‘Yote Notes –
Nov. 19, 2002
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Mike Safford Jr.
– Sports Info. Director
msafford@albertson.edu
GENERAL
ATHLETICS NEWS:
BASEBALLERS RANKED NO.
9 IN PRESEASON POLL: Head
coach Shawn Humberger and the Albertson baseball team will begin the
2003 season ranked No. 9 in the NAIA, as the preseason national poll was
released last week. The Coyotes, fresh off their third-place finish at
the 2002 College World Series, begin play in February.
STEELE, JAKOVAC
HONORED: A pair
of Albertson men's soccer players were named to the All-NAIA Region I team this
past week. Keeper Jake Steele and defender Drake Jakovac were
members of the 12-player squad. Both will have a shot at All-American
status in the coming week.
"EVENING WITH THE
COYOTES" A SUCCESS: A special thanks goes out to the 175 or so people who attended last
week's fundraiser at the Boise Centre on the Grove. Not only was it a
great social event, but the motivational speech by Mark Adams was an
all-timer. With money still being tallied, over $20,000 was raised to
help support the student-athletes of Albertson College.
IN
MEMORY: Last week, a
good friend of the Albertson athletic department, Northwest Nazarene sports
information director, Gil Craker, passed away following a short
bout with brain cancer. Gil had always been a friendly face not only in
Albertson-NNU games, but also as the tournament director for the NAIA Division
II National Championships during its stay in Nampa. Our department's
thoughts and prayers are with the Craker family and the entire Crusader
athletic department.
MEN’S BASKETBALL (6-2): Coyotes
stop first-ever NCAA Division I opponent, take four-game win streak to Klamath
Falls
LAST WEEK: Won
at Idaho State, 72-68; defeated Montana Tech, 105-55; defeated Montana-Western,
84-65.
THIS WEEK: At
Cascade Conference Tip-Off Tournament, Klamath Falls, Ore. – vs. Concordia, Thursday,
1:30 p.m. (PST); vs. Cascade or Southern Oregon, Friday, 1:30 or 3:30 p.m.; vs.
Oregon Tech, Western Baptist, Northwest or Evergreen, Saturday, TBA.
DAVID SLAYS GOLIATH: Just as the Bible talks of David using stones to
slay the Philistine Goliath, a similar parable was answered last Tuesday night. The Albertson men’s basketball team was
little Hickory High School heading to the state finals against South Bend
Central, as the Coyotes met Idaho State at American Falls High. Just as David killed the giant, and the
Huskers saw Jimmy Chitwood drain a jumper to win the state title, Albertson did
the improbable, defeating the Bengals, 72-68, their first-ever victory over an
NCAA Division I opponent. The ‘Yotes
overcame a 24-11 first half deficit, using a balance of three-point shots and
free throws to take control of the game in the final 20 minutes. Albertson hit its final 11 charity tosses,
including six in the final minute to ice the game.
AGAINST DIVISION I’S: Albertson had not fared well against NCAA Division
I opponents before Tuesday night. With
teams such as Boise State, Idaho State, Nevada-Reno, and Montana dotting the
schedule over the past 35 years, the Coyotes had gone 0-29 against the big
schools before its upset win. The last
time Albertson had defeated Idaho State – during the 1949-50 season, a 55-50
victory for the C of I in Caldwell.
BURGER MANIA: It
was raining Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers in the J.A. Albertson Activities
Center during the 2002 Fall Classic this weekend, as the Coyotes took care of
business against both Montana Tech and Montana-Western. In the opener, Albertson hit 37-of-54 shots
from the floor (.685 percent) in a 105-55 dismantling of Tech. 14 of the 15 Coyotes to suit up scored in
the contest, with the bench outscoring the ‘Diggers extras, 45-14. One night later, a 15-0 second half run
propelled Albertson to a 84-65 win over UM-Western, completing the season sweep
of the Bulldogs. For the first time
since 1997, the Coyotes did not miss a free throw in the contest, going
11-for-11 from the foul line.
UPON
FURTHER REVIEW: It was first reported that the
.685 field goal percentage recorded by the ‘Yotes on Friday was a new school
record. Yes, it did eclipse the mark of
.659 set by the 1997 team at Eastern Oregon – but it is not the new school
record. During research into the
pre-Marty Holly days at the College of Idaho, it was found that Dick Carrow’s
1980-81 team actually set the standard, knocking home 27-of-37 shots, or .730
percent, in a win over Northwest Nazarene.
