Big Sky Conference Championship Recap

by Nicholas Lozito

When a desperation half-court shot hits the floor before the buzzer even sounds, chances are the ball was heaved up a bit too soon. With an NCAA Tournament bid at stake, however, one can come to terms with why Jamaal Jenkins didn’t take an extra dribble or two towards the basket before taking his game-winning attempt. The Weber State (14-16) point guard’s shot, taken with over two seconds left on the clock, missed wide right and gave Montana (18-12) a 63-61 win and Big Sky Tournament championship. The NCAA Tournament appearance will be the Grizzlies’ first since 2002.

With Weber leading 39-38 with 11 minutes remaining, Montana went on a 16-5 run over the next six minutes, capped by a Virgil Matthews dunk, to lead 54-44. Down nine points with under three minutes left, Weber’s Troy Goodell scored six-consecutive points in a 20-second span to cut Montana’s lead to 58-55. After two Montana free throws, Wildcat Coric Riggs hit a 3-pointer with four seconds left to cut the Montana lead to one point. On the ensuing inbound, the Wildcats intentionally fouled Kamarr Davis, who converted one of two free throws. With 2.8 seconds left, Weber inbounded to Jenkins, who instantly shot the ball from half court.

The game featured a battle between two of the conference’s top big men: Weber’s Lance Allred and Montana’s Kamarr Davis. Allred finished with 21 points and Davis had 19, but Allred scored only three over the final eight minutes. Davis had seven points in that stretch. Jenkins finished with ten points and five assists for Weber State.

NBA Street Cred List

by Nicholas Lozito

There is a court in Harlem where stories are told. There are others in Coney Island, Brooklyn and the Bronx; Chicago, Detroit and Cincinnati; Oakland, Inglewood and Los Angeles. Stories of winners and losers, the shakers and those who got shook, the dunker and the dunkee. The collective stories shape legends and goats – and legends named The Goat. They turn mere men into marvels, names into nicknames and courts into cathedrals. And when the last word is spoken, the last mix tape released, Nicholas Lozito compiles his NBA Street Cred List.

Only players in the NBA are eligible. Points are awarded for playing style, fashion, and urban legend.

Allen Iverson
In the mid 90′s Iverson was the inner-city dream. And his life was chronicled in TBS’s favorite 2 a.m. movie, Above the Rim. Well, not literally, but come on – an inner-city scoring guard who battles through drugs and crime to star at Georgetown. In those days it was either Georgetown or Michigan, and everything was baggy, and I sucked at basketball. Iverson transcended the art of cornrowing, with twists and turns and patterns and shapes that da Vinci would be proud of. Then there was the time he used his patented crossover to shake Jordan. I think you left your draws at the free-throw line, MJ.
Playing style: 10
Bling-bling: 10
Legend: 9
Total: 29 of 30

Rafer Alston
Better known as Skip on the streets, Alston shed light on street basketball. His original And 1 mixtape laid the foundation for today’s And 1 phenomenon. Alston played at Fresno State before making it in the NBA. In the League, it took him a few years to adapt his style of play to coaches’ likings. The one knock on Alston is that his incredible street moves are rarely seen on an NBA court.
Playing style: 9
Bling-bling: 9 (mainly for being And 1′s franchise player)
Legend: 10
Total: 28

Vince Carter
There are two pieces of basketball footage that every basketball fan has to see. The first is Carter’s dunk over – and I am being literal when I say “over” – a 7-foot-1 center in the Olympics. The other is his windmill alley-oop in a Rucker Park game, which sent the crowd rushing onto the court in amazement.
Playing style: 10
Bling-bling: 4
Legend: 9
Total: 23

Jason Williams
Williams has the best street moves of and player on the list. And being white only adds to the mystique. Where were you when you saw him cross up Payton? I was watching the 3 a.m. Sportscenter. I stayed up for the 5 a.m. Sportscenter just to watch it again.
Playing style: 10
Bling-bling: 5
Legend: 7
Total: 22

Ron Artest
Every time Artest gets ejected from a game it just ads to the cred. If he does this stuff on the court, just imagine what he does off of it. Calling out San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen for a game of one-on-one to determine the Defensive Player of the Year award was also very credible.
Playing style: 7
Bling-bling: 5
Legend: 9
Total: 21

Stephon Marbury
Here is a Coney Island legend. During the opening scene of He Got Game, I was just waiting to see a Marbury clip – didn’t get one. The ultimate street point guard. One in a long line of NYC points to attend Georgia Tech.
Playing style: 7
Bling-bling: 4
Legend: 9
Total: 20

