combine for 20 points and 8 boards in the first half to push us ahead 37-30. The Grizzlies go to the 3 point play in the 2nd, and although have initial success, we eventually pull away and win comfortably 80-62. Zinn lead all scorers with 16, while Bullock and Anderson both got 15.

Game 23: Montana State Bobcats (16-6, 9-0) @ EWU Eagles (18-4, 9-0)
We’re the favorites but the Bobcats hold a 3-2 starter advantage. This game could well determine the Big Sky Conference Title champion this year. We play very well, but an awful 10-22 at the stripe leaves us with only a 38-33 half time lead. Our free throw shooting improves marginally in the 2nd half, and although the Bobcats make things close, we never relinquish the lead and win 79-72. Zinn leads again with 23, while Bailey grabbed 13 and 12 boards.

klayman · 03-27-2003, 05:09 PM

Game 24: EWU Eagles (19-4, 10-0) @ Portland State Vikings (10-13, 4-6)
PSU gets the favorite tag at home with a 3-2 starter advantage as well. Bailey and Bullock out-rebounded PSU to win our first meeting. We play very poorly in the first half, including another disappointing 4-12 from the line. The Vikings play worse, if that is possible, and we escape the 1st half with a slim 25-23 lead. We continue to play very poorly in the 2nd half but never give up the lead, and win a stinker of a game 55-50. Bailey, Zinn, and Hathaway all had 12 points, while Bailey also grabbed a double-double with 18 rebounds. We finished a horrible 19-40 from the line.

Game 25: EWU Eagles (20-4, 11-0) @ Idaho State Bengals (9-15, 3-8)
We are the favorites as we cruise to an undefeated conference schedule, but ISU have a 3-2 starter advantage. The subs came off the bench to lead us to victory in our other meeting this year. We play very well and build an early lead to hold a 38-33 half time advantage. Bailey comes alive in the 2nd half to steal the game, shooting 13-14 and grabbing 28 points and 10 boards on way to an 81-68 win. Zinn finished with 16 while Hathaway had 14 assists.

We’ve pushed all the way up to 27th in the CRI, and have 1 vote on both IP and .400 Polls. As well, with only 2 conference games left, Montana State has dropped 3 straight, handing us our 4th straight Big Sky Conference Title.

klayman · 03-27-2003, 05:56 PM

Game 26: EWU Eagles (21-4, 12-0) @ Weber State Wildcats (8-17, 5-7)
We’re the favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage as well. We beat the Wildcats by 16 earlier in the season. We capitalize early, and build an early 10 point lead and hold a 40-28 advantage at the break. The 2nd half is all defense as we hold the Wildcats to only 16 points and win easily 68-44. Zinn (17) and Bailey (15) are the leaders, while Hathaway had another strong game with 13 points and 10 assists.

Game 27: EWU Eagles (22-4, 13-0) @ Montana State Bobcats (16-10, 9-4)
The Bobcats are the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage, but have dropped 3 straight games since we beat them in our first meeting. A strong 1st half by Hathaway and Zinn keeps us in the game, and grant us a slim 36-33 1st half advantage. The 2nd half is all Roy Bailey and he sparks the team to a late rally to grab an 8 point lead, and we hold it for a 74-65 win and an undefeated conference schedule. Bailey finished with 16 and 8, while Hathaway grabbed 15 and 8 assists.

We have moved up to 25th in the CRI, and barring a total disaster we should make it back to the NCT this year.

Game 28: LMU Lions (8-19) @ EWU Eagles (23-4)
We’re favorites over the Lions although they have a 3-2 starter advantage. Hathaway again leads the team with 13 points en route to a 38-32 half time lead. We build up an early 15 point lead in the 2nd half, and the subs take us the rest of the way for the 78-61 win. Hathaway finishes with 17 points, while Bailey had a strong 2nd half to finish with 15 points and 8 boards.

klayman · 03-29-2003, 05:49 AM

Game 29: Dartmouth Big Green (12-14) @ EWU Eagles (24-4)
We are clearly the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage. We lose Zinn to an injury early in the game, but Richardson steps off the bench for 11 leading us to a 35-32 half time lead. The team responds with Zinn’s injury as Bullock and Bailey step up in the 2nd half to give us an early lead. The bench takes us most of the way in the 2nd half, but we fail to score in the final 5 mins and luckily just hold on for the 68-65 win. Bailey led all scorers with 21 and 9 boards, while Richardson finished with 13 and Bullock had 12 and 7 boards.

Zinn is gone for 4 months with a Torn Posterior Cruciate ligament, meaning the senior Richardson will have to step up for him for the tournament.

Bailey gets jobbed in the awards. Despite leading the conference in scoring and placing in the top 5 in all offensive categories, he doesn’t get Big Sky Player of the Year, or even voted to the All-Conference team. Obviously a glaring oversight!

Nonetheless we finish the season a remarkable 25-4, with a CRI of 21, and I’d say a good shot at an at-large bid if we don’t win the conference tournament. Of course, why take any chances?

Code:

Big Sky Standings 
Team 	
Conf. Wins 	Conf. Losses 	Pct. 	Total Wins 	Total Losses 	Pct. 	PF 	PA 
Eastern Wash. 
14 	0 	1.000 25 	4 	.862 	2030 	1821 
Montana State 
9 	5 	.643 	17 	12 	.586 	2168 	2008 
Montana 
8 	6 	.571 	15 	14 	.517 	2081 	2082 
Northern Arizona 
6 	8 	.429 	15 	14 	.517 	2214 	2210 
CS Sacramento 
5 	9 	.357 	13 	16 	.448 	2001 	2109 
Portland State 
5 	9 	.357 	12 	17 	.414 	1945 	2083 
Weber State 
5 	9 	.357 	10 	19 	.345 	1974 	2287 
Idaho State 
4 	10 	.286 	11 	18 	.379 	2054 	2188

klayman · 03-29-2003, 06:56 AM

Big Sky Conference Tournament

Game 30: (8) Idaho State Bengals (11-18, 4-10) vs (1) EWU Eagles (25-4, 14-0)
We’re the favorites although the Bengals do hold a 3-2 starter advantage. The Bengals were having a good start to the season, but finished 3-12 on the year. A first round loss would be devastating to us. So how surprising is it we play the worse first half we have all year. ISU start the game with a 15-2 run, and never look back on way to a 39-26 half time lead. Early foul trouble by Bailey and Richardson limit their playing time, but thankfully, Eddie Anderson comes off the bench in the 2nd for 21 points, and leads the Eagles back into the game, stealing a 70-59 win in the 2nd half.

Other first round matchups:
(7) Weber State upsets (2) Montana State
(3) Montana over (6) Portland State
(4) N. Arizona over (5) Cal State Sac

2nd round matchups
Game 31: (4) N. Arizona Lumberjacks (16-14, 7-8) vs (1) EWU Eagles (26-4, 15-0)
Despite a 15-0 conference record, NAU are the favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage as well. Both NAU games were tough battles for us this year, so we have to be careful. A 3-2 zone effectively cuts NAU’s offensive threat however, and Richardson and Anderson both combine for 21 points en route to a 40-28 half time advantage. We stay away from the foul trouble of last game, and quickly build a 20 point lead which we never give up and win easily 76-57. Richardson finishes with 20 and 6 assists after only grabbing 2 points last game. Anderson grabs 19 while Bailey finishes with 12 and 11 boards.

(3) Montana over (7) Weber State in the other matchup.

Game 32: (3) Montana Grizzlies (17-14, 10-6) vs (1) EWU Eagles (27-4, 16-0)
We are the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage in the rematch of last year’s tournament final. Of course, Montana beat us last year, but we managed to win both games over them this year. We flirt with the lead all half, but are reluctant to take it away from the Grizzlies and they close out the break up 35-27. We come out hard in the 2nd, and play great defensive basketball as we hold the Grizzlies to only 10 points. Johnson lights up in the 2nd, grabbing 18 of his 21 points and leading us to another come from behind win, 56-45. Johnson finished with 11 boards along with his 21 points, while Bailey had 16 and 12 boards, and Richardson another strong 18 point game.

And with that, we’re back to the big dance!!!

Nyarlahotep · 03-29-2003, 10:52 AM

Go Eagles!!!

klayman · 03-30-2003, 01:44 AM

We grab the 9th seed in the East. No other Big Sky team is involved in the NCT or ACT tournaments. We’ll face Michigan State in the first round. Your #1 seeds: Virginia (East), Texas (MidWest), Kentucky (South), UCLA (West).

Game 33: EWU Eagles (28-4) vs Michigan State Spartans (18-12)
MSU are the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage, Bailey being that lone player for us. The Spartans crushed us a few years ago, and looks like they’ll do the same here. However, the players have no intention of leaving the tournament early this year, and Richardson hits 6 for 6 from the field for 15 points in the first half as we climb to a 43-33 point lead. In the 2nd, the offense continues its high gear as we finish a 36 of 58 from the field, and never give up the lead for a comfortable 81-69 win. Richardson finishes the game with 27, while Hathaway put home 19, and Bailey had 16 and 12 boards in the programs first ever NCT win!!!

Game 33: EWU Eagles (29-4) vs #6 Virginia Cavaliers (28-4)
The Cavaliers are the favorites with a 5-0 starter advantage as well. They are a much better team then us, in every way, so we have to play well above our heads to keep pace with them. Although we let them control the floor in the first half, however, we do manage to keep things close, due to excellent shooting and only trail by 9 at the break, 39-30. However, the Cavaliers are too strong, and pull away in the 2nd half, never looking back on way to a 63-77 win. Bailey led the way with 17 and 5 boards, while Richardson grabbed 16 in his final game, and Hathaway had 12 and 6 in his final game as well.

Georgia finishes their season beating Missouri 82-63 to win the ACT Championship.

NCT Final Four:
(2) Duke over (2) Connecticut
(3) Michigan over (1) UCLA

NCT Championship:
Michigan Wolverines 78 over Duke Blue Devils 64
Finals MVP: Davey Robinson

Next up…stats dump

klayman · 03-30-2003, 02:09 AM

Code:

Final IP Top 25 Poll 

            Rank School Record Points Previous 
            1. UCLA 32-5 1,913 1 
            2. Duke 33-7 1,764 2 
            3. Kentucky 29-6 1,691 3 
            4. Texas 31-5 1,562 5 
            5. Connecticut 30-8 1,437 4 
            6. Iowa State 27-6 1,362 6 
            7. Virginia 29-5 1,291 7 
            8. Florida 26-9 1,185 8 
            9. USC 28-7 1,120 9 
            10. Syracuse 26-6 1,051 10 
            11. Michigan 31-6 982 12 
            12. Boston College 29-9 935 11 
            13. Kansas 26-12 885 13 
            14. Cincinnati 29-9 815 15 
            15. Providence 28-10 749 14 
            16. Illinois 23-9 701 16 
            17. California 26-8 656 17 
            18. Arizona 24-11 546 18 
            19. Alabama 25-10 481 19 
            20. Indiana 28-10 391 20 
            21. Notre Dame 28-9 323 21 
            22. Temple 22-7 258 22 
            23. Mississippi St. 24-8 215 23 
            24. North Carolina 23-9 193 24 
            25. Seton Hall 24-8 169 25 

      Others Receiving Votes: Maryland 158, Louisville 145, Wisconsin 124, Texas 
      A&M 103, Michigan State 83, Utah 61, Mississippi 41, Memphis 20, Tennessee 
      10, Purdue 6, Georgia 2, Missouri 2, Ohio State 1, Georgetown 1, Wake 
      Forest 1, Oklahoma 1, Eastern Wash. 1, Georgia Tech 1, Vanderbilt 1, 
      Xavier 1, Stanford 1.

