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

[PointGuard 70]

Jamal Smith, 1st Asst Coach

 

Game #14, Jan. 7, 2015: Eastern Washington Eagles (9-4, 2-0) at Idaho Vandals (9-5, 1-1)

We need to throttle the Vandals’ SF Edem McCuthison, who has been hit 53% of his FG attempts and 61% of his 3’s. 

We hit our first 8 FG attempts, but needed every one of them since the refs were acting as Idaho’s 6th and 7th players. Turning the ball over repeatedly, we feel from a 17-14 lead to a 32-17 deficit at the 3:38 mark of the 1st half. 

Our poor play resulted in Idaho having a dominating 42-24 halftime advantage. We hit 63% of our shots, but only got 16 shots in the half due to 10 turnovers and being killed on the boards (14-6). Idaho shot well also (54%). Joseph Palmer scored 7 to lead us offensively. Coach V blasted the players during the intermission for their lackadaisical play.

We played even worse in the 2nd half. No defense, frequent turnovers, lack of effort on the boards, too many fouls. Coach V tried to wake the team up by getting a technical, but our team failed to respond. The end could not come soon enough to this horrible game.

Final Score: Idaho (10-5, 2-1)-78, Eastern Washington (9-5, 2-1, 3rd place tie)-47.

Eastern Washington’s leading players: C Joseph Palmer-13 pts, 1 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal; PF Cory Davis-10 pts, 6 reb, 1 assist.

Player of the Game: Idaho’s C Damon Adams-12 pts, 6 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals.

[PointGuard 70]

 Joe Blackwell, player

 

It’s an hour and a half bus ride back from Moscow, Idaho to Cheney, Washington. It was the quietest 90 minute bus ride I’ve ever taken. Some players sat alone, others next to each other, but no one, and I mean no one, said a freakin’ word. Coach V was up front in the bus and never looked back once. I’m sure all the other players were thinking the same thing I was: practice tomorrow is going to be a helluva killer.

[PointGuard 70]

Robbie Taflinger, player

 

Damn! The first half of practice was pure hell. Nothing but running…running up and down the court, running up and down the bleachers, running sprint after sprint. 

With all our tongues hanging out, all chests heaving, and sweat pouring down our bodies, Coach V called us all together and said, “Well, boys, do you think you got the STINK out of your systems? Are you NEVER going to have a collective let-down like that again? Are you ready to COMMIT to not letting a game get away from you like that again? If you see others getting in a funk during a game, are YOU going to take the responsibility to fire everyone up? Are you ready to commit to going out and instead of getting your asses kicked again, kicking some other teams’ ASS?" 

"OK then, the last game is officially history and the ‘run til you die’ part of practice is done. Now let’s go out and have some good hard work the next couple days on clearing the boards, running clean plays, and playing solid defense.”

[PointGuard 70]

Previously, Back in Bret's Office

 

Tony the Tuna; The one guy was a big lummox, and the other guy was a lot smaller and had sort of a rat face. They split up, and I made the mistake of chasing the little guy who was too quick and eventually lost me. I don't know what they had planned to do with the car, but I'm glad I stayed outside at any rate before they could do anything. Otherwise they may have tried cutting the brake lines or worse. I'm pretty sure they weren't there to sell girl scout cookies!

 

[Copied from posting by CoachC in Wolverine Studios forum]

[PointGuard 70]

Jan 8 Bret's Office

 

While distressing himself watching the tape of this game for the 3rd time, immediately after pounding on his desk and cursing the basketball gods, Bret suddenly notices something he hadn't seen before. In the 3rd or 4th row behind the home bench there is an Elvis imperonator holding up a sign that says (and it takes some magnification to see it in full), "The key is the key!"

 

[Copied from posting by CoachC in the Wolverine Studios forum]

[PointGuard 70]

Torbern “Swede” Olaffson, Athletic Director

 

[Later on November 8 at a table in a Denny's restaurant]

