Skip To Main Content

Eastern Washington University Athletics

19MBBEarlySigningPeriod

Men's Basketball

Eagles Add Duo With Familiar Roots as Letter of Intent Signees

Eastern men’s basketball signs Jacob Groves, the brother of current Eagle Tanner Groves, as well as Australian Tyler Robertson

The Eastern Washington University men's basketball program has signed a pair of players – including the brother of a current member of the team – to letters of intent to attend EWU and play basketball for the Eagles next year.

The players signed include 6-7 guard/forward Jacob Groves, whose brother Tanner Groves is a redshirt freshman for the Eagles. Jacob is currently a senior at Shadle Park High School in nearby Spokane, Wash., and Tanner graduated from the school in 2017. The other player signed is 6-6 guard/forward Tyler Robertson from Melbourne, Australia, a member of his country's Australian national youth teams.

Groves averaged over 16 points and seven rebounds per game as a junior at Shadle Park, making 60 percent from the field overall and 47 percent from the 3-point stripe. He scored a season-high 26 points and hit six 3-pointers in a 53-51 win over Kellogg (Idaho) High School.

"Jacob has continued to improve his long-range shooting stroke, and he is growing into his 6-7 frame," said Legans. "He's a home-grown student-athlete, and it will be very exciting to see Tanner and Jacob play side-by-side for the Eagles over the next few years."

A 3.8 student in high school, he has volunteered at the Washington Family Ranch and participated in highway clean-ups. He intends on majoring in education at EWU and has an interest in becoming a physical education teacher. His parents are Randy and Tara Groves, and he also has another brother named Dylynn.

"He's also had great success in the classroom and community," added Legans. "He has had a terrific career at Shadle Park and has made great strides while showing tremendous growth as a player. He has a very unique combination of size and skill, and has a great shooting touch that gives him the ability to become a prolific 3-point threat in the Big Sky. His skill level on the court, combined with his IQ and toughness, is going to make him a major contributor."

Tanner, a 6-foot-9 forward for EWU, has scored 10 points with five rebounds in 28 minutes through two games this season for EWU.

"Having Jake join his brother Tanner here at EWU next year is going to be a great fit, both on the floor and in the locker room," Legans said. "We've had some amazing shooters from Spokane lately with Parker Kelly and Cody Benzel, and Jake fits that mold perfectly. He is one of the best shooters in the state and with his size, that should translate very well to the college level."

Robertson played on his country's FIBA U18 team last summer, and has been part of the State and National high performance programs since 2014. He helped Australia national teams win championships at the 2017 U17 Oceania Championship and the 2018 U18 Asia Cup, while helping Australia qualify for the World Championships in 2019. Robertson also played on a team representing the state of Victoria for four years, helping the team win a silver in 2015 (as vice-captain) and gold in 2016, 2017 (as captain) and 2018. He'll be with the team as well in February of 2019.

"Tyler is going to be a tremendous addition to our family," said Legans. "He is joining a long line of Aussies from Melbourne in our program and will make his mark as an exceptional playmaker and shooter. His size, skill, and versatility is going to make him a matchup nightmare in our league."

Robertson has played 12 years of club basketball starting when he was 6-years-old. He played five years for the Dandenong Rangers, the same club several other Eagles have played on in the past, including current Eagle Jack Perry. In 2016, 2017 and 2018 he played in the Victorian Youth Championship League for Dandenong, serving as team co-captain in 2018. He played in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) in 2017 & 2018 for Dandenong under the coaching of Darren Perry.

His school team has won the Champions Cup the past four years as the top team in the state of Victoria. He played for Rowville Secondary in 2015 and with Box Hill Senior Secondary in 2016, 2017 & 2018. The 2017 Box Hill team won the Australian School Championship.

 

 

 

 

 

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Cody Benzel

#20 Cody Benzel

G
6' 4"
Redshirt Senior
3L
Tanner Groves

#35 Tanner Groves

F
6' 9"
Redshirt Freshman
HS
Jack Perry

#11 Jack Perry

G
6' 2"
Sophomore
1L

Players Mentioned

Cody Benzel

#20 Cody Benzel

6' 4"
Redshirt Senior
3L
G
Tanner Groves

#35 Tanner Groves

6' 9"
Redshirt Freshman
HS
F
Jack Perry

#11 Jack Perry

6' 2"
Sophomore
1L
G