­­­­­­­Eastern Washington University "Eagles" Men's Basketball (10-16/8-7 Big Sky) Saturday, Feb. 23 – at Northern Arizona ­– 1:05 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28 – Sacramento State ­– 6:05 p.m. Saturday, March 2 – Portland State ­– 2:05 p.m. all times Pacific
Radio:	Eastern games are on 700-AM ESPN & 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area. Larry Weir calls the play-by-play (Bob Castle at Stanford). 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:	Northern Arizona will be televised regionally in Arizona by NAU-TV and CW-6 Phoenix.
­­­Webcast:	http://watchbigsky.com or Pluto Channel 234 for EWU home games (channel 239 for Northern Arizona)
Live Stats:	EWU Home Games: http://ewustats.com (also Northern Arizona)
Weekly Coaches Show:	The next scheduled show hosted by Larry Weir and featuring head coach Shantay Legans is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. (subject to change) and is aired live on 700-AM ESPN. The show will take place live at Barrelhouse Pub and Pizza in Cheney.

Playing road games is hard enough without Mother Nature having an impact.
 
The Eastern Washington University men's basketball team's fly-and-drive tour of Utah and Arizona continues Saturday (Feb. 23) when the Eagles play Northern Arizona at the Walkup Skydome in snow-paralyzed Flagstaff, Ariz. The game is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Pacific time.
The game will be televised regionally in Arizona by NAU-TV and CW-6 Phoenix. All Eastern games are carried live via radio 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.  Fans can also watch the webcast of all league games via PlutoTV and at http://watchbigsky.com.
 
Since Wednesday night, Flagstaff has had to deal with two feet of snow leading to temporary closures of the two main Interstate highways that intersect the city. Eastern plans to stay Friday in Phoenix, Ariz., and, after the storm eases, make the 2 1/2 hour bus drive to Flagstaff – in better weather conditions – on Saturday.
 
"You have to be excited for it because you get to play basketball," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "We aren't out there shoveling the snow and moving it – others are doing it for us. We have to get there and then enjoy the game – play downhill, have a lot of fun, play with confidence and give it our best."
 
Currently in fifth place in the Big Sky Conference standings after a disappointing 76-62 loss at Southern Utah on Thursday (Feb. 21), Eastern is in the midst of playing four of their last six on the road. Each game on the current road trek incorporates a more than two-hour flight and then a roughly 2 1/2 hour drive to get to the locales of Cedar City, Utah, and Flagstaff, Ariz. Eastern's last road trip to Idaho State (Pocatello, Idaho) and Weber State (Ogden, Utah) will pale in comparison.
 
But right now, Legans is more concerned about getting back on the right track. After sweeping second-place Northern Colorado and last-place Idaho a week ago at home, Eastern stumbled in the loss at SUU. Eastern was out-shot 47 percent to 36 percent, and was out-rebounded by 12.
 
"We can't think teams are saying 'here comes Eastern' and bow down to us," said Legans.  "We have to be ready to go and play. We haven't done what we are supposed to do to make teams think that way. We have to go make teams worried about playing us."
 
The Lumberjacks are 7-9 in the league and 9-17 overall heading following a 75-54 victory Thursday versus Idaho. Earlier this season, Eastern edged Southern Utah 82-79 before beating NAU 82-64 in a game in which Jacob Davison scored 41 points for the Eagles. Davison, though, has missed EWU's last two games with an ankle injury.
 
"I think we have depth, but we didn't show it against Southern Utah," added Legans. "We have to make sure those key guys who come in and play well at home go on the road and also play well. I'm concerned about NAU's athleticism -- they play fast and do a good job getting to the basket. We didn't do a good job of keeping the ball in front of us against Southern Utah. And we have to go and rebound because they are a pretty good rebounding team. We do the things that look good – we get to the basket and we throw it inside. But we have to go out and do the tough things because we have to win that next game."
 
Despite the loss, Eastern still is in fifth in the Big Sky at 8-7, a half-game ahead of the Thunderbirds at 8-8. Eastern has still won seven of its last 11 games in league play, and is 9-7 since starting the season 1-9. Eastern is now just 1-13 on opponent home courts, but is 9-3 at Reese Court where the Eagles have a seven-game winning streak. Eastern will play its final two home games of the season on Feb. 28 versus Sacramento State and March 2 versus Portland State on Senior Day.
 
The Eagles are sitting in fifth place in the Big Sky Conference standings, thanks in part to a home sweep a week ago, which included an 88-78 overtime victory for EWU over second-place Northern Colorado and an 82-57 romp over last-place Idaho. The Eagles made over 53 percent of their shots in each game, with 6-foot-8 junior Mason Peatling averaging 20.0 points and 10.5 rebounds on 75.0 percent shooting from the field.
 
Montana is in sole possession of first in the league standings at 12-2, followed by UNC (11-4), Weber State (10-6), Montana State (9-6) and EWU (8-7), with Southern Utah (8-8), Portland State (7-8), Northern Arizona (7-9), Sacramento State (6-9), Idaho State (5-11) and Idaho (1-14) the bottom six teams.
 
Eastern's remaining five league games includes contests against four of the six teams currently at the bottom of the standings, and the only game versus an opponent ahead of the Eagles is Weber State. Staying at the top of the league standings is important because the top five teams in the league gain a first-round bye in the Big Sky Conference Tournament March 13-16 in Boise, Idaho.
 
Until he suffered an ankle injury against UNC which has left him doubtful for this week, Davison had been the hottest Eagle as of late, averaging 23.8 points in his last eight 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 has averages of 15.2 points on the season and a team-leading 18.5 in league play.
 
He is one of four Eagles to rank in the top 25 in scoring in league games only. Peatling has a 16.3 average (seventh), followed by Jesse Hunt (13.4; 16th) and Tyler Kidd (12.2; 24th). Hunt is also third in rebounding (8.9) and Peatling is fifth (7.6), with Kidd averaging 4.1 assists to rank sixth and Hunt right behind in ninth with a 3.5 average.
 
Eastern returns seven total letterwinners from the 2017-18 team, including four starters. However, the Eagles lost 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).
 
 
 

Game/Season Notes

 
Shooting Percentages Skyrocket in During League Play
 
Look no further than shooting to understand the reversal of fortunes for the Eastern Washington men's basketball team. Eastern is 10-1 when making at least 45.0 percent of its shots from the field and 0-15 when it doesn't, and EWU was victorious in its lone four games in which it has sank at least 48 percent of its shots (3-0 when it makes at least 50 percent). The Eagles had two of their top three shooting nights of the season versus Montana on Jan. 10 when they made 52.9 percent of their 3-pointers (9-of-17) and 48.0 percent overall, then a week later made a season-best 57.9 percent from the field against Montana State. The other was a 54.5 percent performance against Northern Colorado in an 88-78 overtime win on Feb. 16 and 53.2 percent one game later against Idaho. Below is a breakdown of EWU's shooting and won-lost records as the season has progressed.
 