T.O.—Well Bret, we meet again surreptitiously.
B.V.—Yes, who would have thought that an AD and a coach would be involved in cloak and dagger activities.
T.O.—I guess I should be laughing at that, but this has been going on so long and we have yet to get close to figuring out what is going on or who is involved, that my sense of humor is long gone on this one.
B.V.—I guess you want to know why I wanted to meet with you today. While enduring the Idaho game footage, I noticed this guy in the stands at that game. He was dressed as an Elvis impersonator. And since Moscow, Idaho is no Las Vegas, there probably isn’t a surplus of Elvis impersonators in Moscow. You know what they say about Moscow, Idaho...what happens in Moscow, wants to get the hell out of Moscow, Idaho. Anyway, this guy was holding up and waving a sign that said “The Key is the Key!”
T.O.—OK...and so?
B.V.—Taken by itself, it would be inconsequential, but you remember when I got that envelope with a note from the long-missing Corky Branigan which asked if I watched the Today Show? Well, I did watch the Today Show, and certainly not because I wanted to see Matt Lauer. Well, one morning, there was a guy in the street audience behind Al Roker. And that guy also was an Elvis impersonator and he was holding up a sign that said “First Naitonal Bank of Eugene, Oregon. Bret saves!”
T.O.—Two Elvis impersonators is two too many for me.
B.V.—Swede, I’m now guessing that maybe these two were the same person and that person might well be Corky Branigan. 
T.O.—Hmm. Yeah, guess that could be. But what do you make of those two messages, Bret?
B.V.—Well there is one other thing that goes along with this. There was something in the envelope from Corky that now seems to go along with these two messages. 
T.O.—And just what was that, Bret?
B.V.—[bret reaches into his pocket and extracts a small item and drops it onto the table with a clinking sound] It was this, Swede...a key.
T.O.—Aha! Not only a key, but THE key.
B.V.—Yes, I’m beginning to believe that just might be and that this key needs to be inserted into a safe deposit box at the First National Bank in Eugene, Oregon. And Corky’s message was pretty clear that we both have enemies and that we needed to keep things between ourselves. But Corky was pretty clear that I should keep all information close to my vest and trust no one, other than you, that is. So this is between you and me. I think someone needs to make another trip...this time to Eugene. And since you’re still recovering from your heart attack, that someone needs to be me.
T.O.—Damn! I hate to say this, but you’re right. If I went and if my heart didn’t do me in, my doctor and my wife would kill me for going. I think you may be right about the key and the bank, Bret. But what safe deposit box, Bret? And how do you get access to it?

[PointGuard 70]

Sports Pages article in the Spokane Spokesman-Review

 

Game #15, Jan. 11, 2015: Northern Colorado Bears (6-8, 3-0) at Eastern Washington Eagles (9-5, 2-1)

After less than stellar pre-conference play, Northern Colorado entered the game against Eastern Washington coming off three straight wins to begin Big Sky play. That put the Bears into a tie for first place in the Big Sky Conference standings.

The Eagles maintained a small lead through the first half but were unable to pull away until the final four minutes when they opened as much as a 15 point lead, finishing the half ahead 51-39. Both teams shot the lights out with the Bears converting 58% of their shots and the Eagles dropping in an amazing 72%. Northern Colorado controlled the boards 12-7, but that advantage was offset by Eastern Washington’s 12-6 advantage on turnovers. Cory Davis notched 14 points and Brian Dearman came off the bench to score 8 points in 9 minutes of play.

Eastern Washington pulled away to a 20 point lead early in the 2nd half, but the Bears fought back to cut that deficit in half. The refs, who had been whistle happy all night, then totally took over the game in the latter portions of the 2nd half as the game turned into a parade by both teams to the charity stripe. But the Eagles were able to hold on to notch another win.

The players on both teams shot like the basket was as big around as a Mack truck tire…EWU knocking down 62% and Northern Colorado hitting 61% of their shots. The two teams combined to go to the free throw line a total of 76 times, and there were a total of 57 fouls called. The Bears won the battle of the boards 26-16, but the Eagles forced Northern Colorado to make 17 turnovers while making just 6 themselves. Five players from Northern Colorado scored in double figures.

Final Score: Eastern Washington (10-5, 3-1, 2nd place tie)-93, Northern Colorado (6-9, 3-1)-84.

Eastern Washington’s leading players: PF/C Cory Davis-25 pts, 3 reb, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block; PF Brian Dearman-12 pts, 4 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals; SF Joe Blackwell-9 pts, 3 reb, 3 assists, 1 steal.

Player of the Game: PF/C Cory Davis-25 pts, 3 reb, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block.

[PointGuard 70]

Jack Cooper, barber

 

Game #16, Jan. 14, 2015: Eastern Washington Eagles (10-5, 3-1) at Weber state Wildcats (11-4, 3-1)

Since I was down in Salt Lake City this week, I decided to head over to Ogden to catch an away game for my favorite team and favorite coach. Coach V needs a haircut, though…it’s been a while since he’s been into my shop.  I may be the only Eastern Washington fan in the stands tonight.

This is a battle for sole possession of 2nd place in the Big Sky. PG Ed Jones is averaging 18.3 ppg for Weber State.

Weber State’s PG Ed Jones picked up 2 fouls in the first 1:11 of the game. We jumped out to an 8-2 lead, but then the game got tight. Late in the half we opened an 8 point lead only to let Weber State come back to tie it at the half 31-31. We hit 50% of our shots compared to the Wildcats’ 39% shooting. But the refs sent Weber State to the line 10 more times where they scored 8 more points than did we. Delawn West led our scoring with 7 points.

