Riding high with a seven-game winning streak and sole possession of first place in the Big Sky Conference standings, the Eagles face their nemesis.
The Eastern Washington University men's basketball team will play a pair of games versus the Montana Grizzlies this week, including Thursday (Feb. 18) in a game that starts at 6:05 p.m. Pacific time at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. The two rivals will play again two days later (Feb. 20) in Missoula in a game that will begin at 11:05 a.m. Pacific time.
Both games will be televised live regionally on SWX – both in Eastern Washington and in Montana. Both games will be available via PlutoTV (Thursday on channel 1057 and Saturday on channel 1056), as well as via
https://bigskyconf.com/watchbigsky. Eastern games are also aired live on radio on 700-AM ESPN, 105.3-FM, via the web at tunein.com and via mobile phone app, with pre-game coverage starting a half-hour prior to tipoff. Larry Weir serves as the play-by-play broadcaster. Live statistics from all Eastern home games are available via
http://ewustats.com.
At this time, no spectators will be permitted to attend home basketball games due to institutional, regional, and state guidelines in regards to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Eastern is coming off its third-straight sweep in league play, beating Montana State twice in Bozeman by relatively easy 93-77 and 85-69 scores. Eastern is now 9-2 in the Big Sky and 10-6 overall with four games left to play in league play. The Eagles have a current seven-game winning streak, matching Eastern's season-ending streak of a year ago. It's the best since EWU won eight in a row in the 2017-18 season, ended with an 82-65 loss to Montana on March 10, 2018, in the Big Sky Conference Tournament in Reno, Nevada.
This week they face a squad of Grizzlies who are just 5-7 in the league and 9-10 overall, but have defeated the Eagles the last four times they've met. Two of those games were in Big Sky Conference Tournament championships in 2018 and 2019, and the teams were on a collision course to meet again in 2020 in the tournament before the Covid-19 pandemic ended the season prematurely.
"Montana has had our number in the recent past," said Eastern head coach
Shantay Legans, who is 2-5 against the Grizzlies as EWU's head coach. "We have to go out there and play well because they are playing good basketball. Every game they have played has been close. They have a young team like us – we are the same age, to be honest. We both have two seniors, and everybody else are underclassmen."
Montana is coming off a 91-82 loss to Weber State in Missoula, but two days earlier knocked off the Wildcats 80-67. The Grizzlies have lost their other six league games by margins of 1 (twice), 2, 4, 5 and 6 (double overtime). Thus, Montana's seven Big Sky losses have come by a total of 28 points for an average of just 4.0 per game.
"They are a very good team and well coached," added Legans. "They are very defensive minded and they will have a great defensive plan for us. We have to go out there and play our game, play tough and rebound. We have to keep doing what we do, and bottle up the energy – we have to make sure we have it for 40 minutes in every game we play for the rest of the season. We just have to hope to come out on top, and if we do the things we need to do that is a good possibility."
Entering action this week, Eastern is 9-2 in the Big Sky, followed by Southern Utah (6-2), Weber State (7-3), Idaho State (7-3), Montana State (6-4), and Sacramento State (4-4). They are followed by Northern Colorado (5-6), Montana (5-7), Northern Arizona (4-6), Portland State (3-5), and Idaho (0-14).
The Eagles, 10-6 overall and with a seven-game winning streak, are on the roll they had a year ago en route to the regular season league title. Last year after five games of the league season, the Eagles were 3-2 (like this year's team), and had won the first game of what would become a six-game winning streak. Eastern ended the regular season with a streak of seven-straight victories to win the league title with a 16-4 mark.
Eastern's remaining league schedule includes home games versus Idaho State on March 3 and 5 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. Those games were previously scheduled for one day later, but were pushed up to avoid a conflict with EWU's home football game on March 6.
All 11 league teams will advance to the Big Sky Conference Basketball Championships, to be held for the third consecutive year at recently re-named Idaho Central Arena (formerly CenturyLink Arena) in Boise, Idaho. The neutral-site tournament will run from March 10-13, 2021, and begins two days earlier for the women.
Game Notes
More About the Grizzlies
Former Montana player Travis DeCuire is in his seventh season as head coach of the Grizzlies, and his team is 9-10 overall this season and 5-7 in the Big Sky after a Feb. 11 home win over Weber State (80-67) and a loss to the Wildcats two days later (91-82). Kyle Owens, a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward, leads Montana with averages of 12.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game entering the week. Freshman guard Brandon Whitney is averaging 10.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, while 6-10 senior forward Michael Steadman adds 9.9 points and 5.4 boards per game.
In league games only, Montana is leading the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.405), is No. 2 in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.317) and rank third in scoring defense (67.8) and field goal percentage (.463). Overall, the Grizzlies are the league's best free throw shooting team (.802, EWU is second at .788) and are No. 2 in scoring defense (65.3), -point field goal percentage (.371), and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.295).
More About the Eagles
Thanks to its seven-game winning streak, in league games only Eastern is leading the Big Sky in seven major categories – scoring offense (84.2), scoring margin (+11.1), free throw percentage (.825), rebounds (37.0), rebounding margin (+5.2), assists (16.3) and assist/turnover ratio (+1.34). Overall, Eastern is not leading the league in any categories but is No. 2 in free throw percentage (.788), assists (15.1) and assist/turnover ratio (+1.29), as well as No. 3 in scoring offense (79.3), field goal percentage defense (.421), and rebounds (36.4).
After a weekend in which he averaged 21.0 points and 7.5 rebounds, junior forward
Tanner Groves continues to lead the Big Sky Conference in rebounding (8.5 per game) and field goal percentage (.586). He is also fifth in scoring (17.1), sixth in blocked shots (1.1) and fifth in free throw percentage (.827). In Big Sky games only, he is second in scoring (19.3) and rebounding (8.2), and first in field goal percentage (.613). He is also third in free throw percentage (.893) and 10th in blocked shots (0.8).
