History continues to be made every step of the way by the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team.
 
The Eagles concluded the 2015-16 season with an 18-16 record, equaling the third-most victories in 33 seasons as a member of NCAA Division I. Since Eastern became a member of the Big Sky Conference in 1987-88 the win total is the second-most behind the 26 the Eagles won in the 2014-15 season.
 
The 44 combined victories the last two years are the most in since EWU became a member of NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season. They are the most overall in 39 years since EWU won a combined 45 in the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons as a member of the NAIA.
 
 "I just feel amazing support and I'm grateful for all our fans," said Eastern head coach Jim Hayford, whose 84 victories overall equals the best five-year stretch in EWU's Division I history. "You look at a 30-year history and see this is the second-best season we've had for total wins as a member of the Big Sky. We have to thank our players – they gave it everything they had."
 
Eastern has also made back-to-back national tournament appearances for the first time since the 1940's, advancing to the quarterfinal round of the College Basketball Invitational presented by the Gazelle Group. A 79-72 home triumph over Pepperdine in the first round was Eastern's first victory in a national tournament as a member of NCAA Division I in four tries. It was also the first overall since March 12, 1947, when the Eagles played in their fifth NAIA Championship Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. (then known as NAIB) and beat Dakota Wesleyan 62-48.
 
Eastern finished 10-8 in Big Sky Conference play to finish in a tie for fourth-place. Eastern was 1-1 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Big Sky Conference Tournament.
 
Eastern set 17 school records during the course of the year, including 10 by Venky Jois and three others for EWU's prolific three-point shooting. Eastern ranked in the top 25 in NCAA Division I in four team offensive categories, and four individuals marks ranked in the top 18 nationally.
 
Jois and fellow senior Austin McBroom played 122 and 130 NCAA Division I games in their careers, respectively. Eastern's third senior, Kyle Reid, played in an additional 59.
 
"I'm very proud of what our team accomplished," said Hayford. "We've built a good program and we are going to keep building it. Our seniors gave us great effort. Austin came in and with one year led the league in scoring and adjusted right into our offense. Venky leaves as the all-time leading scorer in school history. Kyle played his best game against Pepperdine and gave Eastern its first postseason win in history. We congratulate and thank our three seniors because they gave us a lot."
 
 

Records & Rankings . . .

Jois had a school-record 1,803 points (13th in Big Sky Conference history) in his 122-game career, which included a school-record 120 starts. He had 1,015 rebounds (third in school history, fifth in league history) and 240 blocked shots (school record and second all-time in the Big Sky behind the record of 247). He also broke school records in the 2015-16 season for field goal accuracy (67.9 percent) and dunks (61), and also leaves as the school's career leader in dunks (159), blocked shots per game (2.0) and free throws attempted (660). Two other school records were set during his junior campaign when he had 69 blocked shots for a record average of 2.4 per game.
 
With 356 made 3-pointers made in the 2015-16 season, the Eagles broke the school record of 344 set in 2015. Eastern's attempts (924) were also an Eastern all-time high, as was the school's 20 3-pointers versus Portland State on Jan. 28, 2016. Eastern's 126 points, 50 field goals made and 23 steals against George Fox on Nov. 15, 2015, were all records. The 17th record came when sophomore Bogdan Bliznyuk recorded the first triple-double in school history with 11 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists against Northern Arizona on Jan. 16, 2016.
 
McBroom, a senior graduate transfer, and junior Felix Von Hofe climbed all-time best lists for single season 3-pointers. McBroom had 115 in his lone season as an Eagle to rank third in Big Sky history and second in school history, just 13 from the school and league record set by Eastern's Tyler Harvey with 128 in the 2014-15 season. Von Hofe finished with 105 to rank seventh all-time in the league and fourth in EWU history. With a year to play as an Eagle, Von Hofe is sixth in school history in 3-pointers made with 166 (94 from the record), and his 407 attempts are eighth. His 40.8 percent accuracy from the 3-point arc ranks 11th, right behind Bliznyuk at 40.9 percent.
 
As a result of EWU's 3-point prowess, Eastern ranked fifth in NCAA Division I with an average of 10.5 3-pointers made per game. McBroom was fifth individually with a 3.48 average, and Von Hofe was 17th at 3.18 per game. McBroom was also 18th nationally with a league-leading 21.0 scoring average to rank as the fifth-best in school history (his 692 total points were fourth).
 
Eastern also ranked 15th in NCAA Division I in scoring offense (81.4 points per game), 16th in overall field goal accuracy (48.3 percent) and 25th in accuracy from the 3-point stripe (38.5 percent). Jois was second in field goal percentage at .679, ranking only behind Evan Bradds of Belmont at .714.
 
 
 

Postseason/Preseason Notes 

 
* Eastern has now appeared in four national postseason tournaments in 33 seasons as a member of NCAA Division. Besides the CBI in 2016, Eastern has participated in the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and 2015, and the NIT in 2003. In 2003, Eastern fell to Wyoming 78-71 in the first round of the NIT, then lost 75-56 to Oklahoma State in the NCAA Tournament in Kansas City, Mo., a year later. In the 2014-15 season, after winning the Big Sky Conference Tournament title in Missoula, Eastern fell to 22nd-ranked Georgetown 84-74. Eastern's 79-72 victory over Pepperdine in the College Invitational Tournament on March 16, 2016, was Eastern's first as a member of NCAA Division I, and first in nearly 70 years (62-48 over Dakota Wesleyan on March 12, 1947). Following an 85-70 loss to eventual champion Nevada in the quarterfinals, Eastern is now 1-4 in postseason national tournaments as a member of Division I and 7-9 overall.
 