Weber State outplayed us for most of the 2nd half and led by 10 with 5 minutes left. We cut their lead to 66-61 with 3:40 to play. But we finished the game by missing shots, turning the ball over and fouling. The main reasons we lost this game: Weber State got to the line 12 more times and scored 8 more points than we did plus we turned the ball over 20 times, 7 more than Weber State. Oh yeah, and Weber State’s Ed Jones.

Final Score: Weber State-77, Eastern Washington-65 (10-6, 3-2, tie for 3rd place).

Leading players for Eastern Washington: PG Tim Dove-12 pts, 1 reb, 3 assists; SF/SG Delawn West-11 pts, 2 reb, 2 assists; SG Shawn Jackson-10 pts, 2 reb, 3 assists; PF Cory Davis-10 pts, 2 reb.

Player of the Game: Weber State’s PG Ed Jones-22 pts, 2 reb, 2 assists, 1 steal.

[PointGuard 70]

Michael Jackson, player’s parent

 

Game #17, Jan. 18, 2015: Montana Grizzlies (8-8, 2-3) at Eastern Washington Eagles (10-6, 3-2) 

It took a while for the Eagles to get untracked but by the midpoint of the first half they led 26-12. They held onto a double digit lead and finished the half with a 39-28 lead. They held an advantage in all team statistical areas. Delawn West led our scoring with 14 points, but I think the team could be even further ahead if Coach V would unleash my son, Shawn Jackson. 

EWU came out flat in the 2nd half and Montana cut their lead to 43-41 with 16 at the 15:51 mark. Michael Taylor came off the bench and spurred a run that took the Eagles to a 57-44 lead with 10 minutes left in the game. But Montana came right back and tied the game at 59-59 with 5:12 to go. The refs then called foul after foul against our guys and with 3:48 remaining the Eagles trailed 64-59. 

My boy then hit a baseline jumper and was fouled. He converted the 3 point play to make it 64-62. Following a turnover by the Grizzlies, Delawn West took a pass down low and was fouled. He hit both free throws and the game was tied at 64-64 with 2:52 left on the clock. Montana then hit a 3 and stole the ball and converted a driving layup to go ahead 69-64. Robbie Taflinger hit a jumper to make the score 69-66, but the Grizzlies hit a shot, were fouled and converted to give them a 6 point lead with just 58 seconds left. 

With Tim Dove on the bench with 5 fouls, Vandergard moved my son to PG. Vandergard called a time out but didn’t call my son’s number like he should have. Others on the team missed two 3’s but Joseph Palmer rebounded the 2nd miss and put it back up and in to make it 72-68. The Eagles intentionally fouled the Grizzlies’ worst foul shooter…but he dropped in both free throws. Joseph Palmer put in another basket, but it was too little, too late. 

The primary difference in the game was that Montana got 9 more free throws and scored 7 more points at the line than us. Well that and Vandergard still not taking advantage of the skills of my son. I hope he could hear the comments I directed at him from the stands. 

Vandergard needs to go. If he doesn’t get fired at the end of this season, I think Shawn should transfer. I’ve been encouraging Shawn to do just that, but he says he likes it here.

Final Score: Montana-74, Eastern Washington (10-7, 3-3, 4th place tie)-70.

Eastern Washington’s leading players: Delawn West-16 pts, 2 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal; C Michael Taylor-13 pts, 8 reb, 1 block; C Joseph Palmer-13 pts, 5 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block; PG Robbie Taflinger-9 pts, 1 reb, 5 assists.

Player of the Game: Montana’s SF Marc McIntosh-13 pts, 5 reb, 1 assist, 3 steals.

[PointGuard 70]

Christine Rozniak, City Council member and realtor

 

It’s been nearly a half-year since Bret and I have been together. He had excuse after excuse of why we couldn't do things together. Harumphh! His loss! 

I’ve gone on to bigger and better things. My real estate practice is booming. 

Even though I wasn’t elected to the legislature, I’m still on the city council which enables me to be a major player in Cheney. Knowing where things are going to happen in town really makes it possible to be a step ahead working on big real estate deals.  

And two weeks ago, the Lieutenant Governor of the state of Washington was in our area for some fund raising. He really liked how I got a lot of big money people to parlay up some major bucks for his upcoming campaign for either Governor or Senator. Afterwards he and I got a little private time together which turned out to be a bigger “raiser” than the fund-raiser. If I play this right, this should work at getting me into the inside track for bigger and better political positions in the future.

So, Bret, you had your chance and you blew it, buddy. I hope you enjoy your coaching job with a minor collegiate program. And now you’re team’s in a slump...ha! Too bad for you. Maybe this just isn’t your year....heh, heh, heh. 

[PointGuard 70]

"Just read through this. Good stuff. I like the off-court stuff and the basketball stuff from other perspectives. Really good. Can't wait for more."

