The Eastern Washington University men's basketball team opens its 2019-20 season on Tuesday (Nov. 5) when Portland Bible College visits Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. There will be no admission charged for the game.
 
The game begins at 6:05 p.m. and may be viewed via Pluto TV channel 534 and at http://watchbigsky.com. Fans can also listen to the game on 700-AM ESPN, 105.3-FM, via the web at tunein.com and via mobile phone app, with pre-game coverage starting one hour prior to kickoff.
 
The Wildcats were 3-20 a year ago and are coached by Mike Arnold. The are a member of the National Christian Collegiate Athletics Association (NCCAA), and had Elite Eight national tournament appearances in 2015 and 2017. They are also a member of the Pacific Christian Athletic Conference.
 
Portland Bible College's roster includes 6-foot-4 senior forward Aaron Deathridge, who averaged 8.8 points and 4.6 rebounds last season. Sophomore 6-4 guard Keoni Penueta averaged 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds a year ago, and sophomore 6-4 wing Moses McEwen averaged 7.8 points and 3.0 boards.
 
Following Tuesday's game, Eastern begins a four-game road stretch at Seattle on Nov. 9. Then, the Eagles play three games in the Gotham Classic versus Saint Louis, Boston College and High Point, before returning home for a Gothic Classic game versus Belmont on Nov. 26.
 
 
 

2019-20 Season Outlook

 
Entering his third season at the helm, Eastern Washington University men's basketball head coach Shantay Legans is dreaming of a year of health for his Eagle squad.
 
An injury-plagued season in 2018-19 ended with a second-straight appearance in the Big Sky Conference Tournament  championship game for the Eagles, and four of the main players from that squad return. Legans expects them to be healthy – and stay that way -- and ready to help the Eagles challenge for the league title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament that has eluded EWU since 2015.
 
"For the last two years we have been banged up as soon as we hit the Big Sky Tournament," explained Legans, whose team was picked to finish first by his fellow coaches and third by the media in the 2019-20 leaague season. "We are trying to make sure that we are healthy when it counts. That will be a big thing for our team this year, but I think that we have a little bit more depth in certain positions. So we will be okay."
 
Eastern had its fourth-straight season with 10 Big Sky wins or more and a sixth-straight year with a winning league record. Eastern is 65-29 in Big Sky play in those six years for a .691 winning percentage.
 
Senior Mason Peatling is back after earning second team All-Big Sky honors for the Eagles, with junior Jacob Davison earning third team accolades despite missing the last 10 games with an ankle injury. Both were among the six players chosen league-wide as preseason All-Big Sky selections for the 2019-20 season.
 
Peatling averaged 15.3 points and 7.2 rebounds a year ago, while Davison averaged 15.2 per outing. Until he suffered an ankle injury on Feb. 16, 2019, and forcing him to miss the last 10 games, Davison had averaged 18.5 points in league play, including 23.8 points in his last nine outings.
 
Peatling was also selected to the Big Sky All-Tournament team after averaging 20.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in three games while sinking 62.9 percent of his shots from the field. He missed EWU's first nine games with a toe injury, and his return turned out to be the turning point of the season for the Eagles.
 
 "Mason is a big part of what we do, and if he stays healthy we will be pretty good," said Legans. "We see improvements in his game every time he steps on the court, and same with Jacob – he has been able to stay healthy throughout the spring and summer as well. Some of the other guys have been nicked up with injuries, but nothing major."
 
Peatling and Davison are joined by sophomore Kim Aiken Jr., who averaged 11.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots with a pair of double-doubles in his first postseason experience. As a result, he also earned Big Sky All-Tournament accolades. Aiken ended his redshirt freshman season with an average of 6.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per outing as a sub off the bench in 19 of the 30 games he played.
 
"We have three really good players who complement each other," said Legans. "From there we have some great additional pieces that have stepped up and will turn into really good players. I think that it is the depth of this team. Our guys one through 10 can step on the court and play, but our inside presence is really good."
 
Eastern's third returning starter is point guard Tyler Kidd, who averaged 12.0 points and 3.8 assists. In all, Eastern returns eight letterwinners while losing four. Eastern's 18-player roster is rounded out by six newcomers, a trio of 2018-19 redshirts and a transfer who had to sit out most of last season with an injury.
 
