PointGuard

Dec 16: EWU Athletic building During the game, an EWU security guard is knocked unconscious in the empty building and Swede's office is broken into and ransacked as is the office of his assistant Nancy Parker. Recently appointed head of security Bernie Miler starts an investigation immediately, and doubles security on the athletic building. [Copied from post by CoachC in Wolverine Studios forum]

Fred Partington (ex Dean and President Pro Temps of Eastern Washington University) Game #10, Dec. 16, 2015: Milwaukee Panthers (5-4) at Eastern Washington Eagles (5-4) Things are pretty bleak here at the Federal Penitentiary in Walla Walla, Washington. There’s a lot of time on my hands, so I’m working on a new text book on the Russian Gulags. I might have to do it under a pen-name. But nights are long and dreary. One night a week, we get to watch TV in the group recreation room. It’s the highlight of the week so I went down tonight hoping for something good. Lo and behold, what did they tune in to but the Eastern Washington basketball game! BASKETBALL, for god’s sake! Now I’m not only confined to a small cell, but have to watch BASKETBALL and EWU basketball at that! If it weren’t for the popcorn I wouldn’t have stayed. Rather than root for someone, I will root against EWU and Coach Vandergard. If you want to know details of this game, I’m the wrong guy to be reporting. I’m hoping there will be a lot of negative things to say about the Eagles’ play. Ha! Colin Goode scored 11 of the Eagles’ first 13 points but sustained some sort of injury 6 minutes into the game. If the Panthers’ PF Tony Heideman can keep scoring (8 points thus far), maybe Milwaukee, which is now trailing 13-10, will be able to finally take the lead. 30 seconds later, Milwaukee gains their first lead of the night, 14-13. What’s wrong with Milwaukee? They need to realize that it’s important to defend in the lane. First they let Goode score 11 points at the center position, then Cory Davis moves over to center and scores 12 quick points. The Panthers are going down in flames and trail 33-18 with 6-1/2 minutes to go in the half. This sucks! I trade some cigarettes for a 2nd bag of popcorn. Hooray! Cory Davis picks up his 2nd foul and unhappily heads to the bench at the 5:33 mark of the 1st half. Then with 3:41 remaining, the refs whistle center Odie Joseph with his 2nd foul. UGLY! That describes Milwaukee’s 1st half play. 13 turnovers! Letting EWU hit 75% of their shots! Letting the Eagles’ Cory Davis and Colin Goode combine for 23 points! And worst of all, trailing 53-35 even though Tony Heideman scores 10 points for the Panthers! It’s so bad that I have to go back to my cell to get more cigarettes to trade for more popcorn for the 2nd half. Alright! Milwaukee scores 9 of the first 11 points in the 2nd half. Not even 3 bags of popcorn (I would have had a 4th bag, but I ran out of cigarettes to trade) could get the distaste from my mouth as the Eagles then scored nearly at will, Milwaukee committed 23 turnovers, and EWU ran away with an easy win. What’s Bret Vandergard done for me lately? He can’t even lose a game when I’m forced to watch Eagles’ BASKETBALL! Final Score: Eastern Washington (6-4)—91, Milwaukee—71. Leading players for Eastern Washington: SF Joe Blackwell-17 pts, 1 reb, 2 assists, 3 steals; C Cory Davis-16 pts, 3 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks; SG Danya Lawson-13 pts, 1 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal; C Colin Goode-11 pts, 1 reb (in 7 minutes of play); SG Shawn Jackson-10 pts, 1 reb, 3 assists; PG Darryl Bailey-11 pts, 1 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal. Player of the Game: SF Joe Blackwell-17 pts, 1 reb, 2 assists, 3 steals. For Milwaukee: PF Tony Heideman-18 pts, 4 reb, 2 assists, 1 steal; PG Steve McKey-11 pts in 9 minutes of play. Late-breaking news: The post-game report advised that C Colin Goode broke his arm and will miss the rest of the regular season. Tough break for the Eagles.

Meaghan Kriley, Spokane Spokesman-Review Columnist Word on the street is that while Lieutenant Governor Boswell Havrisham continues to pressure Governor Steven Ingraham to appoint Christine Rozniak to the vacant seat to the U.S. House of Representatives, Rozniak’s demeanor and history may be bad enough to keep the Governor from naming her to the seat before the House reconvenes from one of its many long vacation periods. Locally Rozniak is still pursuing her purge of those she wants out of power in and near Cheney. Her latest victim was the city public works chief, Mortimer Maxwell, who had opposed her city development plans and a couple of her pet projects involving land she owns or in which she has other personal financial interest. She got her toady, Mayor Reid Doremeier, to hire a realtor (and Rozniak-buddy) from Rozniak’s real estate office to replace Maxwell. As you may recall, Rozniak connived to get the City Council to appoint Doremeier as mayor replacing the old mayor (who was a Rozniak foe) that she and her “Clean Up Cheney” committee had previously ousted. Meanwhile her brother, Herschel Rozniak, who is now the Cheney Chief of Police, continues his remake of the police department into the 21st century equivalent of Hitler’s SS. It’s believed that detectives now are working harder on investigating Christine’s political foes than on solving local crimes.

