This was one roller-coaster ride nobody saw coming.
 
One of the best seasons in Eastern Washington University men's basketball history came to a screeching halt on March 12 when cancellations of both the Big Sky Conference and NCAA Division I tournaments dashed EWU's promising postseason hopes in the 2019-20 campaign.
 
The COVID-19 virus wiped out the league tournament shortly before the Eagles were to play their first game versus Sacramento State. A few hours after that, the NCAA Tournament was canceled as well, ending EWU's season.
 
The Eagles had their-second highest win total in 37 years as a NCAA Division I member with 23 victories, and their 16 league triumphs were the most in their 33 years in the Big Sky. The Eagles finished sixth in the nation in scoring offense (80.9 per game) and were fourth in assists (17.5).
 
"Sports puts you on a roller-coaster, but usually it's from your own will," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans, whose team ended with a seven-game winning streak. "You have ups and downs from playing good or playing bad, and winning and losing games at the buzzer or by large margins. But this one was tough because it was out of our control. That was the hardest part."
 
EWU took solace in that it was able to celebrate heartily on March 7 after the Eagles beat Weber State 78-69 to wrap-up the outright title. The world changed dramatically shortly after that, and ended a historic run by senior Mason Peatling, who won the Big Sky MVP award after averaging a double-double in 20 league outings.
 
"We felt so bad for our players, and for Mason for all the work he's put in since his freshman year," said Legans. "He put himself in a position to play in the NCAA Tournament and get 26 wins or more. He earned so much – he worked hard, set records and recovered from some injuries. Not being able to get that opportunity for he and his teammates was hard."
 
"We're the regular season champs and I'm glad to be a part of such a great team," said Peatling the day Eastern wrapped-up the regular season title. "It's been a great four-year career at Eastern and I've been part of some great teams. To win a regular season title is really a great accomplishment for this group. I'm really proud of everybody."
 
Peatling also was a first team Academic All-America selection, and finished his career with 118 games played, 1,250 points, 725 rebounds, 112 blocked shots and a .555 field goal shooting percentage – all marks which rank in the top 12 in EWU history.
 
Peatling was a first team All-Big Sky selection, while junior Jacob Davison was picked for the second team and sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. was on the third squad. Eastern also had two of the top newcomers in the league in true freshman Ellis Magnuson and redshirt freshman Casson Rouse, and also received solid play by junior starter Jack Perry.
 
"We were good and confident – just like our big brother in Spokane," said Legans, referring to NCAA powerhouse Gonzaga. "We had the MVP and three players on the all-league team, and I think we had the freshman of the year. We handled business and put ourselves in a position to play in the NCAA Tournament. We felt good every time we stepped on the court, and they worked hard to get there.
 
"We had a lot of players who were under-recruited, and they had fight and a chip on their shoulder to prove everybody wrong," he continued. "At the end of the season we couldn't imagine losing any games because we had the best team and we were on a winning streak. Our team was playing great basketball."
 
Legans himself was the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year after leading EWU to a final record of 23-8 overall and 16-4 in the league. Legans is now 59-41 in his three years as head coach for a .590 winning percentage. In league games, he has directed EWU to 13, 12 and now 16 victories, winning 71 percent for a record of 41-17.
 
Both percentages are currently the best among the eight men who have been head coaches in EWU's tenure in the league, and his 41 league wins is the best three-year stretch in school history.
 
"I'll remember how well this team came together and had the second-best season since we've been Division I," said Legans. "Seeing these players together all year was a joy, and we know what they could have done if the season had continued. I think they are probably already working on their own 30-for-30 documentary. They were great young men fighting for a common goal, and our seniors did a great job as leaders. We'll remember this team for what it was, and it was great to be a part of this team."
 
Peatling was on fire during the league season, closing with averages of 18.5 points on 56 percent shooting from the field, 10.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.7 blocked shots and 0.8 steals. He had 11 double-doubles in his last 15 games. Peatling was honored three times during the year as Big Sky Conference Player of the Week, and Davison earned the honor twice.
 
 "Those are big accomplishments," said Legans of his squad. "Mason had a great year, but his teammates helped put him in that position by us winning the league title. The coach of the year award can go straight to our staff because they do all the hard work. Right on down the line, everybody involved with our program did an amazing job."
 
Eastern's school-record 16 Big Sky wins included sweeps over seven of the league's 10 other teams, and a split versus Idaho State and Idaho. Eastern was swept by Montana, which had won the two previous regular season and tournament titles. The Eagles had just two seniors – Peatling and Tyler Kidd – so EWU has high aspirations for 2020 and beyond.
 
"They've put our program in a position to win the outright championship for only the second time in Eastern history, and to get to the NCAA Tournament," Legans added. "We'll hold our hat on that and strive to be ready for next year and the future."
 
 
 
 

Season Notes

 
Epic Season Ends with a Fourth Regular Season Title and Second Outright Championship
 
Eastern won its fourth Big Sky regular season title in school history (2000, 2004, 2015, 2020), but now joins the 2004 team with the only outright titles. Eastern has gone on to win two Big Sky Tournament titles (2004 and 2015) to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles also have national postseason appearances in the NIT (2003) and the College Basketball Invitational (2016, 2017, 2018).
 
At 23-8 and finishing with a season-high seven-game winning streak, Eastern achieved the school's second-highest win total in 37 seasons as a member of Division I, with the only seasons better than 20 wins coming in 2014-15 (26) and 2016-17 (22). At 16-4 in the league, Eastern also recorded the most wins in 33 seasons in the Big Sky, breaking the previous record of 14 set in 2014-15.
 
The Eagles were 10-6 on the road and 13-2 at home in the 2019-20 season, including an 8-2 road mark in league games and 8-2 at home. Eastern won their first road contest of the season at Seattle University 74-66 on Nov. 9. Eastern also picked up a 90-74 road win at High Point on Nov. 23, marking EWU's first victory in the Eastern time zone since knocking off Indiana 88-86 in Bloomington, Ind., on Nov. 24, 2014. Eastern's non-conference wins at home came against Portland Bible College (107-25 on Nov. 5), Belmont (87-82 on Nov. 26), North Dakota (98-82 on Dec. 8), Multnomah (146-89) and Omaha (97-56).
 
Eastern won 13 of its last 15 games in the league. The Eagles were followed in the league standings by Northern Colorado (15-5), Montana (14-6), Portland State (12-8), Montana State (10-10), Northern Arizona (10-10), Southern Utah (9-11), Weber State (8-12) and Sacramento State (8-12). Idaho (4-16) and Idaho State (4-16) rounded out standings.
 
Eastern was in and out of first place in the Big Sky Conference standings all season. But the Eagles were back on top after games played on Feb. 27, including a 57-56 loss by Montana at Northern Arizona. Eastern then took over sole possession of first place on March 5 when the Eagles beat Idaho State and the Grizzlies lost for the second time to Northern Colorado.
 
Montana was the two-time defending Big Sky Conference champion, and EWU missed out on NCAA Tournament berths by falling to the Grizzlies in both the 2018 (82-65) and 2019 (68-62) championship games of the league tournament. Both EWU and UM were the preseason picks to win the league title in the 2019-20 season – Eastern by the coaches and Montana by the media.
 
Eastern had its seventh-straight season with 10 Big Sky wins or more and a sixth-straight year with a winning league record. Eastern is 88-44 in Big Sky play in those seven years for a .667 winning percentage, and in the last six years have won at a 70 percent clip (78-34).
 
 
EWU Sets Numerous Big Sky and EWU Records in 2019-20, Mostly in Multnomah Win
 
Eastern established several new school records during the 2019-20 season, including a quartet of bests in EWU's 37-year history as a member of NCAA Division I. Eastern's plus-8.1 scoring margin per game bettered the previous DI mark of 6.6 set in the 2015 season, and the team's 544 assists were 30 more than EWU had in 2007. The Eagles had a defensive field goal percentage of .427, breaking the previous mark of .430 in 2013.
 
Eastern's average of 38.3 rebounds per game edged the previous Division I record of 38.2 in 1998. In addition, sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. had a 9.7 rebound average that was the best since Ron Cox averaged 12.3 in the 1976-77 season when Eastern was affiliated with the NAIA. Aiken's average broke the previous DI record of 9.1 in the 2016-17 campaign. Both Aiken and senior Mason Peatling had 22 rebounds in single games for the top performances in Eastern's DI history and ranking No. 2 behind the overall record of 28.
 