* Eastern also played in the NAIA Championships (then known as NAIB) on five occasions, with a 6-5 record in appearances in 1942, 1943, 1945, 1946 and 1947. Before beating Pepperdine in 2016, Eastern's previous national tournament victory came on March 12, 1947, when Eastern – then known as the Eastern Washington College of Education Savages – beat Dakota Wesleyan 62-48. One year earlier, Eastern lost to Pepperdine before meeting the Waves again for the second time in school history nearly 70 years to the day later in the CIT.
 
* The CBI was the eighth national post-season tournament Jim Hayford has coached in. Besides the 2015 NCAA Tournament, he coached Whitworth in six NCAA Division III Tournaments (2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011). He is 8-9 in national tourney games, including an Elite Eight appearance in his final season at Whitworth in 2011.
 
* The Eagles had a 6-6 record in non-conference play, with three of those losses coming to upper echelon squads in NCAA Division I (Mississippi State, Davidson and Pittsburgh). With two of EWU's wins against lower-division teams, that gave Eastern seven opponents – mid-majors if you will – to prepare for the rigors of league play. The Eagles finished those seven games with a 4-3 record, including road wins at San Francisco and Denver. Fresh off its best season in the school's NCAA Division I history, Eastern played teams from nine different conferences in the 2015-16 non-conference portion of EWU's season.
 
* Of EWU's first 14 games of the season, just three were at home – Nov. 15, Nov. 17 and Dec. 6. A Dec. 17 game against Morehead State would have been one of only two home games for the Eagles in a 12-game stretch from Nov. 23 to Jan. 2, but it was canceled because of weather-related travel difficulties for the Kentucky-based team. Thus, by the time the Eagles played Idaho, they had not played at home in more than a month and played 10 of 11 on the road (including its last six). Eastern finished the 2015-16 season 11-2 at home.
 
 
 
 

Venky Jois/Austin McBroom/Felix Von Hofe Milestones

 
* Senior Venky Jois, only the third player in the 53-year history of the Big Sky Conference to have more than 1,600 points and 900 rebounds in his career, established 10 school records, including the most coveted against Idaho State on March 3 by becoming Eastern's all-time scoring leader. A layup with four minutes left in the first half put him past the previous record of 1,741 set 39 years ago by Ron Cox (1974-77). Jois finished his career with 1,803 points to rank 13th in Big Sky history.
 
* Besides his scoring prowess, Jois' school-record total of 240 blocked shots were seven from the league record of 247 (Brian Qvale, Montana, 2008-11). Jois also had 1,015 rebounds in his career to rank third in school history and fifth all-time in the Big Sky. The only other players in league history to have more than 1,600 points and 900 rebounds are Larry Krystkowiak (Montana, 1983-86, 2,017 points, 1,105 rebounds, 3,122 total) and Steve Hayes (Idaho State, 1974-77, 1,933 points, 1,147 rebounds, 3,080 total). For total points/rebounds, Jois is fourth all-time with a total of 2,818.
 
* With 61 dunks in the 2015-16 season to break his own school record of 53 set as a junior, Jois finished 20th in Big Sky history and fifth in school history in career field goal percentage (58.3 percent). His accuracy as a senior of 67.9 percent is set a school record (Ron Cox, 66.0 percent in 1977) and ranked as the third-best in league history. Jois also ranks on EWU's career leaders lists for games played (122, second), scoring average (14.8, 10th), rebounding average (8.3, eighth), field goals attempted (1,232, second), field goals made (718, second), free throws made (363, second) and owns school records for dunks (159) and free throws attempted (660).
 
* With 115 3-pointers in his lone season as an Eagle, senior graduate transfer Austin McBroom finished third among the 10 performances in Big Sky Conference history with at least 100. Five of those performances are by Eagles (Shannon Taylor 103 in 1999, Tyler Harvey 109 in 2014, Harvey a Big Sky-record 128 in 2015 and Felix Vone Hofe 105 in 2016). McBroom had a 21.0 scoring average to rank as the fifth-best in school history and his 692 total points were fourth.
 
* Besides ranked seventh in Big Sky history in 3-pointers made in a single season with 105, Felix Von Hofe is fifth in school history in that category. In his career, he is sixth in 3-pointers made (166), eighth in 3-point attempts (407) and 11th in 3-point field goal accuracy (40.8 percent).
 
 
 
 

School Records Broken

 (Venky Jois owns 10)
 
Single Game
Team - Points - 126 vs. George Fox 11/15/15 (old record 124)
Team - 3-Point Field Goals - 20 vs. Portland State 1/28/16 (old record 18)
            • Also tied the Big Sky record, which was broken on 2/11/16 when MSU had 25 against Northern Arizona
Team - Field Goals Made - 50 vs. George Fox 11/15/15 (old record 45)
Team - Steals - 23 vs. George Fox 11/15/15 (old record 19)
Bogdan Bliznyuk/FIRST-EVER TRIPLE DOUBLE - 11 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists vs. Northern Arizona 1/16/16
 
Season (all marks from 2015-16 season unless noted)
Team - Three-Pointers - 356 (old record 344 set in 2014-15)
Team - Three-Pointers Attempted - 924 (old record 860 set in 2014-15)
Venky Jois – Season Field Goal Percentage - .679 (old record .660 set by Ron Cox in 1976-77) . . . 3rd in Big Sky History
Venky Jois - Dunks - 61 (old record 53 set in 2014-15 by Jois)
*** Venky Jois - Blocked Shots - 69 (old record 68 set in 2013-13 by Martin Seiferth)
*** Venky Jois - Blocked Shots Per Game - 2.22 (old record 2.19 set in 2013-13 by Martin Seiferth)
***Record broken in 2014-15.
 