Pre-season All-Big Sky Conference selection
Kim Aiken Jr. averaged a double-double last week, and is second behind Groves in the BSC in rebounding in the league at 8.1 per game overall while averaging 8.8 in league play to lead the Big Sky. Overall, he is eighth in the BSC in blocked shots (0.9) and seventh in free throw percentage (.816), and in league games only he is eighth in blocked shots (1.1) and seventh in free throw percentage (.816). He is averaging 10.8 points as one of four Eagles averaging in double figures for the season, and 11.8 in league games only (20th) with five Eagles averaging at least 11.0.
Although he missed both games last week, preseason All-Big Sky MVP
Jacob Davison is averaging 12.6 points to rank 16th in the league, and is fifth in 3-pointers made per game (2.0). He scored 31 versus Southern Utah on Jan. 16 when he hit nine 3-pointers to come one from the school record of 10. In league games only, he is 17th in scoring (12.6) and fourth in treys per game (2.44).
Sophomore
Tyler Robertson is also averaging in double figures for EWU at 11.7 points per game to rank 20th in the league overall, and is 11th in assists (2.93) and 11th in 3-pointers per game (1.73). In league games only, he is tops in the Big Sky in assist-to-turnover ratio (+3.50 with 35 assists and 10 turnovers) and ninth in assists (3.18). He's averaging 11.0 points per game during Big Sky play, with sophomore
Michael Meadows averaging 12.0 points in the eight league games he's played thus far with a string of five-straight games in double figures.
Prior to league play starting on Dec. 19 with an 80-64 win at Northern Arizona, on the same trip Eastern fell 80-75 at Saint Mary's in a game in which the Eagles led for 28 1/2 minutes. The first victory for the Eagles came on Dec. 11 when they took a 17-4 lead over The College of Idaho and cruised to an 80-56 win. Previously, Eastern fell to Oregon 69-52 on Dec. 7, just two days after a heart-breaking 70-67 loss at Arizona. Eastern opened the season with a 71-68 loss at Washington State on Nov. 28.
Eastern has had a trio of losses to top-notch NCAA Division I competition by a total of just 11 points after leading at halftime and with 10 minutes left in each. One of those was an 80-75 loss on Dec. 15 at Saint Mary's, which had entered the game ranked fourth in the CollegeInsider.com top 25 poll of mid-major teams. Two of those losses were versus Pac-12 Conference foes Washington State and Arizona.
In each of EWU's first two games, Eastern led at halftime, led with 10 minutes left and led with five minutes remaining. Eastern led for 33:09 versus WSU, but a late 13-5 run by the Cougars was the difference; a 14-4 run by Arizona cost the Eagles that win after they led for 13:49 in the game. Eastern also led by as many as six in the first half against Oregon and trailed by just four at halftime. Against Saint Mary's on Dec. 15, the Eagles led for 28:30 and had the lead at halftime and with 10 minutes to play.
A year ago, Eastern was 23-8 overall and 16-4 in the Big Sky Conference to win the outright regular season title. The Covid-19 Pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the season, including the conclusion of the Big Sky Conference Tournament and the entire NCAA Tournament. Eastern was on site for their league tournament opener on March 11, 2020, when the news hit. The Eagles entered the 2020-21 season with four starters back from last year's squad.
Eastern's school-record 16 Big Sky wins a year ago 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 –
Mason Peatling and
Tyler Kidd – so EWU has high aspirations for 2020 and beyond.
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).
Eagles Has +14.4 Winning Margin During Winning Streak
Eastern has now averaged 85.9 points per game during its current seven-game winning streak, while allowing 71.4 for an average winning margin of 14.4 points per game. In the second half alone, Eastern is outscoring opponents by just over 10 per game – 48.1 points to 37.9. During the streak, EWU has out-shot opponents 50.5 percent to 42.5 percent overall, and 40.2 percent to 34.4 percent from the 3-point stripe, and has made 84.3 percent from the free throw line. Eastern also has a plus 7.3 rebounding margin in those games, averaging 37.1 per game. The Eagles are 7-0 this season when they out-rebound their opponent, and 6-1 when they have at least 36 boards.
Eagles Showing Second-Half Dominance in League Play
The Eagles have won seven league games by at least 12 points (26 once, 16 three times, 15 twice, 12), plus victories by six and eight points. Their two losses have come by a combined seven points (5, 2). Their biggest margin of the season came in a 90-64 win over Idaho on Feb. 6, plus wins by 16 over Northern Arizona on Dec. 19 (80-64) as well as both games at Montana State (93-77 and 85-69) on Feb. 11 and 13, respectively. In EWU's last three games alone, they've won by an average of 19.3 points per game.
Eastern took a 32-28 lead at halftime at NAU, then used a 48-point second half to pull away. Eastern led 34-28 against the Vandals before having its best half of the season with 56 points to surge ahead. Eastern had second-half performances of 44 and 49 at MSU, giving them a total of 13 halves this season with at least 43 points. The Eagles had entered the NAU game averaging just 29.0 points in the second half through its first five games (145 total), but in the 11 games since have averaged 46.2 with eight performances of at least 43 points and four with at least 51.
Legans Currently Ranked No. 5 in Winning Percentage in Big Sky History
Legans, the reigning Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year, is currently No. 5 in winning percentage in the 58-year history of the Big Sky Conference – No. 3 among those who coached at least four seasons. Entering this week, he's 50-19 in four seasons for a percentage of .725. He only ranks behind Phil Johnson (Weber State 1968-71, .886, 39-5), Kermit Davis (Idaho 1989-90, .813, 26-6), Dick Motta (Weber State, 1963-68, .727, 40-15) and Travis DeCuire (Montana 2014-present, .726, 90-34), and is just ahead of Ron Abegglen (Weber State, 1991-99, .717, 86-34). If the Eagles beat Montana this week, Legans will move past DeCuire (.729 to .720).
Overall, Legans enters this week 69-47 overall (.595) in four seasons. In school history, Ray Giacoletti (four seasons, 2000-04) currently ranks just behind Legans in winning percentage overall (.580, 69-50) and is No. 2 in league games only (.707, 41-17).
Legans led EWU to a final record of 23-8 overall and 16-4 in the league in the 2019-20 season. Legans entered the 2020-21 season 59-41 in his three years as head coach for a .590 winning percentage. In league games, he directed EWU to 13, 12 and 16 victories, winning 71 percent for a record of 41-17. His 41 league wins is the best three-year stretch in school history.
