Men's Basketball Yote Notes - Edition 1
COMING UP: vs. Northwest Nazarene, Tuesday, 7:05 p.m.
TV/RADIO/LIVE STATS: For the sixth-straight season, United Heritage will sponsor The College of Idaho-Northwest Nazarene men’s basketball game – this year a home-and-home series between the teams. – known officially as the United Heritage Tip-Off Series. The game will be carried live on KTVB’s 24/7 channel (Cable Channel 28, Digital Channel 7.2) with Justin Corr calling the play-by-play and Brian King handling color commentary. The Yotes will not have a radio broadcast originating from the game, however, Craig Stensgaard will have the play-by-play on NNU’s radio broadcast on 950 KNJY-AM. Live statistics of the game will also be available online at http://yotestats.i8.com/basketball/xlive.htm.
TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for the game are currently on sale at both institutions – contact the athletic marketing office at The C of I at 459-5835 or the NNU ticket office at 467-8876. Ticket prices are $12 for reserved tickets, $7 for general admission tickets, and $5 for student/senior tickets. Gates will open one hour prior to tip-off.
C OF I-NNU GAME RETURNS TO ITS ROOTS: For the first time since the 1999-2000 season, the Coyotes and NNU will play a home-and-home series on their home courts. The last game between the teams in Caldwell was on Feb. 23, 2000 – a 83-76 C of I win. The last meeting at the Johnson Sports Center in Nampa was on Feb. 17, 2000 – an 82-77 NNU victory.
OLDEST COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL SERIES IN IDAHO: The recorded history of The C of I-NNU series began in 1933, with C of I knocking off Northwest Nazarene, 23-16. Overall, the two teams have met 183 times in men’s basketball, with the Coyotes holding a 111-72 advantage. The Coyotes have had three seven-game win streaks in the series (1952-56,1960-62. 1984-86), while NNU has won five games in a row three times (1975-76, 1977-80, and 1996-97). The last four meetings – including three wins for the Yotes, were exhibition games for both teams, and do not count in the all-time series standings.
AT THE IDAHO CENTER: The two teams met seven times at the Idaho Center over the last decade, with the Yotes picking up wins in 2000 (73-59), 2001 (99-86), 2005 (78-71), 2006 (88-80), and 2007 (60-54), while NNU notched wins in 2004 (78-75) and 2008 (76-71).
LAST SEASON: Joel Ryman hit a three-pointer with just over three minutes remaining, as NNU closed the game on a 9-2 run, as the Crusaders defeated The C of I, 76-71, in the 7th Annual United Heritage Tip-Off exhibition game before 4,278 fans at the Idaho Center. The win for NNU ended a three-game losing streak in the series - the oldest basketball rivalry in the State of Idaho, dating back to 1933. The Coyotes battled back from a 64-58 deficit late in the second half, as Jordan Stokes scored nine-straight points, giving The C of I a 69-67 lead. However, Ryman hit his trey, then after both teams squandered possessions, Louie Beech hit a triple with less than a minute to go to stretch the margin to four, with the Crusaders sealing the game with free throws. Unlike the last three meetings in which the Yotes trailed by at least 17 points, neither team had a lead of more than six. Stokes led the way with 21 points, eight rebounds, and three steals, while Craig McGee (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) scored 19 points. NNU got 14 points from Beech, Kendall Gielow adding 13 points and six rebounds, Brian Barkdoll scoring 12.
ABOUT THE CRUSADERS: Northwest Nazarene is coming off a 14-13 season and a sixth-place finish in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and were picked to finish sixth in the GNAC Preseason Poll. The Crusaders return a trio of double-figure scorers in posts Kendall Gielow (14.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Brian Barkdoll (13.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg) – both All-GNAC selections, along with local standout Louie Beach (11.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg). NNU will also have a trio of high-caliber recruits, including Latief Williams out of North Idaho CC and brothers Drew and Jamie Eisinger of Western Nebraska CC. Head coach Tim Hills’ bunch lost an 85-51 exhibition game at Utah State earlier this year and will host Northwest University on Friday in their second non-counter.