Career
Venky Jois - Games Started - 120 (broke old record of 107)
Venky Jois - Points - 1,803 (broke old record of 1,741) . . . 13th in Big Sky History
Venky Jois - Free Throws Attempted - 660 (broke old record of 499)
Venky Jois - Blocked Shots Per Game - 2.0 (broke old record of 1.8)
Venky Jois - Blocked Shots - 240 (broke old record of 112) . . . 2nd in Big Sky History
Venky Jois - Dunks - 159 (broke old record of 101)
-- Jois' 1,015 rebounds are third in school history and fifth all-time in the Big Sky Conference
 
 
 
 

Season Notes 

 
* Eastern's first-ever national tournament victory as a member of NCAA Division I was especially sweet for Jim Hayford, who coached in his 500th game as a collegiate head coach in a 79-72 victory over Pepperdine in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational on March 16, 2016. Following a season-ending loss at eventual champion Nevada in the quarterfinals of the CBI, he is now 338-163 in 17 seasons, including 37-27 at Sioux Falls (two seasons from 1999-2001), 217-57 at nearby Whitworth (10 seasons from 2001-2011) and 84-79 at EWU (five seasons from 2011-16).
 
* The Eagles and head coach Jim Hayford won the most games in back-to-back seasons in the school's 33 seasons as a member of NCAA Division I. Eastern won 44 (26 in 2014-15 and 18 in 2015-16), to overtake the previous mark of 35. This is also the first time since the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons EWU has had back-to-back winning seasons, and EWU's 24 total league wins the last two seasons are also the most in back-to-back years in 29 seasons as a member of the Big Sky. Hayford is the winningest coach in Eastern's Division I history with 84 wins in his five years at the helm (the previous mark was 69). He has averaged 16.8 victories per season thus far – just behind the all-time record of 17.3 among Eastern coaches with at least four seasons at the helm.
 
* Eastern's scoring average for the season of 81.4 points ranked 15th in NCAA Division I and led the Big Sky Conference. The Eagles were 16th in field goal accuracy at 48.3 percent. Eastern scored 2,769 points, just 51 points from the school record of 2,820 points scored in 2014-15 when EWU averaged 80.6 per game to rank third in NCAA Division I. Eastern's school records for average are 90.0 overall (1972) and 84.2 as a member of D1 (2007).
 
* Eastern finished 14-0 when it had a better field goal percentage than its opponent, and 4-16 when it was out-shot. The Eagles also were 9-2 when allowing 71 points or fewer and 9-1 when their opponent made 44.9 percent or less from the field, and were 1-9 when EWU scored 71 or fewer. Against Sacramento State on Feb. 18, the Eagles won for the ninth-straight time when they made at least 50 percent of their shots, finishing 31-of-58 for 53 percent with 11 3-pointers, but that streak ended the next game versus Portland State when EWU was out-shot 65 percent to 50 percent. The Eagles, who ranked 15th in NCAA Division I with an accuracy rate of 48.3 percent, were 12-3 when making at least 50 percent, and had had hit that mark in five-straight games before making only 43 percent versus Idaho on Feb. 27. Starting with that Idaho game, EWU made only 41.8 percent overall (176-of-421) and 35.8 percent from the 3-point stripe (73-of-204) in its last seven games, with no 50 percent performances and a record of 2-5.
 
* Featuring a school-record performance with 20 3-pointers against Portland State on Jan. 28, Eastern's average of 10.5 3-pointers per game ranked fifth in NCAA Division I and led the Big Sky. The team's percentage was 25th at 38.5 percent (previously 175th/33.9 percent after six games). Austin McBroom (3.48 per game) and Felix Von Hofe (3.18 per game) finished ranked first and second in the Big Sky and were fifth and 17th, respectively, in the nation. With 356 3-pointers made, the Eagles broke the school record of 344 set in 2015, with the percentage record (.400) set the same season. Against PSU on Jan. 28, the Eagles made 20-of-31 to break the previous school record of 18 3-pointers set against New Hope on Dec. 4, 2010 and equal the Big Sky record (since broken by Montana State with 25 on Feb. 11 versus Northern Arizona). Eastern's 20 treys were by eight different players – six by Austin McBroom, five by Felix Von Hofe, four by Julian Harrell and one each by Bogdan Bliznyuk, Sir Washington, Bear Henderson, Will Ferris and Cody Benzel. Two days later, Eastern made just 1-of-20 in a 74-67 home victory over Sacramento State. In the 2014-15 season, Eastern was fifth nationally with an average of 9.8 made treys per game, and its 40.0 percent accuracy was eighth-best in the nation.
 
* Eastern led for 420:09 out of 480 minutes – 88 percent -- in its last 12 victories of the season. In a three-game homestand in January which started the trend, EWU led 113:30 out of a total of 120 possible minutes, sank 57 percent of their shots (99-of-174) and had an average winning margin of 21.0 points per game. Eastern averaged 92 points per game while allowing an average of 71. But proving just how difficult it is to win on the road, Eastern led Montana on Jan. 23 for just 3:29 and two nights earlier led MSU for just 5:23. In a 107-91 loss at Portland State on Feb. 20 that snapped EWU's seven-game winning streak, EWU led for just 48 seconds, with the game tied for 1:22 and PSU leading for 37:50.
 
