­­­­­­­Eastern Washington University "Eagles" Men's Basketball (0-0/0-0 Big Sky)   Tuesday, Nov. 6 - at #16/14 Syracuse – 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9 – at #14/16 Oregon – 6 p.m. Preliminary Games of the 2K Empire Classic Benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project   all times Pacific
Radio:	700-AM ESPN & 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area. Larry Weir calls the play-by-play. Broadcasts begin a half-hour prior to tipoff
Internet Radio:	https://tunein.com/radio/Eastern-Washington-Eagles-Sports-Network-s273711/
Radio  Mobile Phone App:	Via tunein radio
TV:	Syracuse – ACC Network Extra Oregon – Pac-12 Networks
­­­Webcast:	Syracuse – http://www.theacc.com/watch Oregon -  https://pac-12.com/live
Live Stats:	Syracuse -  https://cuse.com/sidearmstats Oregon - http://ewustats.com
Weekly Coaches Show:	The first show hosted by Larry Weir and featuring head coach Shantay Legans will take place Monday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. and are aired live on 700-AM ESPN. The show will take place live at Barrelhouse Pub and Pizza in Cheney.

 The 2018-19 season starts fast and furious for the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team.
 
Eastern begins its second campaign with Shantay Legans at the helm when the Eagles face nationally-ranked Syracuse on Tuesday (Nov. 6) in the first of two preliminary games of the 2K Empire Classic Benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project. The Orange is ranked 16th in the Associated Press preseason poll and 14th in the USA Today Coaches rankings.
 
Tipoff is 4 p.m. in a game televised by the ACC Network Extra. In addition, all Eastern games are carried live on 700-AM ESPN and 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area, with Larry Weir calling the play-by-play. Broadcasts begin a half-hour prior to tipoff.
 
"It's very exciting to start the season, but it's also exciting to get out there and play some of the best teams and players in the country," said Legans. "It's a great opportunity for our program and show the grit we've been talking about throughout our athletic department. We want to go out and show what we have."
 
Eastern returns seven total letterwinners from the 2017-18 team, including four starters. However, the Eagles lose the Big Sky and EWU all-time leading scorer in Bogdan Bliznyuk, who was the league MVP and an honorable All-America selection last year after finishing with 2,169 points in his career.
 
The Eagles closed the 2017-18 season with a 20-15 record in their 35th season as a member of NCAA Division I after finishing 13-5 in the league during their 31st season as a member of the Big Sky. Eastern made its fourth-straight national postseason appearance when the team competed in the 2018 College Basketball Invitational (CBI).
 
Eastern faces 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 a year ago.
 
The Orange are loaded with talent, including 6-foot-6 preseason All-American Tyus Battle who had a 19.2 scoring average a year ago. Six-foot-8 forward Oshae Brisset averaged 14.9 points and 8.8 rebounds, and 6-5 guard Frank Howard averaged 14.4 points and 4.7 assists.
 
Eastern will then play at Pac-12 Conference preseason favorite Oregon on Friday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks. That game is also a part of the 2K Empire Classic. Oregon's rankings are exactly opposite that of Syracuse – the Ducks are ranked 14th by the coaches and 16th by AP following last year's 23-13 finish (10-8 Pac-12).
 
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 Empire Classic benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project. The Eagles will also host powerhouse South Dakota State on Dec. 18, and Corban University on Dec. 21.
 
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.
 
"It's a challenge, but we'll be ready for tip-off on Nov. 6," said Legans of his team's early-season schedule. "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."
 
 
Links to EWU Men's Basketball Information
 
A .pdf version of the 2018-19 EWU Fact Book & Archives: https://goeags.com/sports/2016/1/7/MBB_Other%20Links-Archive.aspx
More Information on Eastern Men's Basketball: https://goeags.com/index.aspx?path=mbball
Big Sky Conference Championship Information: http://bigskyinboise.com
 
 
 
 

Game/Season Notes

 
 
Eastern Picked Fourth in Big Sky Preseason Polls
 
Montana is the consensus favorite, but the Grizzlies are just one of several league championship contenders Eastern will face in the 2018-19 season. The Eagles were picked to finish fourth behind defending champion Montana, Weber State and Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Conference preseason polls announced on Oct. 18 by the league office.
 
Eastern received 261 votes in the media poll to trail Northern Colorado by 19, and were 67 tallies ahead of Montana State. The coaches had Eastern seven points behind UNC and eight points ahead of No. 5 Portland State.
 
"The Big Sky will be good again – it's really talented from top to bottom," said second-year EWU coach Shantay Legans. "So it's going to be a fight for us."
 
Montana was a unanimous choice to repeat as champs, receiving 33 of 35 first-place votes in the media poll and all but one of the votes cast by the coaches. Picking up the other first-place votes and ranking second in both polls was perennial Big Sky power Weber State.
 
"Montana is the favorite because they have most of their players back," said Legans. "And Weber State is also bringing back some guys and has some good, young players coming in. Northern Colorado should be right at the top again, and Montana State has Tyler Hall so they'll be a challenge."
 
League play begins Dec. 29, but Big Sky foes won't be the other league favorites the Eagles will face. In their respective preseason polls in their leagues, Oregon (Pac-12) and South Dakota State (The Summit League) have been picked to win titles. Syracuse (Atlantic Coast Conference) under veteran head coach Jim Boeheim will be among the favorites after its run to the NCAA Tournament "Sweet 16" a year ago.
 
"With our schedule we'll be able to see how we stack up against teams picked to win their conference," said Legans, whose team will play seven of its 11 preseason games on the road. "That's how we like it."
 
One of EWU's home games will be against South Dakota State on Dec. 18, and the Jackrabbits feature one of the best players in NCAA Division I basketball in Mike Daum. The 6-foot-9 senior forward averaged 23.9 points and 10.3 rebounds a year ago."
 
 "They say he is one of the top 20 players in the country, and it will be a lot of fun to play them at home," Legans added. "They are maybe one of the top five mid-major programs in the country and are very talented."
 