In the spring of 2020, Legans was selected to ESPN's "40 Under 40" list of the top NCAA Division I basketball coaches under the age of 40. He was selected No. 11 -- eighth among head coaches -- in the list of coaches ranked by achievement and potential.
Eastern Has Eighth-Toughest Strength of Schedule in Initial NCAA NET Rankings
While ranking 110th in the nation overall and tops in the Big Sky Conference, the ranking that popped out most in the initial NCAA NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings released on Jan. 4 was No. 8. That was the team's national ranking in strength of schedule, which was aided by pre-conference games versus three Pacific-12 Conference foes (Arizona, Oregon, Washington State) and another powerhouse from the West Coast Conference (Saint Mary's).
The second-highest Big Sky Conference school in the initial rankings was Southern Utah at 135, followed by Weber State (162), Sacramento State (188) and Montana (190) in the top 200. The remainder of the league ranked from No. 224 (Montana State) to No. 333 (Idaho) among the 340 NCAA Division I programs who had played at that point of the season. Among EWU's non-conference foes, Oregon (19), Arizona (21), Saint Mary's (53) and Washington State (101) were all in the top 101.
The NET rankings serves as the primary sorting tool for the selection and seeding process for the NCAA tournament. The NET is in its third season for men's basketball and was modified in the offseason when it was simplified to a two-component system. The two components are the Team Value Index, which rewards teams for beating quality opponents, especially away from home, and a team's efficiency rating, which is adjusted for the strength of an opponent and the location of a game.
Through games of Feb. 15, Eastern is second among Big Sky schools with a ranking of 126th, and is 189th in strength of schedule (tops in the league). Weber State is No. 1 in the league at 124th, followed by EWU, Southern Utah (178), Montana (208), Montana State (211), Sacramento State (242), Northern Colorado (262), Portland State (265), Idaho State (273), Northern Arizona (322) and Idaho (344) among the 347 schools who have now played.
Free Throw Record Falls at Montana State
En route to a 93-77 victory at Montana State on Feb. 11, Eastern made its first 25 free throws and finished 27-of-28 from the free throw line for a school-record .964 percentage. The previous school record (minimum of 20 attempts) was .952 set twice previously with 20-of-21 performances. The last time it occurred was on Jan. 8, 2009 versus Idaho State and the first time came against Portland on Dec. 10, 1994. Five Eagles were perfect from the line against the Bobcats –
Tanner Groves (9-of-9),
Kim Aiken Jr. (8-of-8),
Michael Meadows (5-of-5) and
Tyler Robertson (2-of-2). The only player to miss was
Jacob Groves, who was 3-of-4 after a miss late in the second half.
Eagles Nearly Set 3-Point Records Versus SUU
With 10 3-pointers in the first half and nine in the second, the Eagles as a team and
Jacob Davison as an individual flirted with school records for 3-point shooting in EWU's 99-94 loss to Southern Utah on Jan. 16. Eastern came one make from the team record of 20 set against Portland State on Jan. 28, 2016. Eastern finished the SUU game with 43 3-point attempts, and the school record of 45 came against Oregon on Nov. 9, 2018. Eastern's high through the first seven games of the season was 10 3-pointers made on two occasions, and 35 attempts versus The College of Idaho on Dec. 11.
Davison sank nine of 18 3-point attempts, and his previous high for 3-pointers made was seven. The school record is 10 set previously by Tyler Harvey (2/1/14 vs. Northern Colorado) and Kevin Winford (12/4/10 vs. New Hope). The record for 3-pointers attempted is 23 (Winford versus New Hope).
On the Horizon
Eastern closes out the regular season with games versus Idaho State on Wednesday, March 3 at 6:05 p.m. Pacific time and Friday, March 5 at 12:05 p.m. Pacific at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. The games were re-scheduled from one day later to avoid a conflict with EWU's home football opener on March 6.
Idaho State is currently 7-3 in the Big Sky Conference and 12-5 overall heading into games on Feb. 25 and 27 against Montana. Eastern is idle that week.
Player Notes
Honored by League on Feb. 15, Aiken was Also a Preseason All-Big Sky Pick
One game he helped lead the Eagles to a school-record free throw percentage, the next he was a monster on the boards. Pre-season All-Big Sky Conference selection
Kim Aiken Jr. averaged a double-double to help the Eagles to a pair of 16-point victories at Montana State to earn Big Sky Conference Player of the Week on Feb. 15 from the league office. It was the first Big Sky Player of the Week honor for Aiken, who was a third team All-Big Sky selection in 2019-20 campaign.
In the two games combined, Aiken averaged 16.0 points and 10.5 rebounds, and also had six assists and a pair of steals. The 6-foot-7 junior guard/forward from Redlands, Calif., was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line while making 47.4 percent overall (9-of-19) and 4-of-12 3-point attempts. The 93-77 and 85-69 victories helped extend EWU's winning streak to seven and keep the Eagles in sole possession of first place in the Big Sky Conference standings.
In the first win on Feb. 11, he scored 20 points and made all eight of his free throws to help EWU break a school record with a .964 team percentage (27-of-28). He also had eight rebounds and three assists for EWU. In the next game, in which EWU had a key 37-35 rebounding advantage, Aiken had his second double-double of the season and 18th of his career by finishing with 12 points and 13 rebounds. He also had a trio of assists and a steal as EWU held MSU to just seven offensive rebounds after having 17 in the first meeting.
"Kim was amazing on the boards," said Eastern head coach
Shantay Legans after the sweep. "That's the Kim Aiken we have come to know and we've seen in the past. When he plays like that he's one of the top three players in the league. He goes to the boards, defends, rebounds, blocks shots, he's hitting threes and he's leading our team. He's really hard to guard and hard to play against."
Prior to the start of the season, Aiken joined teammate
Jacob Davison on the 2020-21 Big Sky Conference Preseason All-Conference Team announced by the league office on Nov. 10.