* From Jan. 28 to Feb. 18 the Eagles had a seven-game winning streak, its best since the 2003-04 season when the Eagles won 11 in a row – all during conference play. Eastern's longest winning streak during its 26-9 campaign in 2014-15 was six games. Both the 2004 and 2015 squads advanced to the NCAA Tournament. In those seven games, EWU led for 259:10 out of 280 total minutes – 93 percent -- and only trailed for 7:18 (tied for the other 13:32). Eastern's win over North Dakota was its closest of the seven games, with UND leading for 5:02 and the game tied for 2:27 in the first half. The Eagles led for 38:47 in its most recent game versus Sacramento State, 37:13 against Northern Colorado, 32:31 against UND, 33:16 at Southern Utah, 39:45 at Northern Arizona, 38:25 versus Sacramento State and 39:13 against Portland State. Versus PSU, EWU opened a double-digit lead it never relinquished at 16-4 just 3:40 into the game, and led by 20 or more for the last 26:21 of the game and 27:13 total.
 
* The 2015-16 season was only the second time in Eastern's 33 seasons as a member of NCAA Division I that the Eagles have scored at least 100 points in four games. Eastern also achieved that feat in 2006-07 season when Rodney Stuckey averaged 24.6 points per game when the Eagles averaged 84.2 per game to establish EWU's high-water mark as a member of DI. The overall record for 100-point performances is eight set in the 1970-71 season, and the 1971-72 squad had seven when Eastern averaged a school-record 90.0 points per game. Eastern scored a school-record 126 points against George Fox on Nov. 15, 2015, when the Eagles also set school records for field goals made (50) and steals (23).
 
* Eastern led at halftime in 24 of 34 games, and had a 17-7 record in those 24 games. Until a 96-86 loss to Davidson on Dec. 9 and an 84-51 setback to Pitt two days later, EWU had led at halftime in its first eight games of the year. The Eagles trailed by eight and 19 points, respectively in those two games. Eastern out-scored opponents 1341-1158 in the first half (average score of 39-34) and was outscored 1459-1428 in the second half (43-42).
 
* Entering the 2015-16 season, head coach Jim Hayford was selected by College Sports Madness as its preseason Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year. Additionally, Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports rated him as one of the top 21 offensive coaches in all of NCAA Division I.
 
* Head coach Jim Hayford – the 2014-15 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year -- took over an Eastern team in 2011-12 that had been to the Big Sky Conference Tournament just once in five seasons, but in the 2014-15 season he took the Eagles to new heights. The 26 victories for EWU that season were the fourth-most in the more than 50-year history of the league. In fact, a local newspaper dubbed Hayford the "Wizard in Cheney" in a feature article in November 2015. On July 8, 2015, Hayford signed a new five-year agreement which extends his contract at EWU through the 2019-20 season. The new five-year agreement replaced the contract he signed a year prior.
 
* For the second year in a row, EWU was honored with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award. Eastern's 3.27 team grade point average was the best in the Big Sky Conference in the 2014-15 season, and .20 better than the team's 3.07 average of a year ago.
 
* Active within the last year in the pro ranks are 14 former Eagles, including Tyler Harvey and Drew Brandon from EWU's 2014-15 team. Harvey is now with the Erie Bay Hawks of the NBA's Developmental League after getting drafted in the second round (51st overall) by the Orlando Magic in the 2015 NBA Draft. Harvey averaged 10.6 points, 2.0 assists and 1.4 rebounds for the Magic's "Blue" summer squad. Brandon is in his first year with the Bayer Giants in the Germany ProA League. Eastern's professional players are headlined by NBA veteran Rodney Stuckey, who is in his second season with Indiana after seven seasons with the Detroit Pistons. In 2014-15 – his eighth season as a pro and first with the Indiana Pacers – Stuckey averaged 12.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 0.8 steals per game in 71 games (36 starts). He made a career-best 39.0 percent of his 3-point attempts, sinking 55-of-141. Stuckey signed a new 3-year, $21 million contract with the Pacers on July 21, 2015.
 
 
 
 

Player Notes 

 
* Eagle players are a collective 16-5 when they have double-doubles, including Venky Jois (8-5), Bogdan Bliznyuk (7-0) and Austin McBroom (1-0). Jois, with 39 in his career, led EWU to a 23-16 record in those games (8-5 in his senior season, 6-2 in 2014-15, 4-5 in 2013-14 and 5-4 in 2012-13). Eastern is 8-1 in the nine career double-doubles Bliznyuk has recorded, including a current streak of eight in a row.
 
* Venky Jois finished his career with 122 total games played (a school-record 130 as a starter), and led Eastern in scoring 26 times, rebounding on 76 occasions, blocked shots in 80 games and steals eight times. He scored at least 30 points twice, 20 points on 27 occasions and scored in double figures in all but 24 games as an Eagle. He also had 42 double-figure rebounding performances, including 39 double-doubles.
 
* In one season as an Eagle – 33 total games – Austin McBroom led Eastern in scoring in 15 games, assists in 16 and steals nine times. He scored in double figures in all 33 games he played, with 14 20-point performances and five with at least 30.
 
* When including two previous collegiate stops, senior graduate transfer Austin McBroom played in 130 games (76 as a starter) and had 257 career 3-pointers, marks that would rank first and second, respectively, in EWU history if they all came as an Eagle. The school record for games played is 126 set the last four seasons by Parker Kelly (Venky Jois played in 122), and the 3-point record is 260 set the last three seasons by Tyler Harvey. McBroom came to EWU with 97 games and 45 starts worth of NCAA Division I experience -- he played in 66 games at Saint Louis (15 as a starter) in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, and 31 (30 as a starter) at Central Michigan in 2011-12. In those 130 games, McBroom had per game averages of 23.6 minutes (3,062 total), 11.5 points (1,492), 2.4 assists (314), 2.0 rebounds (261), 0.8 steals (110) and 1.8 turnovers (238). His shooting percentages were 40.1 percent (461-of-1149) overall, 40.0 percent from the 3-point arc (257-of-643), and 83.2 percent from the free throw line (313-of-376). Only three players in Eastern history have made at least 83.0 percent of their free throws in their careers (the record of 84.9 percent).
 