There were a total of four Big Sky Conference and eight Eastern Washington all-time records broken in EWU's 146-89 victory over Multnomah on Dec. 13, 2019. It could have been more too – by scoring 80 points in the first half, Eastern came just two from the league record of 82 set by Idaho State at Montana on 2/2/70 and Mason Peatling's 34 first-half points were three behind the league mark of 37 set by Geno Crandall of North Dakota against Troy on 11/10/17. Below is the list of records broken versus Multnomah:
 
Team
146 Points - old Big Sky & EWU record 130 (EWU vs. Portland State on 2/4/17 & Weber State vs. West Coast Baptist on 11/19/19)
59 Field Goals Made - old Big Sky record 55 (Weber State vs. Idaho State 1/22/66); old EWU record 50 (vs. George Fox 11/15/15)
93 Field Goals Attempted - old EWU record 92 (vs. U.S. International 2/2/91)
67 Rebounds - old EWU record 64 (vs. Delaware State 12/20/91)
39 Assists - old EWU record 33 (vs. Cascade 12/29/99 & U.S. International 2/2/91).
 
Individual
54 Points by Mason Peatling - old Big Sky record 53 (Willie Humes, Idaho State vs. Montana State 2/20/71); old EWU record 45 (Bogdan Bliznyuk vs. Portland State 2/4/17, Jacob Wiley vs. Portland State 2/4/17 & Rodney Stuckey vs. Northern Arizona 1/5/06.
24 Field Goals Made by Mason Peatling - old Big Sky record 21 (Willie Humes, Idaho State vs. Montana State 2/20/71); old EWU record 18 (Jacob Wiley vs. Portland State 2/4/17 & David Peed vs. UC-Irvine 12/13/88))
30 Field Goals Attempted by Mason Peatling - old EWU record 29 (Bogdan Bliznyuk vs. Portland State on 2/4/17)
 
 
Eagles Finish Sixth in NCAA Division I in Scoring
 
After hitting the 100-point mark on March 5 for the first time since December and the first time versus a NCAA Division I opponent in the 2019-20 season, the Eagles finished sixth in NCAA Division I in scoring. Eastern closed with a league-leading average of 80.9 points per game, with Gonzaga ranking first in the nation at 87.4. The Eagles also ranked fourth in assists (17.5 per game) and 15th in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.36 per game) to lead the league, and were 26th in 3-point field goals per game (9.3) and 41st in scoring margin (+8.0) to rank second in the Big Sky. Eastern was also 57th in field goal percentage (.460) to rank third, and had the league's best winning percentage (23-8, .742) to rank 33rd nationally.
 
Individually, sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. finished fourth in NCAA Division I in defensive rebounds per game (8.2) and 36th in rebounding overall (9.7). He led the Big Sky in both categories, and was also 38th in the nation with 12 double-doubles. Senior Mason Peatling is 55th in rebounding overall (9.1 to rank second in the league behind Aiken) and 29th in offensive rebounds per game (league-leading 3.42). He had 14 double-doubles to rank 26th nationally and lead the Big Sky. Junior Jacob Davison was 70th nationally and fourth in the Big Sky in scoring (18.4) and Aiken was third in the league and 85th in the nation in steals (1.74). True freshman Ellis Magnuson finished 118th in the nation in assists (4.2 to rank fifth in the Big Sky) and is 112th in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.84 per game to rank fifth in the league). Davison, Aiken and Mason Peatling all ranked in the top 14 in the Big Sky in scoring, with Peatling averaging 17.2 (sixth) and Aiken at 13.3 (14th).

Additionally, in the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings, Eastern finished as the second-best Big Sky school at 135th in the nation. Northern Colorado was 100th and Montana finished 141st.
 
 
In League Games Only, Peatling was Arguably the Most Productive Player in the Big Sky
 
In Big Sky Conference games only, senior Mason Peatling was the only player in the league to rank in the top 10 in league-games only in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocked shots and field goal percentage, and he ranked in the top six in each. Further, he is also the only player to average a double-double. In league games only, he ranked first in rebounding (10.4), third in field goal percentage (.563), fifth in scoring (18.5), sixth in assists (3.8) and third in blocked shots (1.7). He was also first in offensive rebounds (3.9), second in defensive rebounds (6.5), eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.4) and 14th in free throw percentage (.636).
 
Also ranking high in league-only statistics is junior Jacob Davison, who overtook Peatling for fourth in scoring (18.7), as well as ranking 11th in field goal percentage (.439), 10th in free throw percentage (.752), 12th in steals (1.2) and 14th in assists (2.7). Sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. finished second in rebounding (9.0), first in defensive rebounds (7.5), third in 3-pointers made per game (2.3), fifth in steals (1.7), 12th in blocked shots (1.1) and 21st in scoring (12.1).
 
Additionally, true freshman Ellis Magnuson was eighth in assists (3.4), and was the only freshman ranked in that category in the top 15. He was also the only freshman in the top 11 in assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking seventh (+1.5). Junior Jack Perry was 14th in assists (2.7) and 11th in 3-pointers made per game (1.7).
 
As a team, Eastern led the league in assists (16.8) and total rebounds (36.5) in Big Sky games only. The Eagles were also second in scoring (76.2), assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.4) and 3-pointers made per game (8.8), and finished third in scoring margin (+4.8).
 
 
Trio of Eagles Averaged in Double Figures
 
The "Big Three" of senior Mason Peatling, junior Jacob Davison and sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. combined for 61 percent of EWU's scoring, 60 percent of its rebounding and 80 percent of its blocked shots. In addition, they combined for 65 percent of the team's free throws made, 55 percent of its steals, 50 percent of its 3-pointers made, 61 percent of its field goals overall and 47 percent of the total minutes for the Eagles.
 
Davison led EWU in scoring with an 18.4 average to go along with averages of 4.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He is Eastern's newest member of the 1,000-point club, going over that mark with a 21-point effort versus Idaho on Feb. 13. He followed that with 30 points in a win at Portland State on Feb. 15 to give him four performances in his career with at least 30 (three in the 2019-20 season). He had 24 at Northern Colorado on Feb. 29 in a showdown for first place in the league standings, 23 versus Idaho State on March 5 and 24 more versus Weber State on March 7 to give him three-straight 20-point performances to end the season. In his career, he now has 23 performances with at least 20 points (14 in the 2019-20 season). He had 34 points in a Feb. 6 loss at Montana, and a pair of 26-point performances in wins over Montana State on Jan. 18 and Portland State on Jan. 4. He had a 39-point effort earlier in the season against North Dakota to rank as the 11th-most in school history (10th at the time). He had 19 points in the first half and 20 in the second, and his total of 17 field goals made ranked second in school history (now third). His career high of 41 – now the eighth-most – came versus Northern Arizona on Feb. 4, 2019. Davison also scored 25 in the Seattle win earlier in the season on Nov. 9 and had 26 versus Boston College on Nov. 20. In his now 87-game career (57 as a starter), he's averaged 13.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals while sinking 45.7 percent of his shots from the field, 34.6 percent from the 3-point stripe (106-of-306) and 76.8 percent of his free throws. He now has 1,148 career points to rank 16th on EWU's all-time list of 1,000-point scorers, joining teammate Mason Peatling as one of 23 in the club.
 
Peatling averaged 17.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 blocks, including a pair games in which he came three assists from a triple double. The first came in an 89-84 win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 27, finishing with 21 points and 22 rebounds (second most in school history), plus seven assists and three blocked shots. The other performance came on March 5 against Idaho State when he finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. That gives him the 12th and 13th performances in school history to come within a combination of three points/rebounds/assists from a triple double, in addition to the lone triple double in school history. Those games were part of his season-ending stretch of 11 double-doubles in 15 games, including five in a row from Feb. 8 to Feb. 22 in which he averaged 23.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Prior to the ISU game, he had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds at Northern Colorado on Feb. 29 in a showdown for first place in the Big Sky standings. He had 19 points and 10 rebounds against Montana State on Feb. 6, 21/10 versus Idaho on Feb. 13, 22/11 plus five assists and three blocks at Portland State on Feb. 15, 28/10 and six assists in a home win over Sacramento State on Feb. 20, and 27/15/6 against Northern Arizona on Feb. 22. Peatling hit a significant milestone on Jan. 25, hitting the 1,000-point mark in his career in an 81-78 overtime home victory over Southern Utah. He finished that game with 30 points, 11 rebounds, five blocked shots and five assists.  One game prior to the Southern Utah game, he had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds against Montana State on Jan. 18, and also had 14 points, 14 boards and four assists at Northern Arizona on Feb. 3. Peatling played 118 games in his career to rank 10th in school history, and he became the 22nd player all-time at Eastern to hit the 1,000-point mark (he finished 12th with 1,250). His .555 shooting percentage in his career ranked seventh, his 725 rebounds were sixth and his 112 blocked shots were second as he became the third Eagle in school history to hit the century mark in blocks. In his career (96 games as a starter), Peatling averaged 10.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 blocked shots and 0.7 steals. He had 22 double-doubles in his career – including 14 in the 2019-20 season and 11 in the last 15 games -- with a record of 20-2. He is now just the sixth player in school history to have at least 1,000 points and 525 rebounds in his career. Coming to Eastern from Melbourne, Australia, Peatling is only the second player to couple that with 50 blocked shots. Fellow Australian Venky Jois had 1,803 points, 1,015 rebounds and 240 blocks in his career from 2013-16. Peatling's 54 points against Multnomah on Dec. 13 broke a nearly 50-year conference record of 53 points and shattered the previous school record of 45. His 24 field goals made were league and EWU records, and his 30 attempts were the most all-time at Eastern as he earned the first of his two Big Sky Player of the Week accolades. He also had 13 rebounds and four assists to finish with his first double-double of the season. One of just two Eagle seniors on the 2019-20 team, Peatling and teammate Jacob Davison were among the six players chosen league-wide as preseason All-Big Sky selections for the 2019-20 season. Peatling was sidelined in the 2018-19 season with a foot injury when the Eagles were just 1-9, but after that Eastern was 38-17 (15-9 last year, 23-8 in the 2019-20 season).
 