LeBron James
What hurts LeBron so much on this list is that everyone knows everything about him. There is no mystery – except, of course, if he will ever be better than Jordan.
Playing style: 10
Bling-bling: 5
Legend: 5
Total: 20

Tracy McGrady
McGrady is currently the second best player on this list (LeBron is No. 1), and that counts for a lot. If he had not grown up in Florida and attended prep school he would probably be a lot higher. But his game is graceful and highlight-filled, and he is Carter’s cousin.
Playing style: 9
Bling-bling: 5
Legend: 5
Total: 19

Carmelo Anthony
If it wasn’t for his winter blockbuster, “Stop Snitching,” Carmelo might not be on this list. But, the Syracuse star did grow up on some rough streets and it took him only one season to make himself one of the college game’s all-time best.
Playing style: 7
Bling-bling: 6
Legend: 6
Total: 19

Others (P-playing style, B-Bling-bling, L-Legend): Sebastian Telfair (P: 8, B: 3, L: 8); Dwyane Wade (P: 8, B: 2, L: 6); Ricky Davis (P: 9, B: 4, L: 4); Quentin Richardson (P: 6, B: 6, L: 4); Kenny Anderson (P: 7, B: 1, L: 8); Latrell Sprewell (P: 5, B: 4, L: 8); Amare Stoudemire (P: 9, B: 3, L: 5); Jason Richardson (P: 9, B: 1, L: 6).

Who Are They?

by Nicholas Lozito

Who are these men? So few of their names ring a bell. Their faces don’t shed any sense of familiarity.

Do the players who dominated the collegiate game yesteryear still exist? Have they found a new hobby? Where can I find them?

The answers to the last three questions, respectively: Yes, no and the NBA.

It’s no secret that the forbidden fruit has been tasted. Some take a small bite, forgoing their senior seasons. Others, like Lenny Cooke – who? I know. Check an NBDL roster – swallow the apple whole, core and all, by skipping higher learning altogether.

However, the fruit is only forbidden in failure. Nobody second guesses Dwyane Wade or LeBron. In the case of Wade, who left Marquette after his junior year, he gets more praise than criticism from commentators for staying in college as long as he did.

And embodied within that praise is the state of the college basketball fan – the one fan who will never discover how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, because it always declares early entry into the Candy Draft after the first, second or third swipes of the tongue. For this deprived and frustrated group, let’s imagine for a second a college basketball world with no early entries:

LeBron would be a sophomore at Louisville, Carmelo a junior at Syracuse and Dwyane Wade a rookie in the NBA with an NCAA championship ring weighting down his dunking hand.

Dicky V’s diaper dandies would no longer overlap with the All-American team.

Connecticut would still be a basketball school.

In short: Life would be grand. Now only if we could make these college athletes understand.

When Carmelo Anthony returned to Syracuse after winning the NCAA title, Orangemen fans greeted him with the chant of “One more year!” Anthony responded, “I thought you were supposed to stay in college for four years.”

And he was right. You are supposed to stay in college for four years – if your purpose for attending college is getting an education, that is. For many players, this is not the case. Nor should it be.

Ask a single mother whether she wants to wait three more years for her son to get an NBA salary and put food on her three other kids’ plates. Ask a father if he’d rather see his son play one more year of Russian Roulette with a bad knee or take guaranteed millions. Ask an All-American sophomore if he’d rather take Biology 10 next year or live comfortably in his first-ever house – not apartment or projects, but a house.

For them, the answers are easy, like those on the final exam of Jim Harrick Jr’s Coaching Principals and Strategies of Basketball class. You take the money; you get what’s rightfully yours. It’s the American way, and you don’t need an A in Economics 101 to figure it out.

Yes, the game of college basketball is deteriorating. But only at the expense of fans. For the scholarshiped men on the court, college basketball still serves one of two purposes: A road to professional basketball or a free ticket to a degree. For those who set their sights on the Association, it’s only logical to take the shortest road. After all, once their playing days are over, they can always come back and get their degree.

But what good does that do for the fans? They wouldn’t have any eligibility left.

Big Sky Conference 2003-04 Season Recap

by Nicholas Lozito

From his determination and intensity on the court, it’s obvious that Eastern Washington’s Alvin Snow is not a player who can tolerate much losing – which is why it must have been so difficult for the senior swingman to put up with three conference championship game losses over his first three seasons. It’s also why the fullback-sized defensive menace didn’t let it happen a fourth.