Code:

Eastern Wash. Stats 
Name                Pos Gms MPG   PPG RPG APG TOPG SPG BPG  FG%    3P%   FT% 
Ezra Hathaway       PG  34  30.1  7.7 1.1 6.4 3.3  1.2 0.1 43.9% 31.9%  53.7% 
Jamal Richardson    SG  34  14.6  6.5 1.5 1.6 1.2  0.2 0.0 46.6% 41.7%  81.8% 
Roy Bailey          SF  34  30.9 16.4 9.7 1.3 1.7  0.8 2.4 51.9% 25.7%  68.8% 
Josh Johnson        PF  34  27.1  6.9 3.5 0.9 0.8  0.6 1.0 48.3% 33.3%  54.3%
Jeff Bullock        C   34  31.0  6.8 7.3 0.7 1.0  0.6 0.8 52.3%  0.0%  57.6% 
Eddie Anderson      SF  34  18.9  9.0 4.4 0.5 0.9  0.3 0.0 50.4% 36.6%  76.3% 
Matt Winn           PG  21   7.2  1.1 0.1 1.9 1.4  0.2 0.0 33.3%  0.0%  77.8% 
Correy Cabrera      C   29   9.3  1.6 1.3 0.3 0.2  0.1 0.0 47.6% 33.3%  35.3% 
Linton Mullahon     PG  18  10.8  3.4 0.2 2.2 0.9  0.0 0.1 43.2% 44.4%  65.5% 
Jack Reed           SG  12   5.4  1.9 0.2 0.3 0.1  0.1 0.0 41.7% 50.0% 100.0% 
Marquis Brownlee    C    8   7.0  1.1 0.1 0.0 0.1  0.0 0.0 60.0%  0.0% 100.0% 
Trenton Lofton      C   15   3.8  0.6 0.3 0.0 0.1  0.0 0.1 40.0%  0.0%  50.0% 
Joey Zinn           SG  29  27.1 13.4 2.0 2.9 1.6  0.5 0.0 43.8% 39.8%  75.0%

klayman · 03-30-2003, 02:41 AM

Departing seniors:

Ezra Hathaway G – Hathaway was voted to the Big Sky All Freshman Team for 02-03. Although he started 2 out of his 4 years at EW, he’s skills continually decreased each year erasing any high expectations that I might have had of him. He holds the single game assists record with 14 against Portland State in his final year, and also holds the single game records for 3PFG Made (4) and Steals (5). He holds the EW single season Assists record with 218. He also holds the EW Career records for Assists (522), FT Made (168), FT Attempted (263), Steals (100), and APG Average (4.2). Career Stats 124 Gms, 23.7 Mpg, 7.0 Ppg, 1.3 Rpg, 4.2 Apg, 2.5 TO, 1.72 A/T, 0.8 Spg, 0.0 Bpg, 45.6 FG%, 63.9 FT%, 30.4 3P%, +5

Josh Johnson – F – Johnson was another player voted to the Big Sky All Freshman team in 02-03. He started 3 out of 4 years at EW, posting his best season in his junior campaign. A fan favorite, he was a steady defender and a locker room leader on the clubs that saw 2 NCT appearances. He holds the Career Records in Rebounds (337), Blocked Shots (83), BPG Average (0.7), and FG% 51.5%. Career Stats 121 Gms, 24.2 Mpg, 6.5 Ppg, 2.8 Rpg, 0.6 Apg, 0.9 TO, 0.68 A/T, 0.6 Spg, 0.7 Bpg, 51.5 FG%, 55.2 FT%, 29.9 3P%, +32.

Jamal Richardson – G – Jamal was a bench player in his 4 years at EW, but progressively improved his skills every year. He had his most productive season in his senior year, and played remarkably through both the Big Sky Conference Tournament and NCT Tournament where he started for an injured Joey Zinn. Career Stats 65 Gms, 11.0 Mpg, 4.9 Ppg, 1.0 Rpg, 1.1 Apg, 0.9 TO, 1.20 A/T, 0.2 Spg, 0.0 Bpg, 44.9 FG%, 86.8 FT%, 33.8 3P%, -1.

tucker342 · 03-30-2003, 11:33 AM

Awesome season!!!

Tough loss against Virginia

By the way, how were they only a sixth seed!?!?!?!?

MylesKnight · 03-30-2003, 02:05 PM

Great Season Klay!!

29-5, including an undefeated 14-0 Big Sky record and Conference Tourney Title.. WOW!!

That #9 Seed was a bit of a tough break... I'd rather have had a #10-#13 personally, so that you could avoid the #1 Seed in Round 2, but hey it happens sometimes, what are you gonna do.

Also, Congrats on receiving a vote in the Final IP Poll. It's a shame to see Michigan State that far ahead of EWU though... Apparently the Voters missed that 1st Round Tourney Game.

Good Luck and continued success..

klayman · 03-31-2003, 09:00 AM

Nyarlahotep, tucker342, MylesKnight: Thanks for the support!

tucker342: Yeah, Virgina was ranked 6th, not a 6th seed. They were actually the 1st seed in the east, although Connecticut was ranked higher and received a lower seed...go figure.

MylesKnight: #9 seed was tough. I would have rather had the 10, but would have probably lost to Connecticut in the 2nd round anyway. 11th might have been the best, but I still have to be happy with the 1st ever NCT win. As far as MSU goes, well lets just say we get no respect out here in the Big Sky.

Nyarlahotep · 03-31-2003, 12:30 PM

Hopefully that will change next year with your bumper crop of recruits. Also hope your recovery is going well.

klayman · 04-02-2003, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nyarlahotep
Hopefully that will change next year with your bumper crop of recruits. Also hope your recovery is going well.

Hehe...I think it would take more than just one bumper crop of recruits to gain some respect for the Big Sky.

My recovery is going well, thanks for asking, Nyarlahotep. In fact, I now have to get caught up on the last couple of weeks, so the updates to the dynasty might be very infrequent.

klayman · 04-03-2003, 05:44 PM

Coach Report Card:
Overall: A

Season Performance: A
Overall Regular Season Performance: A
Overall Post Season Performance: A
Recruiting: B
Fan & Alumni Support: A
Academics: A
Player Development: F

Overall Record: 96-34 .738
Conference Record: 55-12 .821
NCT Appearances (Record): 2 (1-2)
ACT Appearances (Record): 2 (0-2)
Pro Draft Picks (1st Rounders): 0 (0)
Average Recruiting Class Rank: 126
Conference Championships: 2
Conference Titles: 4
Academic Suspensions: 1

klayman · 04-03-2003, 05:56 PM

No Eagles are taken in the draft. Hopefully that will change this year. More job offers roll in, including another offer from Arizona State. I might take a serious look at it next year, but I’ll finish Bailey’s last year with Eastern Washington at the very least.

We make one change to the coaching staff again this year, firing trainer Rickey Hill and hiring Jean Babul. Babul is rated excellent over Hill’s good rating, but comes at a higher cost.

Our Freshman class is ranked solid, while our composite talent level is Below Average. Both are the highest rankings in the conference, and both are improvements from last year. Our national prestige has also jumped 2 points to 29 now, 2nd highest in the conference (behind NAU). I'm handed an extremely easy schedule this year to start. I attemt to schedule some more difficult opponents for us, since I consider this year's club the best at EWU I've had, but those attempts mostly fail.

Eastern Washington Eagles Non-Conference Schedule

Wichita State
@ Miami
Texas San Antonio
@ Oklahoma State
UTEP
Pacific
@ Gonzaga
@ Oregon State
@ Pacific
@ California
@ UNLV
Georgia State
New Mexico State
Western Kentucky
@ SW Missouri State

IP Top 25 Initial Poll
Rank School Record Points Previous
1. Florida 0-0 1,350 0
2. Duke 0-0 1,258 0
3. Iowa State 0-0 1,196 0
4. Arizona 0-0 1,111 0
5. Illinois 0-0 1,026 0
6. UCLA 0-0 970 0
7. Connecticut 0-0 919 0
8. Kansas 0-0 847 0
9. Virginia 0-0 811 0
10. Kentucky 0-0 760 0
11. Michigan State 0-0 710 0
12. Tennessee 0-0 672 0
13. Texas 0-0 638 0
14. Indiana 0-0 588 0
15. Wake Forest 0-0 539 0
16. Boston College 0-0 501 0
17. Syracuse 0-0 469 0
18. Maryland 0-0 391 0
19. USC 0-0 343 0
20. Alabama 0-0 280 0
21. Cincinnati 0-0 233 0
22. Providence 0-0 185 0
23. North Carolina 0-0 154 0
24. Texas Tech 0-0 137 0
25. Mississippi 0-0 122 0

Others Receiving Votes: Mississippi St. 114, Iowa 107, Seton Hall 91,
Notre Dame 76, Stanford 61, Wisconsin 45, Temple 30, Georgetown 15,
Missouri 10, Georgia Tech 7, Michigan 4, California 4, Ohio State 3,
Auburn 3, Arkansas 2, Oklahoma 2, Vanderbilt 1, Georgia 1, Purdue 1,
Memphis 1, Texas A&M 1.

klayman · 04-03-2003, 07:02 PM

Meet the 2006-2007 Eastern Washington Eagles

SG – Joey Zinn Jr(rs) (6-5, 169lbs) Zinn continued his over-achievements last year, posting solid numbers once again in his Sophomore year. He had another impressive camp, and improved his defense dramatically. Last season stats (29 Gms, 27.1 Mpg, 13.4 Ppg, 2.0 Rpg, 2.9 Apg, 43.8 Fg%, +52). AHC Reggie Fox says "...good passer and can often break down opposing defenses off the dribble...a very good outsider shooter...shows signs of being a good defender...needs more seasoning from an awareness standpoint...looks to be a starter...valuable member on the team...continued to improve each season...joy to coach and is a fan favorite."

PG – Matt Winn So(rs) (5-11, 148) We have yet to have a dominating PG, and this year is no exception. Winn improved a lot more than Mullahon did, and Price has disappointing skills, so Matt finds himself the starter. I never though I'd say this, but I sure could of used another year out of Ezra Hathaway. Last season's stats (21 Gms, 7.2 Mpg, 1.1 Ppg, 1.9 Apg, -14) AHC Reggie Fox says "...developed into a very good quarterback of the offense...makes good decisions with the ball...lack of consistency...shows signs of being a good defender...looks lost on the floor...always seems to have some kind of nagging injury...looks to be a starter...has the potential to be a good player and has really improved since last season...excited to see how he does this year."

SF – Roy Bailey Sr (6-8, 242) If it is at all possible, Bailey improved over camp this year. He has turned from very good, to scary good. With a doubt, THE BEST player in the Big Sky Conference, with no rating less than a B. His only fault is this will be his last year with us

Last season's stats (34 Gms, 30.9 Mpg, 16.4 Ppg, 9.7 Rpg, 1.3 Apg, 2.4 Bpg, 51.9 Fg%, +141) AHC Reggie Fox says “…one of the tougher guys to defend...very good team player...makes good decisions with the ball...good defender and can contain both post and perimeter offensive threats...can really clear the glass...great positioning...can sense the flow of the game and find the open player...naturally blessed with good court vision...one of the better players on this team...come into his own...should be a banner year and he may go down as one of the better players at EWU when it is all said and done..."