"The team has been competing -- we have been getting in the gym and getting after it," said Legans. "We are looking forward to getting some scrimmages against some other teams. They have been going hard ever since our last game in the Big Sky Tournament -- harder than I have ever seen. Mason and some other players have helped the culture to make sure that the younger guys are getting in the gym and getting better. They are doing a lot on their own, so that is making the team progress a lot faster than other teams have in the past.
 
"We have had players who have stepped up and allowed us to work on other aspects of our game," added Legans. "It's a different feel from last year and we have players who can do multiple things.
 
 
 
Front Court . . . Peatling Leads Eastern's 1-2-3 Punch Inside
 
Headlining Eastern's front court players is Peatling, who missed the first nine Eastern games in 2018-19 with a toe injury that required surgery in September. With Aiken and 6-foot-9 Tanner Groves also returning, Eastern will have a great 1-2-3 punch inside. That trio also provides versatility that will give EWU significant options when game-planning.
 
"It depends on the game, the time of the season, who is healthy and who is playing well," Legans explained. "We have a plethora of players who can do a lot of different things. Sometimes you'll see Mason handling the ball and we will post up Jacob, it just depends.
 
"We have a lot of talented players who can do different things, so we can't just tell certain guys this is what you're going to do," he continued. "We can play small with Kim Aiken down low, or we can go real big and go 6-foot-6 across the board. We will just have to see what happens during games and adjust what we are doing when necessary."
 
Once he returned, Peatling was EWU's leading scorer in nine of the 22 games he played (13-9 record), and also led in rebounds eight times. An honorable mention All-Big Sky selection as a sophomore, Peatling averaged 15.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks in the 18 league games he played, and 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds overall while shooting at a 57.8 percent clip.
 
In league games only, he was seventh in the league in scoring (15.3), fifth in shooting (58.6 percent) and fourth in rebounding (7.2), but didn't rank among the overall league leaders (a player must play in 75 percent of a team's games to be ranked). Peatling scored at least 20 points three of his last four games, including 20 with seven rebounds in a 77-61 victory over Southern Utah (3/15/19) in the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference Tournament. One game earlier versus Montana State (3/14/19) he had a career-high 28 points with 14 rebounds and two blocked shots for his third double-double of the season and eighth of his career.
 
In his 87-game career (65 as a starter), Peatling has averaged 8.2 points and 5.1 rebounds with a total of 77 assists, 62 steals and 66 blocks to rank ninth in school history. He has hit double figures in scoring 32 times in his career thus far, and has had at least 10 rebounds 10 times. He now has eight double-doubles in his career with a record of 7-1.
 
Aiken ended up having 11 starts in his first season as an Eagle.  A candidate for Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year honors, Aiken averaged 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in Big Sky Conference play, including 11.6 and 7.7, respectively, in the last 10 games as a starter as an injury replacement for Jacob Davison. He had three double-doubles, 11 blocked shots and 10 steals in those 10 games, shooting at a 46.1 percent clip from the field with 17 3-pointers.
 
Groves, Eastern's biggest player at 6-9, 235 pounds, started a pair of games. He averaged 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 28 games, scoring a season-high 14 against Idaho (2/18/19)
 
"We'll be able to play Kim and Mason together with Tanner able to come in off the bench," Legans said. "They are three formidable big guys who can do different things on the basketball court – they aren't all the same. We will be able to throw the ball inside and see what happens, because they are hard to guard and they can work away from the basket. Kim is a great shooter, Mason is working on his shot, and Tanner has a soft touch. We're feeling pretty good down there."
 
Groves made the first starts of his career against Southern Utah (2/2/19) and Northern Arizona (2/4/19) as an injury replacement for Peatling. Groves had his first career double-double against NAU, finishing with 13 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots while making 6-of-10 shots from the field.
 
"Tanner Groves played great last year, and he had some double-doubles when Mason was out," said Legans. "He had some huge Big Sky games and played very well during those times until Mason was back and healthy."
 
Redshirting a year ago was 6-6 Jordan Veening from Sumas, Wash., and Nooksack High School. He averaged 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists as a senior in high school to earn All-Northwest Athletic Conference honors.
 