 
Big Sky Conference Preseason Rankings
 
Media Poll (Rank – Team – Points): 1. Montana - 383 (33); 2. Weber State - 346 (2); 3. Northern Colorado – 280; 4. Eastern Washington – 261; 5. Montana State – 194; 6. Idaho – 192; 7. Portland State – 189; 8. Idaho State – 176; 9. Southern Utah – 128; 10. Sacramento State – 115; 11. Northern Arizona – 46. First place votes in parenthesis
 
Coaches Poll (Rank – Team – Points): 1. Montana - 100 (10); 2. Weber State - 90 (1); 3. Northern Colorado – 70; 4. Eastern Washington – 63; 5. Portland State – 55; t6. Montana State – 53; t6. Southern Utah – 53; 8. Idaho State – 50; 9. Idaho – 34; 10. Sacramento State – 27; 11. Northern Arizona – 10. First place votes in parenthesis
 
 
Preseason Schedule Includes Teams from Seven Different Conferences
 
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.
 
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.
 
Along with 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).
 
 
Eagles 1-24 Versus Ranked Teams
 
Eastern head coach Shantay Legans remembers well the only time the Eagles defeated a ranked opponent back in 2001. The Eagles are now 1-24 versus nationally-ranked teams, and he was in the gym that night on Nov. 15, 2001, when Eastern beat 10th-ranked St. Joseph's 68-67 at the BCA Classic in Berkeley, Calif. The next night, Eastern lost to 56-27 to host Cal, whose starting point guard was Legans. He had five points, an assist and a rebound in 20 minutes of action versus EWU.
 
Eastern's game against No. 17 Xavier on Dec. 20, 2017, was the 25th time Eastern has faced a ranked opponent, and earlier in the 2017-18 season lost 85-52 to No. 21 Texas. In the 2014-15 season Eastern lost 77-68 to No. 22 SMU on Nov. 22, 2014, 81-77 to No. 17 Washington on Dec. 14, 2014, and then 84-74 to No. 22 Georgetown on March 19, 2015. Before that, EWU lost 82-65 to No. 15 Connecticut on Dec. 28, 2013, and 77-69 on Nov. 11, 2011, to a Gonzaga team ranked 23rd in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today preseason coaches' polls. The Gonzaga game was the head coaching debut at Eastern for Jim Hayford.
 
Eastern lost to Washington 98-72 on Nov. 16, 2010, and 86-57 to Gonzaga on Nov. 30, 2010, in EWU's other recent games against nationally-ranked teams. Washington was ranked 17th by Associated Press and 15th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, and Gonzaga was 24th by the coaches.
 
In the 2009-10 season, the Eagles fell 94-52 to Gonzaga on Dec. 28, 2009. The Bulldogs were ranked 22nd by ESPN/USA Today, but were just out of the top 25 at No. 26 by Associated Press. The 2008-09 season was the first time since 2002-03 that Eastern did not play a nationally-ranked team. The Eagles played 12 such games in the five seasons before that.
 
Eastern's list versus nationally-ranked teams includes three games in the 2004-05 season alone as well as three the year before. Seven of the games came under former head coach Mike Burns and five others came under Ray Giacoletti from 2000-2004.

11/9/18 vs. #14 Oregon
11/6/18 vs. #16 Syracuse
12/20/16 vs. #17 Xavier – L, 56-85
11/17/16 vs. #21 Texas – L, 52-85
3/19/15 vs. #22 Georgetown – L, 74-84
12/14/14 vs. #17 Washington – L, 77-81
11/22/14 vs. #22 SMU – L, 68-77
12/28/13 vs. #15 Connecticut  – L,65-82
11/11/11 vs. #23 Gonzaga – L, 69-77
11/30/10 vs. #24 (ESPN/USA Today) Gonzaga - L, 57-86
11/16/10 vs. #17 Washington - L, 72-98
12/28/09 vs. #22 (ESPN/USA Today) Gonzaga - L, 52-94
12/5/07 vs. #3 Kansas - L, 47-85
11/9/07 vs. #10 Washington State - L, 41-68
12/15/06 vs. #22 Oregon - L, 74-100
11/24/06 vs. #16 Washington - L, 83-90
12/19/05 vs. #8 Gonzaga - L, 65-75
12/16/05 vs. #11 Washington - L, 74-91
12/28/04 vs. #14 Arizona - L, 45-79
12/21/04 vs. #13 Gonzaga - L, 70-83
12/5/04 vs. #14 Washington - L, 56-89
3/19/04 vs. #3 Oklahoma State - L, 56-75
12/31/03 vs. #16 Gonzaga - L, 49-70
11/21/03 vs. #14 Oklahoma - L, 59-69
11/15/01 vs. #10 St. Joseph's - W, 68-67
11/25/00 vs. #4 Michigan State - L, 61-83
1/21/85 vs. #10 DePaul - L, 50-72
 
 
League Schedule Features 20 Games for the Third Time in League History
 
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 Eastern head coach Shantay 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.
 
 
Eastern Will Be Involved in Big Sky Versus Summit League Challenge Series in 2018-19
 
North Dakota's final year of membership in the Big Sky was in 2017-18 before moving to the Summit League, but the Eagles will play the Fighting Hawks again in the future as part of a four-year rivalry series between the two leagues announced recently. Members of the Big Sky Conference and Summit League have agreed to a four-year men's basketball series involving four teams from each league, which begins during the 2018-19 season.
 
Each school will play one home game and road contest against separate schools from the other league during each of the four seasons. Big Sky schools participating are Eastern, Montana State, Montana and Idaho. The Summit is represented by North Dakota State, North Dakota, Omaha and South Dakota State.
 
Eastern played South Dakota from the Summit League in the 2017-18 season, but the Coyotes are not among the schools taking part in the series. Montana State Director of Athletics Leon Costello and Bobcat coach Brian Fish were among those initiating the process between the eight schools. The rundown of games for the next four seasons is:
 
2018-19 -- Eastern Washington at North Dakota State, South Dakota State at Eastern Washington, North Dakota at Montana State, Montana State at Omaha, Montana at South Dakota State, North Dakota State at Montana, Omaha at Idaho, Idaho at North Dakota.
 
2019-20 -- Eastern Washington at North Dakota, Omaha at Eastern Washington, Montana State at North Dakota State, South Dakota State at Montana State, Montana at Omaha, North Dakota at Montana, North Dakota State at Idaho, Idaho at South Dakota State.
 
2020-21 -- North Dakota State at Eastern Washington, Eastern Washington at South Dakota State, Montana State at North Dakota, Omaha at Montana State, South Dakota State at Montana, Montana at North Dakota State, Idaho at Omaha, North Dakota at Idaho.
 
2021-22 -- Eastern Washington at Omaha, North Dakota at Eastern Washington, Montana State at South Dakota State, North Dakota State at Montana State, South Dakota State at Idaho, Idaho at North Dakota State, Montana at North Dakota, Omaha at Montana.
 