THE BEST IN YEARS?: The 50-point win over Montana Tech did cause
flurry in the record books for Coyote hoops.
It was the biggest win for Albertson since a 110-53 win over Cascade on
Jan. 1, 1998, which was the last time the ‘Yotes had scored more than 105
points. The squad is now 52-3 all-time
when going over the century mark.
GREEN ON RECORD PACE: Assistant coach Matt Muniz is always quick to point out that he owns the top-two
single-season steal marks in school history.
His understudy, Joe Green (Pocatello, Idaho / BYU-Idaho), may
rival his coach by the end of the 2002-03 season. Through eight games, the sophomore has recorded 25 steals, more
than three per game. At this frantic
pace, Green would total 93 during the regular-season more than the 88 that
Muniz tallied in the 1997-98 season.
Green also leads the Coyotes with 38 assists (4.8 per game), and has
better than a 3-to-1 assists to turnover ratio.
IT’S ALL IN THE SHOES: The same week that Eric Hare (San Miguel de
Allende, Mexico / West Valley CC) was featured in an Idaho Press Tribune
story about his shoe gathering crusade, the senior led the Coyotes to three
victories. Hare, who has collected nearly
200 pair of shoes for underprivileged youths in the Guanjuato province of
Mexico, scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the win over Idaho
State. He followed it up with a 17
point, 11 rebound night against Montana-Western, and hit 11-of-13 free throws
over the course of the week.
HELP OFF THE BENCH: One of the key parts of the early Coyote success
has been production off of the bench. A
trio of reserves – freshman guard Derek Brown (Las Vegas, Nev. /
Desert Pines HS), swingman Zach Rasmussen (Boise, Idaho / Bishop
Kelly HS), and forward Justin McCarthy (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) have
all played crucial roles in the Albertson 6-2 start. The trio, which averages around 15 minutes of action per night,
combines for 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists each time out, while
shooting .525 percent from the floor.
GOLD SQUAD GOLDEN: Against Montana Tech, head coach Mark Owen was
pleased with the play of the Coyote “Gold Squad,” a group of reserves that get
limited playing time and many who do not travel for road games. The group of seven went 10-for-11 from the
field, including three three-pointers, during the final six minutes of the
win. Leading the pack was back-up
point-guard Jake Reynolds (Sandy, Utah / Waterford HS), who had
eight points and three rebounds, while fellow freshmen Gabe Sanchez (Eagle,
Idaho / Eagle HS), Matt Barclay (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS),
and Casey Bair (Boise, Idaho / Westminster College) each had four
points.
OTTEN’S STREAK IS OVER: During his first three seasons with the Coyotes,
reserve Marc Otten (Everett, Wash. / Eastside HS) had made every
field goal attempt that he had taken.
However, on Friday night, the lone miss by the “Gold Squad” was by the
senior – prompted to shoot by his teammates.
In four minutes of action, however, Otten recorded a career-high three
assists.
ALMOST PERFECT AT THE LINE: Last season, Albertson ranked No. 2 in the NAIA
Division II in foul shooting. If the
start of the 2002-03 is any indication, the Coyotes may jump up a spot. So far, the Purple and Gold have hit
136-of-166 free throws, or .819 percent.
Even more impressive, however, is their shooting from the three games
last week – Albertson nailed 54-of-58 free throws (93-percent).
CRANK UP THE BUS: The pillows and movies are ready for the Coyotes
as they embark on a eight-hour bus trek to Klamath Falls, Ore. for the 2002
Cascade Conference Tip-Off Tournament.
The tourney (a bracketed event), which will raise money for men’s
basketball postseason travel, features eight of the ten teams in the
conference. Albertson will open up
against an experienced Concordia team in the opener. The Cavaliers (0-1) lost their season
opener, 88-87, to Northwest Christian, but boast one of the most explosive
players in the loop in forward Keith Childs.