Austin Nathaniel, 2nd Asst Coach Game #9, Dec. 13, 2015: Eastern Washington Eagles (5-3) at Nichols State Colonels (3-2) Nichols State blazed away, hitting almost all their shots, through most of the first half, opening a 12 point lead. We made a run in the final 7 minutes, cooled the Colonels shooting, and took the lead with about 4 minutes remaining until the intermission. By the buzzer we led 43-37. SF Joe Blackwell tossed in 11 points to lead our scoring. The Colonels continued their hot shooting in the 2nd half, finishing the game by hitting a ridiculous 68% of their FG attempts. Nothing we did could cool them down. The refs tweeted us frequently in the 2nd half as well (we ended up by having 5 players with 4 or more fouls). We were unable to overcome those two factors. Trailing, but close, we were forced to foul in the last 1-1/2 minutes and Nichols State hit their free throws. Final Score: Nichols State—84, Eastern Washington (5-4)—74. Eastern Washington’s leading players: SF Joe Blackwell-13 pts, 3 reb; PF Cory Davis-11 pts, 5 reb, 1 steal; C Odie Joseph-11 pts, 2 pts, 1 assist, 1 steal; PF Byron Crawford-8 pts, 1 reb,2 assists, 2 steals. Player of the Game: Nichols State’s SG Marshall Gardner-25 pts, 2 reb, 3 assists.

Jack Cooper, Barber Game #8, Dec. 9, 2015: Brigham Young Cougars (2-2) at Eastern Washington Eagles (5-2) Coach V came in for his bi-weekly haircut a couple days ago and gave me a two complimentary tickets for tonight’s game. Brigham Young has played all 4 of its games on the road, winning handily at Wake Forest but losing badly to #1 Duke. They also have beaten New Orleans and lost to Texas-El Paso. So it’s hard to tell how they’ll play tonight. Their SG John “Hospital” Hopkins is averaging 17.5 ppg. BYU controlled the boards (16-8) plus hit 8 of 15 of their 3-point shots and took a 40-32 lead to the locker room. C Cory Davis was our top scorer with 10 points. BYU’s SF John Angeli dropped in 10 points also. The Eagles fell behind by as much as 17 points early in the 2nd half. They made a run late in the game, cutting the Cougars’ lead to 3 points. Coach V used his timeouts judiciously but the Eagles’ final shots just wouldn’t fall. I’m sure Coach V would never express it, but I’m sure he’s disappointed to lose this game. Final Score: Brigham Young-74, Eastern Washington (5-3)-69. Leading players for Eastern Washington: SG Danya Lawson-13 pts, 3 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal; C Colin Goode-13 pts, 4 reb, 1 steal; PF Cory Davis-10 pts, 4 reb, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block. Player of the Game: Brigham Young’s SF John Angeli-19 pts, 7 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal.

Quote: Originally Posted by Wayne23 Glad you beat Wholly Crass! Good one! With 26 turnovers they were actually Wholely Crossed-up on offense.

Glad you beat Wholly Crass! [Copied from a post by Wayne23 on the Wolverine Studios forums]

Larry Montgomery, 3rd asst coach Game #7, Dec. 6, 2015: Holy Cross Crusaders (2-3) at Eastern Washington Eagles (4-2) SG Johnnie “Jolly” Rencher is averaging 20.6 ppg and is hitting a crazy high percentage of his shots. While we probably can’t stop him, hopefully we can keep him in control. Damn! We double-teamed Rencher and he still burned us. He single-handedly kept the Crusaders in the game in the first half, scoring 17 points by hitting 5 of 6 from the field including 4 of 5 from 3-point distance. He also put Shawn Jackson on the bench with foul trouble. Danya Lawson replaced Jackson, but was unable to continue his recent success, going 0-7 from the field. At the buzzer we held a slim 38-35 lead. Colin Goode led our scoring with 10 points. Midway through the 2nd half we finally got some breathing space, opening a 13 point lead with 9 minutes left in the game. From there we continued to expand our lead and won easily. We forced the Crusaders to turn the ball over 26 times. We also hit 26 of 28 from the free throw line. Final Score: Eastern Washington (5-2)—81, Holy Cross—61. Leading players for Eastern Washington: C Odie Joseph-16 pts, 4 reb, 1 steal; C Colin Goode-14 pts, 2 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals; SG Shawn Jackson-10 pts, 3 assists, 1 steal; SG Danya Lawson-10 pts, 3 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals; PG Tim Dove-8 pts, 1 reb, 3 assists, 1 steal. Player of the Game: C Odie Joseph-16 pts, 4 reb, 1 steal. For Holy Cross: SG Johnnie “Jolly” Rencher scored 20. Foul trouble throttled him in the 2nd half, but C Greg Okotie stepped it up to score 18. No one else on their team scored more than 5 points though. PF Brian Dearman sustained a deep bruise on his left leg and is likely to miss our next game.

Article in Easterner Online (student newspaper) Lawson is Player of the Week EWU’s freshman shooting guard Danya Lawson garnered the Big Sky’s Freshman Player for the week ending December 3, 2015. In the two games that week, Lawson scored 41 points. Combined with the final game of the prior week, Lawson scored 61 points (in a total of 64 minutes on the court) in three consecutive games. During that 3 game stretch, he dropped in 19 of 36 from the field including 14 of 27 from outside the arc. He’s also hitting 92% of his free throw attempts thus far this year. Lawson told the Easterner that he is "honored to be given the award" and added that "he's happy to be getting more playing time". With Lawson now having the highest scoring average of any Eagles’ player this season, fans are wondering why Lawson is not starting. Coach Bret Vandergard responded by praising Lawson as a “highly talented player”. He further stated that “He (Lawson) has a great eye for the basket, particularly from outside”. Vandergard said, “Right now he is providing the catalyst we need as the 6th man coming off the bench to pour in points as our starters begin to tire. As our spark plug, he's earned his nickname of "Sparks" that his teammates have given him. Danya is making good progress at learning our offensive and defensive schemes, but it takes a while for a freshman to do so. In addition, because of his size, athleticism, finesse, and our desire to keep him on the court more, we've been having him fill in at both the 2 and 3, so that's also giving him more of a challenge to learn to handle either of the positions.” The 6’4” Lawson, who is still just 17 years old, hails from Battle Ground, Washington. He was a standout on the Battle Ground High School team that won a state championship in his senior year.