 
Brackets Set for Big Sky Tourney in Boise
 
The move from Reno to Boise has also resulted in a change in the brackets for the 2019 Big Sky Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships  resented by My Place Hotels. Tickets and lodging for the event s available now at: http://BigSkyinBoise.com.
 
The tournaments are set to take place March 11-16 at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. Eastern's women's team could start as early as Monday, March 11, while the men wouldn't begin play until Wednesday, March 13, at the earliest. The women's tournament will be held March 11-15, while the men's championship will take place March 13-16. The tournament champions will receive automatic berths to the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship.
 
For the fourth-straight season, all Big Sky members will compete in the conference tournament with the field featuring 11 teams for both the men and women in 2019. The top five teams in the final regular season standings will earn a bye to the quarterfinal round of the Big Sky Championship. The six-day event will be held in the state of Idaho for the first time since 1994 when former Big Sky member Boise State served as the championship host.
 
The three first round games of the Big Sky women's championship will start Monday afternoon before four quarterfinal matchups follow on Tuesday for the women. A five-game Wednesday slate features a trio of men's first round games, leading up to the women's semifinals in the evening. 
 
The men's tourney continues Thursday with the quarterfinals. Friday's action consists of the women's championship game, which will air on Eleven Sports, while the men's semifinals follow that night. The week-long event wraps up Saturday with the men's championship game on ESPNU at 5 p.m. Pacific time.
 
CenturyLink Arena is a 5,300-seat facility located in downtown Boise that has been the home of the Idaho Steelheads hockey team since opening in 1997. The arena hosts an average of 100 events annually and has welcomed over 5.5 million attendees in 20 years. It also hosts numerous concerts, trade shows, and conventions each year. CenturyLink Arena is attached to the Grove Hotel, Boise's only four-diamond hotel.
 
The 2019 championship will be the fourth neutral site basketball championship in the Big Sky's history after holding the event in Reno, Nevada, the previous three seasons.
 
To stay up-to-date with the Big Sky Conference, follow us on Facebook at /BigSkyConf or on Instagram and Twitter @BigSkyConf. Fans can also follow Big Sky men's and women's basketball on Twitter, @BigSkyMBB and @BigSkyWBB.

 
 

Series Notes

 
* Eastern has never played Syracuse, and is 0-2 against the current 15 members of the ACC. Eastern lost 69-52 to Virginia Tech on Nov. 12, 2017, in the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Alaska, and to Pitt by an 84-51 score on Dec. 11, 2015.
 
* Eastern and Oregon have met twice before, including on Dec. 15, 2006, when the 22nd-ranked Ducks beat EWU 100-74. They met again on Nov. 17, 2011, and Oregon prevailed 73-65. Both meetings were on the road. In the meeting in 2011, Eastern led 39-34 at halftime and by as many as nine in the second half and seven with 11:33 left. But the Ducks went on a 7-0 run to knot the game, then took the lead for good with 5:37 to play and led by as many as eight in the final 1:34.
 
* Since Eastern moved to NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season, EWU is now 3-42 against the Pac-12 Conference, having gone 1-2 versus the league in the 2017-18 season. Eastern snapped its 21-game losing streak versus the Pac-12 with a 67-61 victory at Stanford on Nov. 14, 2017. Entering this year, the only current member of the Pac-12 Eastern has never played is Arizona State. A year ago, Eastern fell to Washington 79-69 on Nov. 12, 2017 and Utah 85-69 on Nov. 24, 2017. Coupled with an 11-55 record versus Washington State, 1-14 mark versus Washington and a 1-15 record against other current members of the Pac-12, the Eagles have a 13-84 record all-time against that league.
 
* Eastern's 62-58 win at Washington in the 2002-03 season on Dec. 14, 2002, snapped a five-game losing streak versus Pac-12 Conference opponents dating back to Eastern's 83-82 overtime win versus Washington State on Dec. 22, 1997, in Kennewick, Wash. That victory over WSU was Eastern's first-ever win over a Pacific 8 or Pacific 10 Conference opponent since the inception of the conference in 1968. It was also Eastern's first win over Washington State since Dec. 1, 1952, when the Eagles pulled out a 72-71 overtime road win, which is EWU's last win in Pullman in the series. The Cougars had led the all-time series 50-10 and had won 17-straight games over the Eagles prior to that EWU victory in 1997.
 
 
 
 

Player Notes

 
Sharpshooting Duo Climbs EWU Three-Point Charts
 
Cody Benzel and Ty Gibson return for their senior seasons 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.
 
Benzel and Gibson, as well as forward Jesse Hunt, were named to the NABC Honors Court for the 2017-18 school year. Gibson is majoring in professional accounting, and has a 3.99 GPA at EWU after graduating from Issaquah (Wash.) HS in 2015. Benzel is a 2014 graduate of Ferris High School in Spokane, Wash., and has a 3.19 GPA as a marketing major. Hunt has a 3.61 GPA as a management major, and is formerly from Australia and graduated from Sir Francis Drake HS in California in 2015. Gibson and Hunt have also all earned Big Sky All-Academic
 
 
Jesse Hunt Made Most of Five Starts in 2018-19
 
Now a senior, a foot injury limited Jesse Hunt to just 20 games and five starts in the 2017-18 season, including just four brief appearances in EWU's last 19 games of the season. Before initially injuring the foot on Jan. 5, 2018, in a practice, Hunt had started the last five games he played, helping lead the Eagles to four victories and averaging 14.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. He made 25-of-43 shots overall (58.1 percent), 7-of-11 from the 3-point stripe (63.6 percent) and 16-of-20 from the free throw line (80.0 percent) in those five games, and had registered his career high for scoring in the first four games.
 
Playing for the first time in more than a month, Hunt logged six minutes against Montana on Feb. 15, 2018, in his first action in 10 games before aggravating a foot injury in that game. He returned for the Big Sky Conference Tournament and had a total of four points and five rebounds in EWU's first two games. But he once again aggravated the injury in the title game, also versus Montana, and missed EWU's College Basketball Invitational game versus Utah Valley.
 
Hunt scored a career-high 14 points and had eight rebounds in his first start of the season against CSUN on Dec. 17, then had his second double-double of the season with 16 points and a career-high 11 rebounds against Providence three days later. He equaled his career high with 16 points at Northern Colorado on Dec. 29 when he also had a career-high four blocked shots and eight rebounds in a career-high 29 minutes of action. He played 29 minutes at North Dakota and finished with 16 points and eight boards, then had 11 points and four rebounds in just 16 minutes because of foul trouble against Portland State on Jan. 4 – a day before his injury.
 