PF – Eddie Anderson Sr (6-6, 241) Anderson has always been a huge contributor off the bench. In his final year at EWU, he'll get the starting spot at PF. Anderson has improved both his defense and rebounding, as well as strength during the off season in preparation for his senior year. Last season's stats (34 Gms, 18.9 Mpg, 9.0 Ppg, 4.4 Rpg, 50.4 Fg%, +28). AHC Reggie Fox says “…has some good inside moves...tough inside defender...most teams will stay away from him...can dominate the glass...one of the top rebounders on the team, maybe even in the conference...needs some more seasoning...looks to be a starter...continued to improve each season...a joy to coach and a fan favorite..."

C – Jeff Bullock Sr (6-10, 254) Bullock has continued to improve and prove my initial impressions of him wrong. He is the conference's best center, without a doubt, and could very well be the best defensive center in the nation. He was one of our steadiest and most important players last year, and will continue to be heading into his final season. Last year's stats (34 Gms, 31.0 Mpg, 6.8 Ppg, 7.3 Rpg, 52.3 Fg%, +54) AHC Reggie Fox says “…good inside moves and can even step back and hit the jumper...real tough inside defender. Most teams will stay away from him...can dominate the glass when he is motivated...one of the top rebounders on the team...can sense the flow of the game and find the open player...Players tend to really listen to Jeff when he talks...will make a good coach some day...one of the better players on this team..."

Bench:

C – Correy Cabrera Jr (6-9, 201) Cabrera is the heir apparent to Bullock. Despite limited mins last season behind workhorse Bullock, Cabrera showed lots of improvement, and with more involvement this year, he should round out his skills nicely. Last season stats(29 Gms, 9.3 Mpg, 1.6 Ppg, 1.3 Rpg, -18) AHC Reggie Fox says "…has some good inside moves and can step back and hit the jumper to keep teams honest...capable on defense, but he has not shown the desire or consistency needed to be a quality post defender...can dominate the glass...needs more seasoning from an awareness standpoint...should vie for a starting spot, but may end up as a key player off the bench...continued to improve...a joy to coach and is a fan favorite..."

G - Kevan Price Fr (6-1, 166) Price is not as talented as we would have liked, but has the potential to improve none the less. He is in a better spot than starting PG Matt Winn was in, and hopefully with continued improvement, will step up and be a future contributor on the team. Of course, if Winn isn't able to hold the floor (and I am unsure if he can right now), Price will see lots of mins filling in. AHC Reggie Fox says "...shows signs of being a good passer...lack of consistency...shows signs of being a good defender...needs more seasoning...his decision making and defensive positioning is not where it should be...a money player...count on him in late-game situations...key player off the bench...has the potential to be a good player on this team...should see some time this year as a freshman..."

G - Earl Holley Fr (6-4, 161) The biggest disappointment of the off season, we can plainly see why no other schools offered Holley a scholarship. Still, the base skills are there, and with a little luck, he might reach my lofty expectations, but I won't count on it. AHC Reggie Fox says "...raw from a playmaking standpoint...will need to improve...a little streaky from the outside...shows signs of being a good defender...needs some more seasoning...decision making not where it should be...crumbles with the spotlight...appears to be a role player...not at the level to where he can play for us right now...does not seem to have a big upside..."

C - Trenton Lofton So (6-11, 195) Lofton seemed to grab the most benefit from his limited mins last year, and should see some spot duty as a forward this year. He's really rough around the edges, but if he continues to improve could become a valuable member of this club. Last season's stats (15 Gms, 3.8 Mpg, 0.6 Ppg, 0.3 Rpg, -4) AHC Reggie Fox says "...has some good inside moves...has nice footwork as a post defender...lacks strength to matchup against top inside scorers...is not a good rebounder at this point...tends to be in the right position on defense...has a presence in the lockerroom...appears to be a role player...at best he will be depth off the bench in seasons to come..."

The rest of the bench won't really contribute this year. Mullahon stayed relatively the same player, despite his increased mins last season, and is outclassed by both Winn and Price. He won't see much of the floor unless we're hit by injuries. Williams was a pleasant surprise for a 3*, but really doesn't have the skill to compete this year. Reed and Brownlee did not improve and really have no realistic chance of getting very many mins for this team.

03-03-2003, 06:51 PM	#54
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	`Big Sky Standings Team Conf. Wins Conf. Losses Pct. Total Wins Total Losses Pct. PF PA Eastern Wash. 8 3 .727 16 8 .667 1673 1587 Montana 6 5 .545 13 11 .542 1737 1721 Montana State 6 5 .545 11 13 .458 1718 1837 Idaho State 6 5 .545 6 18 .250 1563 1775 Weber State 5 6 .455 12 12 .500 1764 1727 Portland State 5 6 .455 11 13 .458 1648 1610 CS Sacramento 4 7 .364 10 14 .417 1606 1789 Northern Arizona 4 7 .364 8 16 .333 1585 1765`

03-08-2003, 03:32 AM	#56
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	`Big Sky Standings Team Conf. Wins Conf. Losses Pct. Total Wins Total Losses Pct. PF PA Eastern Wash. 11 3 .786 19 8 .704 1901 1758 Montana State 9 5 .643 14 13 .519 1979 2034 Montana 7 7 .500 14 13 .519 1970 1966 Idaho State 7 7 .500 7 20 .259 1785 2003 Weber State 6 8 .429 13 14 .481 1963 1993 CS Sacramento 6 8 .429 12 15 .444 1892 2032 Portland State 5 9 .357 11 16 .407 1844 1866 Northern Arizona 5 9 .357 9 18 .333 1795 1994`

03-08-2003, 08:10 PM	#61
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Departing Seniors: Chevalier King (F) 82 Gms, 20.7 Mpg, 7.5 Ppg, 2.1 Rpg, 2.9 Apg, 47.3 Fg%, 52.5 Ft%, 38.4 3p%, -53 Jonathan Wesby (G) 11 Gms, 5.3 Mpg, 1.4 Ppg, -9 Lucas Cooper (F) 52 Gms, 7.4 Mpg, 2.3 Ppg, 51.4 Fg%, -3 Last edited by klayman : 03-08-2003 at 08:10 PM.

03-11-2003, 03:04 PM	#62
MylesKnight College Benchwarmer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Neptune Beach, Florida	This is great Klayman.. I need to pick this game up myself, and reading through your EWU Campaign has made more that more psyched to get TDCB.. Unfortunately it looks as if the best team in the Big Sky the past couple of seasons hasn't been the Conference Rep in the Big Dance.. One question, I've noticed EWU seems to struggle at times against inferior Non-Conference opponents, especially games that are scheduled in the middle of or after the Conference Season. Is there something in the game that has the team just a bit less focused for those games or am I looking into it too much? Check out Idaho State as another example. They finished tied for 4th this past season in the Big Sky at 7-7, but were only 7-20 overall... The Bengals went 0 for 13 in non-Big Sky Games.. Did they beef up the schedule or what?? Anyhow, again great read.. Keep it up my friend!! __________________ IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BLACK & GOLD!!

03-12-2003, 01:19 AM	#67
MylesKnight College Benchwarmer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Neptune Beach, Florida	Klayman, by the way, if you want to make those Statistics line up right and easier to read, use the Code Option.. That is.. {code} before & {/code} after, but replace the {}'s with []'s. I wasn't sure if you were aware of this or not.. Here's an example... Code: ACC W L PF PA W L PF PA Streak x-Florida State 7 1 307 103 8 3 377 194 Won 1 Clemson 7 1 199 111 8 3 245 186 Lost 2 Georgia Tech 6 2 190 116 9 2 319 168 Won 1 North Carolina 5 3 200 154 5 6 238 278 Won 1 Maryland 4 4 208 124 6 5 314 173 Won 2 Virginia 3 5 152 166 5 6 277 221 Lost 1 N.C. State 3 5 134 148 5 6 199 228 Won 1 Wake Forest 1 7 75 267 1 10 113 373 Lost 2 Duke 0 8 36 312 2 9 84 394 Lost 8 Sorry if you already knew about this, just giving you a head's up.. __________________ IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BLACK & GOLD!! Last edited by MylesKnight : 03-12-2003 at 01:21 AM.

03-03-2003, 04:56 PM	#52
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Game 19: American Eagles (7-10) @ Eastern Wash. Eagles (12-6) We’re the favorites for our mid conference break, with a 3-2 starter advantage as well. Despite a 14-1 start, we only hit 6 for 19 in the half, and trail the Eagles 31-28 at the break. Our shooting woes continue into the second, and with 5 mins left, we find ourselves down by 11. Cue the comeback, though, and with 1:51 left to go, Bailey ties it at 58 with two free throws. Zinn then puts us on top to stay with a midrange jumper, and we go on to win 65-58. Zinn finishes with 26 points, a career high, while Bullock contributed with 13 and 8 boards. The win puts on the bubble watch, while we crack the top 100 CRI for the first time this season, coming in at 90. Game 20: Eastern Wash. Eagles (13-6, 5-1) @ Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (6-13, 2-4) Back to conference play, and the Lumberjacks are the overall favorites despite us owning a 4-1 starter advantage. We continue with the cold shooting we showed against American, and quickly fall behind the Lumberjacks, but a 12-3 run late in the half, gives us a slim 39-37 advantage. We run into some foul trouble, with both Bailey and Zinn drawing early 4, but the bench comes alive and keeps us ahead of NAU, and we win 74-67. Bailey finishes with 22 and 9 but gets injured late in the game. Eddie Anderson (13) and Ezra Hathaway (10) have big contributions off the bench. Bailey, our leading scorer, is only listed as day-to-day with sore ribs. Phew! Game 21: Eastern Wash. Eagles (14-6, 6-1) @ CS Sacramento Hornets (9-11, 3-4) We’re the favorites although Cal State has a 3-2 starter advantage. Bailey is out, and Anderson takes his spot in the starting lineup. A fairly good half sees Anderson’s 14 points guide us to a 31-28 half time lead. The Hornets have no answer in the 2nd half and we shoot 29-47 for the game to win easily 73-58. Anderson finishes with 18, while Zinn (13) and Bullock (12 and 8) both put up respectable numbers. So after losing 3 straight, we’ve put up 8 straight wins as we head into February with a 15-6 record.

03-03-2003, 06:49 PM	#53
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Game 22: Eastern Wash. Eagles (15-6, 7-1) @ Montana Grizzlies (12-9, 5-3) We’re the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage as well. Bailey is back in the lineup to matchup against rival Brent Page. The Grizzlies are of course the only team in the Big Sky that has defeated us this year. A 3-2 zone shuts down Page, but we still trail the Grizzlies 37-36 at the half. Montana has our number this year, and although we shut down their best player and shoot over 60% on the night, we still lose by 11, 63-74. Bailey led the way with 15, while Johnson grabbed 11. King left the game with an injury in the 2nd half. King is gone for a month with a pulled hamstring, so unless we do well in the tournament, his career is over. Game 23: Eastern Wash. Eagles (15-7, 7-2) @ Montana State Bobcats (9-13, 4-5) We’re still the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage, but we saw how our coaches’ evaluations helped us last game. The Bobcats take a 37-32 half time lead, thanks to heavy foul trouble by us, letting them grab 14 point from the stripe. There’s nothing we can do in the 2nd half. We play very well offensively, but any change I make to the defensive produces zero effect, and the Bobcats match us basket for basket handing us a 66-69 loss. Bailey once again led the way with 15 in another losing effort, while Jamal Richardson came off the bench for 12, a career high. The Bobcats do us a favor however, by beating the Grizzlies later in the week, giving us a one game lead over Montana with a game in hand. Game 24: Eastern Wash. Eagles (15-8, 7-3) @ Portland State Vikings (11-12, 5-5) PSU are the favorites although we own a 3-2 starter advantage. Hathaway shows some flair, and his 10 points lead us to a 38-32 half time lead. We continue to add to the lead, and as we work up a 12 point lead early in the 2nd half, the bench takes us the rest of the way for the 71-57 win. Bailey finishes with a career high 26 points and 8 boards, while Hathaway gets 14 and 7 assists.

