There’s another ground floor being built in Cheney
A GRIP ON SPORTS
It seemed as if last night was a good night to watch a college basketball game live. It was. Read on.
• There were a lot of reasons to head out to Cheney last night to watch Eastern Washington host Lewis-Clark State. The game matched two good teams – the Warriors, an NAIA school, had already won 13 games while Eastern is off to its best non-conference start as a Division I school. There were players on both teams which I wanted to see play. And Cheney is always a good place to watch a basketball game. Heck, before the tip, EWU coach Jim Hayford took the mike and told the folks in the upper deck to make their way closer to the floor. It was Christmastime, after all, and there were only a few Eastern students in attendance. But it really didn't matter. There isn't a bad seat in Reese Court and the product on the floor has reached new heights this season. In fact, it took me back in time a bit. In the early and mid-1990s, one of our cheap evenings out involved packing up the boys and heading over to Gonzaga to watch Dan Fitzgerald's teams. The Kennel wasn't really the Kennel in those days. There always seemed to be plenty of room in the upper deck on the north side for the kids to spread out and Kim and I to watch the game. And it was always worth watching. The level of play was excellent, even if not to today's standards. The foundation was being laid, however. Players like John Rillie, Jeff Brown, Jamie Dudley and Scott Spink were the forefathers of today's top-10 teams. But not all that many folks seemed to care. Now fast forward to 2014. The Eagles are beginning to build something. Tyler Harvey (pictured), who had eight 3-pointers last night in the 87-81 win, is as good a long-range shooter as there is in the nation. He is also the Eagles' all-time leader in 3-pointers made. Venky Jois rebounds, defends and scores inside. Drew Brandon, who is dealing with a balky back, may not be the best point guard in the state, but if he isn't, he is in the conversation. Parker Kelly, the Gonzaga Prep graduate, matches up with the opponent's leading scorer most nights and supplies outside shooting when the Eagles spread the court. All-in-all Eastern is fun to watch. Which, in a long, roundabout way, brings me to my point. There once was a time when it was easy to watch Gonzaga's men play live. No longer. It is easy to watch Eastern's men play in person. Now. If they go to the NCAA tournament this season – and they have to be the favorite from the Big Sky right now – it may just begin a long run of success in Cheney. Then tickets will be tougher to come by. Just like they are for the football games.
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• WSU: For such a quiet time, there was a decent amount of noise coming out of Pullman yesterday and Jacob Thorpe had to deal with all of it. He started the day with a look back at the win over San Jose State, then met yours truly for lunch. Guess which one was more enjoyable? ... Jacob spent the afternoon dealing with a transfer, as freshman cornerback Kevin Griffin has left Pullman. We can pass along Jacob's blog post and story about that. Jacob also has a morning post today, as usual. ... The Cougar women finished non-conference play with an easy win at Loyola-Marymount. ... When I first covered the Cougars oh so long ago, I wasn't the most knowledgeable football guy. I needed to learn a bit more. So I spent a few hours in film session with then offensive coordinator Timm Rosenbach. If he could teach me a thing or two, then his next assignment should be easy.
• Gonzaga: The Zags had the night off but St. Mary's didn't. The Gaels held off Northeastern in overtime.
• EWU: John Blanchette was filling in for a vacationing Jim Allen on the Eastern beat last night and has this game story. ... The EWU women ventured into SEC country and defeated Florida on its home court to win its tournament. ... It wasn't a real successful night for the Big Sky teams as Weber State was beat down by Oklahoma and Southern Utah lost to Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Portland State did win but it was against overmatched Walla Walla University.
• Idaho: The Vandals ended non-conference play with another road loss. Sean Kramer has more in this blog post.
• Whitworth: A noon start seemed to fit the Pirates perfectly as they hit 19 3-pointers and routed Wells College, 84-43 on Monday. Tom Clouse has the game story and Jesse Tinsley has the photographs.
• Preps: The GSL played a full schedule on Monday night to clear some time before Christmas. We can pass along girls and boys roundups. ... Bill Pierce has a history lesson on the blog today.
• Seahawks: As one could expect, Monday was filled with stories about the rout of Arizona, a big game that was expected to be closer. For some reason, the Hawks seem to play better in big games. ... So where would you rate Marshawn Lynch's run? You can also vote in the poll on this page. ... One of the more interesting aspects of the victory was the unsung contributions of some of the supporting players, including the revamped offensive line and a receiver corps that was missing some elements. ... With the Arizona game in the rearview mirror, the Rams are up next. The Hawks are a big favorite, again. ... Most of Seattle's better playoff scenarios begin with a win this weekend.
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• Hey, it's almost Christmas. Cool. Until later ...