Aiken nearly averaged a double-double on the season, averaging 13.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. In fact, he was averaging a double-double from Nov. 9 until Feb. 13 when he had just four boards in a 74-71 home loss to Idaho to drop below that. He is also averaging 1.7 steals, as well as 1.3 assists and 1.0 blocked shots. He had a career-best 26-point effort at Washington on Dec. 4, and finished with 12 double-doubles in the 2019-20 season. Four of his double-doubles came at home in the preseason – 11 points and 15 rebounds in a 98-82 win over North Dakota on Dec. 8; 11 points and 11 rebounds in an 87-85 win over Belmont on Nov. 26; 16 points and 22 rebounds against Multnomah on Dec. 13; and 23 points and 10 caroms versus Omaha on Dec. 17. His 22 rebounds versus Multnomah were a career high and equal the second-most in school history behind the record of 28. Against Belmont he scored eight of EWU's last 12 points and had four defensive boards in the final 44 seconds. He had 19 points and five rebounds against High Point on Nov. 23, but prior to that had a string of three-straight double-doubles. He had 11 points and 19 rebounds against Seattle in which EWU used an 11-1 run in the second half to overcome a nine-point deficit. Aiken followed with a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds at Saint Louis, then had 17 and 13, respectively, at Boston College. Thus far in his 61-game career (42 as a starter), he is averaging 10.0 points and 7.3 rebounds with 16 career double-doubles (12-4 record).
 
Junior guard Jack Perry, who missed five games in November and early December with a high ankle sprain, returned to the starting lineup and averaged 6.2 points and 2.5 assists. He hit a 3-pointer – the 100th of his career -- to give EWU the lead for good in a 78-75 victory at Idaho on Jan. 16. He made five 3-pointers in the second half to finish with 15 points in a 77-66 win at Northern Arizona on Feb. 3, coming three points from his career high. He is currently just off EWU's all-time career 3-point percentage list at 39.6 percent (125-of-316). He started EWU's Big Sky Conference opener on Dec. 28 versus Weber State in a 79-77 road win, then scored 10 in a loss at Idaho State. He also had 10 versus Portland State on Feb. 15. He's played 93 total games as an Eagle (61 as a starter) and has averaged 5.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
 
Eastern's youth movement was also impressive in 2019-20, with true freshman Ellis Magnuson cracking the starting lineup. Magnuson started all 31 EWU games at point guard and averaged 4.2 assists and 5.8 points per game. He scored only four points in EWU's first four games, but had 12 and 13 in back-to-back wins against High Point and Belmont. He had nine assists versus Belmont, eight versus High Point and Washington, and 10 in his collegiate debut versus Portland Bible College. He had 14 points versus North Dakota when he also had a team-high six assists, and had 10 points and seven dishes versus Omaha. He produced 12 points, seven assists, six rebounds and a pair of steals in his Big Sky Conference debut on Dec. 28 versus Weber State in a 79-77 victory. He had a season-high 16 with five assists versus Idaho on Jan. 16 in a 78-75 win. His other double figure game in league play was 14 at Southern Utah on Feb. 27 when he hit four 3-pointers, including three in the second half, in EWU's 69-51 win. That snapped a string of 11-straight games without scoring in double figures. He made it two-in-a-row when he equaled his career high with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting at Northern Colorado on Feb. 29 in a showdown for first place in the Big Sky standings.
 
Redshirt freshman Casson Rouse chipped in 6.5 points and 1.7 assists while making 37-of-96 3-pointers (38.5 percent). He exceeded his previous career best by seven points when he scored 21 points in a 100-75 victory over Idaho State on March 5 to help EWU wrap-up at least a share of the Big Sky title. Sophomore Tanner Groves came off the bench to average 5.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.6 blocks. He scored a career-high 17 points versus Multnomah on Dec. 13, including a rebound dunk that was the No. 1 play by ESPN's Sportscenter that night and had 2 1/2 million views. He came off the bench to score 16 versus Montana State on Feb. 8, hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers. Thus far in his 59-game career (three as a starter) he's averaged 4.1 points, 2.6 boards and has 36 blocks. His brother, true freshman Jacob Groves, averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in the 24 games he played – the first two in victories against High Point and Belmont. He had his high game with eight points versus Multnomah.
 
Eastern's other senior, guard Tyler Kidd, came off the bench in 15 games to average 5.2 points and 1.3 assists, including 12 points versus UW and 16 versus Gonzaga on a perfect 5-of-5 from the field (two 3-pointers) and 4-of-4 at the free throw line. In his 46-game career (19 as a starter), he averaged 8.4 points and 2.5 assists per outing.
 
 
Emotions High for Head Coach Shantay Legans as His Mother Passes Away
 
Head coach Shantay Legans hid it well, but the emotions of the passing of his mother on March 4 were definitely with him the next day when his squad responded to the news by registering a 100-77 victory over Idaho State. In losing his mother, Susan, he also lost his biggest fan throughout a lifetime of basketball. She was 70 and her funeral took place in California on March 9, with Legans making the trek to his hometown of Santa Barbara to mourn with the rest of his family.
 
"It's a tough one for me and my brothers," said Legans after the 23-point victory over ISU. "We had a tough day on Wednesday. The guys really rallied and I appreciate that – I missed the first practice I ever have. And my mom missed watching – she hasn't missed one I've played or coached in my entire life. We're 1-0 without her, but I know she's watching and still talking a lot of trash. She's one of the toughest ladies I know."
 
 
 
 

2019-20 Honors

 
Peatling and Davison Selected to NABC All-District 6 Squad
 
Mason Peatling and Jacob Davison had historic seasons for EWU, and they were rewarded by earning All-District 6 honors by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) on March 23.
 
Both 500-point scorers during Eastern's run to the outright Big Sky Conference regular season title, Peatling was honored on the first team and Davison was on the second squad. Peatling was a senior from Melbourne, Australia, and Davison is a junior from Long Beach, Calif.
 
Eastern has now had 12 all-district honors won by Eagle players, with Rodney Stuckey the first in 2006 and 2007 when he earned back-to-back first team accolades. Tyler Harvey, Venky Jois and Bogdan Bliznyuk were each honored twice, with Bliznyuk the most recent in 2018 when he earned first team accolades.
 
 
Peatling is Big Sky MVP as Eagle 'Big Three' is Honored by the League
 
The hardware haul was large for EWU, but none bigger than the one senior Mason Peatling deservedly garnered. The Eagle senior capped a dominating run through the Big Sky Conference by being selected as the Most Valuable Player by the league's 11 head coaches, the Big Sky announced on March 10. He becomes the fifth Eagle to win the award in EWU's 33 seasons as a member of the league.
 
Peatling was one of three unanimous choices on the All-Big Sky first team, with Eagle junior Jacob Davison picked for the second team and sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. earning third team honors. That trio helped the Eagles win the Big Sky Conference regular season title outright with a 16-4 record, 23-8 overall.
 
Peatling was on fire during the league season, closing with averages of 18.5 points on 56 percent shooting from the field, 10.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.7 blocked shots and 0.8 steals. He's had 11 double-doubles in his last 15 games as he joined Alvin Snow (2004), Rodney Stuckey (2006), Jacob Wiley (2017) and Bogdan Bliznyuk (2018) as MVP choices from EWU.
 
Peatling was a second team All-Big Sky selection in 2018-19, and was honorable mention as a sophomore in the 2017-18 season.
 
"Mason is as deserving of the MVP as any player I've ever been around," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans of the 6-foot-8 forward from Melbourne, Australia. "I'm so thrilled he is getting recognized for all the hard work he's put in over his years at Eastern."
 
Peatling was the only player in the league to rank in the top 10 in league-games only in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocked shots and field goal percentage, and he ranked in the top six in each. Further, he is also the only player to average a double-double.
 
In league games only, he ranked first in rebounding (10.4), third in field goal percentage (.563), fifth in scoring (18.5), sixth in assists (3.8) and third in blocked shots (1.7). He was also first in offensive rebounds (3.9), second in defensive rebounds (6.5), eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.4) and 14th in free throw percentage (.636).
 
