Who's Bret Vandergard and what's he done for us lately? [DDSCB3]

[PointGuard 70]

Corky Branigan, KSPK,Radio Commentator:

 

CB: Hey sportsfans, it’s the Corkster here. And tonight, I have not only one, but two, guests from the Eastern Washington State Eagles basketball program. After your Corkster called EWU about comments on the Bayou La Batre Evening News and on the SportsShadow.com blog, the college sent over for your listening pleasure, 1st Assistant Coach Jamal Smith and 3rd Assistant Coach, Kevin “Goober” Gebbers.

So, let’s get right to it. Tell me guys, what’s the skinny on your recruiting the Maryland high school phenom, Chris Lewis?

JS: We’ve been very open about goin’ out tah meet with high school players an’ high school coaches this year. As everyone knows, we don’t have any scholarships tah offer, but since Coach Vandergard an’ all of us assistants are new at EWU, Coach V has wanted us tah get tah know recruitin’ areas an’ high school coaches. We’ve therefore used some of our recruitin’ budget tah get out inta the field, get experience talkin’ with high school seniors, an’ meet an’ get tah know high school coaches. We’ve always been very upfront tah all of them that we will NOT be offerin’ any scholarships this year. 

CB: OK, but how does this all relate to Chris Lewis in Maryland?

JS: From my previous basketball experience, I got tah know a great high school coach in Maryland. His name is Gonye East. He has some excellent contacts with coaches in an’ near Maryland, so Coach V agreed that I should go out tah Maryland an’ make contact him in because he may give us an entree intah east coast basketball. When I was there I met his star player, Chris Lewis. Chris is goin’ tah be a big star in collegiate ball, but not at EWU. Obviously we couldn’t recruit him this year an’ even if we could of, it’s unlikely he woulda given us much consideration since he’s had all the big-name programs beatin’ each other up to sign him.

CB: Yes, but that doesn’t explain how his father says he was offered a bribe, a Cadillac to be exact, to have Chris sign with EWU. What’s up with that?

KG: I guess that’s where I come in, Corky. I was in the office one day when a call came in. The guy said his name was Ja’Rome Lewis and he was the father of Chris Lewis. He said he wanted to talk with Coach V or our recruiting assistant. I told him neither was in and he started rambling. To be honest, I’m not Creole or Cajun, and I really couldn’t understand much of what he said. Maybe if Coach Smith, here, and his sweet southern accent had been there he could have understood him. But, anyway, I do recall Mr. Lewis saying that he lived down south and his ex-wife and Chris were living up in Maryland. Mr. Lewis also went on and on about having had a cattle ranch in the past but that it was all taken away from him by the government or something. It all was pretty confusing, but he said he was hoping to get back into ranching. Well, the more he talked the more confused I got, and finally I just decided to end the call and said, “Well, Mr. Lewis, I hope you get your cattle back.” I then said good bye. There was never any mention of a “Cadillac”, just my wish that he was able to get back into ranching and get his “cattle back.”

CB: So, the two of you are saying you never offered either Chris Lewis or his father, Ja’Rome Lewis, any type of consideration whatsoever.

JS and KG (in unison): Absolutely not.

CB: OK, sportsfans, there you have it. Direct from the horse’s mouths. There was never any enticement (also sometimes known as bribes) to Chris Lewis or his family by Eastern Washington coaches to try to get him to come to play basketball for the Eagles.

[PointGuard 70]

Ken Black, sports editor for the Tacoma Sentinel:

 

KB: Thanks for returning my call, Coach Vandergard.

BV: Glad to talk with you, Ken. And thanks for the kind words. I’ve not been getting many of those the past couple months.

KB: I really would like to know about your relationship with Phil Rizzuto and why it went sour.

BV: Holy cow, it’s really a rather short story.

My grandfather grew up in Brooklyn and knew Phil “Scooter” Rizzuto, who also grew up there, when both were young. They became good friends. When I was born, my grandfather persuaded my parents to get Phil Rizzuto to be my godfather when I was baptized. While I never really knew him well and only met him a couple times, my grandfather was really proud that Scooter was my godfather. I do recall Scooter telling some funny baseball stories, but that’s about it.

And our relationship never “went sour”. It just ended…in 2007. It ended when Phil Rizzuto died on August 13, 2007.

KB: You never had a falling out?

BV: Like I said, I only knew him a little bit. I wish I had known him better, but he just agreed to be my godfather to fulfill the wish of his friend, my grandfather.

KB: Good luck with the rest of your season, Coach.

BV: Thanks, Ken, I'm going to need it.

[PointGuard 70]

 Kevin Gebbers, 3rd Asst Coach:

 

Game #18, Jan. 20, 2014: Idaho State Bengals (9-8, 2-4) at Eastern Washington Eagles (5-12, 3-3) 

After winning 6 of their first 7 games this season, the Bengals have struggled. While their scoring is pretty evenly distributed, their perimeter players have keyed their offense. 