Through Non-Conference Play (2-9) . . . 38.1 percent (30.5 percent from the 3-point line) / opponents 46.5 (38.5)
Through First 15 Games (3-12) . . . 38.9 percent (30.9) / opponents 47.2 (39.5)
Last 11 Games (7-4) . . . 47.6 (40.43, 102-of-253) / 45.5 (38.5, 92-of-239)
For the Season (10-16) . . . 42.5 percent (34.4) / opponents 46.5 (39.1)
  
 
Eagles Have Used 12 Different Starting Lineups
 
Injuries have affected EWU's starting lineup in recent weeks, and EWU has used a total of 12 different lineups this season. An ankle injury by Jacob Davison against Northern Colorado resulted in Kim Aiken Jr. making his third start of the season against Idaho on Feb. 18. Two weeks earlier on Feb. 2 versus Southern Utah and Feb. 4 against Northern Arizona, redshirt freshman Tanner Groves made the first starts of his career as an injury replacement for Mason Peatling. However, before that, Eastern used its fifth starting lineup in seven games when the Eagles beat Montana 78-71 on Jan. 10. Tyler Kidd made his first start of his EWU career and was joined in the starting lineup by Peatling, Jesse Hunt, Davison and Cody Benzel. That unit was used seven times and is 4-3 this season. Hunt has started a team-high 26 games this season, Davison has started 19 of the 22 he's played, Peatling has started all 14 he has played and Benzel has started 18 games and come off the bench in eight others.
 
 
Davison Has Scoring Surge, Including 41 on Feb. 4
 
It's safe to say that Jacob Davison is living up to the potential his coach has witnessed for a long time. The sophomore scored 62 points in two games – including the seventh-most in school history with 41 versus Northern Arizona – to earn Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Feb. 5 by the league office. He followed that with a team-high 24 points versus Montana State on Feb. 7 and 23 against Montana two days later, and has scored at least 20 in six of his last eight games he's played. However, an ankle injury against Northern Colorado on Feb. 16 has sidelined him since then.
 
Davison, who is a 2016 graduate of Cantwell-Sacred Heart High School and is from Long Beach, Calif., became just the ninth player in Eastern's basketball history to score at least 40 points in a single game. He is averaging 23.8 points in his last eight outings, with EWU winning five of those games. He's made 52.2 percent of his shots in those games, making 19-of-44 3-point attempts (43.2 percent) and 29-of-37 free throws (78.4 percent). He's also averaged 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals.
 
Davison is averaging 15.2 points on the season and a team-leading 18.5 in league play. He ranks sixth in the Big Sky in scoring overall, and is seventh in the league in free throw shooting at 81.1 percent (60-of-74). In league games only, he is fourth in scoring (18.5) and 12th in free throw shooting (78.4 percent; 40-of-51).
 
He's scored at least 20 points in eight Eastern games (nine in his career), with 15 performances in double-digits (25 in his career). 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).
 
Davison missed EWU's first two games in 2018-19 because of wrist and ankle injuries, but returned to play versus Green Bay and UMKC on Nov. 16 and Nov. 17, respectively. He had an 11-point performance in his season debut, then scored eight points and had two assists in the next game. He had 26 points at Portland State on Jan. 24, sinking 10-of-21 shots with three 3-pointers. He scored 23 with three assists, three rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots versus Montana State on Jan. 19. He scored what was then a career-high 25 points versus North Dakota State on Dec. 8, sinking 11-of-19 shots from the floor with a trio of 3-pointers. He had 20, with four 3-pointers, five rebounds and three assists, against South Dakota State on Dec. 18.
 
Davison played significantly as a redshirt freshman a year ago. He 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 is Back and Averaging 16.3 points in League Play Thus Far
 
After missing EWU's first 10 games with an injury – and two more at mid-season -- Mason Peatling  has been EWU's leading scorer in six of the 14 games he has played since (7-7 record), and has also led in rebounds seven times.
 
An honorable mention All-Big Sky selection a year ago, Peatling is averaging 16.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks in 13 league games thus far, and 15.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 112 steals and 0.8 blocks overall. He's shooting at a 57.8 percent clip on the season, making 7-of-16 3-point attempts (43.8 percent) and 31-of-47 free throws (66.0 percent). In league games only, he's seventh in the league in scoring (16.3), fifth in shooting (58.8 percent) and fifth in rebounding (7.6), but won't rank among the overall league leaders until later this season (a player must play in 75 percent of a team's games to be ranked).
 
Peatling had a double-double against Idaho on Feb. 18 with 16 points and 13 rebounds, achieving double figures in each just 16:09 into the game. He had a near double-double of 24 points and eight rebounds in an 88-78 victory over Northern Colorado on Feb. 16, sinking 11-of-15 shots from the field in the game and scoring 20 of his points after intermission. He had 16 points and seven rebounds against Montana on Feb. 9, and before that had an eight-point, 10-rebound effort at Montana State on Feb. 7. He had his first double-double of the season versus Sacramento State when he had 17 points and 13 rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting before fouling out after playing just 25 minutes. One game earlier he had a 15-point performance at Portland State in which he sank 7-of-10 shots from the field and grabbed eight rebounds before fouling out.
 
He had one of six double-figure performances for the Eagles on Jan. 10 when the Eagles beat preseason favorite Montana 78-71 at Reese Court in Cheney. He sank 6-of-8 shots from the field and 5-of-6 free throws in just 20 minutes because of foul trouble to finish with a team-high 17 points. Versus Northern Colorado on Jan. 7 he finished with 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, plus had nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and two assists. He made his season debut as a starter versus Corban in a 92-73 Eagle win on Dec. 21. He played 18 minutes and finished with four points on 2-of-6 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists.
 
He followed that with a career-high 25 against Weber State in an 84-72 loss, making 9-of-17 shots from the field with a trio of 3-pointers made in four attempts. He also had six rebounds – five on the offensive end – and a pair of assists. He eclipsed his previous high of 19 versus South Dakota and Montana State in the 2017-18 season. Peatling then scored 16 in a 65-55 win over Idaho State. He was 7-of-9 from the field and also had eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots against ISU. He had a key three-point play with 2:53 left to give EWU its biggest lead of the game at the time.
 
In his 79-game career (57 as a starter), he's averaged 7.5 points and 4.8 rebounds with a total of 69 assists, 61 blocks and 55 steals. He hit double figures in scoring 12 times in 2017-18 and 26 in his career thus far, and has had at least 10 rebounds nine times in his career – three times this season and six during his sophomore season. He now has seven double-doubles in his career with two this season and five in the 2017-18 season.
 