 

[Copies from posting by mpejkrm in the Wolverine Studios forum]

[PointGuard 70]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpejkrm 

Just read through this. Good stuff. I like the off-court stuff and the basketball stuff from other perspectives. Really good. Can't wait for more.

Thanks! 

It's been fun and a bit of a challenge at times, particularly not knowing WHERE CoachC (and occasionally someone else) is taking things and then having to create responses (that hopefully are somewhat plausible) to off the wall situations. And not having the head coach (or a single outside voice) comment on games, etc creates additional hurdles to clear that keeps this fun for me to develop.

[PointGuard 70]

Brian Robisch, player

 

Tonight Coach V had all over to watch Duke take on North Carolina on TV. The coaches BBQ’d some steaks before the game. Since it was snowing we had a big snowball fight in his back yard. Then we gathered around Coach’s big-ass screen TV to watch the game. Those ACC players are damned good. There were lots of comments about the slick moves, the sharp passing, and the well-executed plays. We have one more practice before our next game so hopefully some of that rubs off on us. We have been playing terrible ball the last few games, so we have to do something to turn things around.

Oh, you want to know who won the game? North Carolina came back in the second half to upset Duke 77-75.

[PointGuard 70]

Dynasty Annotation

 

Now there’s been well over 200 posts in this dynasty. With that in mind, I figured it has to be tough on those of you reading with some regularity, others who read irregularly, and those who are new readers trying to catch up on a dynasty that is evolving in multiple directions with a big cast of characters. Heck, even I wonder at times who is who, what is going on, and when something happened as I try to figure out where to go next.

My first dynasties were merely commentaries on games and wins and losses together with some stats. Then I decided that no one really cares about the team I’m coaching other than myself, be it a college basketball team of fictional players or a major league baseball team composed of “real” players. And to be honest, I got tired of writing those types of dynasties anyway.

So I progressed to dynasties that included some development of character for players and/or coaches. Next I began to throw in non-game actions/issues. Then with this dynasty I decided to let the story line flow and evolve however it might and to do that by having people other than the head coach provide the commentary/inputs. When CoachC (and a few others) threw in events/issues or bombs, those were welcomed. That allowed me to defuse those bombs or let them explode. Those that explode generally tend to be more interesting plus they alter the story and not knowing where a story line may go or what may happen is fun (at least for me).

But that can make it difficult to follow and the cast is difficult at times to recall. So here’s a list of the cast members thus far in the dynasty who have been providing the commentary (and sometimes reflecting Bret Vandergard’s actions or what he said to them):

Torbern “Swede” Olaffson, Athletic Director
Jamal Smith, 1st Asst Coach (recruiting)
Austin Nathaniel, 2nd Asst Coach (player development)
Larry Montgomery, 3rd asst coach (scouting)
Various players (specifically identified as needed)
Meaghan Kriley, Spokane Spokesman-Review Columnist
Spokane-Review newspaper articles
Corky Branigan, KSPK, Radio jock
KSPK play-by-play broadcasts of games
Christine Rozniak, City Council member and realtor
Jack Cooper, Bret’s Barber
Potato-Pickin’-Paul, “Eagle Flight” blog
Bud Springfield, Eagles’ Wings Fan Club President, owns Springfield Ford dealership in Cheney
Michael Jackson, parent of player Shawn Jackson
Clement Morgan, University President
Nancy Parker, Athletic Department Secretary
Article in Easterner Online (student newspaper)
Bill Lewis, NCAA Rules and Violation Committee
Carl Quagmire, Assistant Athletic Director
Detective Bernie Miller of the Cheney PD
Dean Fred Partington (chairman of the EWU investigative committee)
Jim Rome
Steve Corrigan, EWU security guard
Tony the Tuna, one of two bodyguards hired by Swede for Bret

[PointGuard 70]

Clement Morgan, University President:

 

Game #18, Jan. 21, 2015: Eastern Washington Eagles (10-7, 3-3) at Idaho State Bengals (13-4, 6-0)

I seldom accompany the team on road trips, but I have a good friend in Pocatello, Idaho so this is a good opportunity to get together with him.
With how our team has been playing of late, it’s a bad time to take on the #1 team in the conference. Idaho State has completely dominated all Big Sky opponents thus far. This year they’ve won 9 of 10 at home (losing by just 4 points to a good Butler team) and in their 9 home victories the average margin of victory has been 19 points. They have two players who are averaging over 10 ppg: SG Matt Vaughn is scoring 15.0 ppg and PG Odie Garrett is averaging 11.4 ppg.

Our team needs to break out of our slump to have a chance in this game. To make matters worse, Swede Olaffson let me know that just before the team left for this game, Delawn West and Terence Hillier got into a loud argument, so the team chemistry may be suffering. Coach Bret Vandergard also still seems to be under a lot of stress.