03-08-2003, 03:29 AM	#55
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Heading into the final three conference games and a win would almost all but secure our third straight Big Sky Conference Title. Game 25: Idaho State Bengals (6-18, 6-5) @ Eastern Wash. Eagles (16-8, 8-3) We’re the favorites at home with a 9-2 record and a 4-1 starter advantage. ISU received the kiss of death on their season when I said they would be the only team challenging us in the pre-season. A rough first half with 24 fouls, 14 by us, but we hold a 38-26 lead at the break. In the 2nd, it’s all Roy Bailey as he finishes with 30 and 12 boards on route to an easy 79-55 win. Anderson filled in with 13 off the bench. Only Montana State keep pace, but we’ve taken the Conference Title with an overall better record. It’s our third straight!! Bailey gets robbed of the player of the week award, who’s been on fire since return from injury with 21.5 PPG in four games. Game 26: Weber State Wildcats (13-12, 6-6) @ Eastern Wash. Eagles (17-8, 9-3) We remain the favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage. We come out cold and give the Wildcats a 11 point cushion to start the game, but we fight back, and Bailey (11) and Anderson (10) combine for 21 points to give us a commanding 45-30 lead. The subs take us through most of the 2nd, as we cruise to the 74-53 win. Bailey finishes with another double-double with 23 and 10, while Anderson responds again off the bench with 12. Game 27: Portland State Vikings (11-15, 5-8) @ Eastern Wash. Eagles (18-8, 10-3) We close out our conference schedule favorites against the Vikings with a 3-2 starter advantage. The 1st half is back and forth and the Vikings hold a slight 32-31 lead at the break. Bailey (26) and Zinn (15) explode in the 2nd half to wrestle control of the game, and take a comfortable 75-63 win from the Vikings.

03-08-2003, 04:01 AM	#57
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	With one final game, we are barely holding on in the bubble, sitting 63rd. A win would help push for a ACT bid should we lose in the Tournament, but we don’t really want to think about that possibility. We’re gunning to get back into the NCT. Game 28: UTEP Miners (14-14) @ Eastern Wash. Eagles (19-8) Texas El Paso are the favorites for this game, and hold a 3-2 starter advantage. We do manage to keep pace with the Miners, but some late turnovers prove costly, and we find ourselves down 6, 36-30 at the half. The Miners shut us down in the 2nd half, and we cede the game by going with the bench for most of the 2nd, not wanting to risk a late injury, and are defeated 60-73. Zinn (12) and Bailey (11) were the leading scorers in the losing effort. We catch a break as King returns from injury a week early and will be able to start in the Tournament for us. Roy Bailey captures the Big Sky Player of the Year Award with a 16.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.2 BPG, 62.5% FG% and a +148 rating. Bailey is also named to the All-Conference Team, while Linton Mullahon makes the All-Freshman team (obviously a weak year for guards, as Linton only played in 5 games) Bailey finished 2nd in conference scoring behind Montana Grizzlies forward Brent Page.

03-08-2003, 05:01 AM	#58
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Big Sky Tournament 1st Round Game 29: NAU Lumberjacks (9-19, 5-9) vs EWU Eagles (19-9, 11-3) We’re the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage. We beat NAU in both games this season. We’re gun shy to start the tourney, and the Lumberjacks build an early 10 point lead. A time out convinces the guys that maybe Bailey should get the ball, and we fight back with his 14 points to grab a 39-23 1st half advantage. Bailey and Zinn continue to respond in the 2nd half, and we never led by less than 10 to take the 1st round game 74-63. Bailey finishes with 20 while freshman Zinn grabs 18 in his first conference tournament game. King in his first game in a month gets 9 points and 6 assists. The rest of the 1st round: Portland State (7) upsets Montana State (2) Montana (3) over CS Sacramento (6) Weber State (5) over Idaho State (4) Game 30: Weber State Wildcats (16-14, 7-8) vs EWU Eagles (20-9, 12-3) We’re still the favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage. We went 2-0 against WSU this year, but they have historically given me problems in the past. The players once again have to be reminded to get the ball to Bailey after a quick start by WSU. Bailey is up to the task, and grabs 16 points leading us to a 42-27 half time lead. The Wildcats close the gap to within 4 in the 2nd before Bailey and Zinn take over, and we finish with a comfortable 75-64 win. Bailey gets 22, Zinn gets 15, and Jeff Bullock steps his game up with 9 points and 12 boards. Montana (3) crushes Portland State (7) to set up the final. Game 31: Montana Grizzlies (17-14, 9-7) vs EWU Eagles (21-9, 13-3) We’re the favorites with a 5-0 starter advantage. We were of course favorites in both our conference matches against the Grizzlies but were defeated by them both times. We’re not fooling around this game, and take the early lead thanks to none other than Josh Johnson?!? The Grizzlies fight back, but Johnson’s 13 points give us a 33-30 lead going into the break. Despite Johnson’s effort and despite putting up a 11 point cushion, the Grizzlies fight back and tie the game at 64 with 1:44 left to play. Bailey gets called on a questionable double dribble, and Montana respond with a deuce a 66-64 lead with 44 seconds left. Johnson ties it up with 27 seconds left… We need a stop, and get it as Montana miss the open jumper…but grab the rebound and sink the basket. Down 68-66 with 6 seconds left…one last chance…Johnson, the man of the hour with the buzzer beater…no good. And we drop the Conference title game 66-68. Johnson finishes with 20 and 13 boards, while Bailey got 18. Disappointing, but Montana has had our number all year. We do manage to get another ACT bid, though. Hopefully this will be the year we win a Tournament game. Montana gets the 14th seed in the East and faces UCLA in the NCT. We get the 6th seed in the west, and face Auburn in the ACT.

03-08-2003, 05:29 AM	#59
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Game 32: EWU Eagles (21-10) vs Auburn Tigers (16-15) Auburn is the favorite with a 4-1 starter advantage. The first half is not pretty by any standards and our season looks to be over, as we are down 23-38 at the break. The second half is no better, and Auburn goes on to advance with an easy 48-67 win. Johnson was the only player with double digits, as he hit 12 points. Montana’s season ends soon after with a defeat by UCLA finishing all Big Sky games for the season. Michigan finishes the season winning the ACT. The NCT final four: Syracuse over Missouri Illinois over Texas NCT Championship: Illinois 61 over Syracuse 60 Finals MVP: T.J Herr Next up…stat dump.

03-08-2003, 07:51 PM	#60
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Final IP Top 25 Poll Rank School Record Points Previous 1. Illinois 34-3 1,938 1 2. Texas 32-6 1,744 2 3. Florida 27-7 1,670 3 4. North Carolina 29-7 1,523 4 5. Texas Tech 31-9 1,401 5 6. Wisconsin 31-7 1,330 6 7. Syracuse 31-7 1,253 7 8. Cincinnati 26-6 1,158 8 9. UCLA 25-10 1,107 9 10. Seton Hall 28-5 1,040 10 11. California 28-8 971 13 12. Temple 27-7 927 12 13. Kansas 25-11 883 11 14. Boston College 25-9 812 14 15. Kentucky 25-10 745 15 16. USC 26-8 698 16 17. Duke 22-9 653 17 18. Virginia 23-8 543 18 19. Notre Dame 27-8 477 20 20. Iowa State 23-11 387 21 21. Wake Forest 25-9 323 22 22. Iowa 24-9 257 23 23. Missouri 28-10 215 19 24. Alabama 25-9 193 24 25. Connecticut 24-10 171 25 Others Receiving Votes: Stanford 161, Memphis 149, Tennessee 125, Indiana 104, Arizona 83, Oklahoma 62, Mississippi 41, Mississippi St. 20, Maryland 10, Providence 6, Michigan 2, Fresno State 2, Massachusetts 1, Michigan State 1, Georgetown 1, Texas A&M 1, Georgia Tech 1, Louisville 1, Ohio State 1, Purdue 1, Vanderbilt 1. Eastern Wash. Stats Name Pos Games MPG PPG RPG APG TOPG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT% C. King SF 26 30.6 8.1 3.2 6.7 2.9 0.7 0.1 46.4% 37.1% 56.9% Joey Zinn SG 32 28.1 13.0 1.3 2.2 1.6 0.4 0.0 51.0% 23.5% 77.3% Roy Bailey PF 31 32.0 16.9 7.2 1.2 1.4 0.6 2.1 60.1% 34.3% 72.5% J. Johnson PF 32 29.2 8.6 3.5 0.7 1.0 0.7 1.2 57.1% 35.7% 57.0% Jeff Bullock C 32 29.9 6.9 6.0 0.6 0.9 0.5 0.3 54.1% 0.0% 68.5% E. Anderson PF 32 17.0 7.3 3.3 0.6 0.8 0.0 0.2 49.4% 28.1% 74.0% E. Hathaway PG 32 17.4 5.2 0.9 2.6 1.7 0.4 0.0 41.8% 19.0% 74.3% Lucas Cooper SF 32 8.9 2.7 1.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.1 58.5% 0.0% 55.6% J. Richardson SG 17 8.5 3.5 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.2 0.1 37.7% 12.5% 94.4% Correy Cabrera C 23 7.0 0.8 0.6 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 31.3% 0.0% 66.7% Jonathan Wesby PG 1 5.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Linton Mullahon PG 8 7.9 2.0 0.0 1.1 0.9 0.1 0.0 42.9% 50.0% 75.0% Matt Winn PG 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Last edited by klayman : 03-12-2003 at 01:40 AM.