Aiken has averaged 10.8 points and 8.1 rebounds in his junior season while making 44.8 percent from the field and 30.0 percent from the arc (21-of-70). He's also made 40-of-59 free throws (.816) and has 14 steals, 15 blocked shots and 34 assists. He scored 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the 3-point stripe in EWU's 80-64 win at Northern Arizona, and also had nine boards. He had his first double-double of the season with 23 points and 12 rebounds versus Southern Utah on Jan. 16. He had 11 rebounds versus Idaho on Feb. 6, then had his 18th career double-double of his career at Montana State on Feb. 13 with 12 points and 13 boards.
Aiken averaged nearly a double-double in the 2019-20 season, finishing 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 and averaged 13.3 points per outing.
Aiken's overall rebound average was Eastern's best since Ron Cox averaged 12.3 in the 1976-77 season when the school was affiliated with the NAIA. Aiken's average broke the school's previous DI record of 9.1 in the 2016-17 campaign, and his single-game high of 22 is the second-most in school history and EWU's DI record.
The 6-foot-7 Aiken also finished his sophomore season third in the league and 85th in the nation in steals (1.74). In league games only, Aiken 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). At times his shooting was inconsistent, but he still managed to sink a team-leading 76 3-pointers on 229 attempts for 33.2 percent. Overall, he shot at a 39.8 percent clip from the field and 78.7 percent from the free throw line (59-of-75).
He had a career-best 26-point effort at Washington on Dec. 4, 2019, and had five total performances of 20+ points (eight in his career). Against Belmont in a huge 87-82 victory, he scored eight of EWU's last 12 points and had four defensive boards in the final 44 seconds on his way to final tallies of 11 points and 11 boards.
Aiken had 14 double-figure rebounding performances as a sophomore (22 in his career), and thus far in his 77-game career (58 as a starter), he is averaging 10.1 points and 7.5 rebounds with 18 career double-doubles (13-5 record). He has 85 career steals, 66 blocked shots and 90 assists. His 578 rebounds currently rank ninth in school history, his 7.5 average is 10th) and his 66 blocks are 10th.
The Elder of the "Groves Bros" Tandem, Tanner Groves on Mid-Season Henson Award Watch List
Junior
Tanner Groves has had a stellar 2020-21 men's basketball season, and has been rewarded on five occasions thus far. On Jan. 26, he was selected on the mid-season watch list for the 2020-21 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award. He is one of 40 players listed as a candidate for the award, which is presented annually to the top mid-major player in NCAA Division I college basketball. This year's recipient will be announced in April, and the award honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons.
Groves was rewarded Dec. 31 by being selected to the HoopsHD.com mid-season All- Big Sky Conference team. Other players selected to the team included guards Bodie Hume (Northern Colorado), Cameron Shelton (Northern Arizona) and Isiah Brown (Weber State), as well as forward Maizen Fausett (Southern Utah). Brown was selected as the mid-season "Player of the Year So Far."
Twice he has earned Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors – the first honor coming on Dec. 21 and the second on Feb. 1 after registering a double-double with 23 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in a win over Sacramento State one day earlier.
He received the same honor the same weeks from College Sports Madness, and was also honored by CSM on Feb. 15 after averaging 21.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in a road sweep over Montana State. Included was his sixth double-double of the season and eighth of his career in the first meeting when he equaled his career high with 26 points and also had 12 rebounds. He sank 68.2 percent of his field goal attempts and 3-of-5 3-point shots (37.5 percent), and all nine of his free throws. He had 15 rebounds for the weekend.
Groves continues to lead the Big Sky Conference in rebounding (8.5 per game) and field goal percentage (.586). He is also fifth in scoring (17.1), sixth in blocked shots (1.1) and fifth in free throw percentage (.827). In Big Sky games only, he is second in scoring (19.3) and rebounding (8.2), and first in field goal percentage (.613). He is also third in free throw percentage (.893) and 10th in blocked shots (0.8).
Groves registered a pair of double-doubles in EWU's split against Northern Colorado, with the Eagles falling 78-76 in the first game on Jan. 21 and winning the second 82-76 two days later. In the second meeting with UNC, he missed his first free throw of the game, snapping his streak of 27 made free throws in a row dating back to making his last seven at Northern Arizona on Dec. 19. He made 8-of-14 to start the year, but went on a 33-of-36 tear (91.7 percent) and has sank 82.7 percent for the year (62-of-75).
In December, Groves sank 82 percent of the shots he took in a pair of games for the Eagles, and for his efforts he was selected Dec. 21 as the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week. He earned the same honor from College Sports Madness. Groves averaged a double-double as he equaled, then broke, his career-high in scoring in two games – a narrow 80-75 loss at Saint Mary's on Dec. 15 and then an 80-64 win at Northern Arizona on Dec. 19 to open the league season. In the two games combined, Groves averaged 21.5 points and 10.0 rebounds, while also contributing four assists and two blocked shots. He sank 16-of-23 field goals for 69.6 percent and 11-of-13 free throws for 85 percent – a combined 27-of-33 for 81.8 percent.
Groves hit 7-of-10 shots and 3-of-4 free throws at Saint Mary's to finish with 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. The 6-foot-9 junior had the fourth double-double of his career, hitting 9-of-13 field goals and 8-of-9 free throws to finish with 26 points and 13 rebounds at NAU. That eclipsed his previous high of 17 on three occasions, including twice this season. His 13 boards equaled the 13 he had earlier this season at Oregon, and he also had three assists.
"Tanner is a stud and our players did a great job looking for him," said Eastern head coach
Shantay Legans after the NAU game. "He scored 26 but didn't shoot any threes, and he loves to shoot threes. He did a great job of getting the ball and making himself available. He's got a lot more games like that in him. I saw him go against (2019-20 Big Sky MVP)
Mason Peatling in practices and we saw the flashes of what he is capable of. He's playing really, really good basketball and is very confident. You love to see that, especially out of a player with so much character, how hard he plays, how much he loves his teammates and how much he gives his team every game."
The aptly named "Groves Bros" – including sophomore
Jacob Groves – have given Eastern a boost this season. Jacob has averaged 8.5 points and 3.6 boards as a sophomore and has made 48.7 percent of his shots. Jacob added seven points and seven rebounds in the road victory at Northern Arizona, and had 10 points in a loss at Northern Colorado on Jan. 21. He has started every game for EWU since Jan. 23, and had 11 points and a career-high three assists versus Sacramento State on Feb. 1. He scored 12 versus Idaho on Feb. 4, then had a career-high 17 points and seven boards two days later versus the Vandals.