Also on the ‘Yotes side of the bracket is Southern Oregon, a team
that defeated Albertson in 3-of-4 meetings last year. The Raiders (1-1) were picked in the preseason poll to finish
third. Another possible opponent is Cascade,
who may be the most athletic team in the league. The T-Birds (3-0) finished an early go-round with local Bible
schools unscathed, and may end up being a spoiler in the end. On the opposite side of the bracket,
undefeated Oregon Tech and Northwest join last season’s champion Evergreen
and runner-up Western Baptist.
OIT (5-0) swept the Montana schools at the Albertson Fall Classic, while
the Eagles (1-0) opened up the 2002 campaign with a 89-70 win over Puget Sound
Christian. Rebuilding is in store for
both the Geoducks (0-1) and Warriors (1-1) – Evergreen must replace
All-Americans Andre Stewart and Quincy Wilder, while Western must reload after
former head coach Tim Collins left the cupboards bare after resigning this
summer.
RADIO BROADCAST A QUESTION
MARK (AT LEAST THERE IS THE INTERNET): There
is question whether this weekend’s games will be broadcast on the radio (due to
the early start time and availability of air time). Make sure to check Thursday’s Idaho Press Tribune and the
Albertson athletic website for updated information. Regardless of the radio situation, the three games will be
broadcast live on the internet (www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/default.asp),
with Mike Safford Jr. calling the action.
Live stats from all 12 games will also be available on the Oregon Tech
website (http://sports2.oit.edu/Live/xlive.htm).
MORE INFORMATION ON THE
COYOTES: For game stories, statistics,
and information regarding the Albertson men’s basketball program, head to the
official site of Coyote basketball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.htm.
CASCADE CONFERENCE HOTLINE: For up-to-date scores from the Cascade Conference,
call the Cascade Conference Hotline at (208) 459-5135. Each night, scores and updated standings are
posted on the Conference Standings page within the Albertson men’s basketball
website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mbasketball/stats/standings.htm.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (3-3):
Lady ‘Yotes split four games, begin four-game home
stand with rare Sunday tilt
LAST WEEK: Lost at Boise State, 90-46; lost at Westminster,
67-47; defeated Westmont, 67-64; defeated Fresno Pacific, 94-83.
COMING UP: vs. Fort Lewis, Sunday, 4 p.m.
LONG WEEK FINALLY OVER: Four games in five days is a regular occasion in the
NBA, but for a women’s college basketball team, it is a daunting task. Somehow, someway, the Albertson College
squad mustered enough enthusiasm and energy to come away with a 2-2 week,
keeping their season mark at .500.
GOICOECHEA SETS PAIR OF SCHOOL RECORDS: Against Fresno Pacific on Saturday night, guard Heidi Goicoechea (Burley, Idaho / Burley HS) was a one-man wrecking crew for the Lady ‘Yotes,
setting a pair of school records along the way. The junior made 12-of-24 shots from the floor, all eight of her
free throws, and four three-pointers, en route to a 36 point, 12 rebound
performance. The 36 points is the
highest single-game total since Albertson resumed women’s basketball in 1995,
breaking the former record of 35, set by Alyson Pincock during the 2000-01
season against Lewis & Clark. Her
24 field goal attempts was also a school-record, breaking the mark of 23 set by
Cecilie Bates at the 2001 NAIA National Tournament. Goicoechea leads the team, averaging 16 points a game, to go
along with seven rebounds, and a perfect 13-for-13 stroke at the line.
BAILEY DOWN, BUT NOT OUT: It was a horrific sight in Payne Gymnasium during
the Lady ‘Yotes battle with Westminster on Thursday night, as post Kristen Bailey (Fountain Green, Utah / Snow CC) crashed to the floor trying to save a loose
ball. The senior had her forehead slam
the hardwood at an awkward angle, opening a huge gash above her left
eyebrow. Bailey was taken to a local
hospital, where doctors used 20 stitches to sew up the wound. The All-Cascade Conference player did not
suit up on Friday and Saturday, and is questionable for Sunday’s home opener
against Fort Lewis.
PAVILION A HOUSE OF HORRORS: Many thought that Albertson may go into the BSU
Pavilion last Tuesday and pull off a shocker.
But unlike the triumph over Idaho State that the Coyote men pulled off,
Boise State used their athleticism and a hot shooting stroke to take care of
the Lady ‘Yotes, 90-46. Albertson lost
the battle on the boards just 39-35, but committed 31 costly turnovers. Kristen Bailey led the squad with 11 points,
14 rebounds, and five blocked shots, while freshman Dani Cotterell (Nampa, Idaho /
Nampa HS) chipped in ten.