After winning the regular season conference title by four games, the Eagles knocked off defending conference champions Weber State 72-53 in the semifinals and a sharp shooting Northern Arizona club in the finals 71-59 to earn a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In the win over Weber, senior Brandon Merritt contributed seven points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals, while junior forward Marc Axton led the team with 21 points. Merritt had 22 points and Snow had ten points and eight rebounds in the championship game to send the Eagles to their first ever tournament berth. Eastern Washington coupled the intensity of a packed home crowd along with the confidence that comes with winning a conference championship with such great ease to help guide them through their conference tournament run.

The Eagles took a stronghold on the regular season championship early by winning eleven-straight conference games before losing their last two games heading into the tournament. The battle for the other five seeds in the conference tournament was not quite as simple as only two games separated the conference’s other seven teams. Northern Arizona, Idaho State, Sacramento State and Weber State all finished with 7-7 records while Montana and Montana State both finished 6-8, though Montana was awarded the sixth-and-final seed because of a tie-breaker which goes to the team with the most wins against the conference’s highest seed (Eastern Washington in this case).

After being predicted to finish near the bottom of the conference, Northern Arizona and Idaho State both had surprising seasons. Northern Arizona, for the most part, lived and died by the 3-point shot, with Aaron Bond (17.4 points) and Kelly Golob (13.4) leading the attack. Lanky 6-foot-3 point guard Marquis Poole (conference leader with 19.0 points and 6.0 assists) led Idaho State, breaking down defenses and disrupting opposing guards with his suffocating wingspan.

Despite not making the conference tournament, Portland State’s second year coach Heath Schroyer increased his team’s win total from five in 2002-03 to eleven this past season. He was helped along by a slew of junior college transfers, including the backcourt tandem of Blake Walker (16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds) and Will Funn (4.0 assists). Sacramento State coach Jerome Jenkins continued the steady improvement of his program as the Hornets hosted their first-ever tournament game – a 68-62 quarterfinal loss to Weber State.

In other tournament action, Montana lost to Idaho State 74-73 in their quarterfinal game. Idaho State then lost to Northern Arizona 91-72 in the semifinals. Merritt was named conference tournament MVP, while his Eagle teammates Axton and Snow were named tot the first team.

Eagles gunned down by Cowboys

No. 2 seed Oklahoma State put an end to any Eastern Washington (the 15th seed) Cinderella hopes by outscoring the Eagles 39-20 in the second half in the opening round on the NCAA Tournament. The two teams we tied at 36 at halftime. The Cowboys advanced all the way to the Final Four where they lost in the semifinals to Georgia Tech 67-65.

Merritt led the Eagles with fourteen points and seven rebounds, but shot only 4 of 14 from the field. Axton poured in ten points while Snow was held to two. For Oklahoma State, center Ivan Mcfarlin had twenty points, ten rebounds and four blocks. Point guard John Lucas, who went on to hit a clutch 3-pointer against Saint Joseph’s to send OSU to the Final Four, had 15 points and Tony Allen had seventeen points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Hoopville All-Conference Team
Marquis Poole (MVP): senior point guard, Idaho State
Alvin Snow: senior swingman, Eastern Washington
Aaron Bond: senior forward, Northern Arizona
Slobodan Ocokoljic: senior forward, Weber State
Seamus Boxley: junior forward, Portland State

Defensive Player of the Year

Alvin Snow

Newcomer of the Year

Kamarr Davis: Junior forward, Montana

Eastern Washington Eagles (17-13 overall, 11-3 in Big Sky)

The Eagles struggled through a brutal preseason schedule which featured road games against Gonzaga, San Diego State, Iowa and Oklahoma, finishing 6-10. But that was all chalked up to experience when conference play rolled around, as the Eagles rattled off eleven conference wins after losing their opener to Montana. Eastern Washington finished conference play with overtime losses at Weber State and Idaho State, but were able to bounce back in tournament play.

Forward Marc Axton helped key the Eagles turnaround with strong post play in conference action, where he averaged 13.2 points.

