‘Yote Notes – Jan. 4, 2005

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@collegeofidaho.edu

 

 

 

 

 

ATHLETICS NEWS:  

CAA DINNER COMING UP: The next Coyote Athletic Association booster dinner is scheduled for Monday night, January 17, in the Simplot Dining Hall.  All fans of the Coyotes are invited to attend the dinner - along with post-meal words with Albertson coaches and staff.  Cost is $8.00 per person - with RSVP's taken by calling 459-5835.

TAILGATE PARTIES: The Albertson College alumni office will be hosting a pair of tailgate parties during the remainder of basketball season.  The first is scheduled on January 22, from 5:30-7 p.m., the second is on February 12, from 5:30-7 p.m. - both in Blatchley Hall.  To RSVP, contact Mary Bitner at 459-5300.

SKI SEASON NEARING: The Albertson College alpine ski team is currently in McCall for a week of training and team-building in preparation for the 2005 season.  Next week, we will have a preview of the Coyotes - who host the Western Regional Championships at Bogus Basin in Feburary, and the USCSA National Championships at Brundage Mountain in March.

SOFTBALL STEAK AND CRAB FEED: The second-annual Albertson College steak and crab feed will be held on Friday, February 18, tentatively at the Nampa Civic Center.  For more information and tickets on the event, which drew 250 people last year, contact head coach Kelly McDonald at 459-5113.

MEN’S BASKETBALL (11-3, 3-1 CCC): ‘Yotes move to No. 7 in NAIA poll, play for I-84 Cup on Friday against Eastern Oregon

 

LAST WEEK: vs. Warner Pacific (W 81-64), vs. Cascade (W 83-63)

 

COMING UP: vs. Eastern Oregon, Friday, 7:30 p.m.

 

RADIO BROADCASTS: All 29 Albertson men’s basketball games will be broadcast live on 1490 KCID-AM with Mike Safford Jr. calling the play-by-play, along with a simulcast via the Albertson Athletic Website.  The pregame show will begin at 7:15 p.m. on Friday night, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. as the ‘Yotes host Eastern Oregon in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.

 

COYOTES REMAIN IN NAIA TOP-TEN: For the 13th consecutive regular-season polling period, the Albertson College men’s basketball team has been a part of the NAIA Division II top-ten.  This week, the ‘Yotes moved one spot up to No. 7 – the highest ranking for the club during the 2004-05 season.  Beginning the season ranked No. 21, the ‘Yotes climbed 13 spots to No. 8 in the first poll of the 2004-05 season, then remained at No. 8 for one polling period.  Last year, the Coyotes were ranked No. 9 in the initial national poll, climbing to as high as No. 3, where Albertson spent a total of three weeks.  Also in the poll is unanimous No. 1 ranked Western Baptist and No. 14 Oregon Tech.

 

HOME HAS BEEN NICE TO THE ‘YOTES: A home court advantage has been key to the success of the Coyotes over nearly the last quarter century.  From the days at O’Connor Fieldhouse to the spacious Activities Center – wins by opponents have come few and far between – including the current 12-game win streak.  Since the on-campus gymnasium was opened in the Fall of 1991, the ‘Yotes have compiled a 155-30 mark at home, a gaudy .838 win percentage – with an 85-16 mark in Cascade Conference play (.842 win percentage).  Under Mark Owen, the Coyotes are 48-10 at home (.828 percent) and have won 32-of-38 CCC games.  Only once in the last 23 years have the ‘Yotes lost more than three games at home.

 

MORE ON THE HOME COOKIN’: Dating back to the 1982-83 season, Albertson has an almost unfathomable 272-39 record at home (.875 win percentage) – including a 56-game home win streak from March 5, 1983 to Dec. 19, 1987.

 

1982-83        12-2             1990-91        15-1             1998-99        16-1

1983-84        14-0             1991-92        12-3             1999-00        14-1

1984-85        14-0             1992-93        12-1             2000-01        11-2

1985-86        14-0             1993-94        11-3             2001-02        12-3

1986-87        13-0             1994-95        12-2             2002-03          9-3

1987-88        12-1             1995-96        13-1             2003-04        12-2

1988-89        11-3             1996-97          6-6             2004-05          4-0

1989-90        12-2             1997-98        11-2             Total               272-39 (88%)

 

I-84 CUP TO BE UNVEILED: This Friday, Albertson hosts Eastern Oregon in the longest continuous rivalry for the Coyotes.  The two teams have played every season since 1945 – with the ‘Yotes holding a 76-35 in the series (Albertson and Northwest Nazarene had played every season from 1946 to 2001, before a two-year hiatus).  With the emerging popularity of the men’s game among the respective student bodies, an “I-84 Cup” will go to the winner of each game – the trophy residing at the winning school until the next meeting.  “Albertson has become one of our greatest rivals,” said Eastern athletic director Rob Cashell.  “The I-84 Cup represents added incentive to prepare for the 'Yotes and earn a victory. It also gives our fans and boosters an added experience."