Bud Springfield, Eagles’ Wings Fan Club President & owns Springfield Ford dealership Game #6, Dec. 2, 2015: Old Dominion Monarchs (2-2) at Eastern Washington Eagles (3-2) Even though I was uninvolved with the Eagles’ Wings Fan Club last year after the murder of my son, the club re-elected me as president. I have decided, even though my son’s death remains foremost in my mind, to try to get back into EWU sports and again lead the Eagles’ Wings. Our club is hoping the Eagles put together a great season culminating in a trip to the NCAA Tournament, but thus far they remain somewhat of a mystery. We have a good turnout of the club for tonight’s game, so hopefully the Eagles turn up the intensity to keep their fans onboard. My Ford dealership is sponsoring a contest this year. At halftime of each home game, an EWU student be randomly selected and given a chance to hit a long distance shot. If they make the shot, they will get the use of a Ford for 6 months (a free lease for 6 months). Men will shoot from the free throw line at the opposite end of the court and women will shoot from the midcourt line. The score remained close for the first 10 minutes of the game, but the Eagles then pulled away by shutting down the Monarchs and figuring out the Monarchs’ 2-3 defense. By the end of the half EWU led 48-25. The Eagles had just 2 turnovers in the half compared to Old Dominion’s 11 turnovers. EWU also controlled the boards 15-9. Danya Lawson dropped in 12 points and Cory Davis added 9. Weird halftime stat: no Old Dominion player took more than 3 FT attempts (and only 2 took that many). At the half, an EWU male sophomore was selected to shoot the halftime contest shot. His shot was short and way off to the left. No car! But the fans liked the contest. The Eagles maintained about a 20 point lead over the Monarchs throughout the 2nd half and continued to employ a strong defense. The Eagles’ Wings Fan Club was partying in the seats. Final Score: Eastern Washington (4-2)—74, Old Dominion---55. Eastern Washington’s leading players: SG Danya Lawson-17 pts, 3 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block; PF Cory Davis-11 pt, 7 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals; SG Will Davis-8 pts, 1 reb, 1 steal; PG Tim Dove-8 pts, 1 reb, 2 assists, 1 block. Player of the Game: SG Danya Lawson-17 pts, 3 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block. For Old Dominion: PF/C Jason Brotherson had a strong 2nd half and finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds.

Torbern “Swede” Olaffson, Athletic Director (Phone call with Bret Vandergard) SO: Hey Bret, I’m sorry for scheduling Georgetown on their home court. But they did provide us a nice guarantee that will help our coffers. BV: We took a beating alright. But I think it’s to our advantage for the guys to know what they could be up against if we are fortunate enough to get to the NCAA Tourny. We’re using it as a learning tool and the guys aren’t down. SO: Actually that’s not the reason I called you, Bret. I just wanted to follow-up to find out if you’d installed a security system at your home yet like I’d told you to do. BV: (Laughing) Yes dad, I’ve done it. In fact I’ve got one of the more advanced home systems that incorporates so many things that I’m sure I’ll be tripping it off myself repeatedly. SO: Good! I’ve increased the security system here in the Athletic Department as well. And yes, the staff is complaining about it already. But I don’t want anyone else sneaking in here…or at your house either. BV: Yeah, I agree it’s needed. And with my sister Annika and her husband Jimmy coming to stay at my house soon, I’m happy to have some extra security. Their little rugrat, Tommy, might be a challenge for the security system though. He’s a ball of fire. SO: Oh yeah, Annika’s the one who worked for that blowhard Jim Rome and filed the sexual harassment case against him, right? BV: Yes, the one and same. Sounds like she and her husband might be moving to Washington State, so I guess they want to do some looking around and research on the area during the holidays. Annika’s a great gal. Jimmy is a rather strange duck, but she loves him so it’s not my place to judge. I’m really not sure what’s up. Annika has a good teaching position in Maryland suburbs to Washington, DC. But Jimmy always has these ideas about the grass being greener, if you know what I mean. The guy’s never really succeeded in anything he’s done. Oh well, Annika has a good enough rep that she should be able to land on her feet no matter where she is. I’m just hoping Rome didn’t hassle her while he was in DC last spring or on his succeeding visits there to find a “great vacation home”. I hear he had his sights set on a nice big white home on Pennsylvania Avenue and was crushed when the government wouldn’t sell to him. SO: I look forward to meeting her. Now, you remember to SET the security system each time you leave the house. It doesn't do a damn bit of good otherwise.

From CoachC's "Dictionary for College Basketball Dynasties": accomplicicating: from the Latin comlici- (partner) and the Latin complicatus (fold together). Or in other words: A 16-letter word for Tony Carpelli's dastardly henchman in wrongdoing thus making the murder more complex, intricate, involved and difficult for the sheriff's department to disentangle and decipher within the confines of a simple narrative dynasty thread.