Tanner scored 13 at Arizona on Dec. 5, a week after equaling what was then his career high of 17 versus Washington State. He also had nine rebounds and three assists versus the Cougars as he equaled the career high for scoring he had as a sophomore with 17 points. Jacob chipped in 10 points – all in the first half at Arizona after having a career high with 16 points at WSU. He sank 6-of-16 shots in the first start of his career, and had eight rebounds, as he eclipsed his previous high of eight points as a freshman, and his eight rebounds was also a career high as well. Versus Oregon on Dec. 7, Tanner pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds, eclipsing his previous high of 11 as a freshman.
Tanner came off the bench to average 5.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in his sophomore season, and this year helps fill the role left by 2019-20 Big Sky Conference MVP
Mason Peatling. Tanner scored a career-high 17 points versus Multnomah on Dec. 13, 2019, including a rebound dunk that was the No. 1 play by ESPN's Sportscenter that night and had 2 1/2 million views. Groves also came off the bench to score 16 versus Montana State on Feb. 8, hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers.
Thus far in his 75-game career (19 as a starter) he's averaged 6.9 points, 3.9 boards and has 53 blocked shots to rank 13th in EWU history, while sinking 55.6 percent from the field.
Jacob averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in the 24 games he played as a freshman in the 2019-20 season. His first two appearances came in victories against High Point and Belmont, and he had his high game with eight points versus Multnomah. In his 40-game career (eight as a starter), he's averaging 4.9 points and 2.4 rebounds, and has 16 steals and 20 assists.
Both Groves brothers are graduates of Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Wash. Tanner stands 6-foot-9 and graduated in 2017, and Jacob is 6-7 and graduated two years later. Their parents are Randy and Tara Groves. Randy played basketball at Shadle Park HS and Community Colleges of Spokane, and Tara (formerly Tara Flugel) still owns the Whitworth scoring record of 2,040 points and is in the school's Hall of Fame. She's formerly from Colville, Wash.
Davison is MVP on Preseason All-Big Sky Team
Senior
Jacob Davison was selected as the MVP as he joined teammate
Kim Aiken Jr. on the 2020-21 Big Sky Conference Preseason All-Conference Team announced by the league office on Nov. 10. Davison earned second team honors a year ago and Aiken was on the third team as they led Eastern to the regular season Big Sky Conference title.
"I love seeing our players receive accolades because I see all the hard work they put in behind the scenes to get there," said Eastern head coach
Shantay Legans. "Both on and off the court, our guys work harder than any group I've ever been around, and I am so proud of all they have achieved, and eager for all that is to come."
Davison was a unanimous selection on the preseason squad. The Eastern duo was joined on the all-conference team by Bodie Hume of Northern Colorado, Jubrile Belo of Montana State, Cameron Shelton from Northern Arizona and Michael Steadman of Montana. Steadman is a 6-foot-10 transfer from San Jose State.
In the 2019-20 season, Davison was 70th nationally and fourth in the Big Sky in scoring (18.4), to go along with averages of 4.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game. In league-only statistics, Davison was fourth in the league 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).
"A lot of times teams have to pick their poison with us," said Legans. "Jacob is 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. We watch the way teams defend him in games and then we adjust."
Davison 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, 2020. He now has 1,326 career points to rank 11th on EWU's all-time list of 1,000-point scorers, joining 2019-20 Big Sky MVP
Mason Peatling as one of 23 in the club. After playing in his 100th Eastern game on Feb. 4, two days later Davison moved past Marc Axton into 11th on EWU's all-time scoring list. Axton, who was the analyst for the television broadcast on SWX that day, had 1,319 points from 2002-05.
In his now 101-game career (66 as a starter), Davison has averaged 13.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals while sinking 44.9 percent of his shots from the field, 35.3 percent from the 3-point stripe (134-of-380) and 77.3 percent of his free throws. In his career, Davison now has 24 performances with at least 20 points (14 in the 2019-20 season and one in 2020-21) and five with at least 30 (three in the 2019-20 season and one in 2020-21).
So far this season, Davison is averaging 12.6 points, 1.8 assists and 3.0 rebounds, making 39.6 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from the 3-point stripe (28-of-74). He's also made 26-of-32 free throws (81.3 percent) and has 10 steals and seven blocked shots. He more than doubled his season-high of 15 points when he had 31 points in loss to Southern Utah on Jan. 16. He hit nine 3-pointers in that game, coming one from the school record.
Meadows Catches Fire as Starter in Last Seven Games
Recently, sophomore
Michael Meadows has provided a boost as a starter, and has started each game since Jan. 23rd – all Eastern wins. He's averaged 13.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in those seven games, and those totals of 94 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists during the winning streak compare to the 10/3/5 he had in the first four games he played.
Meadows scored 17 of his career-high 21 points in the first half to ignite EWU to a 93-77 win at Montana State on Feb. 11. He finished the game 7-of-13 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers, and also made all five of his free throws. In a 90-64 Eastern victory over Idaho one game earlier, Meadows had 16 points as EWU finished with a total of 11 players scoring and seven with at least one 3-pointer made. He made 5-of-11 shots from the field and all five of his free throws, and also had a career-high five assists with a pair of steals. His previous high for dimes was three. Two days earlier when Eastern won at Idaho 89-75 on Feb. 4, Meadows hit 7-of-10 shots to finish with 17 points, eclipsing his previous career high of 11. He also had three rebounds and a pair of assists, and 10 Eagles scored and eight players hit 3-pointers.
On Feb. 1 in a 94-79 romp over Sacramento State, Meadows equaled what was then his career high with 11 points, and also had three assists. He started for the third-straight game as he equaled the 11 points he had as a freshman versus Portland Bible. Prior to the Sac State game, Meadows had played in six of EWU's 11 games and was averaging 4.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and shooting just 6-of-25 from the field (24 percent) and 1-of-7 from the 3-point stripe (14.3 percent).