"Those who have followed the team know just how much he's improved year after year, which is a product of his tireless work ethic," added Legans. "He's as good a person and teammate as he is a ball player, and there's no one that embodies the Eagle culture more than him."
 
Davison, a 6-4 guard from Long Beach, Calif., overtook Peatling for fourth in scoring (18.7) in league games only. He ranked 11th in field goal percentage (.439), 10th in free throw percentage (.752), 12th in steals (1.2) and 14th in assists (2.7). He closed the season with three-straight games of at least 20 points after having missed the last 10 games in 2018-19 with an injury.
 
"Jacob is one of the most talented players I've ever coached, and he's worked hard to improve all facets of his game," said Legans of the third team All-Big Sky selection in 2018-19. "He's battled through a lot of adversity during his time at EWU, and it's great to see that hard work pay off. He adds a rare dimension to our team and we certainly wouldn't have won the conference without him. We're incredibly lucky to have him on our squad both this year and going forward."
 
Aiken closed the league season second in rebounding (9.0), first in defensive rebounds (7.5), third in 3-pointers made per game (2.3), fifth in steals (1.7), 12th in blocked shots (1.1) and 21st in scoring (12.1). The 6-foot-7 guard/forward is from Redlands, Calif., and joined Peatling as a member of the last year's Big Sky All-Tournament team when EWU advanced to the championship game for the second season in a row. 
 
 "Kim is not only a great ball player, but he's one of the best persons I've ever been around," said Legans. "He exudes positivity throughout our locker room and is so valuable to our success. He's worked hard to sharpen his offensive game, and I don't know that there is anyone in the conference who is a better defender. I'm so happy to see him recognized for his massive contributions to our team, both on and off the court."
 
That trio combined for 61 percent of EWU's scoring, 60 percent of its rebounding and 80 percent of its blocked shots. In addition, they combined for 65 percent of the team's free throws made, 55 percent of its steals, 50 percent of its 3-pointers made, 61 percent of its field goals overall and 47 percent of the total minutes for the Eagles.
 
EWU's Big Sky Conference Most Valuable Players
2004     Alvin Snow
2006     Rodney Stuckey
2017     Jacob Wiley
2018     Bogdan Bliznyuk
2020     Mason Peatling
 
 
Legans is Coach of the Year in the Big Sky
 
Shantay Legans is just following tradition. The third-year head coach was announced March 10 as the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year from balloting by the league's 11 head coaches.
 
He becomes the fourth Eastern coach to earn the honor, and follows in their footsteps as Big Sky Conference champions. Steve Aggers was coach of the year in both 1998 and 2000, the latter honor coming after EWU won the regular season title. Ray Giacoletti (2004) and Jim Hayford (2015) were honored after their teams each followed regular season championships with titles in the Big Sky Conference Tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
 
His 2019-20 squad finished 23-8 overall heading after a school-record total of 16 Big Sky wins in 20 league games. Eastern won just its second outright league title, joining the 2004 squad in achieving that feat.
 
"I'm so humbled to receive the Big Sky Coach of the Year Award, especially among the group of outstanding coaches in this conference," said Legans. "But make no mistake, this is a team award. Coaches are only as good as their players and staff, and I have an amazing group of guys who not only make my job easy, but a blast. Our players have worked their butts off, and I have an amazing staff who also work tirelessly to get better every single day. They've all bought into the culture we've instilled since day one, and that's the reason we are where we are today."
 
Legans is now 59-41 in his three years as head coach for a .590 winning percentage. In league games, he has directed EWU to 13, 12 and now 16 victories, winning 71 percent for a record of 41-17. Both percentages are currently the best among the eight men who have been head coaches in EWU's tenure in the league, and his 41 league wins is the best three-year stretch in school history.
 
"We are very happy and proud of Shantay receiving this well-deserved recognition," said Eastern Vice President/Director of Athletics Lynn Hickey. "He and his staff have done a great job in recruiting and coaching an outstanding group of young men who represent Eastern at a very high level academically, athletically, and as citizens in our community.  We appreciate Shantay's expertise as a coach and his strong personal values as he leads our students."
 
An Eastern assistant for eight previous seasons, Legans has been a part of all but one of EWU's five seasons of at least 20 wins and all four of EWU's campaigns with at least 13 league victories. He's coached in a total of 360 games in 10-plus years at EWU, with a 186-174 record in those games (.517), including a 115-89 league mark (.564).
 
Additionally, Eastern has won numerous academic honors in his tenure, highlighted by first team Academic All-America honors won by Mason Peatling in 2020 and Tyler Harvey in 2015.
 
"I'm so blessed to be at a place like Eastern Washington where we have such supportive administration and faculty," added Legans. "One look at the success of our student-athletes in the classroom will show you all you need to know about the kind of support we have behind us. The Cheney community has been cheering us on all year, and I hope our team has made them proud. Again, this is a team award if there ever was one, and we share it with the entire Eags community."
 
EWU's Big Sky Conference Coaches of the Year
1998     Steve Aggers
2000     Steve Aggers
2004     Ray Giacoletti
2015     Jim Hayford
2020     Shantay Legans
 
 
Peatling Earns First Team Academic All-America Honors from CoSIDA
 
Eastern senior Mason Peatling was selected as a first team Academic All-America selection by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), it was announced on March 9.
 
The Big Sky Conference MVP candidate was one of just 15 players in all of NCAA Division to be honored. He previously won Academic All-District VIII first team accolades to advance to the national ballot. Peatling is from Melbourne, Australia, and has a perfect 4.0 grade point average thus far while pursuing a graduate degree in business administration. He had a 3.89 GPA as an undergraduate and received his degree in finance.
 
"It's an amazing accomplishment," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "To finish his finance degree in three years, and his MBA in one is extremely impressive with those kinds of grades. And then you add to that all the time and effort he puts forth to be a conference MVP-caliber type of player, practice, weights, travel and everything else. To be that high functioning both academically and athletically in those areas is unbelievable. It's a great recognition for Mason, and we are all really proud of him."
 
Tyler Harvey in 2015 is the only other first team Academic All-American the Eagles have had as a member of the NCAA. Rodney Stuckey was honored in 2007 as a second team selection, and Dave Henley (second team in 1982 and third team in 1981) was honored just before EWU moved to NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season.
 
Peatling's All-District honor was the eighth to be won by an Eagle in the school's NCAA Division I history, and the first since 2016. Peatling was joined on the squad by Northern Arizona's Brooks DeBisschop, who was also a first team Academic All-American.
 
The Big Sky has had just five previous first team Academic All-America selections, and never two in the same year until now. The two district selections for the league are the most for the Big Sky Conference since the 2014-15 season when Eastern's Harvey was among the selections and went on to win first-team Academic All-America honors.
 
The 2019-20 Academic All-District® Men's Basketball Team recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The district is comprised of schools from the states of Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii and British Columbia.
 
 
Eastern Basketball Announces Team Award Winners
 
They would gladly trade more games for honors, but six Eastern players were honored with team awards selected by the Eagle coaching staff after helping EWU to the Big Sky Conference outright regular season championship.
 
Eagle senior Mason Peatling was chosen as the MVP after earning the same honor from the league. Sophomore Kim Aiken Jr., received the team's Best Defender award, and Peatling, Aiken and junior Jacob Davison were recognized as EWU's co-captains for the 2019-20 season, which saw EWU finish 23-8 overall and 16-4 in the league.
 
That trio all earned All-Big Sky honors, but they had lots of help from teammates. Junior Jack Perry received the team's Most Improved award, true freshman Ellis Magnuson was the Top Newcomer and sophomore Tanner Groves out of Spokane's Shadle Park High School was Most Inspirational.
 
 
Peatling Earns Second-Straight Big Sky Player of the Week Honor in February
 
Senior Mason Peatling was honored as the Big Sky Conference Ready Nutrition Player of the Week for the second-straight week, the league office announced March 3. He was also announced as the winner a week earlier on Feb. 25, earning the same honor from College Sports Madness. He was honored four times by the Big Sky in the 2019-20 season and in his career, and CSN has honored him twice.
 
In a road sweep over Southern Utah (69-51) and Northern Colorado (68-64), Peatling averaged a double-double at 18.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. He sank 54.8 percent of his shots and also averaged 3.0 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per game with just two total turnovers. He had his 13th double-double of the season and 10th in his last 13 games with 20 points and 11 rebounds at Northern Colorado on Feb. 29 in a showdown for first place in the Big Sky standings. He made 9-of-18 shots and had three assists and three blocks. One game earlier, he had 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals against Southern Utah, making 8-of-13 shots.
 