Dec 1st: Spokane Review New Lead in Springfield Murder Case: Spokane county Sheriff's office today revealed that new DNA evidence has lead to a new suspect in last fall's slaying of Bud Springfield, Jr. Former stand-out high school basketball coach, Tony Carpelli was charged last spring in connection to the murder, and was eventually sentenced on a guilty plea as an a accessory to the murder. An informant in the Sheriff's office, speaking anonymously, told the Review that the Sheriff's office has long considered the murder to have been a collaborative effort, and only in recent days has evidence been found that might reveal the individual with whom Tony Carpelli may have been accomplicicating with. [Copied from post by CoachC in Wolverine Studios forums]

Nov 30: 8 am Swede's office New EWU head of security Bernie Miller: Mr. Olafsen, last night one of my men spotted someone attempting to break into your office. They were spotted in time, but my men failed to apprehend the culprit. I assure you, sir, that this will NOT happen again!

On Bret's Voice Mail Hi, Bret! I think I may be moving to Washington St. soon! I know you are busy, but I plan to be in Washington around the holidays. Jimmy and I hope that you will make time for us. Luv ya! Sissy [Copied from post by CoachC in Wolverine Studios forums]

Spokane Spokesman-Review Sports Column Game #5, Nov. 29, 2015: Eastern Washington Eagles (3-1) at Georgetown Hoyas (2-1) Georgetown used Eastern Washington turnovers to jump out to an 8-0 lead and eventually built their lead to 18 points before Danya Lawson came off the bench to rally the Eagles and pull them to within 4 points. Georgetown used a late spurt to move out to a 45-35 halftime advantage. Lawson scored 13 points in the first half but star SF Mike Pangrazio dropped in 14 points for the Hoyas. Georgetown’s offense caught fire in the 2nd half and the Hoyas steadily drew away from the out-manned Eagles. Following the game, Coach Bret Vandergard said, “We knew we were in for a tough game against a very talented team on their home court. But again our defense was porous and let us down.” When asked about the play of Danya Lawson, Vandergard replied, “That’s the second straight game that Danya has come in and carried our offense. He’s got a great shooting eye. He’s impressing me more as the season progresses.” The loss dropped the Eagles to 3-2. All of EWU’s games have been on the road, but 6 of their next 7 games will be on their home court. Final Score: Georgetown—92, Eastern Washington (3-2)—67. Leading players for Eastern Washington: SG Danya Lawson-24 pts, 2 reb; PF Cory Davis-10 pts, 3 reb. Player of the Game: Georgetown’s SG Rodney Williams-15 pts, 3 reb, 6 assists, 3 steals, 1 block.

Austin Nathaniel, 2nd Asst Coach Game #4, Nov. 25, 2015: Eastern Washington Eagles (2-1) at Furman Paladins (2-0) We’re playing on the road yet again. What a way to start the season. I’m hopeful the guys are wearing down from all the travel. Furman has played all their games at home. I think we match up pretty well against them, but they’ve had a good inside-outside game with SG Mario Pointer averaging 14.5 ppg and their two interior players, C Luke McKnight and PF Andy West combining for 27.0 ppg. Coach V is starting Colin Goode again at center and has benched Shawn Jackson after his error-prone last game and instead is giving Will Davis his first start at SG. The refs roughed us up early which allowed Furman to take a 10-6 lead. We then fell behind by as much as 10 points midway through the half. But we finally began applying some defense, whittled away their lead, and then pulled ahead by 4 points with 2 minutes left in the half. The Paladins rallied to take a 42-40 lead to the locker room. Shawn Jackson and Joe Blackwell both scored 8 points to lead us offensively. Furman had 3 players in double figures, SG Mario Pointer with 13, PG Chrishan West with 11, and C Luke McKnight with 10. We held a small lead through the early stages of the 2nd half and then went ahead 76-63 with 6-1/2 minutes to play as Danya Lawson came off the bench to torch the net. Furman hit some 3’s in the last minute to narrow our lead but we never were in serious trouble. While we got to the line 12 fewer times and scored 9 less points on free throws than Furman, we made up for it by being +3 in rebounds, +1 in turnovers, and hitting 12 of 18 three point shots. Besides the break-out game for Danya Lawson, I was please by how Shawn Jackson responded to his benching by hitting some big shots. Shawn has probably won his starter position, although Danya is making a statement about his shooting prowess. Final Score: Eastern Washington (3-1)—91, Furman—87. Eastern Washington’s leading players: Danya Lawson-20 pts (5 of 7 three’s), 3 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal; SG Shawn Jackson-15 pts, 1 assist, 1 steal; SF Joe Blackwell-13 pts, 1 reb, 1 steal; PG Darryl Bailey-13 pts, 1 reb, 1 assist; PG Tim Dove-9 pts, 6 assists, 1 reb, 2 steals; C Odie Joseph-8 pts, 3 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal. Player of the Game: SG Danya Lawson-20 pts, 3 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal. Furman’s SG Mario Pointer hit 10 of 11 from the field (including all 6 of his 3’s) and scored 32 points. C Luke McKnight scored 24 points and hauled down 8 rebounds. Travis Dawson sustained a hip injury, but our trainer feels he will be ready for our next game.