Joining the returning players are four new freshmen who will compete for time up front.
 
Adriel "Bonez" Linares is a gangly 6-9 forward from San Antonio, Texas, and Sunnybrook Christian High School. As a senior, Linares averaged 10.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.9 blocked shots, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
 
Abdullahi Mohamed is 6-8 and attended West Seattle High School. As a senior, Mohamed helped his school advance to the State 3A Tournament and finish 17-9 overall and 11-4 for a fourth-place finish in the highly-competitive 3A Metro League.
 
Rounding out the newcomers is well-traveled Tyler Robertson, a 6-6 swingman from Melbourne, Australia. He competed in the summer of 2019 for the Australian Emus at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Heraklion, Greece. He also helped Victoria claim the U20 gold medal at the Australia Junior Championships.
 
In addition, Robertson 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.

 
Back Court . . . Davison Returns With 41-Point Game on his Resume
 
Until an ankle injury on Feb. 16 forced him to miss the last 10 games, Jacob Davison had been the hottest player for the Eagles if not the entire Big Sky. He averaged 23.8 points in his last nine outings, including the seventh-most points in school history with 41 versus Northern Arizona on Feb. 4 to help him earn Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors.
 
Davison started 19 of the 22 games he played, and finished with averages of 15.2 points on the season and a team-leading 18.5 in league play, which would have ranked fifth in the Big Sky if he had played enough of EWU's games to qualify (75 percent). Besides missing the last 10 games, wrist and ankle injuries kept Davison out of the first two games and preseason practices.
 
"Jacob is an unbelievable talent and he's gotten tougher," said Legans. "Even when he was injured, he was in watching as much video as possible. He couldn't do anything else but learn, and it's taken him to the next level. He's a great scorer, but now he's making passes and plays he didn't make before."
 
In his 56-game career (26 as a starter), he's averaged 10.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists while sinking 46.1 percent of his shots from the field, 36.5 percent from the 3-point stripe and 82.3 percent of his free throws (121-of-147).
 
"He's becoming a better teammate, and is a great leader and one of our captains," Legans added. "His leadership and how he's thinking the game are going to make him hard to guard, and the more passes he makes to other players it's going to make it easier for him to score. I think he's understanding that."
 
Kidd ranked 23rd in the Big Sky with an average of 12.0 points per game during league play, plus averaged 3.8 assists to rank seventh. Kidd came off the bench in the first 12 games he played (he did not play in three), but started all 19 games since Jan. 10.
 
He averaged 9.9 points and 3.1 assists overall, while scoring in double figures in 16 of the last 24 games (none in the first seven games he played). Overall, he was ninth in the league in assists (3.1), ninth in 3-point field goal percentage (.423, 41-of-97) and 11th in free throw percentage (79.5 percent, 66-of-83). In league games only, Kidd was ninth in free throw shooting (81.2 percent, 56-of-69).
 
Junior Jack Perry started 11 of 32 games and averaged 4.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Perry is currently just off EWU's all-time career 3-point percentage list at 38.4 percent. He's played 67 total games as an Eagle (38 as a starter) and has averaged 5.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
 
Austin Fadal also saw action as a starter in two games as a true freshman, scoring in double figures three times and averaging 3.8 points in the 21 games he played. However, Fadal suffered a knee injury in preseason practices and may redshirt in 2019-20.
 
Coming off the bench to play significantly – particularly as a defensive stopper -- was Elijah Jackson. He played in 25 games, averaging 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in an average of 8.0 minutes. Jackson is out of Chief Sealth High School in Seattle, earning All-Metro League honors as a senior, then winning 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.
 
Steven Beo, a transfer from BYU, played just three games because of an ankle injury, but is now eligible to appeal for a sixth year when he concludes his senior season in 2021. He made his Eagle debut at San Francisco (12/13/18) and made 1-of-2 3-point attempts, and then started his first game as an Eagle versus South Dakota State (12/18/18).
 
Casson Rouse from Lacey, Wash., and Michael Meadows from Hollywood, Calif., both redshirted as freshmen in 2018-19, and will join a pair of guards joining the Eagles as freshmen this season. As a senior at Timberline High School in Lacey, Wash., Rouse helped lead his team to a 22-7 record and fourth-place finish at the State 3A Championships, the best in school history. In 2017-18, Meadows helped Campbell Hall HS finish 20-10 and advance to the quarterfinals of the 2018 CIF Division 2AA Southern Section Playoffs.
 