The previous week in a home sweep over Sacramento State and Northern Arizona, the 6-foot-8 Peatling averaged 27.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.0 steals as he continued his tear through the Big Sky. He made 66.7 percent of his field goal attempts (22-of-33), 5-of-8 3-pointers and 6-of-8 free throws, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 12-2.
 
In an 80-70 win over NAU, he had 27 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. He sank 11-of-17 field goals and nine of his boards were on the offensive end. One game earlier versus Sac State, he had 28 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while making 11-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-6 from the 3-point arc.
 
Those games were part of stretch of nine double-doubles in 11 games, including five EWU games from Feb. 8 to Feb. 22 in which he has averaged 23.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
 
 
Peatling Earns Big Sky POW Honors in January for Monster Weekend
 
Senior Mason Peatling followed a monster game with a monster sweep, and won a pair of awards for it. Producing huge statistics in a pair of overtime victories for EWU, Peatling was honored as the Big Sky Conference Ready Nutrition Player of the Week on Jan. 28 and received the same honor from College Sports Madness on Feb. 3.
 
In two overtime victories at home, Peatling averaged 25.6 points, 16.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 4.0 blocked shots per game. He sank 52.6 percent of his field goal attempts (20-of-38) and 71.4 percent of his free throws (10-of-14). He followed those games with a performance of 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists at Sacramento State on Feb. 1, then had 14 points, 14 rebounds and four assists in a road win at Northern Arizona on Feb. 3.
 
Peatling came three assists from a triple double in an 89-84 win over Northern Colorado, finishing with 21 points and 22 rebounds – second most in school history. Peatling also had seven assists and three blocked shots as he had the 12th performance in school history to come within a combination of three points/rebounds/assists from a triple double, in addition to the lone triple double in school history. In overtime, Peatling saved the ball after an EWU miss for his 20th rebound of the game, and that play ended up as a 3-pointer by Aiken with 1:04 to put EWU up by two and gave the Eagles the lead for good. Peatling had a rebound basket with 41 seconds left that put the Eagles up 84-79.
 
Peatling hit a significant milestone on Jan. 25, hitting the 1,000-point mark in his career in an 81-78 overtime home victory over Southern Utah. The Eagle senior hit the mark with his second basket of overtime, which gave Eastern the lead for good. Peatling finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds, five blocked shots and five assists, and hit a key 3-pointer at the end of regulation to send the game to OT. In helping EWU rally from an 11-point deficit in the second half, he made 11-of-16 shots from the field and 7-of-11 from the free throw line in the game.
 
 
Davison is Big Sky Player of the Week For the Second Time in the 2019-20 Season and in His Career
 
If you pick the wrong poison against EWU, Jacob Davison can score points virtually at will. The Big Sky Conference selected him as its Big Sky Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 21 for his performances in EWU's road sweep of games on Jan. 16 and 18. It was his second POW honor from the league in the 2019-20 season and third in his career, and came one day after he received the same accolade from College Sports Madness.
 
Davison averaged 21.5 points, 2.5 steals, 2.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game in wins over Idaho (78-75) and Montana State (71-58) to help EWU improve to 4-2 in the league. He scored 17 points and had three steals with a block in EWU's win at Idaho. He scored eight of his points in the second half, all coming in the last 4:58 as EWU prevailed down the stretch. He provided the final point of the game with a free throw with two seconds remaining.
 
Davison followed that with 26 points, five assists, two steals, five rebounds and two blocks at Montana State. His steal and layup tied the game at 40 after EWU fell behind by four in the second half, and he went on to score eight points during EWU's game-deciding 23-6 run. Included were a pair of 3-pointers as EWU opened a 59-46 lead with 5:11 to play. He made his final six points from the free throw line in the last 3:30 of the contest.
 
The Eagle junior was selected as the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week on Dec. 10 after recording what was then the 10th-most points in school history (now 11th) with 39 in a 98-82 victory over North Dakota two days earlier. Davison finished 17-of-27 from the field, including a 3-of-5 performance from the 3-point stripe, and he also had a career-high five steals with six rebounds and five assists. He had 19 points in the first half and 20 in the second, and his total of 17 field goals made ranks second in school history (now third). The Eagles trailed by four in the second half, but he scored 18 of EWU's last 45 points as the Eagles led by as many as 19 in the closing minutes. The Eagles scored their most points (98) and had their best shooting performance at the time versus a NCAA Division I opponent in the 2019-20 season (52.5 percent).
 
Davison scored 12 at Washington in a 90-80 loss on Dec. 4, and also had eight rebounds and four assists. His career high of 41 – the eighth-most all-time at EWU – came versus Northern Arizona on Feb. 4, 2019. Davison also scored 25 in the Seattle win earlier in the season on Nov. 9 and had 26 versus Boston College on Nov. 20. He and teammate Mason Peatling were among the six players chosen league-wide as preseason All-Big Sky selections for the 2019-20 season.
 
Until an ankle injury on Feb. 16, 2019, forced him to miss the last 10 games, 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 his 41 versus Northern Arizona which helped him earn his first Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honor. 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.
 
 
Peatling and Aiken Are Selected to Mid-Season All-Big Sky Squad
 
Eastern senior Mason Peatling and sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. were among the five players on the mid-season All-Big Sky Conference team announced in early January by Jon Teitel from the college basketball web site HoopsHD.com. Selected based on their all-around statistical accomplishments from November and December, they were joined on the squad by Montana's Sayeed Pridgett, Montana State's Harald Frey and Sacramento State's Joshua Patton. Pridgett was the web site's Player of the Year So Far (POYSF). Both Peatling and Aiken started all 11 of EWU's preseason games, with Aiken averaging a double-double at 15.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. Peatling averaged 15.0 points and 6.9 boards. Aiken also had 21 steals, 13 assists and 10 blocked shots in the 11 games, and Peatling had 24 assists, 13 blocks and seven steals.
 
 
True Freshman Ellis Magnuson Earns Honor from College Sports Madness
 
True freshman Ellis Magnuson is already living up to the high expectations of his head coach. The point guard protégé of Shantay Legans was selected by College Sports Madness as its Big Sky Conference Player of the Week for his performance in EWU's win over mid-major powerhouse Belmont on Nov. 26 in Cheney.
 
A 2019 graduate of Borah High School in Boise, Idaho, Magnuson scored 13 points and had nine assists in the 87-82 win over Belmont, which was ranked ninth entering the game in the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major top 25 poll. He made 5-of-9 shots from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line, and equally distributed his production with six points and five assists in the first half, and seven points and four assists in the second half in which EWU out-scored the Bruins 47-40. Belmont was 27-4 in 2018-19 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, but EWU's win dropped the Bruins to 4-3.
 
That was just his sixth game as a collegian. 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. He averaged 15 points, six assists and two steals per game over his last two years in the program.
 
Magnuson had his breakout game when Eastern jumped out to a 15-2 lead and beat High Point on the road on Nov. 23 in North Carolina. Magnuson scored 12 points in the first half, including a pair of 3-pointers after entering the game 0-of-7 as a collegian. Besides his 12 points, Magnuson also finished with eight assists and three steals. He had a season-high 14 points versus North Dakota when he also had a team-high six assists.
 
 
 
 

Schedule Notes

 
Eagles Selected by Coaches to Win Big Sky Conference Title
 
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.
 
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. In 2018-19, for the second-straight year, Montana beat Eastern in the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game to advance to the NCAA 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.
 
 
Eagles in 2019-20 Play Five NCAA Tournament Teams from 2018-19
 
The Eagles were once again road-tested in the 2019-20 season, but December's miles were significantly less. While November was highlighted by long road trips, December featured 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 played 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 were NCAA Division I foes.
 
In the second game of the season on Nov. 9, Eastern played at Seattle (74-66 win) in what has become an annual game against the Redhawks and former EWU head coach Jim Hayford. Eastern played at Washington on Wednesday, Dec. 4, and three weeks later took 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.
 
Three other teams EWU faced in the 2019-20 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).
 
In all, Eastern faced nine non-conference foes from eight different leagues who combined for a 191-108 record (.666) in 2018-19, 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 opened the season on Tuesday, Nov. 5, with a home game versus Portland Bible College (3-20) of the Pacific Christian Athletic Conference, and won handily 107-25. The Eagles then played at Seattle on Nov. 9 and won that 74-66 before playing four games in the Gotham Classic. After losing 82-60 at Saint Louis, Eastern was edged 72-68 by Boston College (14-17/5-13 Atlantic Coast Conference). Eastern then picked up a 90-74 win at High Point (16-15/9-7 Big South) on Nov. 23 before registering a huge 87-82 triumph over Belmont on Nov. 26, with both of those games also a part of the Gotham Classic.
 
A 90-80 loss to Washington – then ranked 22nd in NCAA Division I by Associated Press and 23rd by the coaches followed. Eastern then played a trio of home games and won all three -- 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). Eastern beat North Dakota 98-82, then romped past Multnomah 146-89 and Omaha 97-56. The non-conference schedule concluded with a 112-77 loss at Gonzaga – ranked second in both polls on Dec. 16 -- followed by the team's Big Sky opener at Weber State on Dec. 28.
 