Meadows has played in 11 of EWU's 16 games this season (seven starts) and is averaging 9.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and is shooting 43.9 percent from the field (36-of-82), 33.3 percent from the 3-point stripe, (8-of-24) and 92.3 percent from the line (24-of-26). In his 30-game career (seven as a starter), Meadows is averaging 4.6 points, 0.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists and is shooting 43.1 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from the 3-point stripe and 92.3 percent from the line.
Robertson Continues Solid Contribution as One of EWU's Talented Sophomores
Sophomore
Tyler Robertson has provided a huge boost this season for the Eagles, registering 10 double-figure scoring performances, including six in EWU's last nine games. He had his best performance of the season on Feb. 1 versus Sacramento State when he came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points to go along with team highs of six rebounds and six assists. He hit his first seven shots in the game, including four 3-pointers, and finished 7-of-8 overall for the day.
Robertson's previous career high was 17 points with five 3-pointers in seven attempts at Saint Mary's on Dec. 15 in the second start of his career. In his first start against The College of Idaho on Dec. 11, he assisted on four of Eastern's first five baskets en route to a 17-4 lead. He finished the game with 12 points, a career-high six rebounds and five assists.
Robertson made 5-of-7 shots from the floor to finish with a career-high 15 points in his first game of the season versus Arizona, eclipsing his previous high of nine set as a freshman. He also had five rebounds, and drew the foul that disqualified Arizona 6-11 forward Jordan Brown from the game.
In 15 games played thus far, Robertson is averaging 11.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists while sinking 47.1 percent from the field (26-of-67 3-pointers for 38.8 percent) and 78.1 percent from the free throw line (25-of-32).
Robertson played in 26 Eastern games a true freshman in 2019-20, averaging 8.1 minutes, 2.2 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. He scored a season-high eight points at Boston College and one game later had his high for rebounds with three at High Point. In a 68-64 victory at Northern Colorado in a battle for first place in the league standings, Robertson came off the bench to provide some of the defense on UNC's Jonah Radebaugh, who needed 24 shots to score 21 points. In his career thus far, Robertson has played 41 games (six as a starter) and has averaged 5.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists while sinking 37-of-98 3-pointers for 37.8 percent.
Fellow sophomore
Casson Rouse joined Robertson in making his season debut against Arizona on Dec. 5, and that duo combined for 28 points in the narrow three-point loss. They followed that with a combined 21 points at Oregon on Dec. 7. Rouse is averaging 3.5 points and 1.3 assists this season, and has made nine 3-pointers (in 36 attempts for 25.0 percent, 30.2 percent overall).
Rouse, who also didn't play in EWU's opener at Washington State, had 13 in his first game of the season against Arizona. He sank a trio of 3-pointers and had four assists to share team-high honors. Robertson and Rouse both hit 3-pointers in a 9-1 run as the Eagles took their biggest lead of the half at 56-48 with 8:42 remaining. In the next game, Robertson scored 11 points and Rouse had 10.
A year ago as a redshirt freshman, Rouse started seven games and 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. So far in his career, he's played in 46 games (12 as a starter) and is averaging 5.5 points, 1.6 assists and 1.7 rebounds while sinking 46-of-132 3-point attempts (34.8 percent).
"Casson and Tyler are really good, and they are two reasons why I'm so high on this team," said Eastern head coach
Shantay Legans after the Arizona game. "We have a lot of depth on this team and we can call on a lot of players when we need to."
Senior Jack Perry Continues Marksmanship from 3-Point Line
With more than 100 games of experience as an Eagle, so far this season senior
Jack Perry has averaged 3.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while sinking 11-of-26 3-point shots (.423). He missed four games from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, but has played in 12 games thus far (three as a starter).
In an 82-76 win at Northern Colorado on Jan. 23, he helped spark the Eagles in the second half with eight points as he sank both of the 3-pointers he attempted and had a team-high three steals in the game. He hit a key 3-pointer in the second half in a 93-77 win at Montana State on Feb. 11 to give EWU its largest lead of the night at 73-63.
He adds senior leadership in the back court after averaging 6.2 points and 2.5 assists during a junior campaign that was limited to 26 games because of a high ankle sprain. In league-only statistics in the 2019-20 season, Perry was 14th in assists (2.7) and 11th in 3-pointers made per game (1.7). He has also provided some clutch moments through the years for EWU, including the 100th 3-pointer of his career to give EWU the lead for good in a 78-75 victory at Idaho on Jan. 16, 2020.
Perry has played in 105 games (64 as a starter) to become just the 24th player in school history to hit the century mark (he now ranks 23rd). He is currently 12th on EWU's all-time career 3-point percentage list at 40.3 percent (139-of-345), and has averaged 5.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game with 53 total steals.
Ellis Magnuson, a 31-Game Starter from a Year Ago, Makes Debut Versus Oregon
Ellis Magnuson started all 31 Eagle games as a true freshman in the 2019-20 season, but missed the first two games of his sophomore season because of the Covid-19 pandemic. He made his season debut versus Oregon on Dec. 7 and finished with two assists and no points in eight minutes of action. In 14 games thus far, he's averaged 18.0 minutes, 4.7 points, 1.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He had his first back-to-back double figure scoring games of the season with 15 at Idaho on Feb. 4 and 10 at home versus the Vandals two days later, then had his third in four games with 11 at Montana State on Feb. 13. His father, Josh, lettered as a linebacker at Idaho from 1991-93.
A year ago, Magnuson finished 118th in the nation in assists (4.2 to rank fifth in the Big Sky) and was 112th in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.84 per game to rank fifth in the league). In Big Sky-only statistics, he 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).
In his 45-game career (41 as a starter), Magnuson is averaging 3.5 assists, 5.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He's made 37.5 percent of his field goal attempts, including 27-of-89 (30.3 percent) from the 3-point arc. He's also made 45-of-55 career free throws for 81.8 percent.
