Eastern Washington basketball’s first D-I postseason experience began with a blizzard, ended with a clang

Eastern Washington’s first postseason appearance as an NCAA Division I member in 2003 could have been in Hawaii.

Instead, it was in the snowy Rocky Mountains.

Former coach Ray Giacoletti says Hawaii was discussed by the NIT selection committee to be EWU’s opponent, but instead, it fatefully turned out to be Wyoming in Laramie.

“To be honest, it was just as hard to get a NIT bid as an at-large bid with all the parameters there were,” said Giacoletti. “We would have gone anywhere – obviously.”

The task would be to play at Wyoming on March 19, with the team flying into and staying in Denver, Colorado, the day before. However, an epic blizzard blanketed the Denver area, and the trip – as well as the game – were in limbo.

“That was the craziest trip I’ve ever been on in my entire career – nothing else is even close,” Giacoletti said. “You couldn’t make it up – it was like a movie. It was their 100-year snowstorm, and we have our president (Dr. Stephen Jordan) with us.”

Remarkably, Eastern’s flight was one of the few to make it into the Denver airport that day, as the terminal was crowded with stranded travelers. That flight would prove to be EWU’s easiest mode of transportation.

After Eastern’s bus departed the airport, it promptly got stuck at a nearby restaurant where the team had planned to eat. Led by the 6-foot-10 Gregg Smith, players and staff pushed the bus out of the snow, which had accumulated to more than a foot by then.

The Eagles shared the restaurant with Vermont, on its way to the NCAA Tournament in Salt Lake City. The weather forced the Catamounts to spend the night at the airport, and they arrived in SLC just 13 hours prior to losing 80-51 to Arizona.

Recalls Giacoletti: “It was strange that we were there, but what were they doing there?”

The game eventually would be postponed a day, leaving Eastern with a day off to find a gym to practice in. Once again, the bus didn’t cooperate.

It became stuck at the team hotel multiple times and at Metro State University in downtown Denver, where the team practiced, as well as seemingly any time it stopped. Smith and his supporting cast unloaded off the bus, pushed it out and then the team piled back on the bus again. Smith, who in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament earned Chevrolet Player of the Game honors for EWU, came up with some timely assists during this trip.

“At first, the coaches wanted all the players to stay on the bus while the staff pushed it out,” said the 280-pound Smith. “That didn’t work, so most of us finally got off and helped.”

Finally, the weather cleared and Eastern made the trip north to Laramie for the game.

“It’s funny how certain things stick out,” Giacoletti said. “I remember it probably wasn’t our best game, but I can’t remember much else.”

Or maybe he chooses not to. The weather prevented the original crew of officials from making it to Laramie, and a makeshift group stepped in. A 37-12 edge in free throws for Wyoming left longtime EWU radio announcer Larry Weir slamming his pen in disgust over what he was seeing – and he was far from silent about it.

“I really thought I was going to get kicked out,” Weir laughs now. “(Athletic director) Scott Barnes came down from the stands and told me I better quiet down.”