Peatling 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 at the time, 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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
 
Named to HoopsHD.Com Mid-Season All-Big Sky Team, Jesse Hunt Averaging 14.4 Points and 8.5 Rebounds With Eight Double-Doubles
 
Senior Jesse Hunt has had had five 20-point outings this season, with eight double-doubles to give him 10 in his career. In January he was selected to the HoopsHD.com mid-season All-Big Sky team after leading the Eagles in scoring and rebounding during the preseason.
 
He is currently averaging 14.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists on the season. He is second in the Big Sky in rebounding, 11th in scoring and eighth in assists. Hunt has shooting percentages of 49.4 percent overall (ninth in the Big Sky), 45.7 percent from 3-point range (third; 42-of-92) and 71.1 percent from the free throw line.
 
He has opened league play with averages of 13.4 points (18th), 8.9 rebounds (third) and 3.5assists (ninth) in 15 games. In league games only, he is second in the Big Sky in 3-point accuracy (47.8 percent; 23-of-48) and has made 76.9 percent of his free throws (40-of-52). He has had 27 career double-figure scoring performances in his career to go along with 13 performances with 10 or more rebounds.
 
Hunt is coming off a 21-point outing in an 88-78 overtime win over Northern Colorado in which he also had seven rebounds and six assists. His 10th career double-double came on Feb. 9 at Montana when he finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds against Montana, and two games earlier in a win over Northern Arizona on Feb. 4 he finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Hunt led the Eagles with 22 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in EWU's 94-92 overtime win at Sacramento State on Jan. 26, making 8-of-12 shots overall and 4-of-6 from the 3-point stripe. His rebounding total equaled the eighth-most in school history and exceeded by two his previous high. He also led the team in assists with six, blocks with one and steals with one.
 
He had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in an 85-81 win against Montana State, and 15 rebounds and eight points in a 78-71 victory over Montana on Jan. 10. He finished with eight points and career highs of 12 rebounds and eight assists while going against South Dakota State All-American Mike Daum on Dec. 18. In addition, Hunt scored 27 points in a December outing versus Stanford, making 9-of-15 shots from the floor and finishing with four rebounds.
 
Hunt had back-to-back double-doubles – including a 32-point outing in an EWU victory -- to earn All-Tournament honors at the Cheney Sub-Regional of the 2K Empire Classic Benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project. He then followed that performance by leading the Eagles with 15 points at Washington on Nov. 27, and had a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds at Seattle on Dec. 1.
 
He scored 15 of EWU's 22 points down the stretch en route to his second-straight double-double and give the Eagles an 87-80 victory over the University of Missouri Kansas City on Nov. 17 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. In finishing with 32 points, he doubled his previous career high of 16 and achieved a new career high with 12 rebounds. Hunt hit a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime and his efforts also included two other baskets in the final 2:02 of regulation to provide most of EWU's offense down the stretch. He then scored eight of EWU's 18 points in overtime. He sank 12-of-16 shots from the field with a trio of 3-pointers, and also had four assists.
 
"Jesse was there and knocked down the shot," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans on his team getting to overtime. "Our guys spaced the floor and Jesse came up big. Jesse had a great game. For he and Ty (Gibson) to get 20 rebounds between them was huge."
 
One game earlier in a semifinal loss to Green Bay, Hunt finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, plus had three assists and a pair of blocked shots. In the two games, he averaged 23.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 blocked shots per game, while making 65.5 percent of his shots overall (19-of-29), 4-of-6 from the 3-point stripe and 5-of-9 free throws.
 
Hunt has played in 109 career games with 43 starts, and has averages of 6.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
 
 
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.
 
 
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 presented by My Place Hotels. Tickets and lodging for the event are 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, 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.

 
Next Basketball Coaches Show on Feb. 25
 
Basketball Coaches Shows take place at Barrelhouse Pub and Pizza in downtown Cheney throughout the 2018-19 season. Barrelhouse Pub and Pizza is located at 122 College Ave. in Cheney, and the public is always invited to attend the shows live. Remaining shows are on 2/25, 3/4 and 3/11 (if travel to Big Sky Tournament permits).
 
The shows begin at 6 p.m. and will feature men's head coach Shantay Legans, with special guests including head women's coach Wendy Schuller. Players and assistant coaches from both the men's and women's programs will be featured on the shows.
 
Hosted by veteran Eagle radio play-by-play announcer Larry Weir, the shows may be heard on 700-AM ESPN, 105.3-FM, tunein.com and via Tunein's mobile phone app (search for Eastern Washington). EWU football and men's basketball games may also be heard via those methods.
 
 
 

Series Notes

 
* Eastern has won 11 of the last 14 versus Northern Arizona, but trails in the all-time series versus NAU 34-37 (10-23 in Flagstaff, 22-12 in Cheney, 2-2 neutral). Eastern has won the last eight meetings in Cheney dating back to a 73-69 loss on Jan. 15, 2010. The only meeting before Eastern became a member of NCAA Division I was an 84-80 NAU victory on Dec. 20, 1969, in Fresno, Calif. Eastern is 3-1 in the Big Sky Conference Tournament versus NAU, winning 74-52 in the 2016 first round; 71-59 in the 2004 championship game in Cheney; and 58-53 in the 2001 semifinals. Eastern also fell 82-65 in the 2000 semifinals in Missoula.
 
* Earlier this season in Cheney, sophomore Jacob Davison recorded the seventh-most points in school history with 41 and local product Tanner Groves has his first career double-double to help Eastern maintain sole possession of fourth place in the Big Sky Conference standings with a wire-to-wire 82-64 victory over Northern Arizona on Feb. 4 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. Davison scored 11 points in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the game, and EWU won for a third-straight time overall and for the fifth-straight time at home. Davison has now scored at least 19 points in his last five games, with a total of 130 to average 26.0 points per game. He was just the ninth player in EWU history to score at least 40 points in a single game. Groves contributed career highs of 13 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots, and senior Jesse Hunt also had a double-double with 15 and 11. Davison staked Eastern to an early 11-3 lead it continued to build on. Runs of 7-0 and 6-0 opened a 10-point bulge, then another 7-0 run was capped by a Davison 3-pointer to give him 19 points at the 4:25 mark. An 8-0 run late in the period gave EWU a 15-point lead on a Cody Benzel 3-pointer, and EWU led 43-31 at halftime. Eastern shot a blistering 53.1 percent from the field and had a 19-2 advantage in the paint, with both teams hitting nine 3-pointers. In the second half, the closest NAU came was 10 points and EWU eventually built a 19-point lead with four-straight free throws by Davison with 9:31 to play. Eastern's 35.3 percent shooting in the second half helped keep the game close, but Davison scored EWU''s last 10 points of the game to preserve the lead. The Eagles sank 47.5 percent from the field compared to 33.9 percent for the Thunderbirds. Both teams made 12 3-pointers, and EWU had a 41-34 rebounding edge and 33-16 advantage in points in the paint.
 