Series Notes
* Eastern is 23-55 against the Grizzlies since becoming a member of NCAA Division I in 1983-84, including a 10-29 record in Missoula, 13-22 in Cheney and 0-4 on neutral courts. Montana leads the overall series 71-44. The Eagles have lost four in a row, but have still won three of the last six meetings in Missoula and two of the last three in Cheney. Until winning 75-69 on Feb. 5, 2015, the Eagles had lost their last 12 meetings in Missoula, dating back to a 71-52 Eagle win on Feb. 7, 2004. The Eagles would also beat the Grizzlies on their home floor in the 2015 Big Sky Championship game, giving the Eagles a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Eastern also picked up a 72-60 victory at Montana on Jan. 26, 2017. EWU is 1-6 versus the Griz in the Big Sky Tournament. Besides the 2015 victory, Eastern has also lost to the Grizzlies in the 2018 (82-65) and 2019 (68-62) title games. The Eagles lost 74-66 to UM in the 2012 semifinals in Missoula; 73-71 in overtime in the 2006 semifinals in Flagstaff, Ariz.; 58-48 in the 2005 quarterfinals; and 70-66 in the 2002 championship in Bozeman.
* Eastern is now 49-30 all-time against ISU, including a 46-29 record since becoming a member of NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season (16-20 on the road, 29-8 at home, 1-1 at neutral sites). The Eagles have won 17 of the last 20 meetings overall and six of the last seven. Eastern split versus ISU in the 2019-20 season, losing 74-71 in Pocatello and winning 100-77 in Cheney to capture at least a share of the Big Sky title. That loss snapped EWU's five-game winning streak in the series, and a four-game streak in Pocatello. The last time EWU had lost to the Bengals was on March 3, 2016, by a 75-71 score in Cheney. Eastern has won 15 of the last 16 at Reese Court, with the lone loss since 2003 coming on March 3, 2016, when EWU was upset by ISU 75-71 at Reese Court. Eastern had won 65-57 at home in the 2014-15 season, extending EWU's home winning streak versus ISU to 13 games dating back to a 65-63 loss on March 1, 2003. Eastern had an overall eight-game winning streak snapped in 2013-14 when the Bengals prevailed 72-83 in Pocatello.
Recent Game Recaps
Eagles Pull Away From Bobcats for 85-69 Win
Eastern used an 18-2 surge in the second half and went on to a dominating 85-69 victory over Montana State in a Big Sky Conference men's basketball game Feb. 13 at Worthington Arena in Bozeman, Mont. With five Eagles scoring in double figures, Eastern scored 49 points in the second half thanks to a 57 percent shooting half and a stretch of over nine minutes in which MSU failed to sink a field goal. Eastern had 13 3-pointers – eight in the second half – and had a 34-28 rebounding edge. The Eagles were out-rebounded by MSU two days earlier and gave up 17 offensive rebounds, but allowed just seven Bobcat second chances in the rematch. After leading 36-33 at halftime, Eastern blew it open in the second half with runs of 8-0 and 10-0, with sophomore
Ellis Magnuson leading the way with nine of EWU's points during the overall 18-2 surge. A 3-pointer by sophomore
Michael Meadows put the Eagles up by 24 with 11:18 left, and EWU led by no less than 16 the rest of the way. Junior
Tanner Groves scored a team-high 16 points and had three rebounds and a blocked shot. He played just 21 minutes because of foul trouble and hit 7-of-9 shots from the field. Meadows scored 15 for his fifth-straight game in double figures, including 11 in the second half. Junior
Kim Aiken Jr., a preseason All-Big Sky selection, had his second double-double of the season and 18th of his career by finishing with 12 points and 13 rebounds. He also had a trio of assists and a steal. Sophomore
Tyler Robertson had his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and also contributed two assists and three steals. Magnuson was the fifth Eagle to score in double figures, finishing with 11 to go along with three assists. Sophomore
Casson Rouse came off the bench to hit a trio of 3-pointers in six attempts and finished with nine points. Redshirt freshman
Steele Venters chipped in six points, hitting both of the 3-pointers he attempted.
Eastern Has School-Record Free Throw Percentage in 93-77 Win
With a trio of players each scoring over 20 points, Eastern set a school record for free throw accuracy in a 93-77 Big Sky Conference victory over Montana State on Feb. 11 at Worthington Arena in Bozeman, Mont. Eastern made its first 25 free throws before finishing 27-of-28 for a .964 percentage to break the previous record of .952. A 22-of-23 performance in the second half helped Eastern maintain and even grow a seven-point halftime lead, which was helped by a 61 percent first-half shooting performance from the field. The Eagles finished at 53 percent from the field and 48 percent from the 3-point line (10-of-21). A trio of Eagles combined for 67 points -- junior
Tanner Groves equaled his career high with 26 and finished with a double-double with 12 rebounds. He sank all nine of his free throws and made 8-of-13 shots from the field. Sophomore
Michael Meadows scored a career-high 21 and junior
Kim Aiken Jr. had 20, including an 8-of-8 performance from the line. Meadows made all five of his free throws in the game and had 17 points at halftime to tie his previous career high in the first half alone. Aiken also had eight rebounds and three assists for EWU. Sophomore
Tyler Robertson was the fourth Eagle in double figures with 10 points, and also had a team-high four assists and three rebounds. Robertson scored five in a run of nine-straight points for EWU, and the Eagles took a 38-33 lead with 4:27 to play. Eastern opened its biggest lead of half at 47-40 on a steal and layin by Meadows at the 2:23 mark, and EWU led at halftime 49-42. The Bobcats used a 10-2 run early in the second half to cut into EWU's lead, but
Tanner Groves scored EWU's first nine points, including a 3-pointer with 15:31 to maintain a four-point lead. Eastern wouldn't hit another field goal until the 11:37 mark when
Jack Perry – who had missed the previous four games -- nailed a 3-pointer to give EWU its largest lead of the night at 73-63. That came after the Eags sank all 12 of their free throw attempts in a 3 1/2 minute stretch to not only maintain but expand its lead. At that point, Eastern was a perfect 19-of-19 from the free throw line, including all 14 of its attempts in the second half. Soon after that, the Eagles would open an even bigger lead at 16 with a 7-0 run to complete a 10-1 stretch. Aiken score the first five points in the surge which gave EWU an 80-64 lead at the 8:13 mark. Eastern led by no less than 12 the rest of the way.