PF Cory Davis will be unavailable tonight since he sprained his finger in practice.

The lead in the first half bounced back and forth, but we came away with a 37-34 lead. Even though we turned the ball over 11 times, we shot and rebounded better than the Bengals. Coach Vandergard raised hell during the halftime break about turnovers.

We continued to shoot and rebound well in the 2nd half plus we controlled the ball better allowing us to steadily pull away from Idaho State. Our defense held the Bengals’ shooting to 40% while we knocked down 58% of our shots. We controlled the boards 28-19. 

Final Score: Eastern Washington (6-12, 4-3, 2nd place tie)—80, Idaho State (9-9, 2-5)—62.

Leading Eastern Washington Players: C Michael Taylor-12 pts, 3 reb, 2 assists, 2 steals; PF Delawn West-12 pts, 4 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals; C Joseph Palmer-11 pts, 3 reb, 1 assist; SG Shawn Jackson-11 pts, 1 reb, 1 assist, PG Robbie Taflinger-9 pts, 2 reb, 5 assists.

Player of the Game: PF Delawn West-12 pts, 4 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals.

Tim Dove twisted his ankle midway through the first half and sat out the rest of the game, but should be ready to go for our next game. Cory Davis’ sprained finger is likely to keep him from playing for another game or two.

[PointGuard 70]

Player statistics after 18 games (2/3 of way through season):

[PointGuard 70]

Christine Rozniak, City Council member and realtor:

 

CR: It’s so nice to be back with you, Bret.

BV: Yeah, you were on the East Coast a long time, Christine. How was Boston?

CR: Vermont was great!

BV: Vermont? I thought you said you were going to Boston.

CR: Err, I said Boston, Bret. You must have mis-heard me.

BV: Did you go to the aquarium?

CR: The aquarium?

BV: Yeah, the one right downtown in Boston.

CR: Oh Bret, no I didn’t have time for anything like that. I was kept too busy with, uhhh, business.
(Quickly changing the subject) It sure seems like you and your staff have been fielding all sorts of issues. I heard the interviews of two of your assistants. The only one that doesn’t seem to be in the news is your other assistant, Lawrence Montgomery. What’s he been up to?

BV: (Laughing) Heck if I know. He’s a pretty insular guy and he’s on the road much of the time doing his scouting duties. His eyes are so bad that he wears glasses that must way about 10 pounds. With those big glasses he sort of reminds me of the old Chicago Cubs baseball announcer, Harry Caray. I’m just happy they correct his eyesight enough for him to drive and to see the games and players from the stands. I didn’t know you knew who my assistant coaches were, Christine. 

CR: Oh, you know me, I’m good with names. So Lawrence Montgomery is a free-lancer?

BV: Why the interest in Lawrence, Christine? But to answer you, no, he’s not a free-lancer. He goes where we tell him and does what we need. 

CR: Oh, Bret. It’s not that I’m so interested in your assistants. It’s just that I want to know as much about YOU as I can. And knowing about your staff helps me understand you.

BV: You’re a strange woman, Christine.

CR: (Winking) Ohhh, I thought you liked my “strangeness”, Bret.

[PointGuard 70]

Article in Easterner Online (student newspaper):

 

Game #19, Jan. 24, 2014: Eastern Washington Eagles (6-12, 4-3) at Southern Utah Thunderbirds (9-10, 3-4)

The Eagles win streak reached 3 including 2 straight wins on the road. With a 5-3 record in the Big Sky they are now tied for 2nd place with Northern Arizona behind only North Dakota (7-1). 

Jumping out on top to a 12 point lead early in the 1st half, the Eagles held on to lead by a 38-29 score at the break. Southern Utah repeatedly made runs in the 2nd half. While getting close they never were able to take the lead as the Eagles played determinedly.

Odie Joseph, starting at PF in place of injured Cory Davis, scored 14 points and hauled down 6 rebounds to lead EWU. Joseph Palmer scored 15 and Delawn West, Terence Hillier and Michael Taylor came off the bench to score 9, 8 and 7 points respectively. When asked about the keys to this win, Coach Bret Vandergard stated, “It was really good to see our bench players step up to carry us. That along with good rebounding throughout our lineup kept the Thunderbirds from being able to come back.”

The Eagles again shot well (56%) and completely dominated the boards (29-13). Matt Walker scored 19 points for Southern Utah. The refs called a total of 58 fouls against both teams. 

Final Score: Eastern Washington (7-12, 5-3, 2nd place tied)—79, Southern Utah (9-11, 3-5)—72.

Leading Eastern Washington players: Odie Joseph-14 pts, 6 reb; C Joseph Palmer-15 pts, 3 reb, 1 steal; SF Delawn West-9 pts, 2 reb, 2 assists, 3 steals; PF Terence Hillier-8 pts, 2 reb, 2 assists, 1 steal; C Michael Taylor-7 pts, 6 reb, 1 steal.