COUNTER FOR THE YOTES, NON-COUNTER FOR NNU: With just 25 games on their schedule, the Coyotes will use their season opener against NNU as a counting game – unlike the last few seasons. However, the Crusaders will use the game as their third allotted scrimmage as allowed by the NCAA.
CCC PRESEASON POLL: The ten CCC coaches seemed to have done their homework, as the Coyotes received six first-place votes, earning the top spot in the balloting. It marked the highest preseason ranking in the league under head coach Mark Owen (10th year, 180-110) – as the Yotes were ranked second in the preseason poll in both 2002-03 and 2003-04, and haven’t been ranked higher than fourth since 2005-06. Defending champion, Oregon Tech, claimed two first-place votes and were second, followed by Warner Pacific, Evergreen State, and Eastern Oregon – each teams that advanced to the NAIA Tournament (with EOU reaching the quarterfinals and OIT and ESC reaching the second-round). The preseason No. 1 team in the league has been a good place to be – as during the seven years the CCC has conducted the poll, the favorite has advanced to the NAIA Tournament each year, while winning the league title four of the seven seasons.
NAIA TOP-25 PRESEASON POLL: For the first time since the 2005-06 season, the Coyotes will begin the season ranked in the Top-25, earning a No. 8 ranked in the NAIA Division II Preseason Top-25 Coaches Poll, released on Oct. 26. It marks the first time since the 2006-07 season that the Yotes have been in the Top-25, while the squad has received at least one vote in the poll every season since the NAIA split into two divisions in 1991. It is the highest ranking for the Coyotes since they ascended to No. 5 during the 2004-05 season and is the highest preseason ranking since opening the 1999-00 season at No. 2. Three other CCC teams were in the Top-25 – No. 11 Oregon Tech, No. 18 Warner Pacific, and No. 22 Evergreen State.
NEW LOOK HOME FLOOR: Fans will notice a new look to the J.A. Albertson Activities Center when they arrive for the home opener, as the surface received a facelift over the summer. Gone is the painted three-point arc, along with the cursive Yotes at center-court, replaced by a large “CI” logo – while the keys and inside the arc remained unpainted.
ABOUT THE COACH: Mark Owen begins his tenth season as head men's basketball coach at The C of I. After serving for nine seasons as an assistant to NAIA Hall-of-Fame coach Marty Holly with the Coyotes, Owen took over the reins during the 2000-01 season - and has directed the school to five 20-win seasons, three Cascade Conference Tournament championships, and five NAIA National Tournament appearances. Under his direction, The C of I has been ranked or received votes in the NAIA Top-25 in all nine of his seasons as coach. The Yotes have been ranked as high as No. 3 in the NAIA Division II national poll, with his 2003-04 club winning the first CCC regular-season championship since 1996 - earning Owen CCC Coach of the Year honors. While an assistant to Holly, Owen was primarily responsible for running the Coyote offense, which averaged over 78 points per game - including the 1995-96 NAIA Division II National Championship team that averaged 85.4 points per game. Prior to joining the Coyote coaching staff, Owen coached at Marsing High School for four seasons, leading the Huskies to a 21-4 record and a fifth-place finish in the 1990 Idaho State 'A-4' basketball tournament. Owen, the Coyotes' all-time assist leader, competed for the College of Idaho from 1982-1985, leading the school to back-to-back NAIA District II championships and its first appearance at the NAIA National Basketball Tournament in 22 years. As a senior, Owen was a third-team NAIA All-America pick, NAIA District II Player of the Year, and first-team Little All-Northwest. He was also selected as the NAIA's National Player of the Week during his senior season. During his three-year career, Owen dished out 631 assists (7.1 per game), while scoring 1,242 career points (14.0 per game). Owen holds the single-season C of I record with 244 assists and also holds the school's second-highest single-game scoring mark with 47 points. For his endeavors, he was inducted into The C of I Athletic Hall-of-Fame in 1996. Following his collegiate career, Owen was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers in the seventh-round of the 1985 NBA Draft. He is a graduate of Boise High, where he helped the Braves to the 1980 A-1 basketball championship. Owen has three children - daughters Amanda and Whitney, and son Josh - who was an NAIA All-American for the Yotes in 2008.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more on The C of I men’s basketball program, head to the official homepage of the Coyotes, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.asp.