* Last year in Flagstaff, an 18-0 first half run helped open an early 28-point lead, but the Eagles needed every little bit of that advantage to lead from start-to-finish and edge Northern Arizona 81-76 Jan. 18, 2018. Senior Bogdan Bliznyuk made all 16 of his free throws and scored 28 points, while Jack Perry and Ty Gibson hit big baskets in the last 1:06 to help EWU win for the sixth time in its last eight games. The Eagles, who didn't practice the day prior because of travel delays leaving Spokane, were fresh in the first half, but had to hold on for dear life after that. The Eagles used an 18-0 run – all on 3-pointers by five different players – to jump out to an early 29-7 lead. The Eagles led by as many as 28 in the first half and 21 at halftime, but Northern Arizona roared back. The lead was down to 12 less than four minutes into the half and by single digits just a few minutes after that. But the Eagles never gave up their lead, as Bliznyuk made 10-of-10 free throws in a 6 1/2-minute stretch. Perry hit a clutch 3-pointer with 1:06 left to put the Eagles up by four, then Gibson sank a reverse layup – only EWU's second 2-point field goal of the half -- with 28 ticks left. Bliznyuk closed out the win with four free throws in the final six seconds. Cody Benzel made five 3-pointers to finish with 16 points, and Eastern sank 15-of-23 3-pointers in the game for a season-high 65.2 percent. Eastern had 10 in the first half alone as EWU came just five from the school record of 20. Perry added 11 points with a trio of 3-pointers and also had three steals, three rebounds and a pair of assists.
 
 
* Since Eastern became a member of NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season, the Eagles are now 36-14 versus Sacramento State, and the two schools did not play against each other prior to that. The Eagles have won 29 of their last 39 games against the Hornets with a nine-game winning streak overall and five at home. Eastern has a 21-3 record versus Sacramento State in Cheney, are 13-11 in Sacramento and 2-0 on a neutral court. The Eagles beat the Hornets earlier this season 94-92 in overtime in Sacramento, and haven't lost in the series since falling in Sacramento by a 90-77 score on Jan. 17, 2015, and have not lost at home since a 60-53 defeat on Jan. 12, 2013. Eastern is 2-0 versus Sac State in the Big Sky Conference Tournament, winning 89-70 in the 2017 quarterfinals in Reno, Nevada, and 91-83 in the 2015 quarterfinals in Missoula. En route to the 2015 title, the Eagles made 16-of-17 shots from the field versus the Hornets, including seven of its last eight in the first half and their first nine of the second half.
 
* Earlier this season in Sacramento, the Eagles led for 39 of 45 minutes of action and picked up a 94-92 overtime victory over Sacramento State on Jan. 26 in at The Nest in Sacramento, Calif. Two players had double-doubles and a total of four players scored in double figures, all four with between 17 and 22. Jesse Hunt led with 22 points and a career-high 17 rebounds to equal the eighth-most in school history. Tyler Kidd had a career-best 20 points while Jacob Davison added 19. Mason Peatling also turned in a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Eastern opened the game with a 17-2 run, and the first tie of the game came with one second left in regulation when Sacramento State sent the game into overtime with a three-pointer. The Hornets used a 6-0 run to take an 87-85 lead with 1:46 remaining, but with 13 seconds left, Davison sank two free throws to give EWU a 93-90 advantage. After Sacramento State responded with two free throws of its own, Kidd made one free throw and Sac State missed a potential-game winning 3-pointer as time expired.
Eastern made 47.7 percent from the field, 11 of 24 three-point attempts (45.8 percent) and were 21-for-26 from the free throw line. The Eagles out-rebounded the Hornets 44-to-41 for their third-straight rebounding advantage of the league season. Eastern held Sac State to 41.9 percent shooting from the field one game after allowing Portland State to sink 60.4 percent in a 78-65 loss at PSU on Jan. 24.
 
* Last season in Cheney, Cody Benzel led five Eagles in double figures with career highs of 25 points and seven 3-pointers as the Eagles remained unbeaten at home with an 82-67 victory against Sacramento State on Jan. 6 at Reese Court. Besides Benzel, Benas Griciunas had a career-high 16 points, Jack Perry had 14, Mason Peatling contributed 12 and Sir Washington chipped in 10. Those five players had entered with scoring averages of between 4.5 and 5.3 per game, and had just a collective nine double-figure scoring performances in EWU's first 16 games. Eastern's top three scorers – including injured forward Jesse Hunt – combined for just two points in the game, as Big Sky Player of the Year candidate Bogdan Bliznyuk was double and triple teamed by the Hornets. He finished with just two points, but he contributed nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals. For the third-straight game, Eastern had a double-digit advantage in field goal percentage. Eastern sank 55 percent – including a blistering 62 percent in the second half when the Eagles made 8-of-14 3-pointers – while Sac State finished at 44 percent. Benzel got hot in the second half and netted 15 points, including a trio of 3-pointers in runs of 8-0 and 6-0 to give EWU a 21-point lead. The Eagles had used runs of 10-0 and 9-0 in the first half to help open a 12-point lead at halftime. The Hornets led just three times in the first half for a total of 57 seconds.
 
 
 

More Player Notes

 
Eastern Duo Climbs EWU Three-Point Charts
 
Senior guards Cody Benzel and Ty Gibson have both played in more than 100 games for the Eagles, with current totals of 127 (third in school history) and 122 (sixth) games of experience, respectively. Jesse Hunt is right behind with 109 games played.
 
Both Benzel and Gibson are three-point threats -- Benzel ranks fourth in school history with 184 3-pointers and Gibson is 10th with 141. Benzel is tied with Marc Axton on EWU's all-time leaders list (184 from 2002-05). Benzel is shooting at a 39.5 percent clip from the 3-point arc to rank 15th all-time at EWU and Gibson is just out of the top 16 in school history with 38.5 percent accuracy. Sophomore Jack Perry is currently 12th on the percentage list at 40.7 percent.
 
Benzel has started 45 games in his career, averaging 14.8 minutes and 4.9 points (6.6 as a junior and 5.0 thus far as a senior) per game. He had his third performance in his career of 20 points or more when he finished with 23 in a 92-73 victory over Corban on Dec. 21. He sank 7-of-13 3-pointers to equal his career high, and came just two points from his best scoring output as an Eagle of 25 points. He also had a pair of steals.
 