Player of the Game: C Joseph Palmer-15 pts, 3 reb, 1 steal.

[PointGuard 70]

 Excerpts of the radio play-by-play by KSPK:

 

Game #20, Jan. 27, 2014: Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (10-9, 5-3) at Eastern Washington Eagles (7-12, 5-3) 

Tonight the Eagles host the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in a battle for sole 2nd place in the Big Sky Conference. Northern Arizona is led by PG Shannon Isenhour who is averaging 10.7 ppg. The Lumberjacks will miss their top scorer this year, center Brian Adams, and his 12.4 ppg. Adams tore his ACL a couple weeks ago and will be out the rest of the year….

…Play resumes after the time out. After trailing by 5 points, the Eagles have clawed their way to trail 19-17 with 11:53 left in the first half. Tim Dove brings the ball up court. He passes to Jackson on the wing who fakes a shot and passes back to Dove. Dove drives the right side of the key and flips the ball to Joseph Palmer just to the left of the basket. Palmer puts up a shot that bounces off the rim and drops through and he’s fouled by Wallace! Palmer sinks his free throw to give the Eagles their first lead at 20-19.

…Blackwell’s long 3 point attempt rims out but Michael Taylor pulls down the board. He flips it out to Delawn West in the corner who lofts up a shot. It’s good! A big 3 for West who now has 7 points and the Eagles lead 39-36 with 1:45 to play in the half.

…Southern Utah brings the ball up court with 15 seconds to play before the intermission. Isenhour surveys the defense. Louis screens out Jackson, as Isenhour passes the ball to Mark Crocker. Crocker is free for a 25 footer. The ball rims out. Crocker has missed all four of his 3-point attempts. Palmer out-wrestles Engstrom for the rebound and the buzzer sounds with Eastern Washington leading 43-37. 

…The Eagles continue to hound the Lumberjacks preventing them from getting up uncontested shots here in the 2nd half. The Thunderbirds’ Wallace passes the ball outside to Shannon Isenhour who drives on Tim Dove. Isenhour pulls up, but his shot is blocked by Dove. West grabs the ball and quickly passes it out to Jackson who drives along the right baseline and into the forecourt. He swings the ball around to Dove who skip passes to Michael Taylor. Taylor turns and crosses the key, then pivots and puts up a shot over Harrington. Taylor’s shot bounces off the front rim, up against the backboard and settles through the hoop to give Eastern Washington their biggest lead of the game at 70-49.

…The horn sounds and the Eagles have their fourth straight victory and now stand alone in 2nd place.

Final Score: Eastern Washington (8-12, 6-3, 2nd place)—76, Northern Arizona (10-10, 5-4)—57.

Eastern Washington’s Leading Players: C Joseph Palmer-20 pts, 5 reb; C Michael Taylor-12 pts, 7 reb, 2 assists, 1 steal; SF Delawn West-12 pts, 6 reb, 3 assists, 3 steals; PG Robbie Taflinger-10 pts, 1 reb, 1 assist; SF Joe Blackwell-8 pts, 2 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal.

Player of the Game: C Joseph Palmer-20 pts, 5 reb.

SF Joe Blackwell pulled a calf muscle in the 2nd half. He will be day-to-day and his play in the next game is likely to be limited.

[PointGuard 70]

Kevin Gebbers, 3rd Asst Coach:

 

Game #21, Jan. 31, 2014: Eastern Washington Eagles (8-12, 6-3) at Montana State Bobcats (9-11, 3-6)

With Joe Blackwell still hampered by his pulled calf muscle, Delawn West will start at the 3 position for us tonight. West deserves the start anyway based on his play the last few games.

After building an 8 point lead midway through the first half, our shooting went cold and our turnovers led to Bobcats points. Montana State captured a small lead, but we played well in final minutes of the half to take a 25-23 lead to the locker room. Tim Dove’s 8 points led our scoring.

The game stayed close throughout the 2nd half, but each time we made an effort to assert dominance, a foul or turnover would stymie the attempt. The Bobcats maintained a slim lead throughout the latter stages of the game and we were just unable to overcome the deficit. The difference in the game was that Montana State went to the line more and scored 9 points more than did we at the free throw line. The joys of playing on the road.

Final Score: Montana State (10-11, 4-6)—63, Eastern Washington (8-13, 6-4, 2nd place tie)—59.

Leading Eastern Washington players: C Joseph Palmer-15 pts, 2 reb; PF Cory Davis-10 pts, 4 reb, 1 assist; PG Tim Dove-10 pts, 3 reb, 2 assists, 1 steal; PG Robbie Taflinger-8 pts, 1 reb.