03-11-2003, 11:07 PM	#64
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Coach Report Card: Overall: A Season Performance: A Overall Regular Season Performance: A Overall Post Season Performance: B Recruiting: B Fan & Alumni Support: A Academics: A Player Development: F Overall Record: 67-29 .698 Conference Record: 38-12 .760 NCT Appearances (Record): 1 (0-1) ACT Appearances (Record): 2 (0-2) Pro Draft Picks (1st Rounders): 0 (0) Average Recruiting Class Rank: 145 Conference Championships: 1 Conference Titles: 3 Academic Suspensions: 1

03-11-2003, 11:18 PM	#65
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	No Eagles or Big Sky players get drafted in the entry draft. I get some more job offers again this year, with Washington St, Colorado, and Arizona State the standouts. They are all declined. We make some coaching changes this year, with Assistant Coach Brian Crispin departing and being replaced by Wendel Bolton. Bolton has better skills and is $200 cheaper. USC grabs the #1 recruiting class for 2005. No Big Sky Conference team is close to cracking the top 20, as usual. We stick with 1* Sid Nyquist’s Hoops Galore for our scouting service, and I don’t imagine we’ll be changing anytime soon. The big news of the offseason is that our national prestige going up 1 point to 27!!! Pretty soon, when people think college basketball, EWU will be the first team they think of. Our recruiting class is listed as Poor and our composite talent level is Poor as well, both decreases from last year. Despite that, I’m confident in winning the conference, and schedule a much tougher non conference schedule than we are used to. Eastern Washington Eagles Non-Conference Schedule San Jose State New Mexico State SW Missouri State Texas Southern @ Alabama State @ #2 Kansas @ Towson @ Arkansas LR @ #3 Florida Boise State MD Eastern Shore @ San Diego State @ Washington LMU Dortmouth IP Top 25 Initial Poll Rank School Record Points Previous 1. Arizona 0-0 1,332 0 2. Kansas 0-0 1,229 0 3. Florida 0-0 1,177 0 4. Connecticut 0-0 1,094 0 5. UCLA 0-0 1,011 0 6. Duke 0-0 956 0 7. Michigan State 0-0 901 0 8. Illinois 0-0 831 0 9. Iowa State 0-0 798 0 10. Kentucky 0-0 749 0 11. Tennessee 0-0 697 0 12. Boston College 0-0 661 0 13. Alabama 0-0 626 0 14. Texas 0-0 578 0 15. Providence 0-0 529 0 16. Cincinnati 0-0 498 0 17. Indiana 0-0 467 0 18. Mississippi 0-0 388 0 19. Virginia 0-0 339 0 20. Maryland 0-0 277 0 21. Wake Forest 0-0 231 0 22. Texas Tech 0-0 184 0 23. Wisconsin 0-0 154 0 24. USC 0-0 137 0 25. Notre Dame 0-0 122 0 Others Receiving Votes: North Carolina 114, Georgetown 106, Syracuse 91, Temple 75, Missouri 60, Iowa 44, California 30, Mississippi St. 15, Seton Hall 10, Stanford 7, Ohio State 4, Georgia Tech 4, Michigan 3, Georgia 3, Oklahoma 2, Memphis 2, Arkansas 1, Auburn 1, Purdue 1, Vanderbilt 1, Louisville 1.

03-12-2003, 01:05 AM	#66
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Meet the 2005-2006 Eastern Washington Eagles SG – Joey Zinn So(rs) (6-5, 169lbs) Zinn surprised the coaching staff last year by placing 2nd in scoring on the team in his freshman season. He improved both his shooting and defense during the off season. Last season stats (32 Gms, 28.1 Mpg, 13.0 Ppg, 1.3 Rpg, 2.2 Apg, 51.0 Fg%, -22). AHC Reggie Fox says "...good passer and can often break down opposing defenses off the dribble...scores in bunches, his lack of consistency could make it hard to really depend on him...not a big liability on defence...should vie for a starting spot...continued to improve better than we expected." PG – Ezra Hathaway SR (6-2, 160) The departure of King grants Hathaway another shot at starting this year. Hathaway has continued to decline in ability since being named to the Big Sky All Freshman team, this season being no different. However, neither Mullahon or Winn are ready to go, and we have no other real options. Last season's stats (32 Gms, 17.4 Mpg, 5.2 Ppg, 0.9 Apg, -17) AHC Reggie Fox says "...needs to improve his decision making to be a top guard in this league...shows signs of being a good defender...lost on the floor...injury prone...looks to be a starter...final season as an overachiever...never had much potential or talent, but he looks to have earned some time this season." SF – Roy Bailey Jr (6-8, 242) What more can I say? Last year's Big Sky Player of the year, Big Sky Freshman of the year the year before that. Bailey is the EWU program right now. Amazingly, he greatly improved over the off season, making him a even more valuable member of the team. Last season's stats (31 Gms, 32.0 Mpg, 16.9 Ppg, 7.2 Rpg, 1.2 Apg, 2.1 Bpg, 60.1 Fg%, +159) AHC Reggie Fox says “…one of the tougher guys to defend...very good team player...makes good decisions with the ball...good defender and can contain both post and perimeter offensive threats...can really clear the glass...great positioning...crumbles a bit when the spotlight is on him...one of the better players on this team...come into his own...should be a banner year and it may be his last here..." PF – Josh Johnson Sr (6-9, 225) Johnson regained his starting spot, and responded with season highs in every category. He improved his defense over the off season and will be an important starter this year. Last season's stats (32 Gms, 29.2 Mpg, 8.6 Ppg, 3.5 Rpg, 1.2 Bpg, 57.1 Fg%, +65). AHC Reggie Fox says “…can be a nice offensive threat...real tough inside defender. Most teams will stay away from him as he can really bother a shot with his presence...improved his effort and consistency on hitting the boards...a guy I would want to have the ball late in the game...ice in his veins and is un-phased in pressure situations...valuable member on the team this season...joy to coach and is a fan favorite..." C – Jeff Bullock Jr (6-10, 254) Bullock continued to improve during the off-season after having a respectable season for us last year. He has improved both his defensive play and rebounding, making him one of the better centers in the conference. Last year's stats (32 Gms, 29.9 Mpg, 6.9 Ppg, 6.0 Rpg, 54.1 Fg%, +15) AHC Reggie Fox says “…good inside moves and can even step back and hit the jumper...real tough inside defender. Most teams will stay away from him...can dominate the glass when hi is motivated...one of the top rebounders on the team...needs some work on making good decisions on and off the ball...Players tend to really listen to Jeff when he talks...one of the better players on this team..." Bench: F – Eddie Anderson Jr (6-6, 241) Anderson was an important player off the bench last season. He improved defensively and should battle Johnson for mins this year as well. Last season stats(32 Gms, 17.0 Mpg, 7.3 Ppg, 3.3 Rpg, -10) AHC Reggie Fox says "…a little inconsistent from a scoring perspective...a decent defender, but he needs some more practice...improved his effort and consistency on hitting the boards...needs some more seasoning from an awareness standpoint...appears to be a role player..." G - Matt Winn Fs (rs) (5-11, 148) Winn did not improve as much as I would have liked. I was hoping he would be able to start this year, but he regressed significantly in the off season. He has however, improved his defensive play, and will steal some mins from Hathaway. AHC Reggie Fox says "...shows signs of being a good passer...he is not going to worry too many opponents from the outside...shows signs of being a good defender...lost a lot on the floor...always seems to have some kind of nagging injury...potential to be a good player on this team...Should see some time this year." G - Jamal Richardson Sr (6-4, 180) Seldom used Richardson had a great senior camp, and would be starting if not for the impressive year Zinn had last year. However, if Zinn shows any Sophomore let down, I'm confident to turn to Richardson as my everyday SG. Last season's stats (17 Gms, 8.5 Mpg, 3.5 Ppg, 94.4 Ft%, -6) AHC Reggie Fox says "...a little streaky from the outside...not a big liability on defence...lost a lot on the floor...players tend to really listen to Jamal when he talks...key player off the bench...final season as an overachiever." C - Correy Cabrera So (6-9, 201) Correy is at the point where Bullock was last year, a bit too raw but with potential to improve. While Bullock was able to gain experience starting, Cabrera will have to improve off limited mins as Bullock's back up this season, a role he played adequately last season. Last season's stats (23 Gms, 7.0 Mpg, 0.8 Ppg, 0.6 Rpg, -18) AHC Reggie Fox says "...unknown offensively...shown signs of breaking through...not a good defender...improved his effort and consistency on hitting the boards...needs some more seasoning...crumbles a bit when the spotlight is one him...role player..." Our three freshman are nothing to write home about, and will see very limited time. Of them, only SG Jack Reed seems to be a contributer down the road. Mullahon, despite making the all freshman team last year, is still not talented enough to play everyday, but might see some more mins this season as well, depending on injuries and Winn's performance off the bench. We have Bailey for at least one more season (please don't go pro!), so he will continue to be the primary focus of this team. Hopefully I can say the same thing next year as well. Last edited by klayman : 03-12-2003 at 01:08 AM.

03-12-2003, 01:50 AM	#68
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Actually code doesn't quite work properly. I used it above, only I used the html version instead of the Vb version (no code lines that way). It still doesn't line up, so the text from the game output isn't spaced properly (it's html output, converted to text, so there probably is no spacing at all). I was formatting the text properly before, but I got lazy, and decided to just use the text output from the game (which is new in v1.28). It might be the font, but I don't think the text output is spacing correctly, meaning I either have to type it all in instead of cutting and pasting, or try to line it up. I didn't think it was worth the effort I was putting into before, but if you disagree, I can put more effort in a better presentation.

03-12-2003, 02:17 AM	#69
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Recruiting Targets: We have 3 graduating seniors (Johnson, Hathaway, Richardson) so 3 scholarships to hand out, providing Bailey doesn't go pro (I'm hoping if I write about the possibility enough here, it won't happen ). We're in the same boat as we were in my first year, with 3 impact players leaving. We're still having a poor time with guards and with Johnson leaving, and Anderson and Bailey entering their Jr years, we need to look at forwards again, something we haven't looked at for awhile. With that in mind, here are our top targets. 1. Brian Marquardt C (6-6. 222) 4* out of Stanwood, WA. Brian is a JC player from John Wood JC. He is ranked #26 for Centers, #109 Overall, and #24 in the West. We're soild at center and he's too small, but should be a good forward behind Bailey and Anderson next year. HS stats 18.0 Ppg, 9.7 Rpg, 4.3 Apg. 2. Tim Williams PF (6-8, 225) 3* out of Las Vegas, NV. Ranked #30 PF, #34 in the west, #170 overall, Tim has good skills and should be a valuable player in the Big Sky. HS Stats 10.6 Ppg, 11.5 Rpg, 2.8 Apg. 3. Starzee Honeycutt SF (6-3, 173) 3* out of Roswell, NM. How can you not like a guy named Starzee out of Roswell? Ranked #24 SF, #26 in the West, #133 Overall, I see Starzee possibly solving our guard problem next year. He's a little small to play forward for my preferences, but should be a good Big Sky player nonetheless. HS Stats (9.5 Ppg, 4.7 Rpg, 2.4 Apg) 4. Jarvis Benoit PG (6-2, 159) 3* out of Dayton, OR. Jarvis is not rated, but looks to be one of the better guards coming out of the west, that would be interested in going to EWU. He's is evaluated higher than his HS stats are showing, which isn't a good thing at all. HS Stats 5.5 Ppg, 2.5 Rpg, 3.0 Apg. Instead of grabbing 7 or 8 targets like I've done previously, I'm sticking this year with 3-4 I know I can get. Last year we lost a lot of ground early cause we chased after guys we didn't get, and the result was a very poor recruiting class. As long as Bailey doesn't turn pro, I'll stick with these targets. Our first week recruiting sees Marquardt, Williams and Honeycutt get Aggressive efforts, with both Marquardt and Williams getting offers and visits. Benoit gets a light effort as well. All four players have moderate interest in EWU, while Marquardt has us shortlisted. Last edited by klayman : 03-12-2003 at 02:19 AM.

03-12-2003, 03:00 AM	#70
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Season outlook: Once again we should vie for the conference title, making it our 4th straight. With a more difficult schedule, we will concentrate more on winning the Big Sky Tournament to get into the NCT. Both Portland State and Northern Arizona have better talent levels than us, and should compete. You can’t rule out Montana either, as we’ve lost our last 5 straight against them. The motion is out this year, as our handling has taken a beating in the off season. Instead will run an isolation offence against man coverage, and throw looks to a Swing offense and a One-guard Front against zones. Defensively we remain the same, employing a Help Man or specific zones to combat problem areas. We’ll toy a little with straight man coverage, but only when Zinn is not on the floor.