* Senior graduate transfer Austin McBroom finished the 2014-15 season with a 21.0 scoring average to rank is first in the Big Sky and 18th in NCAA Division I, and his average of 3.48 3-pointers per game led the league and was fifth nationally. His 115 total 3-pointers ranked second all-time in single season school history and third in league history. McBroom was also 14th in the nation in minutes per game with a league-leading 37.4 average, and was 62nd nationally and 11th in the Big Sky in 3-point percentage (.402). He was seventh in the league and 89th nationally in free throw percentage, making 153-of-184 for 83.2 percent (he was 10th nationally after making 19 of his first 20). His assists average of 3.7 per game ranked eighth in the league. He was the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week after piling up the most points in back-to-back games in Big Sky Conference play in school history, finishing with a combined 72 points in EWU's home sweep against North Dakota (35 points on 2/11/16) and Northern Colorado (37 points on 2/13/16). Including his 11 assists which led to 26 additional Eagle points, he had a hand in 98 of EWU's 192 points on the weekend (51 percent). The Eagles lost a pair of All-Big Sky guards from EWU's 2014-15 NCAA Tournament team, but McBroom has provided an instant solution for the Eagles. He scored 76 points on Eastern's East Coast road trip, including 33 at Davidson on Dec. 11, 14 two nights later at Pitt and 29 on Dec. 14 at Western Carolina. His performance against Davidson included a 12-of-19 shooting night, and eclipsed his previous top game as an Eagle of 20 points (versus Pacific) and as a collegian of 26 points (for Saint Louis against Bradley on 11/29/14). He sank 10-of-17 shots from the field at Western Carolina, including 7-of-12 3-point attempts. His 19 points, five 3-pointers and five assists helped EWU win at San Francisco 81-77 on Dec. 1. He had a double-double with 19 points and 10 assists versus George Fox on Nov. 15. McBroom came to EWU with 97 games and 45 starts worth of NCAA Division I experience -- he played in 66 games at Saint Louis (15 as a starter) and 31 (30 as a starter) at Central Michigan in 2011-12.
 
* Preseason Big Sky Conference MVP Venky Jois made 67 of his last 96 shots (70 percent) in the final 10 games of his career to finish ranked a season-high second in NCAA Division I in field goal percentage. His mark of 67.9 percent broke the school record of 66.0 percent set by Ron Cox in the 1976-77 season and ranks third all-time in the Big Sky. He was also 70th nationally and fifth in the league in rebounding (8.7 per game), 68th/2nd in blocked shots (1.75) and 164th/10th in scoring (16.7). Jois had 13 double-doubles as a senior, with 12 in his last 22 games, including his 39th career double-double against Idaho (3/10/16) with 17 points and 12 boards. He had his first double-double of the season with 21 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots at Davidson on Dec. 9. Jois played in the 100th game of his career and became the 16th player in school history to hit the century mark on Dec. 14 when EWU played at Western Carolina. He equaled his career high with seven assists on Nov. 29 against South Dakota, which double and triple teamed him when he got the ball in the post and limited him to just three shots. He also went to the free throw line five times against the Coyotes to surpass the school's career record for charity shots. He finished with 660 free throws attempted in his career, breaking the previous school record of 499 set by Dave Hayden from 1970-73. His 363 free throws made are second in school history, with Rodney Stuckey (2006-07) owning the record of 386. Jois also owns school records with 120 games started, 240 blocked shots (second in Big Sky history), a 2.0 average blocks per game and 159 dunks. He averaged 16.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots per game as a junior, and as a senior had averages of 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 blocks. In Eastern's home sweep versus Portland State (1/28/16) and Sacramento State (1/30/16), he averaged 23.5 points and 10.5 rebounds while making 63 percent of his shots from the field (19-of-30) and 75 percent from the free throw line (9-of-12). He also had three assists, three blocks and a steal to garner Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors. In a six-game stretch from Jan. 14-30, he averaged 20.5 points and 9.5 points on 53-of-79 shooting (67.1 percent) from the field, helping EWU to four victories. He had a huge weekend in Eastern's home sweep on Jan. 14 and 16, scoring 45 points on 21-of-28 (75 percent) shooting from the field, with a total of 11 dunks. Jois also had 20 rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and a pair of steals. Eastern beat Southern Utah 106-80 and Northern Arizona 96-73 in a pair of romps that EWU led for a total of 73:22 and trailed for just 4:09 out of 80 minutes. He made 11-of-16 shots with six dunks to score 24 against SUU, and also had 12 rebounds to finish with a double-double. He made 10-of-12 shots from the field with five dunks, and added eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals in a 21-point effort versus NAU.
 
* Besides Venky Jois and Austin McBroom, the third Eagle senior in 2015-16 was Los Angeles native Kyle Reid, who played in 59 career games after transferring from Los Angeles Trade Tech. He played in 28 games as a senior, and scored a total of 69 points and had 69 rebounds in his career. He scored a career-high 10 points versus Great Falls earlier his senior year when he made all three of his shots from the field and 4-of-7 free throws. As a junior, he played in 31 games and earned Big Sky Conference All-Academic honors.
 