Player of the Game: Montana State’s PG Charles Hickerson-15 pts, 2 reb, 1 assist, 3 steals.

[PointGuard 70]

Bud Springfield, Eagles’ Wings Fan Club President and owner of Springfield Ford dealer:

 

Game #22, Feb. 3, 2014: Portland State Vikings (10-11, 5-5) at Eastern Washington Eagles (8-13, 6-4) 

Turnovers again plagued the Eagles in the first half and Portland State carved out a 29-25 lead at the half. 

The Eagles applied a tight defense in the 2nd half. Meanwhile EWU shot better than in the first half and got to the line frequently. That allowed the Eagles to overtake the Vikings and open an 11 point lead. Portland State trimmed the lead but was unable to overtake the Eagles.

While not an impressive win, a win is a win and it kept the Eagles in a 2nd place tie with Northern Arizona. Both are 3 games behind the league-leading North Dakota Fightin’ Sioux.

Final Score: Eastern Washington (9-13, 7-4, 2nd place tie)—57, Portland State (10-12, 5-6)—51.

Leading Eastern Washington players: SG Shawn Jackson-13 pts, 2 reb, 2 assists, 1 steal; SF Delawn West-11 pts, 4 reb, 2 assists; C Joseph Palmer-9 pts, 4 reb, 1 steal, 1 block; PG Tim Dove-7 pts, 3 reb, 4 assists.

Player of the Game: SG Shawn Jackson-13 pts, 2 reb, 2 assists, 1 steal.

SF Joe Blackwell injured his wrist and will be day-to-day.

[PointGuard 70]

Spokane Spokesman-Review article:

 

Game #23, Feb. 7, 2014: Eastern Washington Eagles (9-13, 7-4) at North Dakota Fightin’ Sioux (16-6, 10-1)

 

Eagles post big upset

North Dakota’s Fightin’ Sioux have been taking Big Sky teams apart since Eastern Washington beat them 83-70 in Cheney in the conference opener. Led by SG Doug Coulibaly (13.6 ppg0, they came into Tuesday night’s game with 10 straight victories and are.

A major snow storm almost kept the Eagles from getting to Grand Forks, North Dakota. Coach Vandergard reported, “There were absolutely no Eagles’ fans in the stands tonight.”

North Dakota opened and maintained a small lead throughout much of the first half, but EWU pulled close to finish the half trailing by just 2 points at 29-27. Coach V must have fired his team up during the intermission, because the Eagles stormed back onto the court in the 2nd half with high energy.
That energy translated into a devastating defense that silenced the pro-North Dakota crowd. The Fightin’ Sioux shot just 33% for entire game. North Dakota’s Doug Coulibaly only hit 4 of 17 shots. Meanwhile, the Eagles caught fire offensively and spurted ahead, pulling steadily away for a big upset victory. 

Joseph Palmer again scored well, tossing in 19 points. But Delawn West, who is turning into a great 6th man, played strong offensively and defensively at both SF and SG positions and was the difference in this game. Coach Vandergard said after the game, “Delawn really stepped up and led us in the 2nd half.”

The win moved Eastern Washington into sole possession of 2nd place in the Big Sky Conference, as Northern Arizona suffered a resounding loss to Northern Colorado.

Final Score: Eastern Washington (10-13, 8-4), 2nd place)—72, North Dakota (16-7, 10-2)—50.

Leading Eastern Washington players: C Joseph Palmer-19 pts, 6 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal; SF Delawn West-19 pts, 4 reb, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block; PF Cory Davis-7 pts, 6 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal.

Player of the Game: SF Delawn West-19 pts, 4 reb, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block.

[PointGuard 70]

Clement Morgan, University President:

 

Game #24, Feb. 10, 2014: Sacramento State Hornets (9-14, 5-7) at Eastern Washington Eagles (10-13, 8-4) 

I seldom go to sporting events, but with all the publicity surrounding the men’s basketball program, I decided I should check it out. 

Our team went scoreless for the first 3-1/4 minutes in the game, but only trailed 5-0. We scored 8 points in the next 1-1/4 minutes to take an 8-7 lead. We maintained a small lead throughout most of the 1st half but couldn’t pull away. At the break we led 37-34. Cory Davis scored 11 points to lead us offensively.

We pulled away early in the 2nd half, then continued to expand our lead to achieve an easy victory.

After the game, Swede Tollafson, our AD, approached me and saying, “This team started the season so slowly. But now they seem to have gelled and are playing better basketball most every game.” I replied, “Yes it appear so. Let’s hope this gets people talking about basketball rather than all those accusations that have been floating around.”

Final Score: Eastern Washington (11-13, 9-4, 2nd place)—85, Sacramento State (9-15, 5-8)—67.