For the season, Hunt averaged 18.3 minutes, 7.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and had nine blocked shots, while making 49.5 percent of his shots from the field and 80.6 percent from the free throw line. In his 83-game career (17 as a starter), Hunt has averaged 12.0 minutes, 3.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and has 29 blocks.
 
 
Vulikic Back After Injury-Shortened 2017-18 Season
 
Sophomore Luka Vulikic started Eastern's first eight games at point guard in the 2017-18 season 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.
 
A bout of planter fasciitis plagued the Serbian, and it was announced in February that Vulikic would redshirt as an injury hardship. He scored in double figures three times in the eight games he played, scoring 10 points each versus Walla Walla (11/10/17) in the team's opener, at Washington (11/12/17) and then Utah (11/24/17). He had a career-high seven assists versus the Utes in a game he also had five rebounds.
 
 
Trio of Newcomers Contribute Significantly, Including Two as Starters
 
Jack Perry started EWU's last 27 games as a true freshman in 2017-18, and scored in double figures in four of his last nine games. He had a career-high 18-point performance against Northern Arizona on March 3, 2018, in which he made a career-high six 3-pointers in nine attempts, then followed that with 14 points in EWU's quarterfinal win in the Big Sky Tournament. He also had a 15-point performance against Idaho State on Feb. 24, 2018, with five 3-pointers, and a career-high eight rebounds at Weber State one game earlier on Feb. 22. On the season he averaged 6.8 points and 2.4 assists per game while making 45.1 percent from the field and 56-of-130 3-pointers (43.1 percent to rank sixth in the Big Sky). His clutch 3-pointer with 15 seconds left helped clinch EWU's 81-74 win over Portland State on Jan. 4, 2018, then he hit another clutch trey with 1:06 left in EWU's 81-76 victory against Northern Arizona on Jan. 18, 2018.
 
Redshirt freshman Jacob Davison made the first start of his career at Seattle on Dec. 3 and started seven-straight games. He came off the bench in the last 21 and averaged 7.1 points on the season. His debut season ended with seven points, a career-high four steals and three rebounds in EWU's loss to Utah Valley in the College Basketball Invitational. He scored 41 points and had 14 rebounds in three Big Sky Tournament games, including 16 in both the semifinals and championship game. He scored in double figures seven times in his last 13 games, including 14 points in EWU's regular season finale versus Northern Arizona and 17 at Weber State on Feb. 22. He scored 15 at Utah on Nov. 24, 2017, when he had his third double-figure scoring performance in a four-game span. He came off the bench to score 20 against Georgia State on Nov 20, 2017, and had 11 one game earlier versus UNLV.
 
 
Peatling Finishes With Five Double-Doubles in Sophomore Season
 
Mason Peatling, who earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors as a sophomore, put together a stretch of three-straight double-doubles in January of 2018 after re-joining the starting lineup mid-way through the season. He had the fourth double-double of the season and of his career with 19 points and 13 rebounds in an 84-79 win over Montana State on Feb. 17, 2018, then had his fifth with 11 points and 10 boards in Eastern's regular season finale versus Northern Arizona. His point total against the Bobcats was his career high, and Eastern was 4-1 when he had a double-double.
 
He closed his sophomore campaign with five points, five rebounds, two assists, a blocked shot and a steal against Utah Valley in College Basketball Invitational. In three games in the Big Sky Conference Tournament, he scored 30 points and had 17 rebounds and four blocked shots. In a win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 27, 2018, he had 17 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, making 6-of-11 shots from the field and finishing with two blocked shots. Peatling had the first double-double of his career with 10 points and 10 rebounds in EWU's overtime loss at Southern Utah on Jan. 20, 2018, then had 11-11 versus North Dakota on Jan. 25, 2018.
 
For the season, Peatling averaged 7.7 points in 31 games (26 as a starter), and averaged 5.6 rebounds (17th in the Big Sky) and 1.2 blocked shots per game (fifth). His averages were 8.7 points, 7.4 rebounds (seventh) and 1.5 blocks (fourth) in conference play. In his 65-game career (43 as a starter), he's averaged 5.8 points and 4.3 rebounds with a total of 43 assists, 50 blocks and 40 steals. He hit double figures in scoring 11 times in 2017-18 and 15 in his career thus far, and has had at least 10 rebounds six times in his career, all during his sophomore season.
 
Making his first start since Dec. 12 after missing four games because of a hand injury, Peatling embraced his return to the starting lineup on Jan. 6, 2018, against Sacramento State. It took barely over seven minutes for him to hit the double-figure mark, as he finished with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field in 13 minutes of action. Prior to being sidelined with his injury, he scored a career-high 19 at South Dakota on Dec. 10, 2017, and had 11 points and six rebounds one game earlier at San Francisco.
 
 
NCAA Division I Debuts To Be Made By Six Eagles
 
Six newcomers – three of them redshirts – will be making their NCAA Division I debuts for the Eagles in November. Junior college transfer Tyler Kidd and redshirt freshmen Kim Aiken Jr. and Tanner Groves were in the program a year ago as redshirts. Aiken averaged 25.3 points and 11.5 rebounds as a high school senior in the 2016-17 season, and scored 1,730 points (18.4 per game) and had 1,038 rebounds (11.0) in his career. Groves earned All-State honors while at nearby Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Wash., and averaged 18.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 blocked shots as a senior. Kidd earned all-defensive honors in the Northwest Athletic Conference and averaged 14.1 points as a sophomore at Skagit Valley Community College.
 
Incoming freshmen include highly-touted true freshman Elijah Jackson out of Chief Sealth High School in Seattle, as well as Californians Austin Fadal and Mike Meadows. Jackson earned All-Metro League honors as a senior, then won the long jump and triple jump at the 2018 State 3A Championships. He had high school bests of 23-6 in the long jump, 46-4 3/4 in the triple jump and 6-6 in the high jump. Those marks would have all placed in the top 12 at the Big Sky Conference Championships in 2018.
 
Fadal averaged over 18 points and six assists in his high school career, but a knee injury in December of his senior season ended his high school career. He then played one season at Hillcrest Prep in Arizona where he was one of the eight finalists nationwide for the National Prep Hoops Offensive Post-Graduate/Prep School Player of the Year.
 