 

ABOUT EASTERN: The Mountaineers (3-8, 2-2 CCC) had a huge weekend, knocking off Cascade (61-57), then stunning Warner Pacific (66-50).  First-year head coach and former player Ryan Looney has an extremely young team – returning just one starter from last season’s club that qualified for the Cascade Conference tournament.  Eastern is led by true freshman Mark Carollo (17.5 ppg, .431 3FG%) – who has scoring in double-figures in all 11 games this season.  The Mounties also have a low-post player in center Chad Fairbanks (13.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg), a transfer from Treasure Valley CC.  Eastern has yet to be blown out of a game this season, with only two of their eight losses by double-figures, and four of the losses by three points or less.  EOU, however, is 0-5 away from Quinn Coliseum this season.

 

EARLY RUN DISPOSES WARNER PACIFIC: Holding Warner Pacific without a field goal for a nine-minute stretch of the first half, the ‘Yotes used a 21-1 run to open an insurmountable lead in an 81-64 victory on Thursday night.  Albertson hit 52-percent of its field goals in the game, including 4-of-7 shooting from outside the arc.  Derek Brown (Las Vegas, Nev. / Desert Pines HS) had a solid all-round night, scoring 14 points, with five rebounds and five assists.

 

POSTS PLAY BIG ROLE: Paving the way to the win over Warner were the twin 6-9 posts for the Coyotes.  Rich Fried (Middleton, Idaho / Boise State) notched his third double-double in four games with a 17 point, ten rebound performance, while Steve Humphreys (Reno, Nev. / Lassen CC) had his best game since returning from an eye injury – scoring 17 points, with five rebounds.  The duo combined to make 11-of-17 shots from the floor and 12-of-14 free throws.

 

NEW YEARS EVE PARTY ENDS WITH A WIN: A 17-2 second half run helped Albertson to a New Years Eve 83-63 victory over Cascade College in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.  Dan McFaul (Moses Lake, Wash. / Big Bend CC) had 18 points and ten rebounds – both career highs, while Derek Brown added 15 points in the victory.  Joe Green (Pocatello, Idaho / BYU-Idaho) tied a career-high with ten assists in the game.

 

RECORD BOOK ASSAULT: Two Coyote players joined the 600-point club in their careers last weekend – E.J. Costello (Pleasanton, Calif. / Chabot CC) with 603 points and Joe Green with 600.  Green currently holds the career record for steals with 249, while ranking third all-time with 389 assists – just five behind second-place.  Costello has moved into ninth-place on the career three-pointers made (122) and eighth all-time in three’s attempted (313), while Steve Humphreys is fourth all-time in blocked shots with 57.  With six blocked shots against Cascade, Rich Fried has moved into tenth-place on the single-season block list with 29.

 

NATIONAL AND CONFERENCE NUMBERS: As a team, the Coyotes rank among the NAIA Top-30 in six categories – No. 6 in turnover margin (+5.9), No. 8 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.21), 15th in assists per game (17.8), 16th in steals per game (11.1), 17th in blocks per game (3.9), and 23rd in scoring defense (67.7).  Individually, Joe Green leads the Cascade Conference in both steals (5.5) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.21), while ranking second in the league in assists per game (5.5) and eighth in three-point percentage (.450).  Green is second in the NAIA in steals, sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio, and 13th in assists per game.  Rich Fried ranks second in the league in both field goal percentage (.613) and blocks per game (2.1), while ranking seventh in the loop in rebounds per game (6.6).  Fried is ranked 15th in the NAIA in the blocks category.  Derek Brown is third in the CCC in steals per game (2.1), seventh in free throw percentage (.783), eighth in assists per game (3.9), and tenth in field goal percentage (.538).  E.J. Costello ranks third in the loop in three-pointers made per game (2.50) and sixth in free throw percentage (.784).  Rounding out the group are a trio of players – Steve Humphreys, who is fourth in the league in blocked shots per game (1.0), Dan McFaul, who is seventh in steals per game (1.9), and Josh Owen (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS), who is tenth in three-point percentage (.440).

 

CASCADE CONFERENCE LEADERS: Scoring Average – Eric Fiegi (WB) 28.2, Jeff Dunn (WB) 19.4, Shea Washington (SOU) 18.4, Malik Edwards (CC) 18.1, Brandon Erlandson (CU) 17.5.  Rebound Average – Washington 10.7, Fiegi 9.1, Chad Fairbanks (EOU) 8.4, Jeff Williams (SOU) 7.4, Brandon Erlandson (CU) 6.9.  Field Goal Percentage – Stephen Ishmael (NU) .750, Rich Fried (ACI) .613, Damian Browne (EOU) .611, Fiegi .610, Barson Collins (EVG) .547.  Assists Average – Joshua Garrett (CC) 7.1, Joe Green (ACI) 5.5, Andrew Gard (NU) 4.6, Matt Larson (WB) 4.6, Michael Lay (CU) 4.5.

 

MORE INFORMATION ON THE COYOTES: For game stories, statistics, and information regarding the Albertson men’s basketball program, head to the official site Coyote Basketball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.htm.