Excerpts from Play-by-Play Broadcast by Radio Station KSPK Game #3, Nov. 22, 2015: Eastern Washington Eagles (2-0) at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (2-1) Welcome to KSPK’s coverage of Eastern Washington’s 3rd game of the season against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. I’m Kyle Broward. Broadcasting this game along with me is Dusty Frick. Tonight’s game is brought to you by the good folks at Inland Empire Bank and Springfield Ford. The skies over Bowling Green opened for a continuous downpour throughout today, creating some flooding conditions in the area and reducing tonight’s crowd at Diddle Arena. ***** The Hilltoppers have played all 3 of their games thus far on the road, winning 2 of them. PG Ron Church is averaging 15.0 ppg and hitting a high percentage of his shots. The Eagles will need to figure out a way to neutralize him for tonight’s game. The Eagles will be hard-pressed to remain unbeaten playing on the road against the highly favored Hilltoppers. ***** Starting for the Eastern Washington Eagles tonight: 6 ft 1 inch junior Tim Dove at point guard. Dove is averaging 11.5 ppg. 6 ft 4 inch junior Shawn Jackson will start at shooting guard. He’s averaging 7.0 ppg. At small forward will be 6 ft 3 inch senior Joe Blackwell who’s scoring 4.0 ppg but who surprisingly leads the Eagles in rebounding with 6.0 boards per game. Coach Vandergard has shaken up his interior and will start 6 ft 9 inch junior Cory Davis at power forward rather than center tonight. Davis is averaging 10.5 ppg. At center, Vandergard will give the 7 ft junior college transfer, Colin Goode his first start wearing the red and white of EWU. Goode has averaged 10.0 ppg coming off the bench thus far. That means Terence Hillier, who has been the Eagles starting power forward will be on the bench at the beginning of the game. Power forward Brian Dearman did not accompany the team to Kentucky and will miss tonight’s game with a sprained toe. ***** Colin Goode takes a pass inside, moves to the basket and puts it up and over the head of the defender to score the Eagles first points with 18:20 remaining and cutting the Hilltoppers’ lead to 6-2. ***** The Hilltoppers’ B.J. Carey is called for the foul on the shot. That will send Shawn Jackson to the line for the Eagles with 15:50 to play in the half. We have a time out. After the time out, Coach Vandergard replaces Joe Blackwell with Travis Dawson at small forward. Vandergard seems to be chewing on Blackwell who has made 3 of the Eagles 5 turnovers thus far. Shawn Jackson sinks both free throws to make it 12-6 in favor of Western Kentucky. ***** The foul on Goode is his 2nd and will send the Eagles’ leading scorer to the bench with 6 points after just 5-1/2 minutes of play. ***** Jackson drives to the basket, flips it to Cory Davis to the left of the hoop. Davis’ shot rims out but Davis grabs the rebounds and muscles it back up and in cutting the Hilltoppers’ lead to 26-14 at the 10:15 mark. Nice play by Jackson and good effort by Davis! ***** With just under 9 minutes to go in the first half, Cory Davis is charged with his 2nd personal and will join Colin Goode on the Eagles’ bench. ***** Shawn Jackson is fouled on the dribble and will go to the line for a 1-and-1. His first shot rims around but drops through. His second effort glides through cleanly and pulls Eastern Washington to within 5 at 27-22 with 7:06 on the clock. ***** For the second straight possession Harvey Manning is fouled and will go to the line for 2 more shots. He drops both in again and the score is now 27-26 as the Eagles have silenced the crowd with just over 5 minutes left in the half. ***** Byron Crawford drills a 3 with 3:40 to go that ties the game at 29-29. Crawford gets the ball down deep on the baseline. He turns and fakes a drive but pulls up for the 8 foot jumper that falls putting EWU ahead for the first time in the game at 33-31 with the 2:50 mark. That’s 8 points for Crawford. ***** With 2 minutes on the clock, the Eagles call a time out. Vandergard continues to play a very long bench, substituting frequently and getting good production from his bench. Jackson inbounds to Dove. Dove works around the pick by Danya Lawson, cutting to the outside. He’s free for a 12 foot jumper. The shot is up and in! 35-34 in favor of Eastern Washington. ***** At halftime Eastern Washington is up by a score of 37-35. While the Eagles have turned the ball over 9 times to Western Kentucky’s 6 turnovers, EWU has owned the boards to the tune of 21-8. That’s led to 11 second chance points by the Eagles whereas the Hilltoppers have no second chance points. Both teams have hit over 50% of their FG attempts. Bryon Crawford leads Eastern Washington’s scoring with 8 points but Odie Joseph has 7 and Colin Goode and Shawn Jackson both have 6. For Western Kentucky, shooting guard B.J. Carey leads all scorers with 14 points. The Eagles have held Ron Church to just one point. ***** It’s Eagles’ ball to start the 2nd half. Dove works the ball over to Cory Davis on the right side of the key. Davis fires the ball across court to Blackwell on the wing. Blackwell is free for a 3 that drops cleanly through the hoop to make the score 40-35. ***** The pass comes back to Tim Dove at the head of the key. Dove puts up a long 3 point attempt. It’s good! The Eagles lead 53-43 with 15:18 to play. ***** Both teams have continued to shoot well, but Eastern Washington has out-hustled the Hilltoppers early in the 2nd half. Will Davis takes a pass from Travis Dawson. Davis works the ball along the right side of the key, turns and shoots. He’s fouled on the shot and will go to the line for 2 shots. Davis cans both shots to give EWU a 62-50 advantage with 13 minutes to go. ***** Jackson’s pass is intercepted. The Hilltoppers drive down court, but the Eagles fall back to prevent a quick score. The ball is dropped inside to Ballinger who puts up a shot. It fails to drop but he’s fouled by Cory Davis. He misses the first but makes the 2nd free throw. The Eagles’ lead is cut to 65-60 with 8:48 remaining. ***** On the ensuing possession, Jackson swings the ball over to Dawson. But the pass is intercepted by Starzee Brown who drives the length of the court for a driving dunk and now the Eagles lead by just 3. ***** Vandergard calls a time out and brings in Will Davis to replace Jackson. On the inbounds pass, Tim Dove drives around Will Davis and puts up a shot. The shot is off the rim but he was fouled. Dove hits both charity shots to make the score 67-62 with 8:13 on the clock. ***** Ballinger hits a put-back to tie the score at 69-69. The Eagles double digit lead has totally evaporated with 7-1/2 minutes to go. ***** Tim Dove drives the lane. He stops and puts up a shot from 5 feet that is off the front of the rim. The ball comes right back to him and he puts up another shot that drops to put the Eagles on top 81-76 with 4:05 left. ***** Melson’s 12 footer from inside the key drops and the game is tied at 81-81 with 3:09 on the clock. ***** Shawn Jackson’s pass is again intercepted. Julius Dickel drives down court for a thunderous dunk to put Western Kentucky on top 83-81 with just 2:42 remaining. ***** EWU calls another time out and Vandergard wants to settle down his team. Jackson is again sat down on the bench. On the inbounds play, Tim Dove cuts around the head of the key and is fouled on the dribble. Dove sinks both shots to make it 83-83 with 2:29 left. ***** That’s the 4th straight turnover by EWU. The Hilltoppers have converted on all four and now lead 89-83. The Eagles now need some magic with just 1:20 to go. ***** Blackwell is fouled and makes both shots cutting the lead to 89-85 with 53 seconds remaining. ***** EWU fouls. The Hilltoppers miss the front end of the 1-and-1. EWU pulls down the rebound and Dove brings the ball quickly up court. He pulls up at the head of the key but is covered. He slings it over to Will Davis who puts up a 3 that falls cutting the lead to 89-88 with 34 seconds to go. ***** Dove fouls Church with 31 seconds on the clock. Church misses both shots and Goode rebounds. EWU has no time outs remaining. The Eagles work the ball around deliberately. Blackwell into Goode who cannot get free. He sends it back out to Dove who cuts around Bailey. Church tries maintain contact with Dove but fouls him. Dove goes to the line for 2 shots with 16 seconds left. Dove toes the line, puts up his first shot and it drops through to tie the score. The crowd is going wild, but Dove ignores the frenzy and puts the 2nd shot cleanly through as well and the Eagles regain the lead at 90-89. ***** The Eagles press, but Western Kentucky is able to get it across the center line. Oh! The refs call a questionable foul on Tim Dove as he tries to check Ron Church. Coach Vandergard is working the refs hard after that call. That will give Church two shots with 10 seconds left. Church sinks both shots giving the Hilltoppers a 91-90 lead. ***** Dove brings the ball up court, passes to Davis but he can’t get off the shot. He bounce passes to Byron Crawford who takes it at the foul line. Crawford puts up a shot but it hits the back of the rim. Western Kentucky grabs the rebound and the buzzer sounds. ***** Post-game interview of Coach Vandergard by Dusty Frick: DF: Tough loss, Coach. BV: We did a lot of good things tonight, but yes losing that way was a heartbreaker for the entire team. I was proud of the way we came back in the first half to erase a big Western Kentucky lead and take a slim lead to the locker room. And then we played exceptionally well in the early stages of the 2nd half and opened a 12 point lead. But we couldn’t shut the door. DF: What caused the turnaround? BV: We just got sloppy and didn’t protect the ball. You can’t make 19 turnovers. But you have to give credit to Western Kentucky. They shot the lights out in the 2nd half. They hit 66% of their shots for the entire game, so even though we dropped in 58% of ours, we just couldn’t stop them. DF: Were you happy with how Colin Goode did in his first start? BV: Colin played very well, even though he was in foul trouble for most of the game. But I also was impressed with how Will Davis, Byron Crawford, Odie Joseph, and Harvey Manning did coming off the bench. They scored a combined 35 points. And after being held scoreless in the first half, Tim Dove came back to drop in 17 second half points and nearly pulled out the game for us. DF: Coach, what caused you to play your entire bench so extensively tonight? BV: Well, some of that was the result of fouls and some due to our players not sufficiently protecting the ball, but mainly it was that I wanted to keep fresh legs on the court. We have a strong bench so I’m confident about putting anyone on the court. DF: Coach, thanks for coming on with us after such a tough loss. BV: It’s never easy to win on the road, but we gave it a good try tonight. Our players and staff will learn from it and hopefully it will make us stronger in our upcoming games. DF: And now I’ll pass it back to Kyle for the game wrap-up. Final Score: Western Kentucky-91, Eastern Washington (2-1)-90. Leading players for Eastern Washington: PG Tim Dove-17 pts, 2 reb, 2 assists; C Colin Goode-16 pts, 5 reb, 1 block; PF Byron Crawford-11 pts, 7 reb, 3 assists, 1 steal; SF Will Davis-11 pts. Player of the Game: Western Kentucky’s C Ray Melson-14 pts, 8 reb, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks.