After EWU started the 2018-19 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.
 
 
No. 2 Gonzaga Was Highest-Ranked Team Eagles Have Ever Faced
 
Eastern faced the highest-ranked opponent in school history when the Eagles lost 112-77 at second-ranked Gonzaga on Dec. 21. After an 84-80 road win at Arizona on Dec. 14, the Bulldogs had moved up to second in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls announced on Dec. 16. Eastern, which is now 1-28 all-time versus nationally-ranked opponents, faced No. 3 Kansas in 2007 and No. 3 Oklahoma State in 2004 (NCAA Tournament), losing those games 85-47 and 75-56, respectively.
 
Gonzaga was the second ranked team Eastern played in five-game stretch, having fallen to No. 22/23 Washington 90-80 on Dec. 4 in Seattle. Washington dropped out of the AP poll and was ranked 25th by the coaches the week after falling 83-76 to Gonzaga on Dec. 8. In the Dec. 16 poll, Washington was 22nd in both.
 
Games in the 2019-20 season versus Oregon and Syracuse were Eastern's 27th and 26th games versus ranked opponents, and EWU is now 1-27 after losing at Washington 90-80 on Dec. 4. Eastern head coach Shantay Legans remembers well the only time the Eagles defeated a ranked opponent back in 2001. He was in Haas Pavilion that night on Nov. 15, 2001, when Eastern beat 10th-ranked St. Joseph's 68-67 at the BCA Classic in Berkeley, Calif. The next night, Eastern lost to 56-27 to host Cal, whose starting point guard was Legans. He had five points, an assist and a rebound in 20 minutes of action versus EWU.
 
In the 2014-15 season Eastern lost 77-68 to No. 22 SMU on Nov. 22, 2014; 81-77 to No. 17 Washington on Dec. 14, 2014; and then 84-74 to No. 22 Georgetown on March 19, 2015. Before that, EWU lost 82-65 to No. 15 Connecticut on Dec. 28, 2013, and 77-69 on Nov. 11, 2011, to a Gonzaga team ranked 23rd in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today preseason coaches' polls. The Gonzaga game was the head coaching debut at Eastern for Jim Hayford.
 
Eastern lost to Washington 98-72 on Nov. 16, 2010, and 86-57 to Gonzaga on Nov. 30, 2010, in EWU's other recent games against nationally-ranked teams. Washington was ranked 17th by Associated Press and 15th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, and Gonzaga was 24th by the coaches.
 
In the 2009-10 season, the Eagles fell 94-52 to Gonzaga on Dec. 28, 2009. The Bulldogs were ranked 22nd by ESPN/USA Today, but were just out of the top 25 at No. 26 by Associated Press. The 2008-09 season was the first time since 2002-03 that Eastern did not play a nationally-ranked team. The Eagles played 12 such games in the five seasons before that.
 
Eastern's list versus nationally-ranked teams includes three games in the 2004-05 season alone as well as three the year before. Seven of the games came under former head coach Mike Burns and five others came under Ray Giacoletti from 2000-2004.

12/21/19 vs. #2 Gonzaga – L, 77-112
12/4/19 vs. #22/23 Washington – L, 80-90
11/9/18 vs. #14 Oregon – L, 47-81
11/6/18 vs. #16 Syracuse – L, 34-66
12/20/16 vs. #17 Xavier – L, 56-85
11/17/16 vs. #21 Texas – L, 52-85
3/19/15 vs. #22 Georgetown – L, 74-84
12/14/14 vs. #17 Washington – L, 77-81
11/22/14 vs. #22 SMU – L, 68-77
12/28/13 vs. #15 Connecticut  – L,65-82
11/11/11 vs. #23 Gonzaga – L, 69-77
11/30/10 vs. #24 (ESPN/USA Today) Gonzaga - L, 57-86
11/16/10 vs. #17 Washington - L, 72-98
12/28/09 vs. #22 (ESPN/USA Today) Gonzaga - L, 52-94
12/5/07 vs. #3 Kansas - L, 47-85
11/9/07 vs. #10 Washington State - L, 41-68
12/15/06 vs. #22 Oregon - L, 74-100
11/24/06 vs. #16 Washington - L, 83-90
12/19/05 vs. #8 Gonzaga - L, 65-75
12/16/05 vs. #11 Washington - L, 74-91
12/28/04 vs. #14 Arizona - L, 45-79
12/21/04 vs. #13 Gonzaga - L, 70-83
12/5/04 vs. #14 Washington - L, 56-89
3/19/04 vs. #3 Oklahoma State - L, 56-75
12/31/03 vs. #16 Gonzaga - L, 49-70
11/21/03 vs. #14 Oklahoma - L, 59-69
11/15/01 vs. #10 St. Joseph's - W, 68-67
11/25/00 vs. #4 Michigan State - L, 61-83
1/21/85 vs. #10 DePaul - L, 50-72
 
 
Eagles Face Eight Different Leagues in 2019-20 Season
 
In all, Eastern faces nine non-conference foes from eight different NCAA Division I leagues who combined for a 191-108 record (.666) in the 2018-19 season, and were a collective 96-56 (.632) in their respective leagues.
 
Eastern picked up a win at Seattle University in its opener on Nov. 9, helping EWU improve to 19-16 all-time versus current teams in the Western Athletic Conference (12-13 since EWU moved to NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season). Versus Seattle, Eastern is 16-11 overall and 9-8 as a DI member.
 
Following an 80-62 loss at Saint Louis, the Eagles are now 1-2 all-time versus the Billikens, and are 2-3 against teams from the Atlantic 10 Conference – all with EWU as a member of NCAA Division I.
 
The Eagles lost at Boston College on Nov. 20 in the first-ever meeting between the two schools, and just the fourth ever against a current team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (all as DI member). Eastern lost to Pitt, Virginia Tech and Syracuse in 2019 in those other three games.
 
Eastern followed that by playing its first-ever meetings against High Point and Belmont, with EWU now owning a 2-0 all-time record versus current Big South Conference members after a 90-74 win over the Panthers. A 75-61 win over Winthrop on Nov. 16, 2002, was EWU's other win over a Big South opponent. After beating Belmont 87-82, the Eagles are 4-5 versus the Ohio Valley Conference (4-3 as a DI member).The last meeting versus an OVC member was on Nov. 22, 2017, when Eastern beat Eastern Kentucky 83-62 in the MGM Resorts Main Event in Las Vegas, Nevada (Eastern finished 3rd in the Middleweight Bracket).
 
The University of Washington of the Pac-12 Conference was EWU's next opponent, and the Eagles are now 1-16 all-time versus the Huskies with a 12-game losing streak after the 90-80 loss. Eastern hasn't beaten them since Dec. 14, 2002, and is 13-88 all-time versus the Pac-12 (3-46 as a member of DI). Eastern snapped a 21-game losing streak versus the Pac-12 with a 67-61 victory at Stanford on Nov. 14, 2017.
 
Former Big Sky member North Dakota was next, and EWU is now 6-7 all-time against the Fighting Hawks (4-6 as DI member) after a 98-82 triumph. That game, as well as EWU's first-ever meeting against Omaha on Dec. 17, is now part of the Big Sky Conference Versus Summit League Challenge Series.  Eastern won that contest 97-56, and is now 12-16 all-time versus that league, with all but two (the first two meetings versus UND) coming with EWU as a member of NCAA Division I.
 
Eastern concluded its non-conference schedule with a 112-77 loss against Gonzaga, a powerhouse team ranked second in NCAA Division I at the time. Eastern is now 52-82 against all-time (5-35 since EWU moved to NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season). The Eagles have lost the last 25 meetings in the series dating back to the last Eagle victory on Jan. 8, 1990 by a 70-55 score at GU. The last time the two teams played came on Nov. 11, 2011, and Eastern fell to the 23rd-ranked Bulldogs 77-69 in the first game of the EWU coaching career of Jim Hayford. Eastern is now 75-115 all-time versus current members of the West Coast Conference, including a 23-64 mark since moving to Division I.
 
 
Eastern in Second Year of Four-Year Big Sky Versus Summit League Challenge Series
 
Members of the Big Sky Conference and Summit League have agreed to a four-year men's basketball series involving four teams from each league, which began during the 2018-19 season.
 
Each school will play one home game and road contest against separate schools from the other league during each of the four seasons. Big Sky schools participating are Eastern, Montana State, Montana and Idaho. The Summit is represented by North Dakota State, North Dakota, Omaha and South Dakota State. North Dakota's final year of membership in the Big Sky was in 2017-18 before moving to the Summit League, but the Eagles are still playing the Fighting Hawks again as part of the four-year rivalry series between the two leagues.
 