Gibson has started 46 career games and has a 4.4 scoring average (6.3 as a junior and 3.7 this season) in an average of 17.6 minutes per game. After playing sparingly in EWU's first two games because of an injury, he scored 12 versus Green Bay and 16 against UMKC on back-to-back nights at home in December. He scored eight points in his next game, but had only seven points in the next seven games and was mired in a 1-of-14 slump shooting 3-pointers heading into EWU's second conference game of the season versus Idaho State on Dec. 31. But he responded with his first double-figure scoring performance since Nov. 17, finishing with 11 points on 3-of-3 shooting from the 3-point stripe and making both of his free throws. He followed that with another trio of 3-pointers to finish with 11 points at Idaho on Jan. 3, and had nine points with a trio of 3-pointers at Montana on Feb. 9.
 
Add in BYU transfer Steven Beo, and the Eagles will have four 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. He made his Eagle debut at San Francisco on Dec. 13 and made 1-of-2 3-point attempts, and then started his first game as an Eagle on Dec. 18 versus South Dakota State. Sidelined much of this season with an injury, he has played in three games thus far, making 1-of-3 treys in an average of 6.7 minutes per game.
 
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 3.57 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.
 
Eastern had a 3.54 grade point average as a team in fall quarter of 2018, with a current accumulative team GPA of 3.61.
 
 
Like Davison, Perry is a Sophomore Who Played Significantly as Freshmen Last Season
 
Sophomore 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. So far in 2018-19 he has started 11 of 24 games and has averaged 4.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. His 40.7 percent accuracy from 3-point range in his career currently ranks 12th on EWU's career leaders list. He's played 59 total games as an Eagle (38 as a starter) and has averaged 5.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Against Montana on Jan. 10 in a 78-71 Eagle win, Perry hit all four of his 3-point attempts to finish with 12 points.
 
As a freshman, 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.
 
 
Five Eagles Made Eagle Debuts Versus Syracuse
 
Four Eagles, including redshirt freshman Kim Aiken Jr. as a starter, made their collegiate debuts when Eastern played at Syracuse on Nov. 6. For Aiken, it was the first start of his career in his Eagle debut, finishing with five points. Aiken, however, scored just 19 points in the next 10 games he played until coming off the bench to score a season-high 11 on 3-of-5 shooting from the field with a pair of 3-pointers in a 78-71 victory over Montana on Jan. 10, 2019. He scored eight more on 3-of-3 shooting from the field against Montana State on Jan. 19. Then, helping fill-in for injured starter Mason Peatling, Aiken made 8-of-10 shots from the field and 4-of-5 from the 3-point stripe to finish with 24 points, 11 rebounds, four blocked shots and a pair of steals in an 82-79 win over Southern Utah on Feb. 2. One game later, he had nine boards, two points and two blocked shots versus Northern Arizona, and had a career-high 17 points with six rebounds versus Idaho on Feb. 18.
 
Coming off the bench in EWU's season opener were redshirt freshman Tanner Groves and true freshmen Elijah Jackson and Austin Fadal. All three scored their first points and had their first rebounds of their careers as Eagles, as did junior college transfer Tyler Kidd. A redshirt last season after transferring from Skagit Valley Community College, Kidd made 3-of-8 shots from the field – including 3-of-5 3-pointers – to finish with a team-high nine points. He also had a pair of rebounds, an assist and a steal. Against Oregon one game later, Groves and Jackson both made their first 3-pointers as Eagles.
 
Besides Aiken, the rest of EWU's starting lineup against Syracuse included seniors Ty Gibson and Jesse Hunt, as well as sophomores Luka Vulikic and Jack Perry. Eastern played without three players – Mason Peatling, Jacob Davison and Steven Beo – plus Gibson played just eight minutes after suffering an injury in the first half. Gibson did not play versus Oregon and was replaced in the lineup by Cody Benzel, who finished with a team-high 16 points.
 
Kidd has continued to provide a spark for the Eagles – first off the bench and now as a starter. He is averaging 12.2 points and 4.1 assists in league play (9.4 and 3.2 overall), while scoring in double figures in 11 of the last 16 games. In league games only, Kidd is sixth in the league in assists, sixth in free throw shooting (84.6 percent, 44-of-52) and 24th in scoring.
 
Kidd scored a career-high 21 points in EWU's 88-78 overtime win over Northern Colorado on Feb. 16, making 5-of-6 shots from the 3-point line and also contributing four assists and three steals. He had a season-high nine assists in an 82-64 win over Northern Arizona on Feb. 4. Kidd scored 20 points with four assists in EWU's 94-92 overtime win at Sacramento State on Jan. 26, and had 17 against Montana State on Jan. 19. He scored 12 in EWU's league opener against Weber State on Dec. 29 and had 10 versus Northern Colorado on Jan. 7. In his first start as an Eagle, he scored 13 points with five assists and four rebounds in a 78-71 win over Montana on Jan. 10, 2019.
 
Groves had his first career double-double against Northern Arizona on Feb. 4 while making his second-straight start as an injury replacement for EWU leading scorer Mason Peatling. The 2017 graduate of Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Wash., had 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots, making 6-of-10 shots from the field. His previous high for points was six at Oregon on Nov. 9, his previous high for boards was six versus Corban on Dec. 21 and his previous high for blocks was one on five occasions. He scored 14 in an 82-57 win over Idaho on Feb. 18.
 
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 Shadle Park 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.
 
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. 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.
 
 
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's back in the 2018-19 season and in 20 games played (14 as a starter) he has averaged 5.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He scored 18 in his first five games (3.6 average), but has had four double figure scoring performances since then, and did not play versus Corban on Dec. 21, and missed five games between Feb. 4 and Feb. 21.
 
He scored a career-high 18 points against Seattle on Dec. 1, sinking 7-of-12 shots from the floor and 4-of-6 free throws. His previous career high was 12 set twice, including Nov. 22, 2016, versus Seattle when he also had 11 rebounds. He had a career-high 10 assists at North Dakota State on Dec. 8. In his 60-game career (44 as a starter), Vulikic is averaging 4.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
 
In the eight games he played in 2017-18, he averaged 7.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in an average of 25.6 minutes per game. That came after 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 of 2018 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.
 
 
Eagles Add Trio as Letter of Intent Signees
 
Eastern signed in November a trio of players – including the brother of a current member of the team – to letters of intent to attend EWU and play basketball for the Eagles next year. The players signed include 6-7 guard/forward Jacob Groves, whose brother Tanner Groves is a redshirt freshman for the Eagles. Jacob is currently a senior at Shadle Park High School in nearby Spokane, Wash., and Tanner graduated from the school in 2017. The other players signed are 6-6 guard/forward Tyler Robertson from Melbourne, Australia, a member of his country's Australian national youth teams, and Abdullahi Mohamed, a 6-foot-8 power forward from West Seattle High School.
 