MVP: Senior swingman Alvin Snow (14.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists)

Top scorer: Alvin Snow (14.7)
Top rebounder: Alvin Snow (5.1)
Top assists: Brendon Merritt and Alvin Snow (3.0)

Starters Leaving
G – Brendon Merritt (graduation)
G – Alvin Snow (Graduation)
C – Gregg Smith (Graduation)
G – Josh Barnard (Graduation)

Key players returning
Danny Pariseau (junior guard, 5.9 points)
Marc Axton (senior forward, 12.9 points, 4.6 rebounds)
Matt Nelson (sophomore forward, 7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds)
Paul Butorac (sophomore forward, 4.0 points, 2.5 rebounds)

Former Washington State assistant Mike Burns will take over the head coaching job at Eastern Washington. Former coach Ray Giacoletti accepted the head coaching job at the University of Utah, where he takes over for legendary coach Rick Majerus.… Freshman Henry Bekkering, who redshirted last season, appeared on Fox Sports’ Best Damn Sports Show in late May to show off him dunking ability. The 6-foot-5 Canadian forward has made a name for himself though Internet. Bekkering averaged 35 points in high school.… Marc Axton competed with Canada’s Senior National team over the summer, while Bekkering competed with the Under-20 Team.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (15-14, 7-7)

The top scoring team in the Big Sky (75.9 points per game) used the 3-point stroke of Kelly Golob and Aaron Bond to advance all the way to the conference championship game. The Lumberjacks went 8-7 in the preseason and earned a No. 2 seed in the conference tournament by beating Montana in overtime 80-78 in their final conference game.

MVP: Senior forward Aaron Bond (17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds)

Top scorer: Aaron Bond (17.4 points)
Top rebounder: Aaron Bond (5.5 rebounds)
Top assists: Kyle Feuerbach (3.9 assists)

Starters Leaving
F – Aaron Bond (graduation)
F – Kodiak Yazzie (graduated)
G – Chris Ferguson (graduated)

Key players returning
Kelly Golob (junior guard, 13.4 points, 3.9 assists)
Kyle Feuerbach (senior guard, 3.9 assists)
Stephen Garnett (senior forward, 6.3 points)
Paul Meynen (sophomore center, 7-freaking-foot-0)
Ruben Boykin Jr. (sophomore forward, 7.3 points, 3.6 rebounds)

Idaho State Bengals (13-18, 7-7)

After a 5-9 preseason record, which featured three wins against non-Div. I teams, Idaho State seemed doomed for yet another poor season. To top it off, they would half to play the entire season without shooting guard David Schroeder, who injured his knee at Midnight Madness festivities.

The Bengals, led by seniors Marquis Poole and Scott Henry, were able to bounce back and qualify for the conference tournament where they narrowly beat Montana in the quarterfinals 74-73 behind 24 points from Henry. The Bengals then lost in the semifinals to Northern Arizona 91-72.

MVP: Marquis Poole (senior point guard, 19.0 points, 6.0 assists)

Top scorer: Marquis Poole (19.0 points)
Top rebounder: Scott Henry (7.3 rebounds)
Top assists: Marquis Poole (6.0 assists)

Starters Leaving
G – Marquis Poole (graduated)
F – Scott Henry (graduated)

Key players returning
David Schroeder (sophomore guard, medical redshirt last season)
Jeff Gardner (senior shooting guard, 11.1 points)
Doug D’Amore (senior forward, 6.6 points)
Jesse Smith (junior center, 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds)

Scott Henry’s brother, Tim Henry, will transfer to Idaho State from Wyoming. Tim, a 6-foot-5 swingman, will have one year of eligibility left after sitting out the upcoming season because of NCAA transfer rules. He averaged 5.7 points and 2.4 rebounds with the Cowboys.

Sacramento State Hornets (13-15, 7-7)

High expectations surrounded the Hornets this past season, as their top-two scorers from the 2001-02 season -Joseth Dawson and Joel Jones – returned from a year of ineligibility and Massachusetts transfer Jameel Pugh was set to take the floor for the first time with Jerome Jenkins team. The Hornets showed signs of fulfilling the expectations at times, but ended up finishing the season with a disappointing quarterfinal loss to Weber State on their home court.

MVP: Senior swingman Joel Jones (12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds)

Top scorer: Joseth Dawson (14.4 points)
Top rebounder: Cedric Thompkins (5.6 rebounds)
Top assists: DaShawn Freeman (3.4 assists)

Starters Leaving
F – Joel Jones (graduation)
F – Cedric Thompkins (graduated)
C- Tony Champion (graduated)
G – Joseth Dawson (graduated)
G – Brandon Guyton (graduated)

Key players returning
DaShawn Freeman (junior guard, 5.1 points, 3.4 assists)
Jameel Pugh (senior small forward, 9.3 points, 4.9 rebounds)
Chris Lange (junior forward, 3.6 points, 3.6 rebounds)

Head coach Jerome Jenkins signed a contract extension through 2006…. Yikes!!! The Hornets will open at Michigan on November 19, play at Fresno State on December 11, and at Oregon State on December 28.