Our guys played pretty well early in the first half, carving out a 14-10 lead with about 12 minutes left in the half. The team continued to play solid basketball and opened a 12 point lead with about 3 minutes remaining. Idaho State cut into our lead in the last couple minutes, but we still held a 34-26 lead at the half. The Eagles out-rebounded the Bengals 14-10 and forced Idaho State to turn the ball over 11 times to just 6 turnovers for our team. Michael Taylor came in off the bench to lead our scoring with 10 points.

Idaho State came out in the 2nd half firing away (and hitting) from outside and narrowed our lead to 40-38 after just 6 minutes of play in the final stanza. With 13:30 to go, they tied the game on 2 successful free throws. Our team managed to carve out and hold onto a small lead. Then on the hot shooting of Joe Blackwell, the lead expanded to 9 with 4-1/2 minutes to play. But the Bengals launched a tremendous offensive explosion that cut our lead to 60-58 with 3 minutes to go. The Eagles gamely fought back and increased our lead to 66-60 with 1:39 to play. Defense prevailed from there and the Eagles came away with a big upset victory on the road against the conference’s top team.

We prevailed by playing a tight defense that resulted in 21 turnovers by Idaho State and 32 fast break points for our team, controlling the boards 29-24, and limiting Matt Vaughn and Odie Garrett to a combined 13 points (half of their usual production).

Final Score: Eastern Washington-70 (11-7, 4-3, 2nd place tie), Idaho State-62.

Leading players for Eastern Washington: SF Joe Blackwell-14 pts, 4 reb, 2 assists, 2 steals; C Michael Taylor-12 pts, 3 reb, 3 assists, 2 steals; SF/SG Delawn West-11 pts, 3 reb, 1 assist, 3 steals.

Player of the Game: SF Joe Blackwell-14 pts, 4 reb, 2 assists, 2 steals.

[PointGuard 70]

Jamal Smith, 1st Asst Coach

 

I just finished a lengthy recruiting trip to the East Coast and Midwest. I got a chance to watch 9 of our top prospects for the remaining scholarship this year. 

PF Todd Davis, a JC player in Ohio, has a strong inside game and scores and rebounds well plus has great defensive ability, particularly as a shot blocker. 7 footer Colin Goode, a JC center from Georgia, is also a big factor offensively and on the boards and nearly as strong defensively and seems to have us high on the list of schools where he’d like to play. Another big man we’re taking a close look at is JC PF Donte Washington in Kentucky. Donte scores from both inside and outside, but doesn’t have the rebounding and defensive abilities of Todd and Colin.

Of the top perimeter players on our list, the best shooter is SG Odie Gosten, who is a JC scoring machine from Kentucky, but his other skills are far less developed. Another JC SG who is just a small step behind Odie as far as scoring is Jamil Hargrove from Georgia. He also is an excellent passer and ball handler so could play the point for us as well. And he is a strong rebounder who also is a ball hawk and shot blocker defensively. Kantrail Gandy, a big SF JC player from Iowa is a good scorer with a sweet shot from outside and the ability to get inside and score as well. But none of his other skills stand out. 

Finally there were three PG’s who are high on our list: (a) Reggie Jackson is a JC player out of Virginia who is a great passer, is defensively strong, particularly as a ball hawk, and can put points on the board from outside; ( Parker Harris, a high school senior from Oklahoma who is a good passer and ball handler with a good outside shot; and © Blake Miles, a high school senior from Mississippi, who has pretty equal skills to Parker. Since Parker and Blake are high school seniors, they probably have the inside track over Reggie since we’d have either of them longer. 

But we also are looking at another PG. Since he’s from the state of Washington, he wasn’t on my radar this trip, but Chris Smiley is a JC player who seems very interested in our program and has outstanding passing abilities and is a very good ball handler. He has a great outside shot and scores well.

As you can tell, It was a long trip with too many nights in different hotel beds, so it’s nice to be home and back with my family.

[PointGuard 70]

Spokane Spokesman-Review article

 

Corky Branigan Disappearance Investigation Continues

The Spokane Police Department is continuing its investigation 
into the disappearance of local radio sports jock, Corky Bran-
igan. Branigan went missing two months ago while on a road 
trip to provide play-by-play coverage of an Eastern Wash-
ington Eagles basketball game in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Eastern Washington head basketball coach, Bret Vandergard, 
was one of the last people to have been known to see Bran-
igan. “After broadcasting our game, Corky interviewed me. 
There was nothing unusual about the interview and Corky 
didn’t say anything that would have led me to expect that 
after the interview he would have done anything but go back

to his hotel and then fly back to Spokane”, said Vandergard.

Friends and co-workers of Branigan expressed their concerns 
to Spokesman-Review reporters. Kyle Zylstra, a producer at 
KSPK, the radio station at which Branigan worked, comment-
ed “I’m really worried about Corky. Hell, it’s been over two 
months since anyone heard from him and everyone at the 
station is just hoping he shows up soon. The station has set 
up a reward fund for information leading to Corky’s return.”