Excerpts from KSPK radio play-by-play Game #2, Nov. 18, 2015: Eastern Washington Eagles (1-0) vs Columbia Lions (0-1) Columbia’s center Greg Davis scored 18 points in the Lions first game this year. ***** Joe Blackwell receives the crosscourt pass from Shawn Jackson. Blackwell fakes a drive to the basket but shoots it across the key to Cory Davis. Davis steps back and puts up a 7 foot jumper that drops in to draw first blood. There was a whistle. Columbia’s Greg Davis fouled Cory Davis on the shot. Cory steps to the line and drills the freebie putting the Eagles up 3-0. ***** The pass from Dove goes inside to Goode near the baseline. Goode muscles his way toward the basket, then pulls up to bank in a short shot just over the fingertips of the defender. It’s good and that ties the game at 27-27 with 3:21 to go in the half. ***** The refs call yet another foul on the Eagles. This one is Colin Goode. That will send Tahid to the line for two shots. Vandergard is working the refs hard. Andre Tahid sinks the pair and the Lions go back on top 31-29. ***** The half comes to an end with Eastern Washington nursing a slim 33-31 lead. Columbia scored 6 more points at the line, but the Eagles were able to score 16 fast break points as they made the most of Columbia’s turnovers. Danya Lawson came off the bench to score 6 points which was high for EWU. ***** Danya Lawson brings the ball into the forecourt. He sends it into Darryl Bailey near the key. Bailey puts up a shot over Eric Yeaton and is fouled. Oh! Bailey’s shot bounced off the rim, up against the back board and down into the hoop. Bailey goes to the line with the chance to convert a 3-point play. Bailey’s free throw glides through the silks to make the score 51-43 in favor of EWU with 13 minutes to play. ***** Dove steals the pass, pushes quickly up to Goode who drives to the basket for a thundering dunk. He was fouled on the shot. Colin Goode dribbles 3 times, spins the ball before putting up the shot and its in to give Goode 15 points and put the Eagles ahead 71-59 with 5-1/2 minutes left in the game. ***** That’s it. The buzzer sounds and the Eagles pick up their second straight win the road. Eastern Washington hit 59% of their shots and held Columbia’s shooting to 40%. Even though the Eagles turned the ball over 16 times as compared to the Lions 12 turnovers, Eastern Washington controlled the boards to the tune of 28-21. Final Score: Eastern Washington (2-0)-81, Columbia-65. Eastern Washington’s leading players: C Colin Goode-15 pts, 2 reb; SG Shawn Jackson-12 pts, 4 reb, 2 assists; PG Tim Dove-11 pts, 3 reb, 5 assists, 5 steals; C Cory Davis-9 pts, 5 reb, 2 assists, 2 steals; SG Danya Lawson-9 pts, 1 reb, 1 assist. Player of the Game: PG Tim Dove-11 pts, 3 reb, 5 assists, 5 steals. Brian Dearman sprained his toe in the game and will miss our next game.