WESTMINSTER
STOPS ‘YOTES FOR THE FIRST TIME: A
rough shooting night and taking just five free throw attempts usually points
towards a loss. That was the case on
Thursday, as the Lady ‘Yotes shot just 21-for-60 from the field in a 67-47 loss
to Westminster. Albertson was outscored
13-3 at the foul line, as the Griffins won for the first time in school history
over the Coyotes. Lindsey Karren (Brigham City, Utah / Salt Lake CC) led the team with 12 points and nine rebounds.
FIVE GUARDS EQUALS TWO WINS: With Kristen Bailey out
of the line-up on Friday and Saturday, head coach Reagan Rossi did the unthinkable –
go to a five guard line-up. What
happened – the Lady ‘Yotes scored two impressive wins. In the opener, freshman Dani Cotterell went
for 24 points as the Coyotes stopped Westmont (Calif.) for the second-straight
year, 67-64. Junior point-guard Krystal Thacker (Elko, Nev. / BYU-Idaho)
added 16 points
and six assists, with Heidi Goicoechea recording a 16 point, 11 rebound
evening. On night later, Goicoechea had
her mammoth 36-point outburst, but others also contributed in the 94-83 upset
of Fresno Pacific. Thacker scored 12
points with just one turnover, newcomer Alyssa Latham (Walla Walla, Wash. /
Walla Walla CC), fresh off a record-setting soccer season, scored 12 points, and junior Tia Sinclair (Boise, Idaho / Bishop
Kelly HS)
played tenacious defense, while scoring four points and netting three boards.
KARREN A BOARDING MACHINE: Through the first six
games, forward Lindsey Karren has begun right where her hobbled teammate Megan Henrichs (Preston, Idaho /
Preston HS) left
off last season. The 5-10 workhorse has
had seven or more rebounds in all six games during her rookie season with the
Lady ‘Yotes, including a pair of 14 rebound games. In the four games last week, Karren averaged 8.5 points and 10.8 rebounds
per game.
NOT THAT FORT LEWIS: It’s not a group of
military folk coming from an Army base to play basketball this weekend in the
Coyote home opener, its Fort Lewis, and NCAA Division II program from Durango,
Colo. The Skyhawks (0-0), open their
season on Saturday at Northwest Nazarene, are picked to finish second in the
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference West Division. Last season, the Skyhawks finished 17-8 on the year, good enough
for second-place in the conference. It
is the first meeting between the two teams.
The game begins a span of four consecutive home tilts for the Albertson
women.
RADIO AND INTERNET BROADCAST INFORMATION: A total of 23 women’s basketball games will be broadcast
via the Albertson athletic department.
Join Mike Safford Jr. later this season when all nine Lady ‘Yote
conference road games are broadcast live on 1490 KCID-AM. In addition, Jordan Komoto and Jake McClean
will broadcast all 14 home games live on the Internet, including Sunday’s 4
p.m. game with Fort Lewis. Log onto the
Albertson athletic website for broadcast links.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE LADY ‘YOTES: For game stories, statistics, and information
regarding the Albertson women’s basketball program, head to the official site
of Lady ‘Yote basketball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmensbasketball.htm.
VOLLEYBALL (17-14): Playoff hopes vanish with
unexpected end to season; Price, Basañez earn top honors
SHOCKED: One
word can simply describe the Albertson volleyball team last Friday at the
Cascade Conference postseason tournament – shocked. That was the consensus after Northwest College, with some help
from a questionable officiating crew, eliminated the Coyotes from the playoffs
in a four-game affair. To say that the
Eagles did not deserve the win would be wrong – the No. 6 seed outplayed
Albertson on the afternoon. Were they
aided by a group of officials that called 25-percent of the Lady ‘Yotes ball
handling errors for the entire 31-game season – I think even Northwest head
coach Shaun Kupferberg would agree. In
the end, a .151 attack percentage doomed the Coyotes out the playoff door.
WHAT IT MEANT:
A victory by the Lady ‘Yotes would likely have wrapped up a spot in the
six-team NAIA Region I Tournament which will take place this Friday and
Saturday in Portland. However, with the
loss, it allowed Western Baptist, the No. 8 ranked team in the region, to sneak
in the back door to claim the final spot in this weeks tourney.