 
 
 
 

2018-19 Season Outlook

 
Eagles Believe in Strength in Numbers & Versatility
 
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 Mike Meadows. Sophomore walk-on Joshua Thomas rounds 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."
 
 
 
 

2018-19 Season Review

 
There is no denying the great success the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team had in the 2017-18 season, but the final two losses were a lesson for the future.
 
The Eagles had a highly-competitive and highly-successful season in the first year at the helm for Eastern head coach Shantay 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.
 
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. Since 1983-84, the only other times EWU has won 20 games came in 1985-86 (20-8), 2014-15 (26-9) and in 2016-17 (22-12). This year's team is just one of six in the school's 35-year NCAA Division I history to have at least 18, including the last four seasons in a row.
 
­­­The Eagles played 11 opponents who advanced to national postseason tournaments, with the Eagles winning five of the 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.
 
Eastern, which had a 41-29 halftime lead against the Grizzlies, then fell 87-65 at Utah Valley in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational. After playing sensational basketball for 8 1/2 games and capturing third-place in the regular season conference standings, Legans vows the Eagles will use the last three halves of the season to also build upon.
 
"They did achieve a lot, but you can't settle and say a third-place finish and just getting to the championship game is a good season," he said. "That's a losing mentality, and I don't want our team to think that's okay. I know they'll get patted on the back and it's a great accomplishment to win 20 games and play without guys who were injured, but you can't have that mentality. You have to think you want to win the league championship and go to the NCAA Tournament."
 
The Eagles beat every Big Sky team other than regular season league runner-up Idaho in the 2017-18 season, and finished third after being predicted to finish sixth by the media and seventh by the coaches in the league's preseason polls. Included in this year's league triumphs was the school's first road sweep in two years in late February, including a win over Weber State to give EWU a tiebreaker advantage in the league. Eastern snapped the nine-game winning streak of the Wildcats, and one game earlier handed regular season champion Montana its first league loss after 13 victories.
 
 "They competed every game and I'm proud of this team," he continued. "I like everybody we have coming back and coming in. I think we have the best shooters in the league, and I believe Mason Peatling is going to be the best big man in the league next year. It was a good season, but to me, if you don't win it and get to the NCAA Tournament, it's kind of a loss."
 
Besides its 20-15 record, the Eagles were 13-5 in the Big Sky, and won 17 of their last 24 games after a 3-8 start. The Eagles finished 11-1 at home, 6-12 on opponent home courts and 3-2 at neutral sites in the 2017-18 season, and were 5-4 on the road in the league season and 8-1 at home. Eastern equaled a school-record with 35 games played in the 2017-18 season.
 
Eastern made its sixth appearance in a national postseason tournament in school history and fourth-in-a-row. Eastern advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and 2015, were in the NIT in 2003 and have played in the last three College Basketball Invitational (CBI) tournaments in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
 
Eastern has won 101 games in the last five seasons and 86 in the last four to achieve program bests in EWU's Division I era. A big part of that success was Bogdan Bliznyuk, who joined Sir Washington and graduate transfer Benas Griciunas as EWU's three departed seniors.
 
In his 138th and final game of his career, Bliznyuk tied EWU's single season scoring record with 50 seconds left, then broke it with a 3-pointer on the last shot of his illustrious career with 20 ticks remaining. Bliznyuk, the Big Sky's all-time leading scorer with 2,169 points, finished with 741 as a senior to rank sixth in league history and break the previous school record of 738 set three years ago by Tyler Harvey.
 
In setting a total of 16 school records, Bliznyuk scored 27 points in the 138th and final game of his career -- the 44th time he's scored at least 20 and his 100th double-digit performance. He also closed his career with a variety of Big Sky Conference Tournament marks, a NCAA Division I single season free throw record with 77-straight makes and the utmost respect from his head coach.
 
"I love Tyler to death, but I wasn't about to let Bogdan go without that record," said Shantay Legans. "I want to make sure our team knows how important everything is, and Bogdan is going to understand some day how much he accomplished. Right now he doesn't see it and his teammates don't understand what they just witnessed. It was probably the best single season a player has had at Eastern Washington and probably the best career – he's going to be in the record books a long time."
 
 
 

More 2017-18 Season Notes

 
 
Eastern Honored For Fifth-Straight Year by the NABC for Academics
 
For the fifth consecutive year, the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team has been honored with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award announced July 11, 2018. The award was won by 184 colleges and universities for having a team cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and above for the 2017-18 season. Teams in NCAA Division I, II, II and NAIA Division I and II were eligible.
 
Eastern, Gonzaga and Seattle were the only NCAA Division I schools in the state of Washington to be honored, and were joined by Seattle Pacific from NCAA Division II. Eastern, Idaho State and Sacramento State were the only Big Sky Conference schools to be recognized.
 
"We have and always will make academics a priority within our program," said second-year head coach Shantay Legans, who also spent eight seasons as an Eagle assistant coach. "Our players continue to take care of business in the classroom and on the court, and are setting the bar high for our next group of newcomers."
 
Players on EWU's 2017-18 team included Academic All-America nominee, Big Sky MVP and four-time league All-Academic selection Bogdan Bliznyuk. Others on the team who won Big Sky All-Academic accolades were Cody Benzel, Ty Gibson, Benas Griciunas, Jesse Hunt, Mason Peatling and Jack Perry. Other members of the squad included Sir Washington, Jesse Hunt, Jacob Davison, Richard Polanco, Grant Gibb and Joshua Thomas, with Luka Vulikic, Steven Beo, Kim Aiken Jr., Tanner Groves, Brendan Howard and Tyler Kidd redshirting.
 
The Eagles finished the 2017-18 season with a 20-15 record in their 35th season as a member of NCAA Division I after finishing 13-5 in the league during their 31st season as a member of the Big Sky. Eastern made its fourth-straight national postseason appearance when the team competed in the 2018 College Basketball Invitational.
 
 
Big Sky-Best Six Eagles on 2017-18 NABC Honors Court
 
Six Eastern Washington University men's basketball players – the most in the Big Sky Conference – have been honored on the 2017-18 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court announced on July 17, 2018.
 
Graduated forward Bogdan Bliznyuk is a repeat winner, and joined fellow senior Benas Griciunas on the squad. The remainder were underclassmen -- Cody Benzel, Ty Gibson, Jesse Hunt and Grant Gibb.
 
"We are very proud of those players," said Eagle head coach Shantay Legans. "To lead the league in the number of selections receiving this honor is a tribute to the hard work our players put into being true student-athletes, and the emphasis our program, athletic department and university put towards academics."
 