03-12-2003, 04:43 AM	#71
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Very little changes on the recruiting front for week 2. All 4 targets interest levels stay the same, and Marquardt, Williams, and Honeycutt grab Aggressive effort with Honeycutt getting a visit and offer. Benoit once again gets Light effort. Game 1: San Jose State Spartans @ EWU Eagles We open the season favorites against SJSU despite them having a 3-2 starter advantage. The isolation nets Bailey a goose egg in the first half, but Bullock and Anderson combine with 6 each to give us a slim 28-27 half time lead. The 2nd half shows an improvement on our part, as we shut the Spartans down offensively and Zinn ignites to lead us to a 68-57 win. Zinn finishes with 22, while Anderson grabbed 11 off the bench. Hathaway picked up 8 assists against 2 turnovers, which would be very good numbers if he keeps it up. Game 2: New Mexico State Aggies (1-0) @ EWU Eagles (1-0) We’re the favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage. I’ve thrown out the isolation, because it just didn’t feel right. We’ll go with a one-guard front and swing offensive, and fall back on the motion if things are not working out. We jump to an early 11 point lead and hold it through the half, thanks to Bailey’s 15 points, and enter the break with a 40-30 advantage. We lose Bailey early in the 2nd half when he picks up 3 quick fouls and fouls out before I can sub him. Missing their star player, the rest of the team rallies, and despite heavy foul trouble we stay ahead of the Aggies and take the 78-70 victory. Anderson grabs 19 off the bench, while Bullock got 11 and 11 boards, Richardson scored 11 off the bench, and Hathaway got 11 assists against 4 turnovers. Bailey finishes the game 2nd in scoring with 15, despite only playing 15 mins. Marquardt looks a lock to commit, but for some reason both Williams and Honeycutt’s interest drop off the board in the 3rd week!?! Our efforts remain the same, but we add 2* Stephen Hill, a PG out of Corning, CA with a moderate effort. He has decent HS stats and a high GPA, and might fill the role better than Benoit could. Game 3: SW Missouri State Bears (2-0) @ EWU Eagles (2-0) We are the underdogs as the Bears hold a 4-1 starter advantage. We hold the Bears scoreless for the first 10 mins, but are only able to put 11 points up on the board ourselves. With Bailey’s 15, however, we take a 14 point lead, 30-16, into the break. Incredibly we give the Bears every opportunity to win the game. Luckily for us, they don’t take advantage, thanks in large to a dominating Roy Bailey, and we win by 10, 54-44. Great defensive game as we held the Bears to 17-50 from the field, but only shot 18-55 ourselves. Bailey was the difference with 24 points and a career high 17 rebounds. Anderson once again proving his worth off the bench with 11. Game 4: Texas Southern Tigers (2-1) @ EWU Eagles (3-0) We the favorites despite the Tigers holding a 3-2 starter advantage. We start off playing well, especially defensively, and jump to an early lead. But our game quickly falls apart, and we let the Tigers back into the game, and trail 30-40 at the half. Zinn leads the team with 9, but is -3 on the night. Richardson replaces Zinn in the 2nd half, and his quick 7 points closes the gap along with his better defensive play, and eventually we regain the lead with 5 mins remaining. Bailey gives us a 4 point lead with 2:16 left. Hathaway makes an important steal, and Bailey goes to the line for 2, making both, and giving us a 66-60 lead with 1:42 remaining. The Tigers get a basket and foul to cut the lead to 3…Johnson takes a tough shot, gets only air, and it is the Tigers ball with less than 50 seconds remaining. They get the basket to make it a one point game. Bailey goes to the line again…but misses, Tigers get the rebound. Johnson fouls on the shot with 18 seconds left…which they make both shots. 66-67…time running down…Hathaway finds a cutting Bailey…the last second shot…NO GOOD! But he’s FOULED! Bailey to the line for 2 with 1 second left…GOOD…GOOD…Eagles squeak out a 68-67 win! Phew! Bailey is the hero with 18 and 7, while both Richardson and Zinn grabbed 11 sharing time.

03-12-2003, 06:07 AM	#72
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Recruiting takes a turn for the worse, as Marquardt is now looking at hated Gonzaga. Williams and Honeycutt still show no interest. Our efforts remain the same, regardless. It is shaping up to be a horrible recruiting year though. Our 4-0 start gets us 3 votes in the IP poll and 5 in the .400 Sports poll, the most since I took over the program. Game 5: EWU Eagles (4-0) @ Alabama State Hornets (4-0) ASU are the favorites, with a 3-2 starter advantage as well. Once again we start off great, but are unable to keep it up, and ASU take advantage for the 28-34 point lead at the break. Zinn leads the team with 9 but is a horrid -7 so far. A Richardson for Zinn swap again does the trick and we pull to within 1 point, but are unable to take advantage of several ASU miscues. With 2:45 Bailey closes the gab to 5 points, 57-62. ASU hit there next shot before Richardson hits 2 frees, and Anderson sinks an off balance shot after a jump ball to close the gap to 64-61 with 1:01 to go. The Hornets make 2 frees, before Bullock puts us with 3 again with a quick jumper. 27 seconds left, ASU go to the line again with 2…they get only one, it’s a four point game…Bailey grabs a deuce with 12 seconds left, 65-67…we need the ball back, but for some reason our players refuse to foul and ASU kill the clock and hand us a 65-67 loss. Zinn lead the team with 13 but finished -9. Bailey and Johnson both had 12 in the losing effort. Tough loss, but we threw away several chances to win the game in the 2nd half. Game 6: EWU Eagles (4-1) @ #6 Kansas Jayhawks (6-2) KU are the favorites of course and hold a 4-1 starter advantage, Bailey being that sole player for us. He’s so turning pro this year I have yet to beat a ranked team in 4 years. Bullock hits the first shot, most likely giving us our only lead of the game. The Jayhawks are way too good defensively for us, but we’re actually holding our own through out the first half, and manage to tie the game several times, until Zinn hits a three giving us our 2nd lead of the game with 2:48 left in the first half. That’s short lived however, and Kansas holds the 38-34 half time lead. Despite being out shot, we’re not turning over the ball and out rebound the Jayhawks. Only real problem is foul trouble, sending them to the line 18 times in the first half. Things stay close through the 2nd and with 7 mins remaining, Anderson drains a three that hands us a 57-54 lead!!! Once again short lived however, and with 2:25 left KU leads 70-66. KU hit all their free-throws down the stretch however, and we lose a tough one 73-80. We played very well despite the loss, with Bailey grabbing 21 and 11 boards against a tough Jayhawk defense. Zinn finishes with 18, Anderson with 14, and Hathaway grabs 11 assists in the loss. We get some good news in recruiting as Gonzaga rescind their scholarship offer to Marquardt, and we’re back to being his number one choice. No change anywhere else however, and our efforts remain the same as the previous week. Our two tough losses take away our votes in the polls, but we grab the 68th CRI ranking with a 72nd schedule rank. We’re behind #44 Montana, #53 Cal State Sacramento, #57 Montana State, and #66 Idaho State however. Sigh. Looks like a tough year in the Big Sky. Edit: I change my mind about the recruiting. It's obvious that Honeycutt is not going to commit to us, with higher prestige teams offering him scholarships, so I drop him from our radar and rescind the scholarship. Williams still has no interest as well, but at least no higher prestige ranking teams are offering him a scholarship. I'll hold out for him. So this week Marquardt and Williams both get aggressive efforts. I also find a 5* recruit without any offers. SG Earl Holly out of Hamlet, IN. No idea why he hasn't been offered. He's #3 SG, #18 overall, #5 in the midwest and a 3.05 GPA. His HS stats are a little low, but still better than anything we're looking at. He understandably has no interest, but we bite anyway, and offer him Honeycutt's scholarship and give him aggressive effort...we'll see what happens. Last edited by klayman : 03-12-2003 at 07:01 AM.

03-13-2003, 02:28 AM	#73
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Game 7: EWU Eagles (4-2) @ Towson Tigers (4-2) We’re the favorites on the road despite Towson holding a 3-2 starter advantage. Despite playing very poorly in the first half, and shooting 12 for 31, we’re able to take a 36-34 advantage into the break thanks to Zinn (13) and Bailey (10). We run an early lead in the 2nd only to watch it quickly disappear, and find ourselves struggling to get back in the game. We turn to the three in desperation, and hit 6-9 in the half to push us into an 8 point lead with 5 mins left. We take advantage of some poor Tiger shooting down the stretch, to walk away with a 79-65 win. Zinn finished the game with 23 points, despite picking up an early 4th foul. Bailey grabbed 18 and 6 while Anderson was 10 and 8 off the bench. We lost Cabrera early in the 2nd half to injury, but he is only listed day-to-day with migraines. Game 8: EWU Eagles (5-2) @ Arkansas LR Trojans (2-5) We’re the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage. I have a lifetime 1-1 record against the Trojans in my coaching career. Turnovers are the name of the game in the 1st half, as we play well, the Trojans don’t, but we constantly give them 2nd and 3rd chances. Somehow, we only find ourselves down by 1, 35-36 at the break. It should be more. The second half is much the same. Jim Varley, the Trojans Junior SG, ignites for 18 points to go with his 17 1st half points, and I cannot do anything about it. After a Hathaway basket with under 2 mins left, we find ourselves with a slim 69-67 lead. Varley gets the ball, but Hathaway quickly steals it, one of the few stops on Varley all night, and then throws the ball out of bounds…seems like the sensible thing to do. 1: 51 left…Varley…net…69-69…Bailey answers with a 16 footer, but Varley gets the quick jumper on the next possession…71-71, 58 seconds left. Johnson takes the inbound pass…throws it out of bounds. Great basketball we are playing. Varley lines up the three with 38 seconds remaining and it goes in…and back out. Hathaway gets the foul and goes to the line. Good. Miss…72-71 EWU. Varley quickly down the court for the Trojans, but his shot is blocked by Johnson. Hathaway goes back to line with 9 seconds left in the game. Miss. For crying out loud. Last possession of the game…Varley all alone of the wing…the guy has 35 points in the game…I have my best defender on him…I’m running a pressure man to prevent him from shooting …and in the dying seconds he is ALL ALONE to measure up the game winner…that hits the rim and stays out. EWU 72 -71. A game we shouldn’t have won. Bailey lead the team as usual, with 20 and 10 boards, while Hathaway surprised with 15 points and 8 assists.

