Dribble, drive, shoot and play defense. The Eastern Washington University men's basketball team is full of players who can do it all.
 
Despite losing Big Sky Conference MVP's in back-to-back years, the Eagles have recruited depth and versatility to help EWU remain a league title contender and candidate for a fifth-straight postseason appearance in a national tournament. Plus, second-year head coach Shantay Legans intends on having his team play more up-tempo in the 2018-19 season and create offense with their defense by employing more full-court pressure on opponents
 
"Every team wants big guys, and everybody wants the quick little guys -- I just want players who can do multiple things," said Legans. "I want every player to be a Swiss Army knife. I want them to be able to do everything. I want shooters to be able to put it on the floor. I want guys who can drive to be able to knock down open threes. I want guys to be able to switch on defense."
 
The term "Not Yet" is the team's mantra for the season in order to strive to achieve the championship success they've come up just short of in the past three seasons. The pillars of the program utilize the acronym FTC for Family, Trust and Commitment, and Legans expects that to translate to the team's play on the court.
 
"It is going to be a lot of fun," said Legans, whose team was picked to finish fourth in both the Big Sky media and coaches preseason polls. "I think we will have four or five guys on the court at a time that can handle the ball, pass the ball, shoot the ball, and drive the ball. If you get all that and everybody is going in the right direction, I think we will be a hard team to guard."
 
The Eagles had a highly-competitive and highly-successful season in the first year at the helm for Legans. His squad went on a late-season eight-game winning streak that was the best in 14 years, and the Eagles were among a record six Big Sky teams who won at least 20 games in the 2017-18 season.
 
The team had just three seniors, but two of them – Bogdan Bliznyuk and Sir Washington – became the school's winningest players in EWU's history as a member of NCAA Division I. They helped EWU win 86 games overall and 50 in the Big Sky Conference, and led the Eagles to national postseason tournaments in each of those four seasons.
 
This year, the team does not return any players who averaged in double figures a year ago, but seven returning letter winners averaged between 16.0 and 26.1 minutes and 6.3 and 7.7 points per game. Eastern has a trio of seniors, but also has five sophomores and a pair of redshirt freshmen on its roster.
 
"It is going to be a lot of fun and our future is really bright," said Legans. "And I think our future could be now -- I'm not saying 'let's wait until next year.' I think those seniors and juniors are really good and they are complemented really well by the sophomores and the freshmen we are bringing in. So I am really excited, and I wish the season could start next week."
 
Bliznyuk was the league MVP and became the third Eagle in the last four years to earn both honorable mention Associated Press All-America honors and first team Lou Henson mid-major All-America accolades. Jacob Wiley earned both honors in 2017 and Tyler Harvey was honored in 2015. Alvin Snow (2004) and Rodney Stuckey (2006 & 2007) also earned honorable mention All-America honors from AP. Wiley was the league's MVP as a graduate transfer in the 2017-18 season in his only year in the program.
 
"Bogdan did so many great things, and the best thing he provided was his leadership," said Legans. "He kept everybody tightly bound together. That's probably the biggest asset that we are losing. As you go through my nine years here going into my 10th, there have always been very good players we've had to replace, and replacing their leadership is challenging. I am hoping that the players who played with him last year all picked up on that and will lead like he did."
 
Bliznyuk scored 2,169 career points, breaking the previous Big Sky Conference record of 2,102 and smashing the previous EWU record of 1,803. He finished his senior campaign with 741 points in the 2017-18 season, breaking the previous school record of 738 set three years ago by Tyler Harvey and ranking sixth in conference history. He finished his collegiate career with a total of 16 school records, a variety of Big Sky Conference Tournament marks and a NCAA Division I single season free throw record with 77-straight makes.
 
The transition to life without Bliznyuk started in the spring, and Legans likes the potential of his veteran team. The returning players include honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference forward Mason Peatling, who Legans thinks has a chance to average a double-double in league play if not for the entire season.
 
"We are going to play a lot different, so we need guys to step up," said Legans. "We are trying to get these guys to understand their primary roles early."
 
 
 

BACKCOURT

 
Eastern returns three starting guards, another budding Big Sky standout off the bench and a fifth who was injured and redshirted in 2017-18. Add to that a pair of transfers who redshirted last year, plus a redshirt freshman, and the Eagles have depth to both shoot and drive the ball.
 
"There are multiple guys on this roster who I think can step up and play deep," said Legans of the abilities of his guards. "We want to play much faster and I think we will be able to turn teams over a lot more next year. Especially with our depth at the guard position, we will be able to pick up man-to-man full court. We are going to do a little bit more on the defensive end to create a lot more offensive looks for us. We're going to push the ball -- we have multiple guys that can make plays on the court."
 
Seniors Cody Benzel and Ty Gibson return with 101 and 97 games of experience, respectively. Benzel has started 27 games in his career, averaging 13.4 minutes and 4.9 points (6.6 as a junior) per game. Gibson has started 38 career games and has a 4.5 scoring average (6.3 as a junior) in an average of 17.4 minutes per game.
 