The six selections were the most EWU has had a single season, bettering the four the Eagles had in the 2014-15 school year. Of the 22 selections in school history, 20 of them have come in the six seasons starting in 2012-13. Besides Bliznyuk, repeat winners have included Venky Jois, Tyler Harvey, Daniel Hill and Julian Harrell.
 
The Honors Court recognizes those men's collegiate basketball student-athletes who excelled in academics during the past season. The NABC Honors Court recognizes the talents and gifts that these men possess off the court and the hard work they exhibit in the classroom.  To qualify, the recipients must have junior or senior standing academically, and have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2017-18 academic year. They must have also matriculated at least one year at their current institution.
 
NABC Honors Court Recipients: 2017-18 - Cody Benzel, Bogdan Bliznyuk, Grant Gibb, Ty Gibson, Benas Gricinuas, Jesse Hunt; 2016-17 - Bogdan Bliznyuk, Julian Harrell, Mario Soto; 2015-16 - Julian Harrell, Venky Jois; 2014-15 - Tyler Harvey, Daniel Hill, Venky Jois, Fred Jorg; 2013-14 - Tyler Harvey, Daniel Hill, Martin Seiferth; 2012-13 - Jordan Hickert, Kevin Winford; 2008-09 - Andy Genao, Benny Valentine.
 
 
Legans Has Most Coaching Wins for a Rookie in 75 Years
 
First-year head coach Shantay Legans is the 18th coach in Eastern history, and has made history of his own. His 20 wins are the most by a first-year Eastern coach in EWU's NCAA Division I era, besting Ray Giacoletti with 17 in the 2000-01 season. Joe Folda also won 17 games in 1982-83 as an interim head coach during Eastern's rise from NAIA to NCAA Division I. Thus, you have to go back to the 1942-43 season when Bob Brumblay won 27 games in his debut season to find a rookie Eastern coach with more than 18 victories, which is also the only time it's happened.
 
Legans was an Eastern assistant for eight years before becoming EWU's 10th coach at the NCAA Division I level. Legans spent six years on the staff of Jim Hayford (now head coach at Seattle), and two previous seasons under former head coach Kirk Earlywine (now an assistant at Idaho). Legans was associate head coach under Hayford for the final three of those eight seasons.
 
He has been a part of Eastern teams from the 2013-14 through 2017-18 seasons which have win totals of 15, 26, 18, 22 and 20 games. The three 20-victory seasons are among the top four win totals in EWU's 35-year history in NCAA Division I. The combined 101 wins in five seasons, 86 victories in four seasons, 66 in three and 44 in two are also the most since EWU became a member of NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season. The same can be said of EWU's stretch of league victories -- 10, 14, 10, 13, 13 -- in that five-year span.
 
A former player at Cal and Fresno State, Legans is married to former Eastern women's basketball player Tatjana Sparavalo. Their daughter, Zola Lee, was born June 16, 2016, and they have a son due to be born March 29.
 
 
Perry, Benzel and Peatling Join Bliznyuk in Top 10 in League Statistics
 
Senior Bogdan Bliznyuk made 52.8 percent of his field goals (12th in the Big Sky, 70th in NCAA Division I) and 90.2 percent of his free throws (second in the Big Sky, 11th nationally) to average 21.2 points (third, 25th nationally) through 35 games. He also averaged 6.8 rebounds (sixth) and 3.9 assists (second) to rank as the only player in the league to be in the top 15 in scoring, rebounding and assists – he was actually in the top six in all three. In league games only, Bliznyuk averaged 22.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists, and broke the NCAA Division I single season record for consecutive free throws by making 77-straight from Dec. 31 to March 8. Bliznyuk finished as the owner of 16 school records, and led the Eagles to national postseason tournaments in each of his four seasons.
 
With a late-season surge, true freshman Jack Perry finished ranked sixth in the Big Sky in 3-point shooting overall at 43.1 percent (56-of-130). Junior Cody Benzel was 12th overall at 41.6 percent (67-of-161), including 50-of-112 (44.6 percent) in league games only to rank fifth. Benzel, whose career percentage of 41.9 percent is 10th-best in school history, also ranked fourth in league games only with an average of 2.8 treys per game. Benzel averaged 2.0 3-pointers per game to rank 11th overall in the league. Junior Ty Gibson, one of the team's co-captains, averaged 1.7 3-pointers per game to rank 14th in the league.
 
Mason Peatling was fifth overall with an average of 1.2 blocked shots per game, and he averaged 1.5 in conference play to rank fourth. His average of 7.4 rebounds per game in league games was seventh and his average of 5.6 overall was 16th.
 
As a team, Eastern finished fourth in the league and 69th in NCAA Division I in 3-pointers per game (8.9), and was fourth in the Big Sky in percentage (.374). The Eagles also led the league and ranked 46th in the nation with just 11.5 turnovers committed per game.
 
In league games only, Eastern averaged 9.4 treys per game to lead the Big Sky, highlighted by a regular season-ending season-high of 16 3-pointers against Northern Arizona on March 3, coming just four from the school record of 20. Benzel and Gibson each had a pair, but Perry had a career-high six (6-of-9) on his was to career-high 18-point scoring night. Redshirt freshman Jacob Davison sank 4-of-6 and finished with 14 points.
 
Benzel finished with the 11th-most 3-point field goals in school history with 67 in the 2017-18 season. Gibson finished 16th with 61 and Perry was 19th with 56.
 
 
In Just Third Game as Head Coach, Former Cal Bear Shantay Legans Gets First Win at Maples
 
Not only did the EWU basketball program get a win over a Pac-12 opponent that was a long time coming, but first-year head coach Shantay Legans got some personal gratification from EWU's 67-61 victory versus Stanford at Maples Pavilion on Nov. 14. While playing for California for three seasons from 2000-03, he was a part of Bear teams which lost five-straight times to the nationally-ranked Cardinal, including three stompings at Stanford.
 
As a freshman in 2000-01, Cal lost at home 81-70 to No. 3 Stanford, then lost on the road 101-50 to the second-ranked Cardinal. The next season, Stanford was No. 1 in the nation and beat Cal 84-58 at Maples Pavilion, then was No. 2 when it beat the Bears 88-56 in Berkeley. In his final season at Cal in the 2002-03 season, Legans lost at Stanford 82-62 before winning 68-54 at home. In both of those games, Stanford was ranked 12th. Interestingly, his coach at Cal at the time – Ben Braun – was the analyst on the Pac-12 Networks television broadcast of EWU's upset of Stanford.
 