03-13-2003, 05:34 AM	#74
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	I get an early Christmas present when Bailey decides to stay in school for one more year. I guess the lack of exposure in the Big Sky paid off in this case. I’ve done some quick checks and he would have been in the top 5 forwards entering the draft this year, IMO. Of course, I’m biased. Our recruiting looks a lot better this week as well, since Earl Holley gives us a much warmer reception. He, along with Marquardt and Williams, get aggressive efforts again this week. Thankfully I don’t have to worry about Bailey leaving anymore, so I can fully concentrate on these three guys. Game 9: EWU Eagles (6-2) @ #1 Florida Gators (8-0) Yikes…the #1 team in the country. They are, not surprisingly, the favorites with a 5-0 starter advantage as well. We play a solid first half, but even at our best I don’t think we could beat the Gators at their worst. We’re dictating the pace, and forcing turnovers, but some poor shooting see us down 30-33 at half. Still better than I thought we would be. We keep pace with the Gators throughout the 2nd, but they hold the lead the entire game. With 1 min left, it’s 50-54 Florida. Bailey makes it a 1 point game with a long 3, but that’s as close as we can get, and lose 55-59. Despite losing, we played very well against the top team in the country. Bailey finished with 13 and 8, while Hathaway, Johnson and Bullock all had 10. I’ll take losing by 4 to the #1 team any day. Game 10: Boise State Broncos (2-7) @ EWU Eagles (6-3) We come back home after a difficult 5 game road trip. We’re the favorites, but Boise State holds the 3-2 starter advantage. Off the confidence we gained against Florida, we come out flying turning an 8-1 start to a quick 15 point lead. We’re unable to sustain our offensive prowess, and the Broncos answer with 4 threes to close out the half, to cut our lead to 39-36 at the break. Zinn is on fire with 17 1st half points. It’s all Zinn and Bailey in the second half, which is good because our defense that shut down the Gators, is nowhere to be found. We win 83-72 thanks to Zinn with 30 and Bailey with 24 and 12. Tim Williams commits to EWU, not surprisingly since we were the highest prestige ranking team offering him a scholarship. Marquardt is still on the fence, but we’re his number one choice right now. He continues to get an aggressive effort from us. Holley is still reluctant to commit to EWU, understandably, but takes an aggressive effort and a week 7 visit to the campus anyway. I’m sure he’s holding out for a top tier school to offer, but I’m praying that none will. Committed: Tim Williams PF (***, 6-8, 225) Silverado HS Las Vegas, NV PF: #30, National: #170, Regional: #34 West. Offense: Average, Defense: Good, Handling: Good, Rebound: Good, Athleticism: Average, Potential: Poor HS Stats 6.7 Ppg, 4.4 Rpg, 3.6 Apg 3.37 GPA

03-13-2003, 07:38 AM	#75
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Game 11: MD Eastern Shore Hawks (3-7) @ EWU Eagles (7-3) We’re the favorites but the Hawks hold a 3-2 starter advantage. As goes Roy Bailey, so go the Eagles, and it’s never more apparent as Bailey goes 3-13 in the half. He still manages to lead the team with 9 points, thanks to the team shooting a dreadful 9-32. Somehow, we’re only down 29-23 at the break. It gets no better in the 2nd half. Somehow we fight the mediocrity to tie up the game, but the Hawks finish with a 7-1 steal advantage and a 15-5 turnover advantage to keep things close. With 1:26, Hathaway hits a 3 to give us a 58-56 lead. Hawks get only iron on their possession and Zinn hits 2 from the line to give us a 4 point lead with 56 seconds left. Hawks respond with a deuce, and Hathaway responds by turning it over for his 9th time this game. 28 seconds left…The Hawks get a questionable traveling call, and Hathaway goes to the line with 11 seconds left. MISS. Apparently Hathaway doesn’t want to play anymore…luckily Bullock picks up the rebound, and time runs out for the brutal 60-58 win. Bailey leads with 13 despite a 5 for 17 night. Anderson came off the bench for 12 much needed points, the only player who could shoot this game. Game 12: EWU Eagles (8-3) @ San Diego State Aztecs (6-5) We close out our last game before conference play on Christmas and with SDSU holding the favorites as well as holding a 3-2 starter advantage. We’re here to avenge SirFozzie beating the hapless Eagles in the SDSU VC dynasty No repeat of last game, as Bailey hits his first 5 shots, finishing the half with 15 points and giving us a nice 37-27 half time lead. The Aztecs fight back, and we find ourselves down by 2 with under 2 mins to go. Hathaway and Anderson combine to put us up 66-64 with a min left, and some good defending forces late turnovers by SDSU. Bullock can put the game away with 28 seconds, but misses both frees. The Aztecs miss on a long three with 5 seconds left, and Bailey goes to line to shoot 2. Miss…Miss. Nice, Aztecs with the buzzer beater…no good. We win, barely 66-64. Bailey had a disappointing 2nd half, and finished with only 17, while Hathaway picked up his game and also got 17. Richardson came off the bench for an ineffective Zinn, and grabbed 13. Marquardt commits to Oregon State, leaving me up the creek late in week 8. I turn to 4* Kevan Price, a PG out of Jopin, MO. He’s not interested, but he’s one of the few players left uncommitted. He only gets a moderate effort with a scholarship offer though, as we’re still after Holley with an aggressive effort, and cannot afford both. Game 13: EWU Eagles (9-3) @ Montana Grizzlies (6-6) We’re the favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage. The Grizzlies have been a thorn in my side, defeating us 5 straight including the Big Sky Championship game last year. How I would love to blow them out. That’s not going to happen though, as we have another one of offensive lapses and shoot horribly to start the game. Luckily, the Grizzlies can’t take advantage and it’s Linton Mullahon, controlling the game from the one-guard set, who leads the Eagles back into the game. Yes, Linton Mullahon! He orchestrates an 8-0 run that leads us to a 30-25 half time advantage. As we all know, no lead is safe against the Grizzlies, specially a measly 5 point lead, and they take advantage during the 2nd half. We play catch up for the most part and find ourselves down by 2 with 1:36 left in the game. That means a loss of course, as I won’t be able to stop them at all. Johnson’s shot is blocked by Page, the Grizzlies 12th block of the game, but Anderson takes a foul off the loose ball and sinks both to tie the game at 55. The Grizzlies only get 1 of 2 from the line on their next possession and Mullahon makes them pay with a basket for the 57-56 lead, 39 seconds to go. Montana is called for the walk on the restart, and Anderson hits 2 after drawing the foul for a 3 point lead. The Grizzlies reply with 2 with 7 seconds left, and Bailey has a chance to put the game away, but misses the free. Thankfully, they miss the prayer, and we squeak away with a 59-58 win. Anderson lead all scorers with 11 on the night (in only 18 mins) while Bailey grabbed 10 and Mullahon got 9 off the bench. Yikes we've had a lot of close games this year. My poor heart cannot take much more. We close out 2005 10-3 with a CRI rank of 59. Last edited by klayman : 03-13-2003 at 07:40 AM.

03-14-2003, 05:41 AM	#76
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Neither Holley nor Price commit. Something tells me they’re both going to hold out until week 11. Our recruiting options remain the same with Holley getting an aggressive effort and Price a moderate one. Game 14: Idaho State Bengals (8-6, 2-0) @ EWU Eagles (10-3, 1-0) We are the favorites although ISU have a 3-2 starter advantage. They’re definitely having a better year than last year. We dominate on the floor, but are unable to capitalize on our stellar play due to poor shooting. Bailey picks up an early 3 foul, and his limited mins don’t help much either. Nonetheless we squeak out a 34-31 1st half lead. Our offensive doldrums continue into the 2nd half and the Bengals keep the game close until the subs ignite to pull away a 10 point lead. The bench takes us the rest of the way for the 62-49 win. Anderson led with 13, while Mullahon again rallied the team with 8 points and 2 assists off the bench. Game 15: Weber State Wildcats (4-11, 2-1) @ EWU Eagles (11-3, 2-0) We’re the favorites undefeated at Reese Court this year, and hold a 4-1 starter advantage. We always seem to have trouble against Weber St. This game is no different, as we just can’t seem to get our offense and defense clicking at the same time. One thing becomes apparent however, and that we are a completely different team with Mullahon in at PG, as his solid play eats up mins in the 1st half. Regardless, we hold a slight 32-31 lead at the break. A great start to the 2nd is followed by Hathaway igniting off the bench after his short benching, and grabbing 9 assists in the 2nd half, most of them off Zinn’s 24 points, and we win easily 76-60. Zinn (24) was the leader, while Anderson (13) and Bullock (12 and 11 boards) both had great games. Mullahon’s increased mins gives me hope for some major improvement over the offseason for his abilities. However, with one recruiting week left, I go hard after PG Kevan Price, giving him a moderate effort with a late week 10 campus visit. That pretty much breaks the bank, and we can only offer Holley a light effort in the last week. Hopefully we’ve already put in enough effort for him.

03-14-2003, 07:44 AM	#77
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Game 16: EWU Eagles (12-3, 3-0) @ CS Sacramento Hornets (7-9, 0-4) Off a 6 game winning streak, we’re the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage. We hit our first 6 shots and grab a quick 12-1 lead. We then proceed to shoot 7-31 the rest of the half. Thankfully, the Hornets don’t shot any better and we hold a 41-28 half time advantage. Bailey has 11 and 12 boards already in the half. Cal State fly in the second half and close the gap. With 3 mins remaining we hold a 69-68 lead. Bailey makes a free throw to give us a 70-68 advantage…it’s the only scoring in the final 3 mins, and we win 70-68. Bailey finishes with 21 and 18 boards, while Zinn had 14. We are extremely inconsistent this year, especially offensively. But at least we are pulling out the wins, even if they’re not pretty. Game 17: EWU Eagles (13-3, 4-0) @ N. Arizona Lumberjacks (10-7, 2-3) NAU has a 9.6 more points per game average than we do. They’re the favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage as well. Turnovers kill us in the 1st half, giving NAU control of the game and a 33-31 lead. The good news is that the turnovers stop in the 2nd half, the bad news is it comes at the cost of the defense. Poor shot selection doesn’t help as well, and NAU hold the lead throughout the entire 2nd half. We show brief signs of lucidity, and close the gap to 1 point 3 times, but eventually fall back on our lapses to let NAU control the game. With 1:01 left, we’re down 61-63. Bailey’s prayer gets blocked, but NAU return the ball to us with a shot clock violation. :27 seconds left, Bullock draws a foul, hits the first but misses the 2nd. Anderson grabs the rebound, sinks the basket, and we have our only lead of the game with 7 seconds left. NAU miss the buzzer beater, and we steal yet another close one, 64-63, Zinn leads the team with 18 points, while Bailey had 12, but only shot 35%, well below his career 56%. Ugly, but we'll take it. What looked like a disastrous recruiting season turns into our best as we get both Holley and Price committing in week 11. I really don’t know why neither player was not picked up by even a mid major school, but I’m not going to complain. Holley is our 2nd 5 star player, and our highest ranked recruit, ever. Committed: Earl Holley SG (***), 6-4, 161) Oregon-Davis HS Hamlet, IN SG: #3, National: #18, Regional: #5 MidWest. Offense: Excellent, Defense: Excellent, Handling: Good, Rebound: Average, Athleticism: Good, Potential: Excellent HS Stats 22.0 Ppg, 5.7 Rpg, 1.4 Apg 3.05 GPA Committed: Kevan Price PG (*, 6-1, 166) Joplin HS Joplin, MO PG: #14, National: #60, Regional: #10 MidWest. Offense: Average, Defense: Excellent, Handling: Excellent, Rebound: Below Average, Athleticism: Average, Potential: Good HS Stats 10.5 Ppg, 2.4 Rpg, 7.8 Apg 2.47 GPA Last edited by klayman : 03-14-2003 at 07:46 AM.*

03-18-2003, 05:52 AM	#78
Nyarlahotep College Benchwarmer Join Date: Mar 2003	Loving the dynasty, can't wait to see how the new crop of recruits do.

03-18-2003, 11:34 PM	#80
Nyarlahotep College Benchwarmer Join Date: Mar 2003	Oops, sorry. I figured it out that later that same day. Unfortunately I can't play because my computer is cursed and doesn't want to go above 800X600.