Leading Eastern Washington players: PF Cory Davis-18 pts, 2 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal; SF Joe Blackwell-16 pts, 4 reb, 3 assists, 1 steal; PG Tim Dove-10 pts, 3 reb, 5 assists,3 steals; SF Delawn West-12 pts, 1 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals; PF/C Odie Joseph-9 pts, 1 reb, 2 assists, 1 steal.

Player of the Game: SF Joe Blackwell-16 pts, 4 reb, 3 assists, 1 steal.

[PointGuard 70]

Michael Jackson, Player’s parent:

 

Game #25, Feb. 15, 2014: Eastern Washington Eagles (11-13, 9-4) at Idaho Vandals (14-10, 6-7)

We took a big family rooting section to watch Shawn and the Eagles play across the state border in Idaho. Even though he’s starting regularly, Coach Vandergard still isn’t playing Shawn enough nor is he working plays that free Shawn up for enough shots. But Shawn is happy and I can see that Shawn will be starring on this team in the future.

The Eagles came out blazing and jumped out to an early lead. But the Vandals quickly recovered and took a 38-35 halftime lead. Shawn shot well and led Eagle’s scoring with 8 points.

Each team went on runs that carried them ahead in the 2nd half. But regulation play ended with the score tied at 67-67.

OT: Shawn popped in a 3 on the Eagles first possession of the OT. Midway through the OT, he hit a 12 foot jumper to give EWU a 6 point lead. That was enough to keep the Vandals at bay. The Eagles won their 7th of their last 8 games and stayed in sole possession of 2nd place in the Big Sky Conference.

Final Score: Eastern Washington (12-13, 10-4, 2nd place)—79, Idaho (14-11, 6-8)—74 (OT).

Leading players for Eastern Washington: SG Shawn Jackson-15 pts, 1 reb, 3 assists, 1 steal; C Joseph Palmer-13 pts, 7 reb, 1 assist, 1 block.

Player of the Game: SG Shawn Jackson-15 pts, 1 reb, 3 assists, 1 steal.

[PointGuard 70]

Torbern “Swede” Olaffson, Athletic Director:

 

I took Bret Vandergard out to lunch today. I told him how impressed I was on the turn-around of his team. He’s quieted many of his early detractors. The crowds at our home games are larger and louder.

Bret said that since the team doesn’t have one star, the players feel that any one of them can lead the team on any given night. No one is hogging the ball, and the team has developed a one-for-all and all-for-one attitude that has led to more cohesive play. 

Most of our discussion, though, was about the future. It will be interesting to watch these players and see who develops farthest in the next few years.

[PointGuard 70]

Delawn West, player

 

Game #26, Feb. 17, 2014: Northern Colorado Bears (12-13, 8-6) at Eastern Washington Eagles (12-13, 10-4) 

We lost to these guys 81-62 when we played them on their court. Coach been on us all week about how we forgot to play defense against them. He and Coach Geb’s worked us long and hard on defense. Coach challenged us to hold them under 55 tonight. Said if we did, he’d host a big BBQ over at his place.

Again I began the game on the bench. We got off to a good start and the Bears didn’t score for 2-1/2 minutes. By then we were up 6-0. Coach was on Shawn (Jackson) trying to get him to be more aggressive on our end of the court, but Shawn just seemed to only want to dish the ball off to others. So I got in at the 2 early in the half. Hit my first shot when I cut around a screen by Joe Blackwell and drove to the baseline where I was able to get off a 10 footer. The rest of the team was clicking and we built a 29-15 lead. Reese Court was rockin’ as we continue to get more and more fans to our games. I spent a little time at the 3 when Joe went to the bench for a breather. We were able to clamp down on Terrence Morris, their center who burnt us last game…he only got one shot, a miss. Jerry McKenzie, their high point man most of this season, also got the treatment...2 shots, one of which went in, so just 2 points for him. Half ended with us up 35-25.

Coach gave us all some strokes to begin with in the locker room, but then got on us again, saying we gotta stay on ‘em if we wanted that BBQ.

Stay on ‘em we did. Our offense sputtered some in the 2nd half, but our D kept the Bears from closing on us. I came off the bench again in the 2nd half, playing mostly at the 3. My shot wasn’t on tonight…only got 7 points, but none of the guys I was guarding got off many shots or scored much and I got to play 23 minutes.

We not only won, but we met the BBQ challenge also. Nobody on their team even got into double figures. 

Final Score: Eastern Washington (13-13, 11-4, 2nd place)—61, Northern Colorado (12-14, 8-7)—50.

Leading players on Eastern Washington: SF Joe Blackwell-13 pts, 8 reb, 2 steals; PF Cory Davis-10 pts, 3 reb, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block; C Joseph Palmer-10 pts, 1 reb, 1 steal, 1 block.

Player of the Game: SF Joe Blackwell-13 pts, 8 reb, 2 steals.

[PointGuard 70]

Tim Dove, player:

 

Dayum! This is one fine BBQ. Big rib eye steaks. And Coach V got somebody to bring over several big TV screens and video game players and games, so we could take on each other. I’m the video game king.  