"I was a Cal Bear and I never won in this gym," said Legans after the victory. "It is a great feeling to beat Stanford at Stanford. I am so happy our guys came out and played the way they played. I grew up at a Cal Bear fan and I can tell you it is a great feeling to win here."
 
Also in his junior season, Legans scored five points and had an assist in a 56-27 stomping over Eastern in the championship game of the BCA Classic in Berkeley. One night earlier, in EWU's season-opener to begin the second year under head coach Ray Giacoletti, the Eagles picked up their first and only victory against a ranked NCAA Division I opponent in school history when they knocked off No. 10 Saint Joseph's 68-57. Eastern is now 1-24 versus ranked teams in school history.
 
Just over a year after that victory, Eastern upset Washington 62-58 in Seattle when Alvin Snow – now agent for former Eagle and eventual Brooklyn Net Jacob Wiley – had 24 points and seven steals against the Huskies. That victory on Dec. 14, 2002, was Eastern's last victory over a Pac-12 opponent until EWU knocked off Stanford to snap a 21-game losing streak against teams from that conference. Overall, EWU is now 13-84 against the Pac-12, including a 3-42 mark since becoming a member of NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season.
 
Eastern had two other epic victories that Legans was a part of in the 2014-15 season. Eastern's heart-stopping 88-86 victory at Big Ten Conference member Indiana on Nov. 24, 2014, snapped the nation's third-longest non-conference home court winning streak at 43 in front of 11,636 Hoosier fans at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. It was the first-ever win for the Eagles in 14 tries against a Big Ten Conference opponent and was the first Big Sky win on a Big Ten home court.
 
Later that same season, the Eagles advanced to their second NCAA Tournament in school history with a trio of victories in Missoula, Montana. Included was a 69-65 title game victory over Montana when Eastern out-scored the Grizzlies 21-6 in the final six minutes for the improbable comeback victory. The Eagles trailed by 11 before the furious rally gave EWU its first-ever tournament win over the Grizzlies.
 
 
 

More Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .

 
 
On Preseason: "Our entire non-conference schedule is tough and we play some really good teams. As we go through our season, it's getting us ready for the conference season. No matter how it turns out, when we start Big Sky play we'll be 0-0 and we have to be good then. We have a mature team with some great senior leaders and we will make sure our players understand exactly what this preseason means."
 
On Progress of Returning Players: "We have six of our top seven players back, and we look forward to getting all those guys on the same page. We've had some injuries early, which is a setback but it's giving our younger players a lot more reps than they usually would. But even with all that experience we're really young. We have three seniors who do a great job leading, and their roles will expand offensively as the season moves forward. We have some great young talent, and the experienced players are showing them how it works."
 
On His First Year as Head Coach: "The support has been great back home. Everybody and the athletic department was right behind us every single step of the way. It's been a tremendous first year for me and I couldn't be happier. I want to thank everybody for believing in this team and being part of something special this year. I'm sorry we couldn't win the tournament and get to the dance, but we'll be back next year. We want everybody to support these players because they deserve it – they work their tails off on the court and in the classroom. Supporting them is huge to our team and means a lot. I'm excited about our future and our athletic department."
 
On Big Sky Success: "What's cool and exciting about the whole postseason situation is that the Big Sky had six teams with 20 wins, and that's the most in 55 years. Being able to play against so many tournament-caliber teams got us prepared for the run we went on. We were 20 minutes from representing the Big Sky in the big dance. Being able to play those teams and especially playing on the road gets you prepared for postseason play, and we're excited to still be playing."
 
On Success of Team Despite Championship Loss: "I told the team in the locker room to keep their heads up – they did everything they possibly could this year. We had injuries, but they kept battling. They never hung their heads, never complained about anything or were upset about the travel early in the season. They were always asking 'what's next?' When you get a group of players like that and you enjoy coaching, it's not a job – it's fun."
 
On Loss in Big Sky Title Game: "Our success is going to continue. We're really proud of this team and way they competed – it was amazing. If our fans saw our locker room after the game it would have broken their hearts. At the same time, our players are great kids and they all have great things ahead of them. I'm disappointed and I'll probably look at this game a 1,000 times. I'm sure there are things we could have done a lot better."
 
On Underclassmen: "Our young guys are going to learn from the championship game loss and they'll come out and do a great job next season. We'll get back here next year because I know we'll have a good team. We'll miss our seniors, but I'm looking forward to getting back to this same exact position and playing this same exact team."
 
On 20 Victories: "It's a big thing for our program to get to 20 wins. The guys deserve it and they did everything we asked them to do all season long. To be able to play for a championship is what you are trying to do when the season starts."
On Peatling's Honorable Mention Accolade: "Mason had a monster conference season. He's a big reason we won 13 league games, and our win against Northern Colorado was a key in helping us finish third. He kicked everybody's butt on the boards that day -- he tried to outrebound them by himself."
 
 
 

Postseason Game Recaps

 
Bliznyuk Sets Single Season Scoring Record in Loss to Utah Valley in CBI
 
The season ended, but there was a silver lining. Big Sky Conference MVP Bogdan Bliznyuk set yet another school scoring record, this time for single season points, but Eastern fell to Utah Valley 87-65 on March 13 in Orem, Utah, in EWU's third-straight appearance in the College Basketball Invitational. Bliznyuk tied the record with 50 seconds left, then broke it with a 3-pointer on the last shot of his illustrious career with 20 ticks remaining. The game was long decided by then, as Utah Valley used runs of 9-0 in the first half and 9-0 and 15-0 in the second half put the game out of reach. Bliznyuk, the Big Sky's all-time leading scorer with 2,169 points, finished with 741 on the season to rank sixth in league history and break the previous school record of 738 set three years ago by Tyler Harvey. He closed his career with 27 points against UVU – the 44th time in his 138-game career he's scored at least 20 and his 100th in double figures. Bliznyuk's late 3-pointer helped him tie the school record with 265 field goals in the 2017-18 season, giving his a total of 16 EWU records in his career. Bliznyuk also led the Eagles with seven rebounds and three assists. Three other Eagles scored at least seven points, with junior Ty Gibson finishing with eight, junior Cody Benzel getting seven and redshirt freshman Jacob Davison also scoring seven. Coming off an emotional 82-65 loss to the Montana in the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game, the Eagles were out-shot 55.8 percent to 35.7 percent. It was the third-lowest shooting performance of the season for the Eagles, and its 18.5 percent from the 3-point stripe (5-of-27) equaled its lowest. Eastern made six of its first 10 shots and took an early 12-8 lead. But then the Eagles missed their next 11 shots and went eight minutes without a field goal. The resulting 9-0 run gave the Wolverines the lead for good, and they led 36-29 at halftime. Eastern was within six in the second half at 42-36, but a 9-0 Utah Valley run opened a 16-point advantage, and then a late 15-0 run put the nail in the coffin as UVU opened its biggest lead of the game at 27. Eastern had just 11 turnovers compared to 19 for Utah Valley, but was out-rebounded by a 46-27 margin.
 