Among the newcomers is Ellis Magnuson, who is competing for the starting point guard position. A 2019 graduate of Borah High School in Boise, Idaho, Magnuson was the USA Today Idaho 5A Player of the Year in his senior season when he led the Lions to the State 5A title and a 24-3 record. Borah won its first championship since 2013 and its state-best 12th overall.
 
He averaged 15 points, six assists and two steals per game over his last two years in the program, and was also awarded first team All-State as a junior. Magnuson played football for Borah as a wide receiver, and earned first team All-State honors as a junior and second team as a senior.
 
Magnuson's father, Josh, lettered as a linebacker at the University of Idaho from 1991-93.
 
Jacob Groves is a 6-7 swingman out of Spokane's Shadle Park High School. His brother, Jacob, played for the Eagles as a redshirt freshman in 2018-19. Groves earned second team All-Greater Spokane League honors as a senior at Shadle Park, averaging 17.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
 
The other newcomer is Steele Venters, a 6-7 swingman from Ellensburg (Wash.) High School. Venters averaged 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game as a senior, including a career high of 37 points and four other games with at least 30 points.
 
"We have some freshmen and other young players who have really stepped up for us so far," said Legans. "Ellis at point guard is a very good player and he has done a lot of good things. Another freshman is Abdullahi Mohamed from across the way in Seattle. Austin Fadal is nursing an injury, but were hoping he gets back after showing some great signs in the spring. Elijah Jackson has done a really great job of pushing guys offensively because he is such a good defender. Michael Meadows is another guy who has done a really good job over this preseason."   
 
 
 
2019-20 Schedule . . . Eagles Play Five NCAA Tournament Teams From a Year Ago
 
The Eagles will once again be road-tested, but December's miles will be significantly less. While November is highlighted by long road trips, December features two short trips against a pair of NCAA Division I powerhouses and a trio of home games for the Eagles and their 2019-20 schedule.
 
Eastern will play 11 non-conference opponents – including five at home – prior to the start of its Big Sky Conference schedule on Dec. 28. All but two of the opponents are NCAA Division I foes.
 
"We ​have a great preseason schedule coming up this year," said Legans. "In November​, we get to travel all over the country and test ourselves against some high-level programs. ​We return home in December ​and get over a month where we don't leave the state of Washington, which will help us get some extra practices in and help keep our guys fresh. ​We'll have five home games ​in that span to provide Eagle Nation a great opportunity to come see what we have."
 
In the second game of the season on Nov. 9, Eastern will play at Seattle in what has become an annual game against the Redhawks and former EWU head coach Jim Hayford. Eastern will play at Washington on Wednesday, Dec. 4, and three weeks later will take on Gonzaga on Saturday, Dec. 21. While EWU has played the Huskies three times in the last six seasons, EWU hasn't played the Bulldogs since Nov. 11, 2011.
 
Both the Huskies and Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Tournament in the 2018-19 season, with the Huskies finishing 27-9 overall and 15-3 in the Pac-12 Conference. Gonzaga was 33-4 and a perfect 16-0 in the West Coast Conference.
 
""It is something that the fellas really like, and we finally get to play against Gonzaga," Legans said of the challenges ahead. "I know Mason has been wanting to do that since he has been here. Our fans have wanted us to play those games, and it's a lot of fun. It's also a great recruiting tool.
 
Three other teams EWU faces this season advanced to the Big Dance, including Saint Louis (23-13/10-8 Atlantic 10 Conference), Belmont (27-6/16-2 Ohio Valley Conference) and Montana (26-9/16-4 Big Sky). Advancing to the Collegeinsider.com Tournament were Seattle (18-15/6-10 Western Athletic Conference) and Southern Utah (17-7/9-11 Big Sky).
 
 "It is going to be challenging, but at the same time we will be able to test ourselves," he continued. "Last year we had the same type of schedule but with some injuries early. This year I'm hoping we stay healthy and see what we can accomplish against some of these bigger schools. I think that we can challenge those opponents and give them good games, and our players are really looking forward to them. "
 
In all, Eastern faces nine non-conference foes from eight different leagues who combined for a 191-108 record (.666) a year ago, and were a collective 96-56 (.632) in their respective leagues.
 