Weber State Wildcats (15-14, 7-7)

After losing conference MVP Jermaine Boyette, the Wildcats knew it would be tough to 3-peat as conference champions. Weber State did win four of their last five conference games to sneak into the conference tournament, where they beat Sacramento State in the opening round before falling to Eastern Washington in the semifinals. The Wildcats had defeated the Eagles in the tournament championship game in 2002 and 2003.

MVP: Senior forward Slobodan Ocokoljic (15.0 points, 6.6 rebounds)
Top scorer: Slobodan Ocokoljic (15.0 points)
Top rebounder: Slobodan Ocokoljic (6.6 rebounds)
Top assists: Jamaal Jenkins (2.3 assists)

Starters Leaving
F – Nic Sparrow (graduation)
F – Slobodan Ocokoljic (graduated)
G – John Hamilton (graduated)
F – Patrick Danley

Key players returning
Lance Allred (senior center, 12.0 points, 6.2 rebounds)
Ryan Davis (senior guard, 2.8 points, 1.7 assists)
Jamaal Jenkins (junior guard, 2.3 assists)

Montana Grizzlies (10-18, 6-8)

The Grizzlies won six of their final seven games to advance as the final (No. 6) seed into the Big Sky Tournament. They were led by junior college transfer Kamarr Davis, who provided an interior presence for the team. The Grizzlies lost six-straight conference games at one point.

MVP: Junior Kamarr Davis (14.1 points, 6.3 rebounds)

Top scorer: Kamarr Davis (14.1 points)
Top rebounder: Kamarr Davis (6.3 rebounds)
Top assists: Derrick Mansell (4.1 assists)

Starters Leaving
G – Derrick Mansell (graduation)
F -Victor Ventors (graduated)

Key players returning
Kamarr Davis (senior forward, 14.1 points, 6.3 rebounds)
Kevin Criswell (junior guard, 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds)
Roy Booker (senior guard, 9.3 points)
John Seyfert (junior center, 3.9 points, 5.4 rebounds)

Head coach Pat Kennedy, a former coach at DePaul and one of the game’s top recruiters, announced he will leave Montana to become head coach at Towson University. Larry Krystkowiak, Montana’s career scoring and rebounding leader who played from 1982-86, was hired to replace Kennedy. He hired Wayne Tinkle and Brad Huse as his assistants.

Montana State Bobcats (14-13, 6-8)

Don’t be fooled by a halfway decent preseason record (8-5), because the Bobcats played their fair-share of crappy teams. “Why must you be so harsh on our Bobcats,” cries a lonely fan from Bozeman. Because tough love is the only thing which can save Montana State at this point. With a 6-8 conference record, the Bobcats failed to make the conference tournament yet again. Oh, and they are losing their best player Jason Erickson to graduation.

MVP: Senior guard Jason Erickson (17.3 points, 2.7 assists)

Top scorer: Jason Erickson (17.3 points)
Top rebounder: Calvin Ento (6.0 rebounds)
Top assists: Frank Brown (4.4 assists)

Starters Leaving
G — Jason Erickson (graduated)
F – Calvin Ento (graduated)
F – Josh Barsh (graduated)
F — Calvin Ento (graduated)

Key players returning
G — Frank Brown (junior guard, 7.7 points, 4.4 assists)
F – Nick Dissly (sophomore forward, 9.1 points)
C – Matt Towsley (senior center, 8.2 points, 4.2 rebounds)

Portland State Vikings (11-16, 5-9)

Although the Vikings did fall short of another tournament berth, they did improve their win total from four in 2002-03 to eleven this past season. But losing their last three games with a tournament berth at stake was not a good way to end the season.

MVP: Junior guard Blake Walker (16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds)

Top scorer: Blake Walker (16.1 points)
Top rebounder: Seamus Boxley ( 9.4 rebounds)
Top assists: Will Funn (4.0 assists)

Starters Leaving
F — Marshal Hartman(transfer)

Key players returning
Blake Walker (senior guard, 16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds)
Will Funn (senior guard, 7.7 points, 4.0 assists)
Seamus Boxley (senior forward, 14.8 points, 9.3 rebounds)
Antone Jarrell (senior forward, 8.6 points)

The Vikings have hired two new assistants, Senque Carey and Fred Langley. Carey’s college career ended two seasons ago at New Mexico after suffering a severe spinal cord injury.

Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nicholas Lozito

The Slammies

For two years I’ve been waiting to see Sacramento State’s dunking duo of Jameel Pugh and Joel Jones do their thing. And Saturday night against Montana, I finally got my wish.