 * Sophomore forward Bogdan Bliznyuk was one of only two players in the league (NAUs Kris Yanku is the other) to rank in the top 25 in scoring (20th, 12.4 per game) and the top 12 in rebounding (8th, 6.8) and assists (12th, 3.0). He also ranks in the top 10 in steals (9th, 1.2) and free throw percentage (9th, 79.8 percent). In league only statistics, Bliznyuk finished ranked in the top 20 in scoring (20th, 12.5) and in the top 11 in five other categories – rebounding (6th, 7.8), assists (11th, 3.4), blocked shots (8th, 1.0), free throw percentage (6th, .833) and assist-to-turnover ratio (8th, +1.6). His career 3-point accuracy of 40.9 percent is currently 10th all-time at EWU, and he has averaged 10.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.9 steals in his 69-game career thus far (32 as a starter). Playing a key "blur" position for the Eagles, Bliznyuk had seven double-doubles as a sophomore and has nine in his career. Included was the first triple-double in school history with 11 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in a 96-73 victory over Northern Arizona (1/16/16). He made 4-of-12 shots from the field and both of his free throws, and also had three blocked shots. Not even Rodney Stuckey, now of the Indiana Pacers, or former All-Big Sky point guard Drew Brandon, were able to register the rare feat. He followed that with his fourth double-double of his career and third in the 2015-16 season with 22 points and 13 rebounds at Montana State (1/21/16), and against Portland State (1/28/16) he had another monster game with 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists, five steals and four blocked shots in 34 minutes. In Eastern's road sweep over Northern Arizona (84-73) and Southern Utah (81-67), he averaged 24.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals to earn College Sports Madness Big Sky Player of the Week honors. He sank 53.8 percent of his shots overall (14-of-26), making an equal percentage and amount of shots from the 3-point stripe as well as inside (7-of-13 each). He was 7-of-13 from the field in both games as well, registering a double-double with 22 points, a career-high six 3-pointers and 10 rebounds against NAU in EWU's first Big Sky road win of the season. He then had a career-high 26 points with seven rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals against SUU. He made 11-of-12 free throws against the Thunderbirds, including 6-of-6 in the last 3:37 and a key steal and rebound in the final 1:43 to preserve the win.
 
* Sophomore Bogdan Bliznyuk plays a position head coach Jim Hayford calls a "blur" because it shares attributes of a shooting guard, small forward and power forward. He was used frequently at bringing the ball up the court in his sophomore season with a deft ability to get to the rim. He made 43-of-121 3-pointers for 36 percent, and was 103-of-210 inside the stripe (49 percent) with an overall percentage of 45 percent. He also made 83-of-104 free throws (79.8 percent). He was the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year after coming off the bench to average 8.7 points and 4.0 rebounds for the Eagles. It's an honor now won six times in the past 14 seasons by Eastern players, including current Eagle Venky Jois in the 2012-13 season. Bliznyuk, who also earned Big Sky All-Academic honors, averaged 12.0 poi­­nts in league play to rank 24th in the Big Sky -- tops among all freshmen. He was also fifth in field goal shooting (58.0 percent) and 12th in rebounding (5.6). Bliznyuk is formerly from Lutsk, Ukraine, but graduated from Todd Beamer High School in Federal Way, Wash., in 2014. He was less than 2 years old when his father, a truck driver, died in an accident. Their mother moved them to Federal Way five years later to be closer to family. Born with a gap in his upper jaw, he has had multiple surgeries after moving to the United States, included transferring bone from his hip. He officially became a United States citizen on Jan. 12, 2016.
 
* Eastern was 12-7 with Julian Harrell in the starting lineup, having started for the first time on Jan. 9 against Idaho after missing 13 games with an injury. A transfer from City College of San Francisco who previously played at Penn, Harrell averaged 13.3 points in his first three starts in the 2015-16 season (all victories). He sank 15-of-20 shots in those three games, including 6-of-9 3-point shots. In 20 games played in his junior season, he averaged 8.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, while making 50.0 percent of his shots and 24-of-63 3-pointers (38.1 percent). He closed the year with a 15-point performance against Nevada (3/21/16) in the quarterfinals of the CBI, making 3-of-5 3-pointers and 6-of-10 overall. His season high came versus Portland State (1/28/16) when he finished with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-6 3-pointers. He made the first start of his career against Idaho (1/9/16), helping EWU to a 28-12 lead by scoring all 10 of his first-half points in that stretch on a trio of 3-pointers and a free throw. He finished with 14 points and three rebounds in a total of 25 minutes, then had 15 points in 19 minutes on 6-of-7 shooting against Southern Utah (1/14/16). He had two points, five rebounds and an assist in 10 minutes of action in his Eagle debut versus North Dakota (1/4/16) after missing the first 13 games with a hand injury. He also takes on the added role of usually guarding the opposing team's best player.
 
* Junior sharpshooter Felix Von Hofe ranked 17th in NCAA Division I and second in the league in 3-pointers per game with an average of 3.18 per game (he was third with a 3.86 average following EWU's game on Jan. 9) and was 29th in accuracy at 42.3 percent (he was 22nd with a 46.2 percent accuracy rate after Jan. 9). With 166 career 3-pointers, Von Hofe already ranks sixth in school history, and his 407 attempts are eighth. He is 94 makes from the career record of 260 set by Tyler Harvey (2013-15). Von Hofe's career 3-point accuracy of 40.8 percent is currently 11th all-time at EWU. His 105 3-point field goals in 2015-16 ranked fourth in single season school history (seventh all-time in the Big Sky) and his 248 attempts were fifth in EWU history. He averaged 13.0 points on the season to rank 18th in the league, but in a five-game stretch from Dec. 14 to Jan. 9, he averaged 24.0 points with outings of 28, 27 (twice) and 19 (twice). In that stretch, he made 52.6 percent of his shots overall (40-of-76) and 50.0 percent of his 3-point shots (27-of-54), and also made 13-of-16 free throws (81.3 percent) and averaged 4.4 rebounds. He was selected on Dec. 21 as the Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week after back-to-back career-best performances. The 6-foot-5 sharpshooter eclipsed his career high with 28 in a huge 74-58 road win at Denver on Dec. 20 on 9-of-18 shooting from the field and 8-of-14 from the 3-point stripe. Von Hofe finished two treys away from the school record of 10 and also had six rebounds -- two from his career high. One game earlier, he scored 27 at Western Carolina, which bested his previous high of 25 points set against Seattle on Nov. 18. He made 10-of-16 shots overall and 5-of-9 from the 3-point stripe against Western Carolina, for two-game totals of 19-of-34 (55.9 percent) and 13-of-23 (56.5 percent).
 