03-25-2003, 02:22 PM	#81
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been in the hospital the last while getting my gallbladder removed. The good news is that I'm now off for awhile with nothing much to do but play At this point I've upgraded to the v1.30 patch. Game 18: Portland State Vikings (7-10, 2-3) @ EWU Eagles (14-3, 5-0) PSU get the favorite tag with a 3-2 starter advantage. A poor first half by our standards sees us turnover the ball more than we have possession of it. We’re redeemed only by Bailey and Bullock who combine for 16 points and 14 boards between them (against PSU’s 1st half 7 boards) and we only trail by one, 35-34 at the break. A 15-3 run to start off the 2nd half puts us in control and never look back for the easy 76-59 win. Bailey was the star with 24 points, while Bullock (13) and Bailey (15) each had individually more rebounds than PSU had as a team (12). That game closes out our first half of the conference schedule at an impressive 6-0. Big Sky Standings Code: Team W L Overall EWU 6 0 15-3 Montana State 5 0 12-5 Montana 3 3 9-9 Idaho State 2 3 8-9 N.Arizona 2 4 10-8 Portland State 2 4 7-11 Weber State 2 4 4-14 Cal State Sac 1 5 8-10

03-26-2003, 08:14 PM	#82
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Game 19: EWU Eagles (15-3) @ Washington Huskies (10-9) Huskies are the overall favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage. Our first 10 possessions: 1 basket, 5 turnovers, and 4 steals. However, it’s freshman Linton Mullahon leading off the bench once again, as we ignite a 17-4 run to steal a 36-32 1st half lead. We build on the lead early, but the Huskies rough up the team with the subs on the floor and quickly close the gap, tying the game at 53 with 5 mins left. With 1:04 left, Anderson drains his 9 point to tie the game at 61. Huskies ball…they draw the foul and sink both for the 63-61 lead. 36 seconds left. Mullahon to Zinn, nothing but net…63-63. 18 seconds left…we need a stop. But time runs out and we head to OT, where we fail to make any kind of impact and lose 70-78. Bailey lead the way with 17 and 11, while Mullahon had 16 and 5 assists, and Bullock finished with 7 and 10 boards. Game 20: N. Arizona Lumberjacks (11-8, 2-4) @ EWU Eagles (15-4, 6-0) NAU are still the favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage, despite our 9-0 record at home this year. NAU play well, except for a bad case of turnoveridis, and we take a 39-22 advantage into the break. Despite our best efforts to throw away the game in the second half, including watching a 24 point lead disappear in 3 mins, we hold on for the 71-60 win. Bailey led with 22 and 9 boards despite fouling out, while Zinn (13) and Johnson (13) both contributed to the win. Game 21: CS Sacramento Hornets (9-11, 1-6) @ EWU Eagles (16-4, 7-0) We are the clear favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage. I am lifetime 7-0 against Cal State Sac. We build an early lead thanks to Zinn’s 17 1st half points, but suffer a terrible defensive lapse late in the 1st half, as the Hornets storm back from 20 down to cut our lead to 5, 42-37 at the break. We run into foul trouble in the 2nd, with both Johnson and Zinn picking up early 4’s, and turnovers continue to dog us keeping the Hornets in the game. However, Roy Bailey steps up at finishes with 27 giving us the 78-65 win. Bailey grabbed 8 boards along with his 27 points, while Zinn finished with 20 and Hathaway grabbed 10 assists in the win. Last edited by klayman : 03-26-2003 at 08:17 PM.

03-27-2003, 12:18 AM	#83
tucker342 Pro Starter Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Iowa City, IA	Loving the dynasty. Keep it up!!!

03-27-2003, 12:40 AM	#84
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Bailey’s heroics earn him the Big Sky Player of the Week for week 12, with 24.0 PPG, 1.0 APG, 8.5 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 1.5 BPG, +27, 51.4 FG%, 50.0% 3P%, 71.4 FT% stats. Our CRI is at 39, the highest I have ever seen it, although our weak 2-4 record against Top 100 teams is troubling. Game 22: Montana Grizzlies (11-10, 4-4) @ EWU Eagles (17-4, 8-0) We are the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage and an 11-0 record at home. The Grizzlies have historically given us problems, and we beat them by just one point in the first meeting between the two clubs early this season. Both teams are evenly matched regardless what the assistant coaches think. Bailey and Bullock combine for 20 points and 8 boards in the first half to push us ahead 37-30. The Grizzlies go to the 3 point play in the 2nd, and although have initial success, we eventually pull away and win comfortably 80-62. Zinn lead all scorers with 16, while Bullock and Anderson both got 15. Game 23: Montana State Bobcats (16-6, 9-0) @ EWU Eagles (18-4, 9-0) We’re the favorites but the Bobcats hold a 3-2 starter advantage. This game could well determine the Big Sky Conference Title champion this year. We play very well, but an awful 10-22 at the stripe leaves us with only a 38-33 half time lead. Our free throw shooting improves marginally in the 2nd half, and although the Bobcats make things close, we never relinquish the lead and win 79-72. Zinn leads again with 23, while Bailey grabbed 13 and 12 boards.

03-27-2003, 05:09 PM	#85
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Game 24: EWU Eagles (19-4, 10-0) @ Portland State Vikings (10-13, 4-6) PSU gets the favorite tag at home with a 3-2 starter advantage as well. Bailey and Bullock out-rebounded PSU to win our first meeting. We play very poorly in the first half, including another disappointing 4-12 from the line. The Vikings play worse, if that is possible, and we escape the 1st half with a slim 25-23 lead. We continue to play very poorly in the 2nd half but never give up the lead, and win a stinker of a game 55-50. Bailey, Zinn, and Hathaway all had 12 points, while Bailey also grabbed a double-double with 18 rebounds. We finished a horrible 19-40 from the line. Game 25: EWU Eagles (20-4, 11-0) @ Idaho State Bengals (9-15, 3-8) We are the favorites as we cruise to an undefeated conference schedule, but ISU have a 3-2 starter advantage. The subs came off the bench to lead us to victory in our other meeting this year. We play very well and build an early lead to hold a 38-33 half time advantage. Bailey comes alive in the 2nd half to steal the game, shooting 13-14 and grabbing 28 points and 10 boards on way to an 81-68 win. Zinn finished with 16 while Hathaway had 14 assists. We’ve pushed all the way up to 27th in the CRI, and have 1 vote on both IP and .400 Polls. As well, with only 2 conference games left, Montana State has dropped 3 straight, handing us our 4th straight Big Sky Conference Title.

03-27-2003, 05:56 PM	#86
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Game 26: EWU Eagles (21-4, 12-0) @ Weber State Wildcats (8-17, 5-7) We’re the favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage as well. We beat the Wildcats by 16 earlier in the season. We capitalize early, and build an early 10 point lead and hold a 40-28 advantage at the break. The 2nd half is all defense as we hold the Wildcats to only 16 points and win easily 68-44. Zinn (17) and Bailey (15) are the leaders, while Hathaway had another strong game with 13 points and 10 assists. Game 27: EWU Eagles (22-4, 13-0) @ Montana State Bobcats (16-10, 9-4) The Bobcats are the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage, but have dropped 3 straight games since we beat them in our first meeting. A strong 1st half by Hathaway and Zinn keeps us in the game, and grant us a slim 36-33 1st half advantage. The 2nd half is all Roy Bailey and he sparks the team to a late rally to grab an 8 point lead, and we hold it for a 74-65 win and an undefeated conference schedule. Bailey finished with 16 and 8, while Hathaway grabbed 15 and 8 assists. We have moved up to 25th in the CRI, and barring a total disaster we should make it back to the NCT this year. Game 28: LMU Lions (8-19) @ EWU Eagles (23-4) We’re favorites over the Lions although they have a 3-2 starter advantage. Hathaway again leads the team with 13 points en route to a 38-32 half time lead. We build up an early 15 point lead in the 2nd half, and the subs take us the rest of the way for the 78-61 win. Hathaway finishes with 17 points, while Bailey had a strong 2nd half to finish with 15 points and 8 boards.

03-29-2003, 05:49 AM	#87
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Game 29: Dartmouth Big Green (12-14) @ EWU Eagles (24-4) We are clearly the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage. We lose Zinn to an injury early in the game, but Richardson steps off the bench for 11 leading us to a 35-32 half time lead. The team responds with Zinn’s injury as Bullock and Bailey step up in the 2nd half to give us an early lead. The bench takes us most of the way in the 2nd half, but we fail to score in the final 5 mins and luckily just hold on for the 68-65 win. Bailey led all scorers with 21 and 9 boards, while Richardson finished with 13 and Bullock had 12 and 7 boards. Zinn is gone for 4 months with a Torn Posterior Cruciate ligament, meaning the senior Richardson will have to step up for him for the tournament. Bailey gets jobbed in the awards. Despite leading the conference in scoring and placing in the top 5 in all offensive categories, he doesn’t get Big Sky Player of the Year, or even voted to the All-Conference team. Obviously a glaring oversight! Nonetheless we finish the season a remarkable 25-4, with a CRI of 21, and I’d say a good shot at an at-large bid if we don’t win the conference tournament. Of course, why take any chances? Code: Big Sky Standings Team Conf. Wins Conf. Losses Pct. Total Wins Total Losses Pct. PF PA Eastern Wash. 14 0 1.000 25 4 .862 2030 1821 Montana State 9 5 .643 17 12 .586 2168 2008 Montana 8 6 .571 15 14 .517 2081 2082 Northern Arizona 6 8 .429 15 14 .517 2214 2210 CS Sacramento 5 9 .357 13 16 .448 2001 2109 Portland State 5 9 .357 12 17 .414 1945 2083 Weber State 5 9 .357 10 19 .345 1974 2287 Idaho State 4 10 .286 11 18 .379 2054 2188 Last edited by klayman : 03-29-2003 at 05:52 AM.

03-29-2003, 06:56 AM	#88
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Big Sky Conference Tournament Game 30: (8) Idaho State Bengals (11-18, 4-10) vs (1) EWU Eagles (25-4, 14-0) We’re the favorites although the Bengals do hold a 3-2 starter advantage. The Bengals were having a good start to the season, but finished 3-12 on the year. A first round loss would be devastating to us. So how surprising is it we play the worse first half we have all year. ISU start the game with a 15-2 run, and never look back on way to a 39-26 half time lead. Early foul trouble by Bailey and Richardson limit their playing time, but thankfully, Eddie Anderson comes off the bench in the 2nd for 21 points, and leads the Eagles back into the game, stealing a 70-59 win in the 2nd half. Other first round matchups: (7) Weber State upsets (2) Montana State (3) Montana over (6) Portland State (4) N. Arizona over (5) Cal State Sac 2nd round matchups Game 31: (4) N. Arizona Lumberjacks (16-14, 7-8) vs (1) EWU Eagles (26-4, 15-0) Despite a 15-0 conference record, NAU are the favorites with a 3-2 starter advantage as well. Both NAU games were tough battles for us this year, so we have to be careful. A 3-2 zone effectively cuts NAU’s offensive threat however, and Richardson and Anderson both combine for 21 points en route to a 40-28 half time advantage. We stay away from the foul trouble of last game, and quickly build a 20 point lead which we never give up and win easily 76-57. Richardson finishes with 20 and 6 assists after only grabbing 2 points last game. Anderson grabs 19 while Bailey finishes with 12 and 11 boards. (3) Montana over (7) Weber State in the other matchup. Game 32: (3) Montana Grizzlies (17-14, 10-6) vs (1) EWU Eagles (27-4, 16-0) We are the favorites with a 4-1 starter advantage in the rematch of last year’s tournament final. Of course, Montana beat us last year, but we managed to win both games over them this year. We flirt with the lead all half, but are reluctant to take it away from the Grizzlies and they close out the break up 35-27. We come out hard in the 2nd, and play great defensive basketball as we hold the Grizzlies to only 10 points. Johnson lights up in the 2nd, grabbing 18 of his 21 points and leading us to another come from behind win, 56-45. Johnson finished with 11 boards along with his 21 points, while Bailey had 16 and 12 boards, and Richardson another strong 18 point game. And with that, we’re back to the big dance!!! Last edited by klayman : 03-29-2003 at 06:57 AM.