Dunk No. 1: As me and my student-radio broadcast partner Danny Pinto struggle to set up our equipment — two minutes into the game — we glance up to see Jones receive a pass on the fast beak. Jones, a graceful 6-foot-5 swingman, takes off a few feet inside the free-throw line and finishes with his right hand.

Dunk No. 2: After Pinto and I failed to figure out how to set up our 1970′s radio equipment, we went down to the floor and took a seat behind press row. As soon as we sit down, the Hornets are on the break again with Joseth Dawson handling the ball and Pugh to his right. Dawson lobs an alley-oop pass which sails a good foot above the square on the backboard. Pugh rises to a ridiculous height and grabs the pass with two hands, then switches to just his right hand for a monstrous spike jam.

Dunk No. 3: Pugh gets a steal on the perimeter and there is nobody between him and the basket. The entire crowd is on their feet in anticipation of what the No. 33-rated dunker by Slam Magazine will do. After the game, Pugh said he didn’t attempt a between-the-legs or elbow-in-the-rim slam because he was fearful of what Hornet coach Jerome Jenkins’ reaction would be. So, instead, he elevated as high as he could, finishing with a ferocious right hand tomahawk jam.

Dunk No. 4: Minutes later, Jones has the ball on the wing, and he finds a crease in the defense. Only Grizzly forward Kamarr Davis is between him and the basket. Mr. Davis, meet Mr. Jones.

Jones finished the game with a team-high 22 points for the Hornets, who defeated the Grizzlies 76-67. Pugh and Dawson both finished with eleven points, while Davis led Montana with 24 points.

The Hornets defeated Montana State on Thursday, 77-71, receiving a clutch performance from third-string, walk-on point guard James Payne. Payne sparked the Hornets’ go-ahead run in the second half with tenacious defense and a bank 3-pointer from the right wing as the shot clock expired.

The Hornets are 8-3 in games in Hornet Gym, 1-8 in road games.

Eagles Flying High

With a convincing 100-73 win at home over Idaho State, and another win over Weber State, 73-67, Eastern Washington maintained a one-game lead in the Big Sky standings. Against Weber State, junior forward Marc Axton led the way with 25 points and eight rebounds. Against Idaho State, it was guard Alvin Snow who recorded 20 points, six rebounds and six assists.

The Eagles have now won six-straight conference games after losing their opener to Montana at home. Junior shooting guard Josh Barnard has continued his torrid shooting from 3-point range, connecting on 6-of-11 treys against Idaho State. Barnard is shooting 51.6 percent on the season. After playing less than 20 minutes in each of the season’s first seven games, freshman forward Matt Nelson has played over 20 minutes in twelve of the past thirteen, providing Axton with a legitimate frontcourt scoring partner.

Gazing The Sky

After losing their first eight road games, Eastern Washington has won their past four — including three in conference play. The Eagles 27-point victory over Idaho State was their largest victory of the season.

After home wins over Montana, 83-67, and Montana State, 63-57, Northern Arizona has now won four-straight conference games. Forward Aaron Bond is the Big Sky’s second leading scorer at 17.4 points, including 26 and 16-point efforts this past weekend. The Lumberjacks attempt the most 3-pointers per game (8.6) and connect on the second-best percentage (38.1 percent) in the conference.

Idaho State got slapped around by Eastern Washington on Thursday, losing 100-73, then beat Portland State on Saturday, 80-71. Point guard Marquise Poole recorded 29 points, seven rebounds and five assists against the Vikings. The Bengals also lost a non-conference game on Monday to Idaho, 75-59.

Both Montana State and Montana were swept this weekend at Sacramento State and Northern Arizona. Portland State was swept by Weber State and Idaho State.

The Hornets have moved from last place into a tie for fourth with the sweep. Only one game separates the bottom five teams.

Player of the Week

Marquise Poole, Idaho State

Averaged 25.5 points, six rebounds, seven assists and 1.5 steals for the Bengals in conference games this weekend.

College Quotebook – January 15th – 24th

by Nicholas Lozito

Alisa Lewis: Long Socks And Big Smiles

“Can’t you just see her watching over us? I can see her, sitting on that rim, smiling that smile, swinging her legs and just smiling down on us.”

– California women’s basketball coach Caren Horstmeyer talks about her former player Alisa Lewis, 20, who died last Monday of bacterial meningitis.

“When we both came to Cal, I asked her one day about her long socks and knee pads. And she said, ‘My dad always told me girls should have nice knees and legs.’ And we looked each other in the eye, and just bust out laughing for hours.”

– Lewis’ former Cal teammate Renee White at last week’s memorial services.

“There is a basketball court in heaven, and she is on it.”