* Eastern's sixth-man, sophomore guard Sir Washington made 7-of-10 shots from the field to finish with 15 points and equal his career high against Sacramento State (2/18/15). It was his most in his career against a Division I opponent, and matched his overall career high of 15 against Great Falls (12/6/15). He scored in double figures seven times in his sophomore season, including a 10-point effort on perfect 3-of-3 shooting against Portland State (1/28/16). Three games earlier he came two points from his career high by hitting all five of his shots and three free throws to finish with 13 points in a 96-73 win over Northern Arizona (1/16/16). He also had six points, six rebounds and two steals in 28 minutes at Montana (1/23/16) and eight points, five rebounds and a career-high three assists in 15 minutes versus North Dakota (2/11/15). The Eagle sixth man opened the season with 11 points in the team's opener at Mississippi State, and topped that with career highs of 15 points and nine rebounds against Great Falls on Dec. 6. He also scored 11 in two other games, including Northern Colorado (12/31/16) in the team's league opener. He was injured and didn't play versus Idaho (1/9/16). He started six games, and averaged 5.7 points on 47 percent shooting from the field (60 percent in conference play), and also averaged 17.7 minutes and 2.8 rebounds with 26 assists and 20 steals.
 
* Six Eagles made their college basketball debuts in the 2015-16 season, and five of them played in at least 28 Eastern games. Those five were inserted into the starting lineup by head coach Jim Hayford against Great Falls on Dec. 6.
 
* Starting true freshman Jesse Hunt, a 6-foot-7 forward, made the first start of his career against Pacific (11/28/15), and averaged  9.2 minutes, 1.8 rebounds and 1.9 points per game as a nine-game starter. Hunt, who missed EWU's game at Western Carolina with a sprained ankle, had seven points, two rebounds and two steals in seven minutes against Idaho State (3/3/16). Redshirt freshman Will Ferris, who came off the bench to play 23 minutes against Seattle on Nov. 23 and score a career-high nine points, averaged 1.3 points, 0.6 assists and 6.0 minutes on the season. Ty Gibson saw significant action as a true freshman, averaging 6.6 minutes and 1.5 points per game and starting twice. He made all three of his 3-point attempts and a free throw to finish with a season-high 10 points against Southern Utah (1/14/16). Redshirt freshman Bear Henderson averaged 5.4 minutes and 1.4 points, and started his first career game against George Fox on Nov. 15. Freshman redshirt Cody Benzel averaged 3.3 points in an average of 5.9 minutes, including 23 points on a 7-of-14 3-point shooting performance against Great Falls on Dec. 6. He also had a 12-point performance against South Dakota on Nov. 29 when he made four 3-pointers in just eight minutes of action. All five of those players made their collegiate debuts in EWU's opener at Mississippi State on Nov. 13, and Ferris, Benzel and Gibson made the first starts of their careers against Great Falls. True freshman Michael Wearne made his collegiate debut versus George Fox, however, will now redshirt because of a hip injury requiring surgery.
 
* Making his NCAA Division I debut against Mississippi State on Nov. 13 was junior college transfer Rico Nuno, who had a career-high seven rebounds at Denver on Dec. 20 and averaged 1.7 rebounds, 0.6 points and 6.4 minutes in 17 games played. He did not play after Jan. 23 because of a foot injury. Senior graduate transfer Austin McBroom made his Eagle debut against the Bulldogs, and junior transfer Julian Harrell played for the first time on Jan. 2 after missing the first 13 games with a hand injury. Three Eagles – transfer Geremy McKay, transfer Mario Soto and freshman Grant Gibb –redshirted the 2015-16 season.
 
 
 
 
 

Quoting Coach Hayford

 
On Off-Season Priorities: "We'll put together a strength and conditioning program for each player, and will have one-on-one sit-downs with each player. We'll advise them on where they need to develop and improve, and what they've accomplished and need to accomplish. You just keep going to work and that's how you build a program. I think we've built a solid program, and now we need to sustain it and keep trying to accomplish more and more."
 
On Program: "I'm really grateful for such a committed group of Eagle fans and supporters. I think they recognize what great guys we have. We got grades back from the winter quarter and our players did unbelievable. Everything is in a really, really good place and I'm very pleased and very blessed."
 
On Nevada Loss in CBI: "The first half was the game we wanted to play. We just couldn't sustain it in the second half. Credit Nevada – they played a very good game and shot the ball well against our zone. We knew if we were going to win here we would have to win a shootout. It was going to have to be the first half times two. Then we missed our first 10 shots of the second half. One was a bad shot but the others were good shots – we just didn't make them. That put our backs against the wall. We did show some fight to come back, but we had only two interior baskets in the second half. They were able to lean out on us and we weren't able to get to the rim."
 