 
Another Big Eagle Lead Isn't Enough as Grizzlies Rally for 82-65 Win
 
For a half, the Eagles looked every bit like the Big Sky Conference's representative in the NCAA Tournament. But a turnaround in fortune in the second half helped Montana defeat Eastern 82-65 in EWU's seventh Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game in school history March 10 at the Reno (Nevada) Events Center.  The Eagles led 40-29 at halftime thanks to 53.3 percent shooting that included 8-of-13 from the 3-point line – a sizzling 61-5 percent. But Eastern sank only 37.5 percent in the second half – 1-of-11 from the arc – and was outscored 53-25. Montana made 59 percent its shots in the game and 65 percent in the second half, using a collective 28-4 run in a 10-minute span to not only overcome a seven-point EWU lead, but take a 17-point lead itself. Eastern's Bogdan Bliznyuk was held to 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, but he still earned All-Tournament honors for the Eagles after setting single tournament records for points (82), field goals (31) and field goal attempts (46). Redshirt freshman Jacob Davison scored 11 first-half points and finished with a team-high 16, and matched Bliznyuk with a team-high seven rebounds. Sophomore Mason Peatling had 15 points and four rebounds on 7-of-9 shooting. True freshman Jack Perry chipped in nine points. Eastern finished the game at 45.8 percent overall and 39.1 percent from the 3-point stripe (9-of-23). In its first two games in the tourney, Eastern made a combined 57-of-98 shots overall (58.2 percent) and 14-of-25 (56.0 percent) from the 3-point stripe.
 
 
Bliznyuk Takes Over Again to Become All-Time Leading Scorer in Big Sky in 82-70 Win
 
The glass was once again full – overflowing in fact -- Friday (March 9) for the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team. On a night Big Sky Conference MVP Bogdan Bliznyuk became the all-time leading scorer in the 55-year history of the league and set a trio of tournament records, the third-seeded Eagles beat No. 10 Southern Utah 82-70 in the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference Tournament at the Reno (Nevada) Events Center. With the league MVP pouring in 32 points, Eastern extended its winning streak to eight games – its longest in 14 years – to advance to its seventh Big Sky championship game in school history. For the fifth-straight game, Eastern led at halftime by at least 12 points, taking a 43-31 lead at half. With Bliznyuk scoring 17 points in the first half, Eastern had its best shooting half of the season both overall (70.8 percent) and from 3-point range (80 percent, 4-of-5). The Eagles used a 10-run in the second half to lead by as many as 17 and no fewer than six in the second half. Eastern made a season-best 64.6 percent of its shots to offset the 50.0 percent shooting for SUU, as Bliznyuk sank 13-of-17 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. Redshirt freshman Jacob Davison added 16 points and five rebounds while making all nine of his free throw attempts, and senior Benas Griciunas came off the bench to make all seven of his field goals and score 14 points. Bliznyuk secured the record less than five minutes into the game. With a 3-pointer 2:45 into the game, he tied the 24-year old league record of 2,102 points set by Orlando Lightfoot from Idaho in three seasons from 1991-94. Bliznyuk then hit a free throw 30 seconds later to own sole possession of the record, and went on to increase his total to 2,127 points in 136 career games. Just five players in the 55-year history of the league have hit the 2,000-point mark, and he stands above them all. The Big Sky MVP also tied the league record by playing in his ninth Big Sky Tournament game (record of 7-2), and went on to break the scoring record as well in the second half. He finished the game 178 points to break the record of 165 set by current Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak from Montana from 1983-86. His 65 career field goals are also a record.
 
 
Big Defensive Stretch in First Half Sends Eagles Into Semifinals
 
The Eagle defense was the big winner in the rubber match of the season series, holding Portland State without a field goal for a 9:51 stretch in the first half as the third-seeded Eagles beat the No. 6 Vikings 78-72 in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky Conference Tournament on March 8 at the Reno (Nevada) Events Center. In a battle of one team outstanding at taking the ball and another outstanding at taken care of it, Eastern used a 12-0 run to take a 20-point lead in the first half, helped by a 6:31 scoreless stretch by the Vikings. They missed eight-straight shots and had seven turnovers during their nearly 10 minutes without a field goal, and EWU led by 16 at halftime. Eastern led by as many as 21 in the second half and 19 with inside of seven minutes left before PSU rallied with a 16-2 run to cut the lead to five with 1:12 to play. But on his way to 35 points, Big Sky MVP Bogdan Bliznyuk had a three-point play with 46 seconds to left and three more free throws in the last 37 seconds to clinch EWU's seventh-straight win. Portland State entered the game ranked in the top three in NCAA Division I in turnover margin, turnovers forced, steals and offensive rebounds, leading to the third-best scoring average at 86.3 per game. Eastern, meanwhile, entered ranked 41st in fewest turnovers allowed and 23rd in free throw percentage. It was EWU's defense that stole the show, forcing 10 turnovers and committing just seven itself in the first half. Eastern also out-shot the Vikings 52 percent to 36 percent in the first half, and 52 percent to 38 percent in the game. Bliznyuk hit his first four shots – all 3-pointers – and had 17 of his 35 points in the first half. He finished the game 11-of-14 from the field with 4-of-5 3-pointers, and made 9-of-11 free throws. His NCAA single season record for consecutive free throws ended at 77, but he moved into second on the Big Sky's all-time scoring list with 2,095 and is just seven from the record of 2,102. True freshman Jack Perry finished with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field overall and 4-of-7 from the 3-point stripe. Sophomore Mason Peatling had 12 rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals, and came four points from his sixth career double-double. Eastern and PSU entered the game with a collective season total of 38 victories, and had split its two regular season meetings. Eastern beat Portland State at home 81-74 on Jan. 4, then surrendered its most points of the season in a 94-81 loss in Portland to the Vikings on Feb. 3. The Vikings had won five of their last six games.