Police Department staff were tight lipped on what they are 
doing, but Spokane Police spokesman, Ron Dorchester, said 
“The Spokane Police Department is continuing to actively in-
vestigate the disappearance of Corky Branigan. We are 
tracking down all leads and soliciting additional information 
from the public. Thus far, there is no indication that his 
disappearance was due to suspicious activity, but we are 
looking at that possibility as well.”

Branigan anchored KSPK sports radio programs including 
his own sports interview and talk show as well as numerous 
play-by-play broadcasts. He is well-known throughout the 
area for his knowledge of local sports teams.

[PointGuard 70]

Austin Nathaniel, 2nd Assistant Coach

 

Game #19, Jan. 25, 2015: Southern Utah Thunderbirds (9-9, 3-4) at Eastern Washington Eagles (11-7, 4-3)

Southern Utah beat Iowa State and Auburn during pre-conference play, so they’re no patsies. Thus far in conference play, they’ve been inconsistent. C David Thomas is their leading offensive threat, averaging 11.8 ppg. But teams that let SG Justin Woods get loose do so at their peril since he shoots well from anywhere on the court.

We trailed by small margins early in the game as Southern Utah scorched the net, but Joe Blackwell hit two free throws with 9:30 left in the half to give us a 17-16 lead. Our defense jelled and we forced the Thunderbirds to turn the ball over several times allowing us to take a 26-20 lead 4 minutes before intermission. We then repeatedly turned the ball over and Southern Utah roared back to achieve a 36-33 halftime advantage. Tim Dove led our scoring with 8 points. Coach V tore us up at halftime for our sloppy play and letting the game get away from us late in the half.

After falling behind by 6 points early in the 2nd half, we bounced back to take an 8 point lead midway through the half. But we quickly let the Thunderbirds cut our lead to 58-57 with 8:18 to play. A series of turnovers and fouls by us let Southern Utah move out to a 62-58 lead. We fought back to take a 69-67 lead with 1:44 on the clock. Yet another turnover gave the Thunderbirds the ball with 44 seconds to play. Justin Woods got inside and banked in a shot to tie the game at 69-69 with 32 seconds left. Tim Dove drew a foul with 28 seconds to go. He sunk both free throws to put us up by 2 points. Southern Utah’s 3 rimmed out and we rebounded. The Thunderbirds fouled Robbie Taflinger but he only hit 1 of 2 from the line. So with 11 seconds left, Southern Utah had another chance and they burned us by hitting a 3 at the buzzer to tie the game at 72-72 and send us into overtime.

OT: We controlled the tip and Tim Dove hit a 14 foot baseline jumper. After a miss by Southern Utah, Joe Blackwell got free and sunk a 17 footer. After both teams missed shots and a Thunderbird turnover, Cory Davis got a tip in to give us a 78-72 lead with 3:30 on the clock. We increased our lead to 10, then held on to win by 7.

Both teams shot well, Southern Utah hitting 54% and EWU knocking down 58%. Southern Utah had 21 turnovers but we turned the ball over 25 times. But that was more than offset by the Eagles dominating the boards 34-16.

SG Justin Woods shot the lights out and scored 23 points by hitting 8 of 9 from the field (including 3 of 3 from 3-point distance) and 4 of 4 from the line. C Derricus Taylor came off the bench to add 19 points for Southern Utah.

Final Score: Eastern Washington (12-7, 5-3, 2nd place tie)-88, Southern Utah-81 (OT).

Leading players for Eastern Washington: PG Tim Dove-15 pts, 8 assists, 2 steals; C Cory Davis-14 pts, 6 reb, 1 steal; SF Joe Blackwell-17 pts, 2 reb; SF/SG Delawn West-11 pts, 1 reb, 2 steals.

Player of the Game: PG Tim Dove-15 pts, 8 assists, 2 steals.

[PointGuard 70]

Potato-Pickin’-Paul, “Eagle Flight” blog

 

Game #20, Jan. 28, 2015: Eastern Washington Eagles (12-7, 5-3) at Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (5-14, 3-5)

Northern Arizona played a fairly difficult pre-conference schedule which helps explain their lackluster record. In conference play, they’ve won 3 of their 4 home games. PG Shannon Isenhour is their top scorer with 11.9 ppg. SF Cory Angeli is sidelined with a broken nose.

Neither team scores for the first 3 minutes of play as the baskets seem to have boards nailed over them. The Eagles find the range after that though and spurt out to a 10-3 lead with 14 minutes left in the half. Eastern Washington held a solid lead throughout the rest of the half as they outshot the Lumberjacks 46% to 36% and controlled the boards 15-11. The halftime score was 36-28 in favor of the Eagles. Shawn Jackson led Eastern Washington’s scoring with 7 points.