So far, EWU is 2-2 in the series, losing on the road at North Dakota State (74-67) and at home versus South Dakota State (74-64) in 2018-19, then beating North Dakota 98-82 on Dec. 8, 2019, and Omaha 97-56 on Dec. 17, 2019, in a pair of home games the following season. The Big Sky was 4-4 in the eight games played in the challenge series in 2018-19 and finished 4-4 again in 2019-20.
 
2019-20 (Big Sky 4-4 versus Summit) -- North Dakota State 70, at Idaho 53 (Nov. 26), at Montana State 77, South Dakota State 70 (Dec. 5), at Montana 77, North Dakota 70 (Dec. 6), at Eastern Washington 98, North Dakota 82 (Dec. 8), at North Dakota State 79, Montana State 65 (Dec. 16), at Eastern Washington 97, Omaha 56 (Dec. 17), at Omaha 87, Montana 82 in overtime (Dec. 21), at South Dakota State 85, Idaho 57 (Dec. 21).
 
2018-19 (Big Sky 4-4 versus Summit) -- at North Dakota State 74, Eastern Washington 67; South Dakota State 74, at Eastern Washington 64; at Montana State 81, North Dakota 76, at Omaha 89, Montana State 65; Montana 85, at South Dakota State 74, at Montana 60, North Dakota State 53; Omaha 89, at Idaho 80, Idaho 67, at North Dakota 54.
 
2020-21 -- North Dakota State at Eastern Washington, Eastern Washington at South Dakota State, Montana State at North Dakota, Omaha at Montana State, South Dakota State at Montana, Montana at North Dakota State, Idaho at Omaha, North Dakota at Idaho.
 
2021-22 -- Eastern Washington at Omaha, Eastern Washington at North Dakota, Montana State at South Dakota State, North Dakota State at Montana State, South Dakota State at Idaho, Idaho at North Dakota State, Montana at North Dakota, Omaha at Montana.
 
 
More on the Gotham Classic
 
Eastern played four games in November – including a home game against Belmont (an 87-82 Eagle win) -- as part of the Gotham Classic, which is presented by the Gazelle Group. More information on the event is available at: http://www.gazellegroup.com/main/gotham.
 
Besides EWU and Belmont, other teams include Saint Louis, Boston College and High Point. The Eagles appeared in the 2015 Gotham Classic, and in recent years have participated in several other events hosted by the Gazelle Group.
 
Eastern's four games in the tournament are highlighted by a home game versus Belmont on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. Located in Nashville, Tenn., the Bruins finished 27-6 in 2018-19 and received an at-large bid as a No. 11 seed to the NCAA Tournament. Belmont beat Temple 81-70 in the "First Four" and then fell to Maryland 79-77 in the first round.
 
As part of the Gotham Classic, EWU also played at Saint Louis on Nov. 13, Boston College on Nov. 20 and High Point on Nov. 23 in games that took the Eagles to Missouri, Massachusetts and North Carolina. Eastern beat High Point (90-74), but fell to Saint Louis (82-60) and BC (72-68).
 
Highlighting the Gotham Classic was a Nov. 27 matchup between Boston College and Saint Louis in Chestnut Hill, Mass., which was won by SLU 64-54. In the 2018 Gotham Classic, Notre Dame defeated Duquesne, 67-56, in the Showcase Game.
 
Schedule of Games
(Records: Saint Louis 4-0, EWU 2-2, Belmont 2-2, Boston College 2-2, High Point 0-4)
Nov. 13 – at Boston College 53, High Point 33
Nov. 13 – at Saint Louis 80, Eastern Washington 62
Nov. 16 – Belmont 100, at Boston College 85
Nov. 18 – at Belmont 90, High Point 51
Nov. 20 – at Boston College 72, Eastern Washington 68
Nov. 20 – at Saint Louis 67, High Point 55
Nov. 23 – at Saint Louis 60, Belmont 55
Nov. 23 – Eastern Washington 90, at High Point 74
Nov. 26 –at Eastern Washington 87, Belmont 82
Nov. 27 – Saint Louis 64, at Boston College 54
 
First played in 2012, the Gotham Classic features five teams from across the country in one of the most competitive events of its kind. In eight short years, the tournament has attracted the likes of Syracuse, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Louisville, Memphis, Davidson, Pittsburgh, NC State, and West Virginia, among a host of other prominent programs.
 
 
 
 

Recent Game Recaps

 
Eastern Alone at Top of Big Sky as Outright Champions
 
Using a late run and defense to take the lead for good, Eastern beat Weber State 78-69 to win the outright Big Sky Conference title on Senior Day on March 7 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. Eastern closed the conference season with a school-record 16 Big Sky wins versus just four losses. Eastern used a 10-0 run in the second half to break from a 59-all tie against a Weber State team picked by the media to finish second ahead of the Eagles in the league standings. Eastern was picked to win it by the coaches, and proved them right. Seniors Mason Peatling and Tyler Kidd played in their final regular season games at Reese Court, and were honored in pre-game ceremonies. Peatling was on fire during the league season, closing with averages of 18.5 points on 56 percent shooting from the field, 10.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.7 blocked shots and 0.8 steals. Eastern's big three of Peatling, junior Jacob Davison and sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. combined for 56 of EWU's points, including a double-double of 19 points, 13 rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots by Aiken. Davison scored 24 with eight rebounds and five assists, and Peatling had 13 points, five boards, five assists and three steals. Additionally, junior Jack Perry scored nine points, including a pair of key 3-pointers during EWU's 10-0 run in the second half. Redshirt freshman Casson Rouse came off the bench to finish with five points, five rebounds and a career-high seven assists, and true freshman Jacob Groves hit a pair big field goals in the last 3:49 to preserve EWU's lead. Weber State was at just over 50 percent shooting for the game when it was tied at 59. But after that, Eastern held the Wildcats to 23.5 percent (4-of-17) in the final 11 minutes. Eastern out-shot WSU in the game 44 percent to 43 percent, and out-rebounded the Wildcats 41-38. The Eagles improved to 15-0 in the 2019-20 season when they win the rebounding battle. Eastern led early 17-10 with a 7-0 run, but then the Eagles went 3 1/2 minutes without a score. Weber State's 12-0 run gave them a 22-17 lead. But Eastern made seven-straight baskets and turned a three-point deficit into a 35-30 lead. Eastern would eventually lead 40-35 at halftime. The second half was much of the same, with Eastern leading by no less than two but no more than eight in the first 8 1/2 minutes. Finally, EWU was able to get a double-digit lead with a 10-0 run, including a pair of 3-pointres by Perry and baskets by Rouse and Davison. Eastern hit four-straight shots in that stretch and held WSU without a point for 3:43, as EWU led 69-59 at the 8:51 mark. A 3-pointer by Aiken with 6:16 remaining helped put a nail in the coffin, as EWU held its largest lead of the night at 11. Baskets by Groves with 3:49 left and 2:44 remaining helped EWU maintain no less than a seven-point lead the rest of the way.
 
 
Eagles Win at Least a Share of Big Sky Title
 
Riding a 17-0 run in the second half in which it made 10-straight shots, Eastern earned at least a share of the regular season Big Sky Conference crown in part by beating Idaho State 100-77 on March 5 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. Coupled with Montana's 71-64 home loss to Northern Colorado, the 15-4 Eagles moved into sole possession of first place in the league race with one league game to go. Senior Mason Peatling had a near triple-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists for the Eagles, who also had two players with over 20 points. Junior Jacob Davison had 23 with four assists, and redshirt freshman Casson Rouse had a career-high 21, eclipsing his previous best of 14 points. All 11 players who played scored for EWU, which sank 62 percent of its shots in the second half after leading 46-41 at intermission. The Eagles closed the game at 57 percent and had a 35-28 rebounding advantage. Eastern cracked the 100-point mark for the third time in the 2019-20 season, but first since December and first against a NCAA Division I opponent. Eastern held the lead for 18:54 of the first half, but could never shake the Bengals who forged three ties totaling the other 1:06. Eastern used a 6-0 run to take a 27-20 lead, but the Bengals hit 53 percent of their shots in the first half and were within five at intermission, 46-41. Davison scored 16 of EWU's points and Rouse had 10. The Eagles broke it open in the second half with their 17-0 run, holding ISU scoreless for 3:48. During that stretch, EWU made 10-straight shots, including back-to-back 3-pointers by Perry to cap the run. Rouse had seven and Peatling had the other four during the run.
 
 
 

Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .

 
On Being Able to Celebrate Even Though Season Cut Short: "We got to cut down the nets after our regular season championship, and we were happy about that. But if the cancellation of the season had to happen, it had to happen. We feel for the seniors and all players – in every program. We all play in the conference tournament, and that gives all teams hope of making the NCAA Tournament. It took the hopes away from a lot of young men, not just us. They'll never forget that."
 