Great music and sound system also. I’m surprised we got no complaints from the neighbors or the cops didn’t show up. Taffy (Robbie Taflinger) got down with some big time dance moves. A couple guys tried to compete with him, but he was hands down the b-boy and hip hop star. We all got Coach V to show us some of his “moves”. Well, HE called them moves. We called them stumbles. The guy can coach, but shouldn’t be allowed within a mile of a dance floor. Everyone got a big laugh out of it.

[PointGuard 70]

Larry Montgomery, 2nd asst coach:

 

Game #27, Feb. 24, 2014: Eastern Washington Eagles (13-13, 11-4) at Weber State Wildcats (9-17, 7-8)

Weber State beat us on our own court 80-77 earlier this year, so we have a grudge to settle. 

We got off to a good start, shooting well. By the end of the half we had opened a 42-34 lead.

The 2nd half was another story. Weber State cracked our defense and dropped in most of their shots. We turned the ball over too much. Our lead evaporated and the Wildcats moved ahead in the latter part of the half and held on to knock us off.

Coach V was pretty upset after the game about how we gave up 46 points in the 2nd half. I think upcoming practices will again focus on defense again.

Final Score: Weber State (10-17, 8-8)—82, Eastern Washington (13-14, 11-5, 2nd place)—77.

Leading players for Eastern Washington: PG Tim Dove-13 pts, 1 reb, 3 assists; SG Shawn Jackson-11 pts, 2 reb; PF Cory Davis-10 pts, 1 reb, 3 steals, 1 block; PF Odie Joseph-10 pts, 4 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals; SF Delawn West-8 pts, 5 reb, 1 assist.

Player of the Game: Weber State’s PG Ed Jones-12 pts, 2 reb, 6 assists, 1 steal.

[PointGuard 70]

Big Sky Conference Final Standings:

 

 

[PointGuard 70]

Christine Rozniak, City Council member and realtor:

 

CR: I just KNEW you could do it, Bret! If anyone could turn things around for Eastern Washington University basketball, I just KNEW it would be YOU!

BV: (Chuckling) Thanks, Christine, but these things always are team efforts. My assistant coaches have been great and the players have responded well, and to be honest, we got a few good breaks also.

CR: Well now that you’re between conference play and the conference tournament, you’ve got some free time and more time for ME. Let’s go out tonight and party.

BV: Christine, our only chance of going beyond the conference tournament is to win the whole darned thing. That means focusing on how to defeat each team we face. So, in reality, even though we have a couple days off, my staff and I are going to be busier than usual preparing.

CR: Oh, come on Bret. I’ve been patient, but you need to let go once in a while. And, Bret darling, I know just HOW to help you unwind.

[PointGuard 70]

Cue Marty Robbins, "I told Mary about her..."

 

(Copied from posting by Wayne23 in the Wolverine Studios Forum)

[PointGuard 70]

Big Sky Conference Tournament-Day 1

 

Idaho State (13-15, 5-11)-63, Weber State (10-17, 8-8)-61 [Matt Vaughn-21 pts]

Southern Utah (15-14, 8-8)-67, Montana State (12-16, 6-10)-56 [Terry Minahan-9 pts, 3 reb, 2 assists, 4 steals, 1 block]

Portland State (13-15, 7-9)-60, Sacramento State (10-18, 6-10)-50 [Austin Dunn-6 pts, 4 reb, 4 assists, 6 steals, 1 block]

Idaho (15-13, 6-10)-57, Montana (12-16, 7-9)-54 [Damon Adams-12 pts, 9 reb]

[PointGuard 70]

Big Sky Conference Tournament-Day 2

 

North Dakota (20-8, 13-3)-77, Idaho (16-13, 6-10)-52 [Doug Coulibaly-20 pts]

Northern Arizona (16-12, 10-6)-71, Southern Utah (16-14, 8-8)-59 [shannon Isenhour-15 pts]

Idaho State (14-15, 5-11)-64, Northern Colorado (13-15, 9-7)-55 [Odie Garrett-24 pts]

Spokane Spokesman-Review sports page story:

Game #28, Mar. 4, 2014: Portland State Vikings (14-15, 7-9) vs Eastern Washington Eagles (13-14, 11-5) 

Eastern Washington’s Eagles applied a stout defense in their opening Big Sky Conference tournament game. Portland State could only convert 29% of their shots and 21% of their 3-point attempts. Eastern Washington hit 53% of their field goal attempts and out-rebounded the Vikings 32-28. The refs tagged Portland State with 24 fouls and the Eagles converted 30 of 37 free throw attempts.

Eastern Washington jumped out on top and never trailed in this game. They held a 37-26 halftime advantage. Midway through the second half, they expanded their lead to 21 points, before coasting to a 63-50 victory.
Joseph Palmer led the Eagles with a double-double (14 points and 11 rebounds) and Shawn Jackson added 11 points. Brian Boone was high point man for the Vikings with 15 points.