"We go on the road recruiting and talk about our schedules and who we are playing," said Legans. "We're playing Washington, Gonzaga and Seattle, and we are always trying to get Washington State on the schedule."
 
The Eagles open the season on Tuesday, Nov. 5, with a home game versus Portland Bible College (3-20) of the Pacific Christian Athletic Conference. The Eagles then play at Seattle on Nov. 8 before playing four games in the Gotham Classic. After playing at Saint Louis, Boston College (14-17/5-13 Atlantic Coast Conference) and High Point (16-15/9-7 Big South), Eastern hosts Belmont on Nov. 26.
 
The Washington game follows, then EWU plays a trio of home games -- Dec. 8 versus former Big Sky member North Dakota (12-18/6-10 Summit League), Dec. 13 against Multnomah (15-15/6-12 Cascade Collegiate Conference) and Dec. 17 versus Nebraska Omaha (21-11/13-3 Summit League).
 
The non-conference schedule concludes with the game at Gonzaga, followed by the team's Big Sky opener at Weber State on Dec. 28. Eastern's Big Sky home opener is versus Portland State on Jan. 4.
 
"We want to try and play every team in the state of Washington, and stay in the Northwest," said Legans. "At the same time, we want to be able to play other schools. We are going to play against a good ACC team, Boston College. They recruit well and they play against some of the best teams in the country. St. Louis was in the NCAA Tournament last year, and that game will give us a great idea of where we are going to be this year. We are really going to push ourselves, and I think we have a good chance in some of these games to take the win. We also have Belmont at home, and they play really good basketball."
 
Eastern's conference schedule was announced last winter. The Big Sky Conference Championship, which will take place in Boise, Idaho, for the second year of a three-year agreement, is scheduled for March 11-14, 2020 at CenturyLink Arena.
 
"There are a lot of changes with the coaches and the programs," said Legans of his third tour of the Big Sky as a head coach. "At the same time, the teams in the Big Sky are very tough. They know how to play against you and it's going to be a lot of fun. There are a lot of teams that are up in the air at this point. Southern Utah has a lot of their guys back, and Montana and Weber State are looking good. Idaho has a lot of players that people haven't seen -- they have had a lot of changes but they have potential to be very good. Idaho State has a new head coach coming in, and Ryan Looney has been very successful in the Northwest and in California. So, all in all, it's going to be a lot of fun to see where we stack up against some of these teams in the Big Sky."
 
After EWU started the season 1-9, Mason Peatling returned from a toe injury and Eastern was 15-9 the rest of the season to finish 16-18. Eastern was just 1-3 to start league play, but then won 13 of its final 19 games of the season after most of its injury woes subsided, but the Eagles did play the final 10 games of the season without All-Big Sky guard Jacob Davison.
 
"Our players are healthy to start the year and we've set high goals and expectations for ourselves," added Legans. "I ​couldn't be more excited for ​the season to get rolling."
 
 
 
Big Sky Preseason Predictions . . . Eagles Selected by Coaches to Win League Title
 
With three starters back and eight total letterwinners returning, Eastern has the ingredients to get back to the NCAA Tournament
 
The postseason is a long way off, but the coaches in the Big Sky Conference think the Eagles are the preseason pick to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.
 
The league's head coaches selected Eastern as the preseason choice to win the Big Sky title in the 2019-20 season, the league office announced Oct. 17. The Eagles were picked third in the media poll, which was also announced.
 
Eastern was also picked to win the title by both the coaches and media in the 2002-03 season, then finished as the runner-up in the league (regular season and tournament) and advanced to the NIT Tournament. In 2003-04 when they won the first of their two Big Sky Tournament titles, the Eagles were picked second in both polls. The success that year resulted in EWU being picked first in both polls in 2004-05, but EWU slipped to 8-20 overall and 5-9 in the league. In 2014-15, when EWU also advanced to the NCAA Tournament, EWU was picked second by the coaches and third by the media.
 