2019-20 Highlights
* The Eagles had their-second highest win total in 37 years as a NCAA Division I member with 23 victories.
* Their 16 league triumphs were the most in their 33 years as a member of the Big Sky Conference.
* The Eagles finished sixth in the nation in scoring offense (80.9 per game) and were fourth in assists (17.5).
* Eastern was able to celebrate heartily on March 7, 2020, after the Eagles beat Weber State 78-69 to wrap-up the outright Big Sky Conference title.
* The Coronavirus pandemic resulted in cancellation of the Big Sky and NCAA Tournaments, and ended a historic run by EWU and senior
Mason Peatling, who won the league's MVP award after averaging a double-double in 20 league outings.
Mason 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.
*
Mason Peatling and
Jacob Davison were rewarded for the historic season by receiving All-District 6 honors by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
* 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.
* Head Coach
Shantay 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.
*
Mason 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.
*
Mason Peatling was honored three times during the year as Big Sky Conference Player of the Week, and
Jacob Davison earned the honor twice.
* 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 –
Mason Peatling and
Tyler Kidd – so EWU has high aspirations for 2020 and beyond.
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).
* A Big Sky Conference-best eight players were named to the league's All-Academic squad, including four-time recipient
Mason Peatling. The others were
Kim Aiken Jr., Jacob Groves, Tanner Groves, Ellis Magnuson, Michael Meadows, Jack Perry and
Tyler Robertson.
* A trio of Eagles –
Kim Aiken Jr., Jacob Davison and
Mason Peatling – were honored during the year as the EWU Scholar-Athletes of the Month.
* Six different players earned team awards at the conclusion of the season.
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. In addition, 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.
More Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .
On Getting Chance to Play all 12 Players Available in Second MSU Game: "Everybody who played stepped up and made key plays for us. It's fun to see players who haven't received a lot of playing time get a chance to see the court. It's great to see everybody go out there and play and get cheered on by their teammates."
On Second MSU Victory: "Defense was what won us this game. Rebounding was the key – I thought we could stop them in certain ways, but they are a very good offensive rebounding team. Our goal was to hold them to eight offensive rebounds or under, and we did that. That was a key part to me. Getting out to that lead in the second half made me feel good. We hit some shots and spread them out, so we really used their pressure against them in the second half."
On Record Free Throw Performance & First Win Over MSU: "We were struggling from the free throw line early this season, but we've seemed to hit a groove. Offensively our team did a very good job of moving the ball around. We had 15 assists but I thought we could have had 10 more because we missed some chippies. It was great having Mike (Meadows) coming out and playing the way he did, and we ended with three players with 20 points. We got to the free throw line and knocked them down. We knew what we needed to do offensively."
On Having 11 Players Score in Feb. 6 Win Over Idaho: "We have multiple players getting a lot of baskets and shooting a lot of shots. The ball is getting moved around well -- we had 19 assists which is huge. That means we are playing well and everybody is touching the ball. When you touch that basketball it makes you feel like you are really involved. We had players that didn't have big scoring games against Idaho, but they contributed in other ways. When you get contributions like that from your team – especially from your leaders – it's really good."
On First Idaho Win: "We can play multiple styles of basketball, and that's the best part about our team. We have players who can step up and we have players who can defend – they do a lot of different things to help us win games. Everybody wants to do great for themselves, but everybody wants to come together and win. That is something our leaders on our team really push. As we keep moving forward these guys keep understanding what we need to do to win."
On Win Over Sac State on Feb. 1: "Our offense in the second half was amazing. We took it strong to the hole, and we had 46 points in the paint. We kept going after them and kept going after them. They had to pick one or the other in terms of defending us inside or outside – we ended up making some shots from everywhere. We had 47 bench points and that's hard to guard when you have players coming off the bench doing that. That really helped us out and got us in the flow."
On Scoring Inside the Paint: "That's a huge key for us. We have some players who can really get into the paint and make some plays, and we're finally doing that. When we are able to do that and get downhill, it makes the game that much easier. Tanner can score in any way, and
Jacob Davison is hitting his threes and can drive it to the basket. Mike Meadows is driving it now, and Kim Aiken can too. We have a lot of threats out there and it puts us in a good position. When we can score that way it really helps us become an efficient team."
On Rebounding: "Teams are going to try to out-physical us and try to pressure us. We have to be tougher and be able to drive the ball to the basket and make plays. We just have to be smart, because in certain situations we can make teams pay. We have some size, but if teams play us on the outside we'll have inside position for rebounds. You have to really fight for them all the time because that is going to help us down the stretch. We have some size and quickness and we have to use that to our advantage."
On Tyler Robertson in Second Half on Jan. 31: "He was huge and clutch – he really made some really, really good buckets. He has a lot of flair in his game. He had the utmost confidence when he's out there playing, and we're happy for him. He's been under quarantine more than anybody else on our team. You feel for him, so when he plays a game like this you are very happy for his performance."
On Target on Their Backs as Preseason Picks: "We need to understand we are the guys being hunted now, and we have to have a different mentality for every game. We'll get there because we have guys stepping up all over the place and they are giving us great contributions and great toughness. That's what's going to win games. We'll always recruit players who can score, but we need to play tough, defend and rebound the ball well. When you do that and not give up easy baskets, you put yourself in a great position to win games."
On Rebounding: "Rebounding is toughness. We have talent, but if you have toughness to go along with that talent you will win a lot of games. That's what we did last year and that's what we'll do this year."
On League-Opening NAU Win: "Sitting in the hotel and not doing anything for 50 hours and then coming out and playing that way was amazing. For this group of players it shows mental toughness. They were really excited to play this game. I couldn't be happier to watch them get out and play. Everybody on the roster played and they deserved it. I was proud of their effort for what they had to go through. We tried to make it as normal as possible, but it's not normal. We got punched in the mouth early because they were playing really good basketball. But our team battled through it and made all the right plays and took the easy baskets. When you shoot that well on the road, you have to be proud. Our players defended well and held them to 37 percent."
On Depth: "We have a lot of depth, and we like to give players opportunities to see what they can do and see if they run with it. We have a lot of players, and we have to figure out who can get in there and do certain things and play roles. That's the fun of coaching to figure that part out."