Groves averaged over 16 points and seven rebounds per game as a junior at Shadle Park, making 60 percent from the field overall and 47 percent from the 3-point stripe. He scored a season-high 26 points and hit six 3-pointers in a 53-51 win over Kellogg (Idaho) High School.
 
 "Jacob has continued to improve his long-range shooting stroke, and he is growing into his 6-7 frame," said Legans. "He's a home-grown student-athlete, and it will be very exciting to see Tanner and Jacob play side-by-side for the Eagles over the next few years."
 
A 3.8 student in high school, he has volunteered at the Washington Family Ranch and participated in highway clean-ups. He intends on majoring in education at EWU and has an interest in becoming a physical education teacher. His parents are Randy and Tara Groves, and he also has another brother named Dylynn.
 
 "He's also had great success in the classroom and community," added Legans. "He has had a terrific career at Shadle Park and has made great strides while showing tremendous growth as a player. He has a very unique combination of size and skill, and has a great shooting touch that gives him the ability to become a prolific 3-point threat in the Big Sky. His skill level on the court, combined with his IQ and toughness, is going to make him a major contributor."
 
 "Having Jake join his brother Tanner here at EWU next year is going to be a great fit, both on the floor and in the locker room," Legans said. "We've had some amazing shooters from Spokane lately with Parker Kelly and Cody Benzel, and Jake fits that mold perfectly. He is one of the best shooters in the state and with his size, that should translate very well to the college level."
 
Robertson played on his country's FIBA U18 team last summer, and has been part of the State and National high performance programs since 2014. He helped Australia national teams win championships at the 2017 U17 Oceania Championship and the 2018 U18 Asia Cup, while helping Australia qualify for the World Championships in 2019. Robertson also played on a team representing the state of Victoria for four years, helping the team win a silver in 2015 (as vice-captain) and gold in 2016, 2017 (as captain) and 2018. He'll be with the team as well in February of 2019.
 
"Tyler is going to be a tremendous addition to our family," said Legans. "He is joining a long line of Aussies from Melbourne in our program and will make his mark as an exceptional playmaker and shooter. His size, skill, and versatility is going to make him a matchup nightmare in our league."
 
Robertson has played 12 years of club basketball starting when he was 6-years-old. He played five years for the Dandenong Rangers, the same club several other Eagles have played on in the past, including current Eagle Jack Perry. In 2016, 2017 and 2018 he played in the Victorian Youth Championship League for Dandenong, serving as team co-captain in 2018. He played in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) in 2017 & 2018 for Dandenong under the coaching of Darren Perry.
 
His school team has won the Champions Cup the past four years as the top team in the state of Victoria. He played for Rowville Secondary in 2015 and with Box Hill Senior Secondary in 2016, 2017 & 2018. The 2017 Box Hill team won the Australian School Championship.
 
Mohamed averaged over 15 points and nine rebounds per game as a junior at West Seattle, and was also a factor on the defensive side of the ball. He was born and raised in West Seattle, and will graduate in 2019.
 
 "We are excited to welcome Abdul to the program," said Legans. "Some of the best players in EWU history have come from West Seattle and we're excited to have a one of Abdul's caliber come play here. Abdul has big goals both on and off the basketball court and will fit right in with our culture."
 
"Abdullahi has an extremely high basketball IQ, which is why he is going to fit in perfectly with our family here at Eastern Washington," said Legans, who has begun his second year at the helm of the Eagles program. "His skill level on the court, combined with his intelligence and toughness, is going to make him a major contributor in the years to come. Abdullahi has also set his goals high in academics."
 
He enjoys volunteering with neighborhood children, and has a 3.0 grade point average. He tutors his classmates and teammates in math and science, and hopes to major in engineering at EWU.
 
"Abdullahi excels on and off the court, and has consistently done well in the classroom," added Legans. "He is known as a leader on the court, but his ability to lead off the court and set an example in the classroom has been most impressive. Abdullahi has very lofty goals for his future and has said how he wants to rebuild East Africa and bring stability to that country by providing youth with tools to further develop its economy."
 
His parents are Bashir Mohamed and Burhan Farah, and he has three brothers (Abdirahim, Ahmed and Yusuf), and a sister (Fatuma), who he closely mentors in basketball as well. His father has been in Somalia for the past 2 1/2 years taking care of his elderly mother. Abdullahi's mother works three different jobs to provide for her family, and also makes a huge impact on the African community in Seattle public schools.
 
 
 

More Team 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."
 
Big Sky foe Montana won't the only 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.
 
 
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 Included Teams from Seven Different Conferences
 
It has already been another year of challenges, as Eastern played a total of 11 non-conference games – four at home and seven on the road – prior to the start of Big Sky Conference play on Dec. 29.
 
Eastern opened the year by suffering a pair of season-opening losses to nationally-ranked opponents in the first of two preliminary games of the 2K Empire Classic. Eastern fell 66-34 to Syracuse on Nov. 6 before falling to Oregon 81-47 three nights later. The Ducks, the favorite to win the Pac-12 Conference title, were ranked 14th in the Associated Press preseason poll and 16th in the USA Today Coaches rankings. The Orange, which advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, entered the EWU game ranked 16th and 14th, respectively.
 
In all, Eastern's non-conference schedule included teams from seven different conferences – ACC, Pac-12, Horizon, Ohio Valley, Western Athletic, Summit and the West Coast. The 11 non-conference opponents EWU played combined for a 194-149 overall record last season, and were 86-78 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).
 
 
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.
 
Eastern had a 3.54 grade point average as a team in fall quarter of 2018, with a current accumulative team GPA of 3.61.
 
"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.
 
 
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 Griciunas, 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 in his first season at the helm were 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, he was married on May 10, 2014, to former Eastern women's basketball player Tatjana Sparavalo. Their daughter, Zola Lee, was born June 16, 2016, and their son, Maksim (Mak) Lee, was born March 23, 2018.
 
 
 
 

More Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .

 
On SUU Loss: "It was a tough shooting night. Southern Utah came out with a great game plan and kept us at bay whenever we made a run back at them. They shot the ball well, but we didn't come and play defensively like we needed to.  "We didn't have the energy we need to have on the road to win games," said Legans. "You have to do that if you want to go on the road and beat a team that is fighting for where we are. We have to do a better job of stepping up to the plate and being ready to fight."
 