– Horstmeyer, reading a quote from Lewis’ mother, Diane, at last week’s memorial services.

Hear This…

“He told me, ‘Lance, you’ve weaseled yourself through life using your hearing as an excuse. You’re a disgrace to cripples. If I was a cripple in a wheelchair and saw (the way) you play basketball, I’d shoot myself.’”

– Former Utah center Lance Allred alleged that Ute coach Rick Majerus berated him about his partial hearing loss. Majerus was cleared of the allegations through a university investigation. Allred has transferred to Weber State.

“If the allegations were accurate, we would not tolerate that in the classroom. Should it be tolerated in athletics?”

– Interim university president Lorris Betz, who told the Salt Lake tribune he was confident with the investigation process.

Quit Or Cut?

“I was like, `What are you trying to do? Make me quit? If that’s the case just come out and say it and I’ll go home and pack up all my Nevada issue stuff and give it back to you.”

– Former Nevada forward Deane Brown, who says his former coach Trent Johnson forced him off the team.

“Dean and I met today and we both came to the agreement and felt it was in the best interest that Dean concentrate on getting healthy and focus on his academics.”

– In a statement made January 13, Johnson said that it was a mutual agreement for Brown to leave the team following December knee surgery.

“He doesn’t know how to talk to nobody and how to treat people…. I’m grateful for him giving me a scholarship and all. But one thing my mother and pops say about me is if I’m treated unfair, I’ll speak my mind. I’m not going to sit there and take it like other people…. In sports period, nobody believes the players. Everybody believes the coach. Whatever the coach says is the truth,” Brown added.

Cardinal Sin: Dwelling On The Past

“Wednesday night, do you know there was like 5 million people watching that game … watching us get our tails kicked…. If somebody hit you in your face, don’t you want to fight back?”

– Even after their 83-47 victory on Saturday over Southern Mississippi, Cincinnati guard Tony Bobbitt was still thinking about the Bearcats’ 93-66 loss on Wednesday at Louisville.

“They were angry at Louisville, but they didn’t get a chance to play Louisville, so they took it out on us.”

– Southern Mississippi coach James Green after the game

Who’s The Man?

“I’m just a big-time player.”

– Oklahoma State’s Joey Graham comments after a 21-point, ten-rebound performance in a 72-67 win over Texas.

“They have some big country boys, Texas. They’re pretty big down there. If we can rebound with the best of them, we’ll always have a great chance,” Graham added.

Just Win One, Baby

“We’re doing what we can, but the players we have are not as good as some of the other teams in this league.”

– Loyola (Maryland) College athletic director Joe Boylan, who’s men’s basketball program is four losses away from tying Grambling’s mark of 33-consecutive Division I losses.

“Everybody teases us about it.”

– Loyola guard Jamaal Dixon

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Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nicholas Lozito

Bengals Bounce Back

Sports are unpredictable. One day you’ll think you have everything figured out, and the next day the Carolina Panthers are in the Super Bowl. The Big Sky Conference is no exception.

When the preseason came to a close, the Idaho State Bengals — 5-9 at the time — looked like a North Dakota high school junior varsity basketball team. The Bengals’ biggest wins were against Binghamton, Arkansas-Little Rock and Texas-San Antonio, and it looked as if a preseason, season-ending injury to starting shooting guard David Schroeder was too much to overcome.

But to the Pacific Northwest’s surprise — with the exception of Northern Arizona — the Bengals have found their groove in early Big Sky action. Idaho State is 2-1, with a home win over defending champion Weber State and a road victory over the conference’s top team in the preseason, Montana State. Their only loss was at Montana in a game where the Grizzlies shot 54.7 percent from the field and outrebounded ISU 50-27.

Leading the resurgence in Pocatello have been forwards Scott Henry and Doug D’Amore. Henry, who struggled early in the preseason, has averaged 18.6 points and 8.3 rebounds in conference play. Last season, Henry was one of the conference leaders in double-doubles for a Bengals squad that finished four slots higher in the conference standings than the year prior. D’Amore, who averages 7.5 points and 2.4 rebounds, recorded 28 points and nine boards in the upset win against Montana State.

Craven Criticizes Officials, Receives Suspension

Weber State head coach Joe Cravens was suspended for one game after criticizing Big Sky officiating on a radio talk show last Wednesday. Cravens, when asked about his team’s road game at Idaho State, “questioned the ‘level of officiating’ on the road and suggested some officials can be easily intimidated by home crowds,” according to ESPN reports.