"It's great to be recognized, and we've put in a lot of hard work," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "I've been here 11 years and this may be the first time we've been picked first – that's a great accomplishment in itself. Our players have done an unbelievable job of getting better each year. Our coaching staff gets them ready and prepared, and our guys play with a lot of confidence. I think that's what the other coaches have seen in some of our players."
 
Eastern received eight of 11 first-place votes cast by the coaches, and had 96 total points. Montana, with the other three first-place votes and 87 total, was picked to finish as the runner-up, with Weber State a close third with 86 points. Last season, for the second-straight year, Montana beat Eastern in the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
 
"Our team wants it a lot, but you can say that about every team in the country," Legans said. "We all want to get to the NCAA Tournament, and sometimes you have to be lucky to get there. We've gotten to the championship game but have fallen short, losing to Montana both times. Getting there is a great accomplishment and it's something we do think about. We just have to get better as the season progresses and have the depth we need when we get to the conference tournament."
 
In the media poll, Eastern was third with 330 points and received nine first-place votes, just behind Montana with 354 points (13 first-place votes) and Weber State with 345 (12). Northern Colorado was fourth with 275 points and a pair of first-place tallies.
 
Southern Utah, which advanced to the Collegeinsider.com Tournament a year ago, was picked to finish fourth by the coaches and fifth by the media, with UNC fifth in the coaches poll. The next six teams were all the same in both polls – Portland State, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Sacramento State, Idaho State and Idaho.
 
"The Big Sky schedule is most important for us," added Legans, whose team started the season 1-9 a year ago before going 12-8 in the league to finish at 16-18 on the season. "You lose one game in the Big Sky Tournament and you aren't going to the NCAA Tournament. Your goal is to try to play your best basketball in the three or four games you play in the tournament. You have to make sure you are ready for that."
 
 
 

2018-19 Season Wrap-Up

 
In the grand scheme of things, a 13-6 record told the real story of the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team in the 2018-19 season.
 
After starting the season 1-9, the Eagles finished 16-18, and came a victory short of playing in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in school history. Eastern's stretch of four-straight national tournament berths came to an end, but the Eagles finished as the Big Sky Conference runner-up for the second-straight season.
 
Eastern fell 68-62 to two-time regular season and tournament champion Montana on March 16 in the championship game of the Big Sky Conference Basketball Tournament presented by My Place Hotels at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. Eastern led by as many as 12 in the first half and five at halftime, but couldn't hold off the Griz.
 
Third-seeded Eastern advanced to the title game with a 77-61 victory over No. 7 Southern Utah in the semifinals, which followed a 90-84 victory over No. 6 Montana State in the quarterfinals. Junior Mason Peatling was selected to the All-Tournament team after averaging 20.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in three games while sinking 62.9 percent of his shots from the field. He was joined by redshirt freshman Kim Aiken Jr., who averaged 11.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots with a pair of double-doubles in his first postseason experience.
 
Peatling and senior Jesse Hunt earned second team All-Big Sky honors for the Eagles, with sophomore Jacob Davison earning third team accolades despite missing the last 10 games with an ankle injury. Eastern's other two seniors were Cody Benzel and Ty Gibson, who combined with Hunt to play in 382 total games as Eagles to all rank in the top 11 in school history.
 
Eastern finished 12-8 in Big Sky Conference play, including a five-game winning streak late in the year to help secure third place in the regular season standings and win its first two tournament games. After EWU started the season 1-9, Peatling returned from a toe injury and the Eagles were 15-9 the rest of the season. Eastern was just 1-3 to start league play, but then won 13 of its final 19 games of the season.
 
"I couldn't be more proud of our basketball team," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans following his second year at the helm. "They did a great job in the championship game and they did a great job from the beginning of the year. We were in the same exact situation last year at the end of the season. We started off the season with a lot of injuries, but we had players who stepped up to be great leaders and understand exactly what the season was about. It's about building relationships and getting guys to believe in a common goal. When you bring in new players to a team it's always a little rocky, but we had three great seniors. And Mason was an unbelievable leader."
 
Eastern had its fourth-straight season with 10 Big Sky wins or more and a sixth-straight year with a winning league record. Eastern is 65-29 in Big Sky play in those six years for a .691 winning percentage.
 