On Playing Without Venky Jois Most of the CBI: "We don't make any excuses. Normally the balance to that outside shooting is Venky inside, but we didn't have him. I thought Jesse (Hunt) and Kyle (Reid) really fought hard and did the best they could. And we had Sir (Washington) in there and he had a few shots blocked, but he was trying. Without Venky they are probably the better team."
 
On Grit of Team During Shooting Struggles: "Our team never could have won a game early in the year shooting 38 percent. We just couldn't. But even in these games where we've lost, we've been developing toughness in staying in games when we didn't shoot very well. There is some grit and toughness to this team. It's been growing, and it showed up against Pepperdine at the end."
 
On Pepperdine Victory: "We got out of this with a postseason win – the first in Eastern history. We're really excited about it. I'm very happy for our players because we were having fun with each other. I really appreciate the way the crowd got behind the team and go into the game. It was a really fun home court environment and our team really was having fun. We told Bogdan at halftime that knowing Venky was probably not going to play, we weren't going to win without a great half from him. Then he goes out and has a 23-point second half. Austin was just consistent the whole night through. They had no idea they were coming to Cheney that we were going to play zone defense. Our zone worked great and caught them by surprise."
 
On Shooting Prowess: "We recruit to shoot – I'm not surprised by our great shooting nights. If you come to practice and watch these players, they can really shoot it. We put a premium on it and it's one of the standards of our offense. When we are shooting well it sets up our drive game and our post play."
 
On Venky Jois Building Program: "Tyler Harvey got a lot of attention (in 2014-15), but there are some unsung heroes too in the renaissance of Eastern basketball. Venky is going to leave here as the all-time leading scorer and the all-time leader in blocked shots. He's a pre-med major and was selected to the all-academic team for our region. The reason is our program is better is that we were able to build on his back. He's that good of a player and a person. He loves Eastern – he sweats it. He said, 'I will turn this around with you Coach Hayford,' and he's done it. That's why we'll see his number retired in this gym some day."
 
On Austin McBroom Filling Gap When Tyler Harvey Departed a Year Early: "We had a gap in our program, and I don't think there was a graduate transfer in the country better than the player we were able to get. We lost a player to the NBA, but our team is playing great basketball on the offensive side, this is in large part due to because we added a player like Austin. I'm really glad he wanted to get his master's in communications here because he's made us a great offensive team."
 
On Bogdan Bliznyuk: "Bogdan is playing great basketball -- as well as anyone on our team. I am really proud of him.  His conference statistics reflect his great ability and character."
 
 
 
 
 

College Basketball Invitational Recaps

 
* A gutty, sensational first half just wasn't enough for Eastern to advance past the quarterfinals in the College Basketball Invitational. Playing without the school's all-time leader scorer because of an injured knee, the Eagles had an inspiring performance to lead 45-43 at halftime, but faltered in the second half and lost 85-70 to eventual champion Nevada March 21 at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nevada. Eagle senior Venky Jois was unable to play because of a sore knee, but the Eagles gutted out a first-half performance that included 51 percent shooting and a 7-of-14 performance from the 3-point stripe. In the process of making 13 3-pointers in the game to give them 356 for the season, the Eagles shattered the previous Big Sky Conference and school records of 344 3-pointers set by EWU's 2014-15 squad. The Eagles missed their first 10 shots to start the second half, and a resulting 13-0 Wolf Pack run gave Nevada a lead it would never relinquish. An 11-0 run later in the half put the game away. In the first half alone, there were 12 lead changes and eight ties, and the 13 lead changes in the game were a season high and the nine ties were the second-most of the year for the Eagles. Junior Felix Von Hofe led Eastern with 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the 3-point stripe, and also had four rebounds and a pair of steals. In his 130th game as a collegian, senior graduate transfer Austin McBroom finished with 17 points – all in the first half – and had seven assists and six rebounds. Junior Julian Harrell had 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including 3-of-5 3-point attempts.
 
* Junior guard/forward Bogdan Bliznyuk scored 23 of his game-high 25 points in the second half as the Eagles opened play in the College Basketball Invitational with a 79-72 victory over Pepperdine March 16 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. The victory also extended the season of Eastern's all-time leading scorer, Venky Jois, who played only 12 minutes in the first half because of a sore knee. Jois scored six points and went over the 1,800-point mark in his career. Senior graduate transfer Austin McBroom had 24 points, four assists and five rebounds for the Eagles, and junior Felix Von Hofe added 14 points and nine rebounds. Eastern utilized a zone defense much of the game, and held the Waves to 41.5 percent shooting from the field. Eastern also out-rebounded Pepperdine 45-39, with the Eagles grabbing 14 offensive rebounds and turning them into 13 points. Trailing at halftime 34-29, the Eagles caught fire in the second half and opened a 12-point lead with 8:01 left at 64-52. Although Eastern's shooting came alive in the second half, it was only the fourth time in 19 games in the 2015-16 season Eastern won when it's been out-shot by an opponent. Pepperdine made 42 percent from the field compared to 38 percent for the Eagles. After making just 28.1 percent of their shots in the first half, Eastern made 47 percent in the second half. The Eagles sank 8-of-13 3-pointers after intermission after a 6-of-19 performance in the first half. Eastern's 14 3-pointers in the game were two away from the CBI single game record. Eastern led by as many as 10 points in the early going and took a 26-19 lead thanks to early 7-of-15 shooting from the field, with six 3-pointers. On the defensive end, Eastern held Pepperdine to 5-of-14 shooting in the early going, including blocks on three straight shots. However, Eastern made two of its next 17 shots, while the Waves made nine of its last 19 shots to lead at halftime 34-29.