The Eagles’ win sets up a semi-final game against Northern Arizona tomorrow night.

Final Score: Eastern Washington (14-14, 11-5)—63, Portland State (14-16, 7-9)—50.

Eastern Washington’s leading players: C Joseph Palmer-14 pts, 11 reb, 1 steal, 1 block; SG Shawn Jackson-11 pts, 1 reb, 2 assists; PF Cory Davis-8 pts, 1 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block; SF Joe Blackwell-7 pts, 5 reb, 1 assist.

Player of the Game: C Joseph Palmer-14 pts, 11 reb, 1 steal, 1 block.

[PointGuard 70]

Big Sky Conference Tournament-Semi-Finals

 

North Dakota (21-8, 13-3)-79, Idaho State (15-15, 5-11)-68 [Matt Vaughn-24 pts]

Corky Branigan, KSPK,Radio Commentator: 

Game #29, Mar. 5, 2014: Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (17-12, 10-6) vs Eastern Washington Eagles (14-14, 11-5) 

CB: OK, sportsfans, the Eastern Washington Eagles continue to surprise most everyone. After going 2-9 in pre-conference play and looking dead-on-arrival going into Big Sky play, they turned things around, finishing 2nd in the conference. Now they’ve won 2 games in the Big Sky tourny and are playing for the championship tomorrow night against the tough North Dakota Fightin’ Sioux. The phones are open. What do you think about this team? How do you think they are going to do tomorrow night? What do you think caused the turn-around?

The first caller is Jay. What’s your thoughts about the Eagles, Jay?

Jay: Hey Corkster, good talkin’ with ya. Ya know this team is ON FIRE! And they BEAT DOWN the Fightin’ Sioux when they played them IN North Dakota! The media all over them and their coach and they go out and simply kick butt, man!

CB: So what do you think made the difference for them, Jay?

Jay: I think it was all the bad press they were getting and Jim Rome’s put down of their coach. Must’ve got them all riled up, Corkster.

CB: OK, let’s go to our next caller. Let’s see, it’s Ralph the Mouth from Spokane. Heya, Mouth, whatcha got to say to me tonight?

Ralph the Mouth: I’m still not sold on this team. They got no leader. I think the Big Sky just sucks this year and they fell into some wins. And I’m no worshipper of Vandergard either. Too many stories coming out about that guy. Some of ‘em gotta be true, Corky. I think he’s got a lot of skeletons in his closet. I’m picking North Dakota to beat up on the Eagles, 81-58.

CB: Wow, Ralph, that’s harsh. Are you saying their win against the Fightin’ Sioux was a fluke?

Ralph the Mouth: Nah, but sometimes you get lucky…or the other team just has an off night. But I don’t see EWU being able to do it again. No way!

CB: Well, everyone has an opinion I guess. Thanks Ralph, always good talking with you. Let’s see what others have to say, though. We have Piranha on the line. Talk to us, Piranha.

Piranha: Uh, am I one the radio now?

CB: Yes, man…go ahead.

Piranha: Oh, OK, how you doing Corky?

CB: Great man, what do you think of the Eagles?

Piranha: Uhh, welllll, I don’t agree with the previous caller. I think Coach Vandergard has done a phenomenal job with this team. Nobody thought there were any good at the beginning of the year. It took Coach V the entire pre-conference season to get them straightened out and playing as a team. He’s got a bunch of no-names who he’s got playing together as a close-knit unit. Hell, they don’t win 10 out of the last 12 games with a group everybody said had no talent unless the Coach and his staff create some magic. I’d like to see them win tomorrow night and go to the Big Dance, but even if they don’t, you have to give Vandergard and this team a lot of credit for pulling it all together.

CB: Yeah, Piranha, I sorta think that way too. JB’s waiting to put in his two cents. Hey there, JB, thanks for calling in.

JB: I’m a first time caller, Corky. Didn’t think I ever would call into a radio station. But the way the Eagles played tonight really got me hyped up. They tore up Northern Arizona from the initial jump and just kept extending their lead. Damn, they had 44 of their 77 points in the paint. Palmer and Davis were just phenomenal tonight, combining for 43 points. And another big man, Odie Joseph, added 12. And not only that they just completely bludgeoned the Lumberjacks on the board…32 rebounds to 16…that’s unheard of! Palmer and Davis, I just can’t say enough about those two…they dropped in 16 of their 22 shots! And 11 of 14 from the line…not bad for big men. North Dakota had to be watching that and trying to figure out how they were going to stop those two.

CB: Yeah, JB, this was one of the Eagles better games, alright. Hey, we have to pay some bills now, but thanks for the calls, guys.