Both players are three-point threats with Benzel ranking ninth in school history with 145 3-pointers, shooting at a 41.9 percent clip to rank 10th all-time at EWU. Gibson has made 119 3-pointers and is 13th in school history with 40.2 percent accuracy.
 
Add in BYU transfer Steven Beo, and the Eagles will have three proven top-notch shooters in the league. Beo played in 31 games as a freshman for BYU in 2016-17 after averaging 27.7 points as a junior and 26.7 as a senior at Richland (Wash.) High School.
 
"I think we have two of the best shooters in the league, with Ty and Cody," said Legans. "And that's not even mentioning Steven, who nobody got to see last year, but fans from the area know he's an unbelievable shooter.  So I think we have three of the best shooters in all the conference."
 
Sophomore Luka Vulikic started Eastern's first eight games at point guard before a foot ailment resulted in him redshirting. He averaged 7.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in an average of 25.6 minutes per game, that after coming off a freshman season in which he started 22 of 32 games and averaged 2.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists.
 
True freshman Jack Perry stepped up nicely, starting 27 of the 35 games he played and hitting big shots in some crucial moments for the Eagles. He finished with averages of 6.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 27.3 minutes per game, while sinking 56-of-130 3-pointers for 43.1 percent.
 
Also back at guard is athletic wing Jacob Davison, who earned a starting position for seven games but felt more comfortable coming off the bench. He finished second on the team with 242 total points (7.1 per game), and was a stat stuffer with 94 rebounds (2.8), 27 steals, 18 assists and 11 blocked shots. He also sank 27-of-65 3-pointers for 41.5 percent.
 
Junior college transfer Tyler Kidd and redshirt freshman Kim Aiken Jr. were in the program a year ago as redshirts. Newcomers include highly-touted true freshman Elijah Jackson out of Chief Sealth High School in Seattle, as well as Californians Austin Fadal and Michael Meadows. Freshman Casson Rouse from Timberline High School in Lacey, Wash., and sophomore walk-on Joshua Thomas round out the guards.
 
"I think we have two of the most athletic wings in the conference with Jacob and Elijah," said Legans. "Jacob Davison is an unbelievable athlete who can really score, and we have some freshmen who can score too."
 
 

FRONTCOURT

 
Jesse Hunt was on his way to All-Big Sky honors before his junior season was shortened with a foot injury. Peatling took advantage of the increased minutes and received honorable mention All-BSC accolades.
 
Hunt ended up starting five of the 20 games he played, averaging 7.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He'll enter his senior season with 17 starts in 83 total games, with averages of 3.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per game – marks that only scratch the surface of his capabilities entering his senior campaign.
 
Peatling, meanwhile, has started 43 of the 65 games he has played in his career, and has averages of 5.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.7 blocked shots. Redshirt freshman Tanner Groves, at 6-foot-9, 235 pounds from Spokane's Shadle Park High School, will also be a force down low. Jordan Veening, a 6-6 true freshman, is the only other foward on the roster, but swing man Kim Aiken Jr. will also see action in the frontcourt.
 
 
"We have pretty good trio of bigs down there who can really play," said Legans. "I think Mason will be one of the best big men in the league. I think there is a lot of upside and a lot of star power on our team. Last year we spaced the floor around Bogdan and it was hard for people to guard him. Next year, Jacob (Davison) will be hard to guard, and Mason will be hard to guard. Now we have multiple guys coming at you in different ways, and I think we will have multiple guys scoring over 10 points a game."
 
One player waiting in the wings to compete will be Savannah State (Ga.) transfer Ralueke "Sticks" Orizu. Although Savannah State is transitioning to NCAA Division II, the 6-foot-9, 190-pound Orizu will still have to sit out the season because of NCAA transfer rules.
 
"He is a very good shot blocker and offensively he's got a long way to go, but he plays around the rim," said Legans. "He dunks the ball, so he is going to be something kind of like a project. He is a really talented player, but he has to learn our system and how we want to play. Defensively I think he could probably be one of the best shot blockers in the league when he starts playing. He has unbelievable timing and has a seven-­foot-one wing span."
 
"When you sit back and think about everything, he has a whole year in our program before he even plays," Legans added. "It is kind of like his freshman year and he will be playing against Mason and Jesse. He is going to learn how to play at our pace very quickly, because those guys play really hard. The next year Mason will be a senior and he will be a sophomore along with Tanner. When he gets out there he'll learn how to play and how we want to do things."
 
 

SCHEDULE

 
It will be another year of challenge after challenge when the Eagles embark upon their 2018-19 non-conference schedule, including four home games at Reese Court.
 
Eastern will play 11 games – four at home and seven on the road – prior to the start of Big Sky Conference play on Dec. 29. Three of the road games will be at Pac-12 Conference foes, as well as a cross-country trip to play EWU's season-opener at Syracuse on Nov. 6.
 
"It's a challenge, but we'll be ready for tip-off on Nov. 6," said Legans. "We'll be tested on the road again, and our four games at home will be challenging as well. We're looking forward to the non-conference portion of our schedule preparing us for our league schedule and ultimately the Big Sky Tournament in March."
 