Bret's Home Bret returns back home from Idaho after the season opener to find that someone has broken in and the place is ransacked, but nothing of value appears to be missing. [Copied from post by CoachC in Wolverine Studios forum]

Potato-Pickin’-Paul, “Eagle Flight” blog Game #1, Nov. 15, 2015: Eastern Washington Eagles (0-0) at Boise State Broncos (0-0) Hey Eagles fans! Are you ready for another exciting basketball season? Tonight the Eagles take travel to Boise, Idaho. Boise State provides a big challenge to the Eagles as they open their season. Not only is this a road game, but the Broncos fashioned a 20-10 record last year, finished tied for 2nd in the tough Mountain West Conference, and made it to the 2nd round of the NIT. Eastern Washington’s starters for the season opener will be: PG-6’1” Jr Tim Dove; SG-6’4” Jr Shawn Jackson; SF-6’3” Sr Joe Blackwell; PF-6-7” Sr Terence Hillier; C-6’9” Jr Cory Davis. EWU broke out on top 11-0, shooting well and taking advantage of Broncos’ turnovers. The Eagles played tough defense the entire first half holding Boise State’s shooting to 33% while forcing 11 turnovers by the Broncos. The Eagles also dominated the boards 16-8 and hit 48% of their FG attempts. That allowed Eastern Washington to leave the court at the end of the half with a 33-21 lead. Cory Davis and Danya Lawson both scored 8 points for EWU. Boise State came out of the locker room fired up and hit two quick 3’s to cut the lead to 6 points. The Eagles came back to re-establish their lead. The Broncos rallied again and midway through the 2nd half, they got within 4 points. But EWU was equal to the challenge and re-established their double digit lead and carried a solid lead all the way to the final buzzer to gain a big road victory. The Eagles won the game by out-shooting the Broncos 50% to 39% and out-rebounding Boise State 30-18. Eastern Washington’s staunch defense was also exemplified by their forcing the Broncos to make 19 turnovers, although the team stat became a negative due to the Eagles making 20 turnovers themselves. Final Score: Eastern Washington (1-0)-62, Boise State-54. Leading players for Eastern Washington: C Cory Davis-12 pts, 4 reb, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks; PG Tim Dove-12 pts, 2 reb; SG Danya Lawson-10 pts, 1 reb, 1 steal. Player of the Game: C Cory Davis-12 pts, 4 reb, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks.