Northern Arizona forced turnovers in the early going of the 2nd half and cut the Eagles’ lead to 3 points. But Eastern Washington responded by re-opening their double-digit lead. The Eagles then held the Lumberjacks off to win with ease.

Eastern Washington his 43% of their FT attempts to Northern Arizona’s 40% success rate. The Eagles out-rebounded the Lumberjacks 30-22. While the number of fouls against each team were just about even, the Eagles got to the line 14 more times and scored 15 more points than the Lumberjacks.

The win moved Eastern Washington into a 3-way tie for 1st place in the Big Sky with Idaho and Idaho State. The Eagles’ RPI is 72nd best in the nation and highest in the Big Sky.

Cory Davis has the highest FG percentage of any Division I player. He has hit 70.7% of this FG attempts. He’s leading Eastern Washington in scoring with 11.2 ppg. 

The Eagles as a team are the 15th highest scoring team in the nation, averaging 68.9 ppg. They have the 11th best FG% (49.4%) and 15th best FT% (79.3%). Defensively they are giving up 66.5 ppg, though.

Final Score: Eastern Washington (13-7, 6-3, 1st place tie)-69, Northern Arizona-57.

Leading players for Eastern Washington: SG Shawn Jackson-16 pts, 1 reb; PF Cory Davis-12 pts, 7 reb, 1 block; C Joseph Palmer-9 pts, 8 reb, 3 blocks.

Player of the Game: SG Shawn Jackson-16 pts, 1 reb.

[PointGuard 70]

Jamal Smith, 1st Asst Coach

 

After a second instance of loud arguing between Delawn West and Terence Hillier, Coach Vandergard brought each player into his office for a meeting with him and me. Coach V chewed out each of them, telling them this type of friction was detrimental to the team. Terence was defensive, but Delawn said he’d try to be a better teammate. While Coach V didn’t mete out any punishments, I think Terence’s attitude may mean he gets fewer minutes of playing time for a while.

[PointGuard 70]

Michael Taylor, player

 

Today Delawn West came into the locker room. When he got to his locker he snatched a piece of paper off the front, stared at it for a moment. Then turning and glaring right at Terence Hillier, he shouted, “Who’s the son of a bitch who put THIS up on my locker.” Delawn held the paper up high and I could see it was a drawing of a big brown nose. Delawn ranted and raved while Terence muttered something about some guys not being able to take a joke. Cory Davis went over to Delawn and took the paper out of his hand and wadded it up and threw it in the trash can. Cory then said to everyone in the locker room, “Hey guys, enough of this ****. We have a game to prepare for and I for one am getting sick and tired of the bickering. Grow up!”

I would have liked to have done what Cory did, but being a walk on player, my place on the team is a bit more tenuous. We all know that Terence and Delawn have developed some sort of rivalry. And I don’t think it has anything to do with basketball. Maybe one of them feels the other tried to take away a girl or something. I’ve heard them hollering at each other, but it seems to always be about something trivial…one getting in the others way or something as insignificant.

Overall most all guys like each other on this team. Terence and Delawn’s actions are hurting their relationship with others though. The only other guy who is sort of an outsider is Ervin Smith. He’s the only freshman on our squad and seems to have a chip on his shoulder at times and difficulty fitting in with anyone else on the team. Coach has been giving him more playing time and praising him whenever possible. I’d like that, but Ervin doesn’t seem to be improving his attitude much.

[PointGuard 70]

 Meaghan Kriley, Spokane Spokesman-Review Columnist

 

Eagles Soar into First Place

With their 3rd straight win, the Eastern Washington Eagles 
men’s basketball team clawed their way into a 3-way tie 
for the top spot in the Big Sky Conference. The Eagles can 
also take credit for starting Idaho State’s 3 game loss streak 
that has dropped the Bengals into a tie with EWU and the 
Idaho Vandals for first place.

Eagles’ Coach Bret Vandergard said, “The conference this 
year is more balanced than ever. Seven of the eleven 
teams are so tightly bunches that there is a mere game’s 
difference in the standings. That puts a lot of pressure to 
win each game, since a loss can drop you not just behind 
one team but possibly down below several.”

After sustaining two devastating losses that dropped the 
Eagles to a 4th place tie, Eastern Washington has won its 
last three, including two on the road. Vandergard explained, 
“This season we don’t have a “star” player, but several play-
ers who can lead us any particular night.” This is evidence 
nearly every game as a different player rises to the fore to 
take high point honors or come up with a strong rebounding 
game. Even though the bulk of the scoring has come from 
interior players, perimeter players have had big games re-
cently. Opponents have a difficult time preparing for a team 
on which the scoring can come from any part of the court 
and any of the starters and several of the reserves. 