Eastern will host Green Bay on Nov. 16 and either UMKC or Morehead State on Nov. 17, respectively, as part of a sub-regional of the 2K Classic benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project. The Eagles will also host powerhouse South Dakota State on Dec. 18, and Walla Walla on Dec. 21.
 
When the Eagles open the season on Nov. 6, they'll face a Syracuse team coming off a 23-14 record and appearance in the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament. Under veteran head coach Jim Boeheim, the Orange beat Arizona State (60-56), TCU (57-52) and Michigan State (55-53) before bowing to Duke (69-65). It will be EWU's first-ever meeting versus Syracuse, which finished 8-10 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
 
Eastern follows that by playing at Oregon on Nov. 9, which along with Syracuse, are also games played as part of the 2K Classic.  After the 2K Classic sub-regional at Reese Court, the Eagles play their next five games on the road –- Washington, Seattle, North Dakota State and Stanford. Last season, in just the third game under Legans, Eastern upset Stanford 81-67 on Nov. 14, 2017.
 
In all, Eastern's non-conference schedule will include teams from seven different conferences – ACC, Pac-12, Horizon, Ohio Valley, Western Athletic, Summit and the West Coast. The 11 non-conference opponents EWU will play or could potentially play combined for a 202-170 overall record last season, and were 90-92 in their respective leagues.
 
Besides the success of Syracuse, South Dakota State also advanced to the NCAA Tournament and finished 28-7 after winning the Summit League title with a 13-1 record. Washington, Stanford and Oregon all played in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), winning first-round games before bowing out in the second round.
 
Seattle and San Francisco joined EWU in the 2018 CBI. Both Eastern and the Redhawks – coached by former Eagle head coach Jim Hayford – fell in the first round. But the Dons advanced all the way to the championship series versus North Texas where USF won 72-62 in the opener but lost 69-55 and 88-77 in the next two games.
 
In all, 10 of EWU's 21 NCAA Division opponents appeared in postseason NCAA Division I Tournaments. Montana represented the Big Sky in the NCAA Tournament, while Portland State and Northern Colorado both played in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT).
 
As expected, the 2018-19 schedule of games in the Big Sky Conference for the Eagles will have a few twists and turns. It includes 20 league games for the first time since the 2013-14 and 2012-13 seasons. Those were the only years in the league's 55-year history the schedule has included 20 conference games.
 
The departure of North Dakota left the league with 11 members, making for a challenge in scheduling 20 games for each team in a span of 11 weekends. Travel partners – such as Idaho paired with EWU – were retained as much as possible, but the "lone wolf" is always prevalent when scheduling an odd amount of teams.
 
Most notably, Eastern will play four games on Monday, including three at home at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash.  The Eagles will also host Montana and Montana State in back-to-back games, but those will come nine days apart.
 
However, the good news for the Eagles is that their road travel schedule is as good as could be expected. The lone Monday road game is at Northern Colorado -- four days after the Eagles play at nearby local rival Idaho.
 
"Scheduling 11 teams in a 20-game schedule is definitely a difficult task," said Legans. "But we are pleased with how it came out for us. It's definitely different playing on Mondays, but we'll embrace the challenges and fight to win the league title."
 
The Big Sky Conference Championship, which will take place in Boise, Idaho, for the next three years, is scheduled for March 13-16, 2019 at CenturyLink Arena.
 
 

MORE ON THE EAGLES LAST YEAR

 
At 20-15 on the year, Eastern had 20 victories for the second-straight season and the third time in the last four, with EWU achieving that mark just one other time in the school's 35 seasons as a member of NCAA Division I. It was just one of six years in the school's D-I history to have at least 18 victories, including the last four seasons in a row.
 
The Eagles played 11 opponents who advanced to national postseason tournaments in the 2017-18 season, with the Eagles winning five of those 15 meetings against those teams. After beating Portland State 78-72 and Southern Utah 82-70 in the in Big Sky Conference Tournament, the Eagles fell to regular season champion Montana 82-65 in the championship game to come up just short of a NCAA Tournament bid.
 
Eastern then fell 87-65 at Utah Valley in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational. That marked the fourth-straight season the Eagles have played in national postseason tournaments, including the 2015 NCAA Tournament. All things considered, with a team picked to finish eighth in the Big Sky in preseason polls, there was a lot for EWU to be proud of and build upon going into the second year of the Legans era. He sees last year as just the beginning, and helped give him an idea what he wants to do differently heading into his second season as head coach.
 
"It is a lot of fun to tinker with what we want to do and see how we are going to do things a little bit differently," he explained. "I'm excited about our defense and we have guys who will be able to hold each other accountable. We had injuries last year, so we had to let some guys play through some of their defensive mistakes. I'm all good with the offensive mistakes, because that is where you create tendencies. But on defense we need those guys to be working as a unit. If they aren't executing our defensive game plan or approach, we have guys that can come in for them this year.
 
"I think we will have an unselfish team offensively, and the ball will move and whip around and guys will get great shots," he continued. "But defensively, that's where we're going to be able to convert defense to offense next year. It's going to be a lot of fun to score, and we will have a lot of fans who will come out and watch, because we have some high flyers and some great shooters. It's going to be an exciting – and hopefully effective – brand of basketball."