Hunt and Benzel were the lone two starters lost from the 2018-19 team, with the other starters including Peatling, Davison and point guard Tyler Kidd. Underclassmen Luka Vulikic (14 starts), Jack Perry (11 starts), Aiken (11 starts), Tanner Groves (2 starts) and Austin Fadal (2 starts) also saw action as starters, and coming off the bench to play significantly was Elijah Jackson.
 
Three Eagles finished ranked in the top 25 in scoring in league games only -- junior Mason Peatling had a 15.3 average (seventh), followed by Jesse Hunt (13.9; 12th) and Tyler Kidd (12.0; 23rd). Hunt was also second in rebounding (9.5; a single rebound away from tying for the lead) and Peatling was fourth (7.2). Kidd averaged 3.8 assists to rank seventh and Hunt was right behind in eighth with a 3.6 average.
 
Until he suffered an ankle injury on Feb. 16 and forcing him to miss the last seven games, Jacob Davison had been the hottest Eagle, averaging 23.8 points in his last nine outings since scoring 11 versus Montana on Jan. 10. He had the seventh-most points in school history with 41 versus Northern Arizona on Feb. 4, and had averages of 15.2 points on the season and a team-leading 18.5 in league play, which would have ranked fifth in the Big Sky if he had played enough of EWU's games to qualify (75 percent).
 
Besides missing the last 10 games, wrist and ankle injuries kept Davison out of the first two games and preseason practices. Peatling missed the first nine games with a toe injury that required surgery in September, and Hunt was cleared to play after preseason practices because of foot surgery in July. Steven Beo, a transfer from BYU, played just three games because of an ankle injury, but is now eligible to appeal for a sixth year when he concludes his senior season in 2021. In addition, Perry and Gibson both missed games because of concussions.
 
Legans recorded the most wins by an Eastern rookie head coach at the NCAA Division I level with 20 in the 2017-18 season. He followed that with 16 in the 2018-19 season, giving him a 36-33 record in two seasons at the helm (25-13 in league play). Coupled with his eight seasons as an assistant under two head coaches, EWU teams are 161-166 in his 10-year Eastern tenure (99-85 in league play).
 
"I've liked both teams and we've gone up against some good teams," added Legans of his first two seasons as a head coach. "To play without a couple of players hurt us during the year, but it's next man up. That's how we do it at Eastern – you are always fighting to the very end. I like all the players we had and got here with. We were in the championship last year and this year, and we'll be back."
 
After EWU's 16-18 finish in 2018-19, he has been a part of Eastern teams from the 2013-14 through 2018-19 seasons which have win totals of 15, 26, 18, 22, 20 and 16 games. The three 20-victory seasons are among the top four win totals in EWU's 36-year history in NCAA Division I. The combined 117 wins in six seasons, 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, 12 -- in that six-year span.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2018-19 Season Notes
 
Eastern Plays Eight Opponents Who Advanced to National Tournaments
 
The Eagles played eight teams in the 2018-19 season who advanced to national tournaments, including five who qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Eastern was 3-9 versus those eight teams, including a 1-6 mark versus the NCAA field (Montana 1-2, North Dakota State 0-1, Syracuse 0-1, Oregon 0-1, Washington 0-1). Eastern also lost to NIT qualifier South Dakota State, and were 2-1 versus Collegeinsider.com Tournament qualifier Southern Utah and 0-1 against CIT entrant Seattle.
 
 
 
Eagles Had Victories Over All 10 Big Sky Opponents
 
An 80-77 win over Weber State on March 9 to wrap-up the regular season gave Eastern victories over every league team in the 2018-19 season. Coupled with an overwhelming 91-62 road win at Idaho State on March 7, Eastern registered its first league road sweep of the season, having swept the same road trip a year earlier.
 
Eastern finished in sole possession of third place in the Big Sky Conference at 12-8, a game ahead of three teams who finished 11-9 – Weber State, Montana State and Portland State. Tiebreakers gave the No. 6 seed to Montana State, with No. 4 Weber State and No. 5 Portland State receiving byes and playing each other in the quarterfinals.
 
Montana finished in sole possession of first at 16-4 and Northern Colorado was the runner-up at 15-5. Weber State, Portland State and Montana State all finished at 11-9, followed by Southern Utah (9-11), Northern Arizona (8-12), Sacramento State (8-12), Idaho State (7-13) and Idaho (2-18).
 