For the first 20 games of the season, PF Cory Davis leads the 
scoring with 11.2 ppg, but C Joseph Palmer isn’t far behind 
with a 9.4 ppg average. From the outside PG Tim Dove has a 
7.4 ppg average, SG Shawn Jackson is scoring 7.0 ppg and SF 
Joe Blackwell has been adding an average of 6.8 ppg. Delawn 
West has been coming off the bench to play both SF and SG 
and is averaging 6.1 ppg. Reserve PG Robbie Taflinger is aver-
aging 4.2 ppg. On the inside, the primary reserve has been 
C Michael Taylor who is scoring 5.8 ppg. The six other reserves 
are averaging from 1.8 to 3.3 ppg while each is playing 6 to 10 
minutes per game. Top rebounders are Palmer (4.7 rpg), Davis 
(4.4 rpg), and Taylor (3.5 rpg).

When asked what aspect of the game the Eagles most need to 
work on, Vandergard was quick to reply, “Obviously it is turn-
overs. The team has not been protecting the ball well enough 
and that’s been giving our opponents some easy buckets.”

Coach Vandergard was unwilling to predict how the team will do 
the rest of the season, but offered, “We’re a better team than 
last year, but so are several other Big Sky teams. While I’m 
pleased how the team is developing and optimistic about our fu-
ture, each Big Sky game is a battle that can go either way de-
pending on which team is hot and playing their best on a given 
night. The result has been that most all games are close. So 
it’s exciting for the fans every time they come out to see a 
game, but hard on me and the coaching staff.”

[PointGuard 70]

Article in Easterner Online (student newspaper)

 

Game #21, Feb. 1, 2015: Montana State Bobcats (5-15, 2-7) at Eastern Washington Eagles (13-7, 6-3) 

EWU started slowly against Montana State, the cellar dwellers of the Big Sky Conference. But the Eagles rode hot shooting (60% from the field) and 12 turnovers by the Bobcats to fashion a 37-25 halftime advantage. Shawn Jackson and Michael Taylor both scored 8 points to lead the Eagles offensively in the first half.

During the halftime break, the Student Housing Layup Relay Contest was won by Lambda Nu Epsilon fraternity.

The 2nd half was basically a repeat of the first half and the Eagles slowly pulled away for their 4th straight win. The victory kept the Eagles tied for first with Idaho for the conference top spot.

After the game, Coach Vandergard said the win was a team effort and added, “Our defense was solid. I was proud of how the guys held the Bobcats shooting to 42% and forced them into 25 turnovers. Our guys also demonstrated patience and good shot selection that resulted in our knocking down 55% of our field goal attempts.”

Final Score: Eastern Washington (14-7, 7-3, 1st place tie)-68, Montana State-51.

Eastern Washington’s leading players: SG Shawn Jackson-11 pts, 1 reb, 3 assists, 3 steals; C Joseph Palmer-10 pts, 2 reb, 1 steal, 1 block; C Michael Taylor-10 pts, 2 reb.

Player of the Game: SG Shawn Jackson-11 pts, 1 reb, 3 assists, 3 steals.

[PointGuard 70]

Contents of a FedEx Envelope (signature required) delivered to Bret Vandergard

 

“ #4857…then just provide your identification and sign in (no need to concern yourself about how your signature got on file there)…the key previously provided will work “

[PointGuard 70]

Austin Nathaniel, 2nd Assistant Coach

 

Game #22, Feb. 4, 2015: Eastern Washington Eagles (14-7, 7-3) at Portland State Vikings (7-14, 3-7)

After we arrived in Portland, Coach Vandergard took a side trip down to Eugene, Oregon. He was very tight-lipped about why he drove down there on his own. He got back just in time for tonight’s game.

We’re double-teaming Portland State’s PG Kennedy DeMond who has been hitting a high percentage of his shots.

We jumped out on top and built a double-digit lead that we held for most of the first half. We rode some hot shooting (55%) to finish the half ahead 39-30. Tim Dove led our scoring with 8 points.

Early in the 2nd half we opened as much as a 16 point lead and then cruised to an easy win. But any road victory, easy or not, is a big deal. 

Our reserves scored 31 points and pulled down over half of our rebounds.

Portland State’s SG John Brown dropped in 17 points against us. But we held PG Kennedy DeMond to just 3 points.

Final Score: Eastern Washington (15-7, 8-3, 1st place tie)-69, Portland State-58.

Eastern Washington’s leading players: PG Tim Dove-11 pts, 2 reb, 5 assists, 2 steals; SG Shawn Jackson-9 pts, 1 reb; C Joseph Palmer-9 pts, 2 assists, 2 steals.

Player of the Game: PG Tim Dove-11 pts, 2 reb, 5 assists, 2 steals.

Injury Report: Shawn Jackson came out of the game with a sore back and his play in our next game is likely to be limited.