On Toughness: "Southern Utah said they were going to play physical and they did play physical. We have to make sure we are ready for that every single time. If you want to get road wins you have to play tough and you have to play hard. You can't just do it at home, but you have to be able to do it on the road too. We haven't been able to find the right combination to get our guys going on the road. But we have to make sure we shore it up because it's going to be a huge game for us Saturday – maybe a must-win game."
 
On Rebounding: "You have to be ready to bang and be tough, and not look at the referees for calls. You just have to go play and rebound the basketball. We got our butts kicked on the glass – it was one of our worst margins of the year. You can play good defense, but you have to rebound it after defensive stops. You can't let teams get offensive rebounds, throw it back around and get open threes. If you aren't getting rebounds you aren't doing what you are supposed to do. It's going to be tough to win games like this. We have to give credit to Southern Utah for playing a great game tonight. They stepped up and won a huge game."
 
On Idaho Victory: "They didn't have an answer for us inside because of their lack of depth and some injured players. To be able to go at them like we did was great. I had a fun time coaching our players tonight. It's always good to beat Idaho because they are a rival right down the street."
 
On UNC Victory: "I am proud – they played great. They were involved and mentally in it the entire game. We didn't hold the lead like we wanted, but at the same time when we lost the lead we fought back. In the overtime we held them to 1-of-6 shooting and that was really big-time. They are one of the better offensive and defensive teams in the league and we shot 50 percent from the field against them. We played pretty well in stretches. We just have to be better defensively, but I'm proud as heck of this team."
 
On Trio of Eagles With 20 Points Versus UNC: "We had guys step up and make some plays. Having multiple players score 20 points is huge. When we lose Jacob we are losing a leader, is somebody who is very, very active on the offensive glass and he gets downhill and gives us another player who can get us two-point baskets. We'll make sure he gets healthy and we're hoping he'll be ready to go on Monday."
 
On UM Loss: "We played spectacular at the end and we were a shot away from winning that ballgame. We had the best player on the floor with the ball in his hands. He's averaging about 25 points over the last seven games, and we just let Jacob try to make a play. It was a shot I've seen him make a thousand times. He makes it all the time and I had a lot of confidence in that in a one-point game. I thought we were playing great and we were clicking offensively at that time. We felt that putting the ball in Jacob's hands was the best decision to win that game."
 
On Jacob Davison: "Last spring and summer he was looking just like he is right now. He got into a car accident and broke his wrist, and he had a high ankle sprain. He's coming into his own and feeling a lot more comfortable. The players around him are giving him all the confidence in the world. He's having some great games and he's understanding what we are asking of him. He's playing better defense and that is awesome." 
 
On Reversal of Fortunes After 1-9 Start: "We just needed to stick with it – we knew we had a good team here. As the team gains confidence it's something special. They all believe in each other, even when we were 2-9 in the preseason. Anything can happen, but right now it's fun to watch this team grow and come into its own."
 
On Tanner Groves Performance One Game After Kim Aiken's Double-Double "It was unbelievable to see. But anybody in our locker room is not surprised about that. Tanner and Kim have put in such hard work. Tanner was cheering his tail off for Kim, and it was vice versa in the next game. They are playing against two very good players every day in practice when they go against Mason and Jesse. They are only going to get better with the work they put in and everything they do. They always go hard and they bring energy. They are starting to gain confidence, and when you gain confidence as a player the sky is the limit."
 
On Sac State Win: "The character of our players shined through to get a two-point win after all of the momentum Sac State had going to overtime. We told them in the locker room that the hardest one to win is your first road win. Tonight the guys came out and deserved it -- they played hard. We stuck with it and were mentally tough. It was a fun game, Sacramento State stuck with it and fought and battled."
 
On Overcoming Adversity Versus Sac State: "It's huge, we've been on the other side of that this year. To do this on the road is hard, so we had to stick with it and be tough mentally and physically. We beat them on the glass and they beat teams on the glass all the time, so to see that was huge. When you're able to have our team play the way that they did, I couldn't be a prouder coach."
 
On Montana Home Victory:  "It's amazing when the ball goes in you win. We did a good job and our assistant coaches did an amazing job of getting our guys prepared for the game. With such a short turnaround, they worked tirelessly. I'm just happy that our guys were accepting to the game plan and stuck with it the whole time. It's nice to come away with a win at home in front of such a great crowd. We heard all the cheers for the football team and our guys got pumped up from that. It's an awesome feeling to see the joy on the bench and in the locker room after the game. They are proud and they can stick their chest out. That was one of our better defensive games of the year. I know they shot 48 percent from the field, but when they attempted threes our guys were contesting every single shot. We need to be able to do that and play as hard as possible."
 
On Kim Aiken: "He's been amazing. He started the first two games of his career against big-time teams and probably lost a little bit of confidence and got down on himself like freshmen do. He got put on the scout team but kicked butt every single day. We needed Kim against Montana and knew he would fight and rebound. The energy he brought was amazing, and he shot the ball well. He puts in so much work, and once everybody leaves the gym he'll come out and shoot like he always does. I tell you, he's going to be the president of the university before he leaves here. He's an unbelievable young man and we're lucky he wanted to come to Eastern – he has great character."
 
On Idaho State Win: "To be honest, this was a must-win for us. Our players have been in the gym working on their game and trying to get their shots back. Coaches have been working tirelessly trying to figure it out. We have some of the best players in the league, and it's tough to be 2-10. But we are competitors. This was a huge game for us to get this win. We had a big second half and Ty Gibson came up big, and we won the game because of our defense."
 
On Ty Gibson: "He's an unbelievable young man – he has a 3.99 grade point average, is a great leader and does a lot in the community. He shoots in the gym all the time, but they haven't been falling for him. He played about 10 seconds in the first half (against ISU) to play defense, but he stuck with it. He played nine minutes and those were the biggest nine minutes of the season for our team. We needed a win and he stayed ready. He has great character and I'm glad he's on our team. The shots are going to fall for him – I see great things ahead for him. I couldn't be happier for him."
 
On Mason Peatling Versus Weber State: "Mason did a great job in his first full game back. You could see he was gassed and tired at times, but he was battling and did a great job down low. He's going to get other players open looks and open shots, but we have to make sure we're ready and smart when we get him rolling. Mason played only 18 minutes in his first game back (against Corban), but he had four offensive rebounds and four assists – he's an unbelievable passer and screener. We play a little more efficiently with him in the lineup. He does a lot of talking back there on defense and is our anchor. We are only going to get better with Mason out there."
 
On Weber State Loss: "We were playing against one of the premier teams in the league, but at the same time I think we are one of the premier teams in the league too. That's what we hold our standard to."
 