Craven was suspended for Weber State’s game against Montana State, which the Wildcats lost 61-48. Cravens has since apologized for his comments. The Bengals’ loss against Idaho State snapped a 15-game conference winning streak.

Durham’s Da Man

With Montana State’s win over Weber State, head coach Mick Durham became the Big Sky’s all-time winningest coach in conference games with 102. Durham, whose all-time record with the Bobcats is 213-178, is only one win shy of breaking the all-time wins record for a Big Sky coach — former Boise State head coach Bobby Dye holds the all-time mark with a record of 214-132.

Player Of The Week

Seamus Boxley, Portland State

Averaged 18.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in a win at Northern Arizona and a loss at Sacramento State.

Gazing The Sky

Eastern Washington Eagles 68, Sacramento State Hornets 62

The Eagles most recent victory came on the road against Sacramento State, 68-62, capping a 2-0 road trip. Marc Axton scored 16 first half points — 22 overall — and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Eastern Washington, despite leaving the game momentarily with a lower leg injury. Shooting guard Brandon Merritt also missed much of the first half with a leg injury, but later returned.

6-foot-2 Guard Alvin Snow did a phenomenal job of shutting down the larger Joel Jones, one of the conference’s top offensive players, holding him to eight points on 3-of-6 shooting. Snow diminished with fourteen points and seven rebounds. Teammate Josh Barnard also finished with fourteen. The Eagles shot 56.8 percent from the field, but only 53.8 percent from the line.

Sac State was led by shooting guard Joseth Dawson’s 19 points, and 13 from forward Chris Lange. Jones had five assists. The Hornets shot 37.7 percent from the field, but made 19-of-26 free throws, an area they had recently struggled in.

Eastern Washington 63, Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 57

Merritt scored a game-high nineteen points to lead the Eagles to a 63-57 win over the Lumberjacks. Snow added ten points and eight rebounds, while freshman forward Matt Nelson scored 15. Forward Kelly Golob led Northern Arizona with fifteen points as the Lumberjacks, the leagues top 3-point shooting team, converted only 5-of-16 attempts.

Idaho State 75, Montana State 64

Marquise Poole is the foundation of Idaho State’s team. The senior point guard played all 40 minutes and dished out six assists in the upset win, while D’Amore scored 28. Jesse Smith (10 points), Jeff Gardner (11) and Scott Henry (13) all scored in double figures as well. Shooting guard Jason Erickson also played all 40 minutes and scored eighteen points for Montana State, while point guard Frank Brown had eight assists. The Bobcats hoisted 29 3-pointers, making only seven.

Idaho State 76, Montana 91

Kamarr Davis scored 23 points and grabbed twelve rebounds to lead the Grizzlies over Idaho State. The Montana backcourt tandem of Kevin Criswell and Derrick Mansell combined for 30 points, eleven assists and eleven rebounds. Poole scored 24 points and twelve assists for the Bengals, while Henry had 24 points and eleven rebounds.

Montana State 61, Weber State 48

Erickson scored a game-high 22 points, including 4-of-6 3-pointers, to lead Montana State over defending conference champion Weber State. The Bobcats forced 29 turnovers, including sixteen steals on the night. Wildcat forward Slobodan Ocokoljic scored thirteen points, but turned the ball over eleven times on the night. The Wildcats did out-rebound the Bobcats 36-22.

Portland State Vikings 71, Northern Arizona 65

Starting Viking forward Seamus Boxley had 23 points and fifteen rebounds, while backup forward Seth Scott had eleven points in only sixteen minutes. Portland State, which has the most athletic and versatile frontline in the conference, out-rebounded the Lumberjacks 34-27. Aaron Bond led NAU with 26 points. After scoring twelve points-or-more in his prior ten games, Viking shooting guard Blake Walker has scored ten and eight, respectively, in his last two games.

Northern Arizona made only 4-of-17 3-pointers, while the Vikings had only six assists.

Portland State 64, Sacramento State 76

Sac State has been looking for one of their big men to step up, and last Thursday Cedric Thompkins answered that call. Thompkins scored nineteen points and grabbed five rebounds to lead the Hornets to their only conference win on a three game homestand. Shooting guard Brandon Guyton made 4-of-8 3-pointers en route to sixteen points, as the Hornets kept the up-tempo style game they prefer in the second half, scoring 46 points.

Weber State 74, Montana 61

Frontcourt players Lance Allred (ten points), Slobodan Ocokolijic (nineteen points), Pat Danley (fifteen points) and Nic Sparrow (eleven points) led Weber State in scoring, as the guards could muster only eleven points. Kevin Criswell led Montana with 16 points. The Grizzlies only had five assists.