On Big Sky Cancellation Preceding NCAA Cancellation By a Few Hours: "We still had some hope, but the other seniors in our conference knew their season was over no matter how hard they worked and felt like they could earn it. For a couple of hours at least, we still had the excitement and hope of playing in the NCAA Tournament. But then we had to tell the team that was canceled. That was the tough one to swallow."
 
On Ending of Season: "It's tough – there are no words you can prepare to tell those young men that news. You can talk about a win, you can talk about a loss, you can talk about taking a last-second shot -- but this is something brand new for me and this country. My heart goes out to everybody. It's a tough pill to swallow, but at the same time you have to worry about the safety and health of all people. We have to keep moving forward. Sports teaches you how to be tough, so we have to figure out how to cope with this and move on."
 
On Winning Regular Season Title: "It feels good. We accomplished a really tough goal – to win a conference championship is huge. It feels great to watch the guys celebrate, see their smiles and put on championship shirts and hats. It's exciting to be dancing in the locker room – it's a good feeling to see those guys happy like that."
 
On Senior Day Victory: "We did a good job of handling the emotion in the first few minutes – we had some air balls early. Our team did a good job of changing their mindset at halftime and played some good basketball for stretches in the second half. I've been a part of a lot of these types of Senior Day games, but this was such a big game to be playing for the outright championship. You are already playing for those seniors who gave their blood sweat and tears to the program, and everybody wants to play so hard and so good. They want the game to be perfect. When you watch it you have a gut feeling, and we were lucky enough to have a player like Mason. Our team re-focused after about eight minutes and Mason kept us moving forward."
 
On Versatility of Team: "We're really a tough team to guard because we have multiple players who can do a lot of different things. We've changed a little bit with how we play, and we have guys who can put the ball on the floor, hit shots and defend different positions. When we do a good job with that, it puts us in a good position. We have to play defense to play offense, and that's one thing we talk about every day. If you don't defend you don't get to play offense. Offense is the fun part of the game and we want them to be tough and defend. If you know that your coach is going to let you play and be creative on offense, then you'll play defense the way it's supposed to be played. That something you can see the players doing right now."
 
On Key Northern Colorado Road Win: "Northern Colorado was amped up and ready to go – it was senior night for them. There were a couple of momentum swings and we withstood some big plays by them and a lot of foul trouble. But our guys stayed with it and they fought and battled. Giving up only one second-chance point in the second half was huge. We played great defense and understood exactly what we wanted to do in the second half."
 
On Ellis Magnuson After Scoring in Double Figures at SUU and UNC: "As a freshman you go through a lot of different things coming at you that you never have prepared for before. Players go through lulls, but he sticks with it and is in the gym every day. He's a good student and is doing everything we ask of him, and even more than that. You stick by players like that. You love them to death and know they are going to do the right thing. They are players with great character, and when you have players like that in your locker room it's fun just to watch these guys perform. Sometimes you need that, and sometimes you just need to let guys play. We've been on him and he's a freshman – he's going to go through peaks and valleys and ups and downs. You have to make sure you're confident in him – he's our starting point guard and he's our guy. He's a great player and he's going to do great things for us. He and some other players have bright futures for us. They came out and played hard. They have confidence in Ellis to make shots, and he comes into the game and works hard all the time. He keeps working and we keep telling him to shoot the ball. He's a great shooter."
 
On SUU Victory Despite 33 Percent Shooting: "You can't tell me Kim will be 5-of-16 and Jacob will be 3-of-20 and we will win, but we did that. That's a huge accomplishment, especially doing it on the road at a place we haven't won the last two years. It was a great win – our team played confident and they played smart."
 
On Win Over Northern Arizona: "We have a team that plays really smart and we have some really good players out there. Not all the guys are hitting on all cylinders right now, but they are all competing and playing tough. When you get contributions from everybody in the game that makes it easy to coach a team like this. Our assistant coaches do an amazing job of getting us prepared, and we are ready for about anything. These types of games get us prepared and battle-tested. Northern Arizona is a really good team, so you have to make sure you come with your 'A' game. They got their 3-pointers, but they didn't win. There were a couple of stretches where our defense came up big."
 
On Bench: "We have players we can call on all the time. But that makes it hard because you have only 200 minutes in a game. We have a lot of players coming along and are ready for their moment. It's fun to watch them play and how they are developing and getting better through the year. You can't ask for anything more. It's awesome."
 
On Mason Peatling After Sac State/NAU Sweep: "He's a stud and doing everything for us. He's my pick for Big Sky Player of the Year. He's averaging a double-double in league play, in both games last week he had six assists and he's ranked in the top three in the league in blocks. Mason is unbelievable. And he has a chance to be an Academic All-American with a 4.0 grade point average as graduate student. You would be hard-pressed to find a better student-athlete in the country with what Mason is doing right now. It's amazing and fun to watch him play, and eventually it will be fun to see his professional career take off. He listens and handles the emotions of the game. That's what a senior leader does for you, and he's been like that since he's gotten here. He's been even keel, but he's excited when other players make plays and when he makes plays. He's showing our younger players what it means to be an Eagle, play for this university and how important everything is."
 
On Home Sweep After Win Over UNC: "We're in a fantastic league, we have fantastic coaches and there are some fantastic players who are underrated in this country. There were so many players on that court who are really good. It was a fun basketball game to coach and watch the guys play. There were so many emotions and a lot of stress throughout that game. But there was a lot of excitement too."
 
On Love of Basketball:  "You have to love basketball. It's something that brings you to so many highs and so many lows, but it's great to be able to do it with people you love and like to be around. This is a great community and we are doing it for a great university. It's so much fun and I can't get enough basketball right now."
 
On Health: "You want to get out of preseason unscathed. We did that for the most part, and our players were smart in their recovery from games. We kept players healthy, and our athletic trainer (Hailey Haukeli) did a great job of getting them through sickness and some bumps and bruises. We have to give her 100 percent of the credit for keeping them going."
 
On Preseason: "All of our losses came away from our house, and came against some really, really good teams. We can look back on that and tell our team that they are pretty good."
 
On Mason Peatling & Multmomah Win: "Mason had a great game and it was fun to watch him play. Our guys were smart and got him touches. We have such an unselfish team – we had 39 assists against Multnomah – and we have players who put other people ahead of themselves. A lot of guys could have done that, but it was Mason's night. There were guys guarding him that weren't big enough. Our team did a great job, and it makes you proud as a coach to see them extremely happy for a teammate to be able to do something like that."
 
On Tanner Groves: "We want him to play tough, go to the rim and dunk the ball. He makes us better when he plays that way. Tanner is going to be one of the best big men in this conference – he's unbelievable inside, outside, shooting touch, defense and athleticism. He's going to be a player the bigger schools are going to say 'how does Eastern have a player like that.' He has a chance to be one of the best players to come out of this league – he has that type of game."
 
On Jacob Davison Versus North Dakota: "He did a great job, but it was all in the flow of the offense. We weren't doing anything different for him. The way they were defending is what got him those baskets. A lot of times teams have to pick their poison with us. He's such a talented scorer and does so many things on offense which makes him hard to guard. He can drive, he can hit the mid-range jump shot and he shoots the three well."
 
On Belmont Victory: "Our team came in and took advantage of our opportunity to play a team like that here at home. Belmont is a very well-coached team and a good basketball club. But it was our night – we played well and we played hard. We followed the game plan to a tee. We did a good job and our assistant coaches did a remarkable job of getting our team prepared. We came out with a win in front of a good crowd during a holiday week. We appreciate them coming out and the atmosphere was awesome. The last minute was surreal – it was loud in here, jumpin' and fun. It was a team effort."
 
On Ellis Magnuson: "He's a very good basketball player, and he is going to be very good for us down the road. He was great for us against High Point. He is an extremely hard worker -- he gets in the gym every morning and every night. He and Kim Aiken are always getting into the gym, and you always like to see those guys that work hard to see it pay off. He's a freshman point guard, and I believe that is the hardest position, especially playing for me. I'm really hard on point guards. Anyone who's been around me knows that the big guys can mess up, but the point guards have to be really good and mentally tough. He is a very mentally tough kid, and he will be a great player. He's going to break a lot of records here and had eight assists. He might have had more if guys didn't miss some shots. He sees the floor well."
 
On Davison & Aiken: "Those two players are very dynamic offensive players – they are both good shooters. They are going to get their shooting percentages up – it's early in the season. They will figure out where they are going to get their shots, and as we move forward for the season it's going to be good for those two guys and Mason too.
 
On Effort at Seattle: "If you don't get efforts like that you don't win games. This win was huge and it was a long time coming. It was well-deserved by our team – we were playing our first road game and this team is healthy. We rebounded the ball in the second half which is important, and we limited them at the 3-point line. It's an exciting time. We are so happy to play the way we did. If Eagle Nation watched this game they would be proud of this team, and the fight we will give every single night."