On Benzel: "He's a great shooter, and when the ball is moving around and he gets open looks, he's going to make a lot. We've struggled hitting some shots early in the season, but we talk in the locker room that it's going to happen because our players work so hard. When you have players who are confident in their shots and their game, they are going to make a lot of shots. Cody is a very confident player, and he could be 1-of-10 and he'll shoot 10 more threes if he's open. He's never going to waver from shooting threes."
 
On Non-Conference Season: "We learned a lot about ourselves – there is a lot of fight in this team. I didn't see any of our guys hanging their heads. After the game it obviously hurts to lose, but the next day they bounced back and practiced hard. We have a very resilient group and a team that will fight for each other. They want to win and are trying to figure out how to get that message across with each other. But at the same time, they need to be positive and have constructive criticism. I think we know which guys we can call on in certain situations. A lot of players saw action in the preseason, and now we expect players to be ready to go when their number is called. They've accepted their roles pretty well – they have a lot of grit and come to fight every day. You obviously want more wins in the preseason, but I couldn't be more proud. We are getting better each game and we have a confident group. Every game they've played they've learned and we've had a chance to win. We are learning valuable lessons – not just the players but the coaching staff too."
 
On Playing Challenging In-State Opponents: "Players like it and they want to play against the best. When you come to Eastern you are going to get a chance to do that. Our preseason really speaks for itself – we play everybody we possibly can from within this state and it's a lot of fun. The players love it and gain a lot of experience. We have a lot of players from the state of Washington, so it's exciting to play games in front of their friends and families. It's awesome and we'll try to do it every single year."
 
On Losing First Two to Ranked Teams: "We got taught a lesson by two really good teams. We are going to take these back and get better and get smarter. We'll use this experience to move forward and be the best team we can be. We're trying to make that happen by Big Sky play. It's going to be fun to watch Oregon and Syracuse as the season goes along and to say we played them. Hopefully we get the opportunity again -- these are two NCAA Tournament teams."
 
On Opportunities: "We're playing against great teams and in great venues. I talk to our team about the opportunity they are being given at such a young age. We have freshmen out here playing that we thought might redshirt at some point. We want to make sure they are ready to go, but sometimes these freshmen need time to get better. At the same time, I like the fight we've had – we play hard. Some of the guys are playing different positions, some aren't even playing the positions they've played all year long. There are no excuses -- you have to come out here and play the game and put for the effort to try and win these games."
 
 
 

Recent Game Recaps

 
Eagles Go Cold and Fall to Thunderbirds 76-62
 
The Eastern Washington University men's basketball team made just 35.7 percent from the field and had a 12-rebound deficit as Southern Utah pulled away from the Eagles in the second half for a 76-62 Big Sky Conference victory in Cedar City, Utah, on Feb. 21. A 12-2 run by the Thunderbirds mid-way through the second half helped open a 15-point SUU lead and break open a close game that had included eight lead changes and six ties. Southern Utah, a 77 percent shooting team from the free throw line, sank four free throws in the last 1:29 to close out the game. Jesse Hunt paced the Eagles with 19 points and nine rebounds, and Tyler Kidd finished with 17 points and a pair of assists. Kim Aiken Jr. came off the bench to contribute nine points, but the Thunderbirds held EWU leading scorer Mason Peatling to just nine points and three rebounds on 3-of-11 shooting from the field. Things were looking good early for the Eagles as they used a 10-0 run to take an early 15-12 lead. Mason Peatling had a pair of layups in the run, with 3-pointers scored by Ty Gibson and Jack Perry. That came during a stretch in which EWU made 7-of-9 shots, and were 10-of-21 at that point. But Eastern missed six-straight shots late in the half and fell behind at halftime 33-30. Eastern suffered through another 0-of-6 shooting stretch early in the second half and fell behind 59-45 with 6:39 left on a 12-2 run by the Thunderbirds. Hunt scored six-straight points for the Eagles, but an eight-point margin was the closest EWU could get the rest of the way. Eastern made just 10 of its last 35 shots (29 percent) after opening the game 10-of-21. Southern Utah, which had four players score in double figures, sank 47.3 percent of its shots overall, 11-of-19 3-pointers for 57.9 percent and 11-of-19 free throws for 57.9 percent. Eastern's percentage was its lowest in EWU's last 21 games, while the 3-point percentage for the Thunderbirds was the highest against the Eagles this season  The Eagles were out-rebounded by 12 (40-28), equaling EWU's largest deficit since getting out-rebounded by Oregon 50-34 in EWU's second game of the season.
 
 
Eastern Dominates Inside to Beat Idaho 82-57
 
A 9-0 run early in the second half helped open a double-digit lead they wouldn't relinquish, and Eastern beat Idaho 82-57 Feb. 18 in a President's Day game at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. Eastern shot at a 62 percent clip in the second half to turn a seven-point advantage into a 29-point bulge in the second half. The Eagles had just seven 3-pointers, but sank 26-of-38 shots inside the stripe for 68 percent to lead in points in the paint 50-24. Eastern had a dominating 39-25 rebounding advantage – a season-best margin of 14 -- and led 15-4 in second-chance points, 19-6 in points off turnovers and 29-9 in bench points. Four Eagles scored in double figures for EWU, led by the double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds by Mason Peatling. Others in double figures were Kim Aiken Jr. (17), Jesse Hunt (12) and Tanner Groves (career-high 14). Hunt also had six rebounds and six assists as EWU finished with a season high 24 assists as a team. In having a 48-30 advantage after intermission, Eastern's 48 points in the second half tied for the highest this season, also in the second half versus Idaho on Jan. 3. Eastern suffered through a 3-of-15 shooting half from the 3-point line, but made 12-of-18 shots from 2-point range to help Eastern to a 34-27 halftime lead. The Eagles dominated on the boards 23-11, and Peatling had a double-double just 16:09 into the game. He finished the half with 11 points and 11 boards. Eastern held a seven-point lead in the second half when Hunt scored six points and Aiken added a 3-pointer to lead EWU during the 9-0 run and give the Eagles a 50-34 lead. Eastern held the Vandals without a field goal for three minutes, and EWU eventually built its lead to 29 with 1:06 remaining. The Eagles had 50 points inside the paint, coming just two from a high of 52 against Northern Colorado one game earlier on Feb. 16. Eastern's 15 second-chance points equaled a season high, and its 24 assists were a season high by three. Eastern had its third-best shooting performance of the season and second-straight of 50 percent or better, sinking 53.2 percent. The Eagles made 54.5 percent against Northern Colorado on Feb. 16 and 57.9 percent against Montana State on Jan. 19. The Eagles also had a dominating 39-25 rebounding advantage with 12 offensive rebounds, and a margin of plus-14 which was EWU's best of the season by six (EWU out-rebounded UMKC by eight on Nov. 17).