Meaghan Kriley, Spokane Spokesman-Review Columnist I’ve been investigating Christine Rozniak. Things are definitely sketchy since she covers her tracks well and uses others to implement her nefarious deeds. So thus far I don’t have enough facts to write a story for the paper. But here are some things that she seems to be behind: 1. The Board of Regents for Washington universities is looking closely for any possible wrong-doing by staff at Eastern Washington University. In particular, it seems that a yet unknown staff member with possible ties to Christine Rozniak has been serving as the Regents’ inside mole and has been steering their investigation toward President Clement Morgan, AD Torbern Olaffson, and Coach Bret Vandergard, even though all three were wrongly detained and all charges against each of these gentlemen have been dropped by authorities and they have been reinstated to their positions. 2. Reid Doremeier, often viewed as a “weasel” on the Cheney City Council and a dupe of Christine Rozniak, instigated the ousting of Cheney Mayor Alan Allen, a long-time foe of Rozniak. It appears that in return for Doremeier’s efforts, Christine Rozniak will sponsor and support his attempt to be appointed to the vacant mayorship. 3. Not only did Christine Rozniak get her brother, Herschel Rozniak, promoted to Chief of Police (after the arrest of Chief of Police Matt Hauser), there seems to be a purge of police officers (such as Detective Bernie Miller) who Christine Rozniak is purported to view as not vigorously pursuing Morgan, Olaffson, and Vandegard at EWU. 4. Christine Rozniak has started the “Clean Up Cheney” committee, a group of do-gooder residents who are being prompted to get rid of what Rozniak alleges is a festering wound of key people who are harming Cheney’s “stellar reputation”. 5. The “Clean Up Cheney” committee has expanded its purview to the media and is asking KSPK Radio to fire Corky Branigan for his suspicious disappearance for which he has not made public his reason(s). 6. Nancy Parker has advised me that someone is spreading rumors about her in an attempt to get her fired from her EWU athletic department position. While she does not know for sure, she suspects that Christine Rozniak is behind this effort. 7. I’ve learned that Lieutenant Governor Boswell Havrisham is actively campaigning to get Christine Rozniak appointed to the abandoned Congressional seat. While at face value there is nothing wrong with this, it is surprising since there are many more qualified persons for this important position. One has to wonder..."why"?

Spokane Spokesman-Review Sports Section Article Big Sky Hoops Prognostications The results of the Big Sky Conference Media Poll were announced earlier today. Prognostications by the media are notoriously wrong, but the media continues to conduct this poll every year. After finishing atop the conference standings last year, the Eastern Washington Eagles got little love from the media. The Eagles were picked to finish 4th this season by the media, despite returning 4 starters. Picked to finish ahead of the Eagles this year were: Northern Colorado, Sacramento State, and North Dakota. Of the top 3 picks, only North Dakota had a winning record last season. Coach Bret Vandergard said, “I expect the competition within the Big Sky to be tougher this year. Most schools have improved the quality of their squads, so being picked to finish 4th isn’t surprising. As underdogs, we will just have to player harder and smarter. The conference is likely to be very competitive from top to bottom.” Many in the media likely felt the loss of SF Ervin Smith, who transferred to UCLA, left a big hole in the middle of the lineup. Additionally, Terence Hillier who likely will be starting at PF, has yet to prove he can score with any consistency. Meanwhile, Eastern Washington has been training hard and Vandergard stated, “I’m optimistic that our team this year can compete well against anyone on our schedule. We had good recruiting results last year. Even though those players are unlikely to start at the beginning of the year, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them challenge for starting roles as the season progresses and also provide some quality court time for us whether they are starters or reserves. Our returning players have improved as well and their experience playing together hopefully will reduce turnovers and strengthen our defense, our two most notable weaknesses last season.” The Big Sky media expect the Big Sky standings this season to be as follows: 1. Northern Colorado 2. Sacramento State 3. North Dakota 4. Eastern Washington 5. Montana 6. Idaho State 7. Southern Utah 8. Idaho 9. Weber State 10. Portland State 11. Montana State Eastern Washington opens their non-conference schedule this Tuesday at Boise State. Their conference schedule kicks off December 27 when they host North Dakota.

Governor Steven Ingraham (Lt. Governor Boswell Havrisham meets with him in the governor's office) Boz! You’ve got to be kidding! You REALLY want me to appoint Christine Rozniak to the U.S. House of Representatives seat? I absolutely KNOW she’s a member of our party. Sometimes we’re stuck with whoever joins. But you KNOW that she is a word that rhymes with “witch”. Of course I want to be the next Senator from the great state of Washington. Uhhhh, what’s that you say? WHAT does she have that can be used against me? How could she know that? I thought only YOU knew about THAT. Oh my god, I can’t send you anywhere! I’ll think about it, but I’m not making any commitments, Boz. That woman is the reincarnation of Machiavelli.

Christine Rozniak’s machinations Christine calls Lieutenant Governor Boswell Havrisham’s office: Hello Boz, it’s been a while since we (long pause), errrr....”talked”. That was quite an “in depth” conversation last winter! I hope you found Cheney to be a (pause) “relief” to you challenging duties. But all that aside, as if we would ever want to put it aside, let me get right to the point of my call. Congressman “Feelgood” Osgood’s decision to retire early after his unfortunate comments about wanting to make Canada a county of the state of Washington mean someone has to be appointed to fill his seat (and his subsequent death was even more unfortunate, but there are always "consequences"). I’m sure our time together in Cheney showed you the many talents I possess and how I’m the one for that job. I know you have aspirations to run for Governor in the next election so I’m sure that having me in your corner would be better than having a little birdie suggest to the media that they look into your activities in Cheney. I DO have your support, don’t I? Oh, Boz, you don’t know how much that pleases me.