[PointGuard 70]

Big Sky Conference Championship

 

KSPK,Radio Play-by-Play:

Game #30, Mar. 6, 2014: Eastern Washington Eagles (15-14, 11-5) vs North Dakota Fightin’ Sioux (22-8, 13-3)

This is your Eastern Washington Eagles radio station, KSPK, bringing you the Big Sky Championship game. North Dakota’s Fightin’ Sioux take on YOUR Eastern Washington University Eagles! This is Brad Thomas along with Skip Nyland and we’ll be bringing you every minute of exciting basketball action.
The Eagles have definitely surprised lots of people this year, Skip. And they beat this same team 72-50, playing on the Fightin’ Sioux’s home court. What do you think are the keys for the Eagles tonight, Skip?

Well, Brad, the Eagles play best when they play tight D. And if they can get the same sort of inside play they had last night, they’ll be tough to beat. Hopefully they can get some outside shooting to go along with the play of their big men. The big problem for the Eagles all season has been turnovers. They need to control the ball. North Dakota didn’t win 21 games this season by being patsies. SG Doug Coulibaly can catch fire, so the Eagles need to contain him. And you know that North Dakota isn’t coming into this game over-confident and will want some revenge for the way the Eagles beat them in their previous game.

OK, Skip, it’s time for the tip off.

The tip goes to North Dakota. Nurse brings it past center court and passes to Bohm at the foul line. Palmer is right on Bohm as the Eagles start out with man-to-man. Bohm feeds it out to Coulibaly on the left side who puts up a 3. It’s off the rim. Tipped out of bounds by North Dakota. Eagles ball…

…Oh man, the refs call Tim Dove for his 2nd foul. The point guard will go to the bench with 16:10 to play in the first half…bad break for the Eagles who are leading 4-3. Vandergard sends in Taflinger to replace Dove. Coach V is all over the refs…gotta watch out he doesn’t pick up an early T.

…Another miss by the Eagles. They’re stone cold from the field, hitting just 1 of their first 11 shots and trailing 12-5.

…The refs must have bought new whistles before this game and want to break them in. That’s the 10th team foul against the Eagles and Delawn West becomes the 3rd Eagles’ player with 2 fouls. He heads to the bench to join point guards Dove and Taflinger…and Travis Dawson comes off the bench with 7:56 left in the half. Regis sinks both shots for the Fightin’ Sioux to give them a 23-15 lead. 

…With 6:13 on the clock, center Joseph Palmer is called for his 2nd foul. Michael Taylor comes in for him. Graham drops in the first, the second shot is good also and the Eagles trail 29-17.

…Now it’s Robisch, the 3rd point guard for the Eagles to be charged with 2 fouls. It looks like Coach Vandergard is going to have to bring back in Tim Dove and hope he doesn’t pick up another foul. Regis sinks two more free throws to give North Dakota a 32-19 lead with 4:40 left. Half of North Dakota’s points have come from the line.

…Dove passes inside to Taylor. He can’t get free and tosses it back outside to Jackson. Jackson fakes a drive, steps back and fires up a 3 that’s GOOD! And the Eagles cut the deficit to 34-30 with a minute left in the half. 

…The half ends with Eastern Washington trailing by just 2 points, 34-32. They made a big comeback in the final 4 minutes to make this anybody’s game. The Eagles surprisingly have a 10-5 turnover advantage but they’ve been weak on the boards, being out-rebounded 17-8. Shawn Jackson has 9 points to lead their scoring.

…Dove dishes the ball inside near the basket to Joseph, who puts a shot up over Jeppson. It drops in and he’s fouled. He goes to the line and drops in the shot to tie the game at 38-38 with 16 minutes to go. 

…Bohm’s 6-footer misses but he’s fouled by Palmer. Joseph Palmer will join Tim Dove on the bench with 4 personals apiece. Bohm rattles in both shots to give North Dakota a 50-40 lead with 11:22 remaining. The Eagles need to avoid fouling, and start shooting and rebounding better if they want a chance to win.

…The buzzer sounds to end the game. The refs took the Eagles out of the game and then they fell apart in the latter stages, shooting poorly and making numerous turnovers. North Dakota wins the Big Sky Championship by beating the Eagles 74-55. That will end the Eagles season since their only chance to go to a post-season tournament was to win the Big Sky Championship.

Final Score: North Dakota (22-8, 13-3)-74, Eastern Washington (15-15, 11-5)-55.

Eastern Washington’s leading players: Shawn Jackson-11 pts, 2 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals; PG Tim Dove-8 pts, 1 reb, 1 steal; SF Joe Blackwell-7 pts, 4 reb, 1 steal.

Player of the Game: North Dakota’s PG Joe Nurse-14 pts, 8 reb, 3 assists.

[PointGuard 70]

Eastern Washington Eagles Player Stats for 2013-2014 Season

 

__________________

[PointGuard 70]

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