Eastern's 12 league wins included victories over all other 10 league teams, with sweeps over Northern Arizona and Idaho State. However, one of Idaho's two victories in league play came against the Eagles on Jan. 3. Eastern registered Big Sky Conference Tournament wins over Montana State and Southern Utah before bowing to Montana in the championship game.
 
After losing its first nine road games of the season, Eastern won three of its last four to help EWU finish the regular season with a three-game winning streak. The Eagles were victorious over MSU and SUU in their first games at a neutral site (in Boise for the league tournament).
 
 
 
Trio of EWU Seniors Combined for 382 Games Played
 
Three Eastern seniors were honored March 2 in pre-game ceremonies prior to beating Portland State 68-66, and that trio of Cody Benzel, Ty Gibson and Jesse Hunt combined for 382 games played in their careers. Benzel played in 135 to pass Felix Von Hofe for second in school history and Gibson had 130 to pass his former teammate Felix Von Hofe for third. Hunt was right behind with 117 games played to rank 11th in school history. Benzel finished in sole possession of fourth in school history with 203 3-pointers made in his career, and Gibson is ninth with 153.
 
Eastern also honored a fourth player on March 2 -- 2016 Central Valley High School (Spokane) graduate Joshua Thomas who departed after three seasons in the program. He had a 3.98 grade point average as a visual communications design major at Eastern, joining the other three with some impressive academic accomplishments. Gibson and Hunt both became four-time members of the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team, and Benzel was honored once.
 
Benzel, Gibson and Hunt were named to the NABC Honors Court for the 2017-18 school year. Gibson majored in professional accounting, and has a 3.99 GPA at EWU after graduating from Issaquah (Wash.) HS in 2015. Benzel was a 2014 graduate of Ferris High School in Spokane, Wash., and had a 3.19 GPA at EWU as double major in marketing and finance. Hunt had a 3.52 GPA as a management major, and is formerly from Australia and graduated from Sir Francis Drake HS in California in 2015.
 
Eastern had a 3.54 grade point average as a team in fall quarter of 2018, with a current accumulative team GPA of 3.52.
 
 
Trio of Eastern Seniors Work Their Way Into Record Books
 
Besides ranking in the top 11 in school history in games played, Jesse Hunt, Cody Benzel and Ty Gibson all worked their way into EWU's record books in their careers. Hunt finished the season with 496 points to rank as the 19th-most in school history, and his 531 career rebounds ranks ninth.
 
Benzel finished his career ranked fourth in school history with 203 3-pointers and Gibson is ninth with 153. Benzel passed Marc Axton on EWU's all-time leaders list (184 from 2002-05), and his 504 attempts are also fourth. Benzel shot at a 40.3 percent clip from the 3-point arc to rank 12th all-time at EWU and Gibson is just out of the top 16 in school history with 38.3 percent accuracy and his 399 total attempts are 10th. Sophomore Jack Perry is currently also just off the percentage list at 38.4 percent, while Mason Peatling will enter his senior season in 2018-19 ranked eighth in career blocked shots with 66.
 
Jacob Davison enters his junior season in 2019-20 with a .823 free throw percentage to currently rank sixth all-time at EWU. He scored 41 points against Northern Arizona on Feb. 2, 2019, to rank as the seventh-most in school history. The 32 points Hunt scored versus UMKC on Nov. 17, 2018, is 52nd and the 30 Cody Benzel had against Idaho State on March 7, 2019, is 75th. Benzel had eight 3-pointers made in that game to equal the fourth-most all-time at Eastern, and his 15 attempts was sixth.
 
In addition, Hunt's 17 rebounds at Sacramento State on Jan. 26, 2019, equaled the eighth-most in recorded school history, his 16 against Idaho State on March 7, 2019, equals the 17th most and his 15 on Jan. 10, 2019, versus Montana ranks 25th. Luka Vulikic had 10 assists against North Dakota State on Dec. 8, 2018, to equal the 22nd most in school history.
 
As a team, EWU's 45 3-point attempts at Oregon on Nov. 9, 2018, broke the previous school record of 44. Opponents made 291-of-766 3-pointers against the Eagles in 2018-19, which were both all-time highs versus EWU.