PRICE NAMED PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR: Although she would have liked to end the season
in San Diego at the NAIA Championships, Kristyn
Price (Bellevue, Idaho / Wood River
HS) ended a record-setting season by becoming the first-ever Albertson
volleyball player to earn Cascade Conference Player-of-the-Year honors. The senior, a four-time All-CCC outside
hitter, set a new school record by averaging 5.16 kills per game, ranking her
second in the loop. She also led the
CCC in attack percentage (.347), despite having nearly 200 more kills than
anyone else in the league. Price also
finished the year ranked No. 4 in digs per game (3.09), and No. 10 in aces
(0.53).
BASAÑEZ EARNS NATIONAL HONOR: A loss, sandwiched between two awards, was part
of an up-and-down week for setter Amanda
Basañez (Elko, Nev. / College of
Southern Idaho). The junior began
the week becoming the first-ever Albertson volleyball player to earn NAIA
Setter-of-the-Week honors, after leading the Lady ‘Yotes to a 3-0 record during
the week of Nov. 4-10. She then was
victimized by a plethora of phantom double-hit calls against Northwest, only to
find out that she (along with Price) were members of the 12-player All-Cascade
Conference team.
DON’T FORGET LASSEN: Also being recognized by the conference was
sophomore middle blocker Jessie Lassen (Buhl, Idaho / Filer HS), who was named
as part of the CCC honorable mention list.
Lassen ranked second on the team with 2.33 kills per game, but ranked
second in the conference in blocks per game (1.01).
FINAL NUMBERS FOR PRICE: With the playing career of Kristyn Price coming to
an end, the final numbers are simply staggering. A total of 2,061 kills, exactly 1,600 digs, and 221 service aces
are numbers that may stand in Caldwell for a while. The all-star owns a pair of single-game school records (kills and
aces in a game), the top three single-season kill marks, three of the top four
kill average marks, along with career records for kills, aces, and digs. Price finishes her career with 109
double-figure kill matches, ranking her sixth in NAIA history. She ends with 35 matches with at least 20
kills, good enough for No. 2 in NAIA history, along with 12 matches with 20
kills and 20 digs, also good for No. 2 on the NAIA list.
TIPTON, SOLBERG END CAREER IN RECORD BOOKS: It wasn’t the type of season Katy Tipton (Ontario, Ore. /
Ontario HS) wanted in her swan song as part of the Lady ‘Yotes. Hobbled by an excruciating back injury all
season, the senior was limited to just 54 of the team’s 113 games played. Nonetheless, Tipton helped herself move up
the career charts, finishing her career with 1,023 kills (No. 4 in school history)
and 353 blocks (No. 3). Her career
attack percentage of .312 is by-far the best-ever by a Coyote. Also ending her career is junior Laura Solberg (Castle Rock, Wash. / Castle Rock HS), who will graduate this
spring. Solberg finished her three-year
Coyote career with 112 aces, the fourth highest total in school history.
OTHERS OFF TO REGIONALS: Concordia kept its long winning streak alive,
stopping both Western Baptist and Southern Oregon en route to the title of the
Cascade Conference postseason tournament.
Both Western and Southern, along with Frontier Conference
representatives Carroll College, Montana-Western, and Montana Tech, will
comprise the six-team regional this weekend.
Albertson had qualified for the past two regional tournaments, finishing
as the runner-up in 2000.
2002 RECAP: A
baptism under fire opened the season for the Lady ‘Yotes, meeting a quartet of
teams at the Seaside Invitational in San Diego that remained in the NAIA Top-25
all season. The highlight of the trip
was a five-game victory over Missouri Baptist, who was ranked as high as No. 7
in the national poll this season. The
downer was a pair of back-to-back road losses to Northwest and Evergreen,
dropping the Coyotes to 5-10. The team
came on strong at the end of the season, winning six consecutive games,
including a five-game thriller with rival Northwest Nazarene to pull themselves
into a third-place finish in the Cascade Conference, but could not get out of
the first-round of the playoffs.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE LADY ‘YOTES: For game stories, statistics, and information
regarding the Albertson volleyball program, head to the official site of Lady
‘Yote volleyball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/vball.htm.
- ALBERTSON -