 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (9-8, 3-1 CCC): Weekend sweep gets Lady ‘Yotes over .500, sets up first-place battle with Eastern

 

LAST WEEK: vs. Warner Pacific (W 66-54), vs. Cascade (W 72-70)

 

COMING UP: vs. Eastern Oregon, Friday, 5:30 p.m.

 

RADIO AND INTERNET: All nine women’s CCC road games will be broadcast live this season on 1490 KCID-AM with Mike Safford Jr. calling the action.  In addition, all home games (along with the nine CCC road tilts) will be broadcast live on the internet, courtesy of the Albertson Athletic Website, with students Jordan Komoto and Jake McClean calling the play-by-play at home. 

 

LADY ‘YOTES CLIMB ABOVE .500: With a pair of hard-fought victories over the weekend, the Albertson women’s basketball team climbed above the .500 mark for the first time since January of 2003.  The Coyotes also eclipsed their win total for the entire 2003-04 season with the victory Saturday against Cascade.

 

SUCCESS AT HOME: Since basketball was rejuvenated at Albertson in 1995, the J.A. Albertson Activities Center has been very friendly to the Lady ‘Yotes.  During the previous nine years, the Coyotes have posted a 78-34 record (70-percent) on their own hardwood – with nine .500-or-better records at home.  Things are even better in Cascade Conference play, as the Lady ‘Yotes have posted a 48-20 home mark in league play (71-percent), including a perfect 8-0 record during the 2000-01 season.

 

                                       Overall    Conf.                                      Overall     Conf.       

1995-96                    6-6         3-3                    2000-01        13-1       8-0

1996-97                    8-2         5-1                    2001-02          8-4       6-2

1997-98                    10-2       5-2                    2002-03          7-7       5-4

1998-99                    6-5        3-3                    2003-04          5-5       5-4

1999-00                    10-1       6-1                    2004-05          5-1       2-0

 

RECORDS FALL IN WIN OVER WARNER: It wasn’t a clinic in foul shooting on Friday night, but it was a lesson in how to get to the free throw stripe – as the Lady ‘Yotes set school records for most free throws made and attempted in a game in a 66-54 win over Warner Pacific.  Albertson took an astounding 56 free throw attempts, making 36, as they used a 14-0 run late in the second half to earn the victory.  Junior Kim Strunk (Twin Falls, Idaho / Twin Falls HS) had a career-high 23 points in the victory – despite the Coyotes converting just 14 field goals in the game.

 

LIVING AT THE FOUL LINE: A tent could have been pitched at the stripe for Valissa Sneck (Kalispell, Mont. / Sheridan CC), as the junior camped out 15-feet from the basket all evening.  Sneck set a school record by converting 13 free throws on 21 attempts – breaking a mark that was tied two weeks earlier by Kim Strunk.  The 21 attempts also set an all-time Cascade Conference record, one more than Jennifer Haberly of Warner Pacific had against Pacific in 2000-01.  Sneck finished the game with a career-high 21 points and nine rebounds.

 

MORE ON THE FREE THROW AFFAIR: The free throws made and attempted as a team were both among the top-five in Cascade Conference history – just short of the 46-of-58 shooting Southern Oregon had against UC-Davis in 1997.  What made the feat even more improbably was the fact that Warner Pacific attempted just eight free throws in the entire game (Albertson outscored the Knights 36-4 at the line).

 

LADY ‘YOTES HOLD ON VS. CASCADE: Withstanding a furious rally in the final two minutes from Cascade College, the Lady ‘Yotes picked up their third win in a row, and fourth in five games with a 72-70 victory over the T-Birds.  Albertson used a 15-2 second half run to build a 69-60 edge with 4:37 left – but would not score a field goal the rest of the game.  Cascade would cut the margin to 71-70 inside the final minute, but a turnover and blocked shot doomed the visitors.  Kasey Hooter (Nampa, Idaho / Walla Walla CC) recorded her league-leading tenth double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 rebounds in the win.

 

GRIBBLE HAS CAREER NIGHT: Helping out the Lady ‘Yote cause against the Cascade match-up zone was junior Angie Gribble (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS), who scored a career-high 21 points in the win.  Gribble canned five three-pointers in the game, the highest total by an Albertson player this season, along with eight assists – the fourth time this year that she has recorded eight-or-more assists in a game.

 

NATIONAL AND CONFERENCE NUMBERS: As a team, the Lady ‘Yotes rank in the NAIA Division II’s Top-35 in four statistical categories – rebound margin (+6.6), No. 20 in opponents rebound average (34.2), No. 31 in assists per game (15.6), and No. 34 in rebounds per game (40.8).  Individually, Kasey Hooter ranked second in the Cascade Conference and seventh nationally in rebounds per game (11.5), and second in the league and 19th nationally in field goal percentage (.564).  Hooter is also sixth in the CCC in scoring average (14.2).  Angie Gribble is second in the CCC and 12th nationally in assists per game (5.3), and is also fourth in the league and 38th in the NAIA in steals per game (2.2).  Gribble is also ninth in the loop in free throw percentage (.783).  Valissa Sneck ranks fourth in the league and 38th in the nation in steals per game (2.2), along with eighth in the CCC in assists per game (3.9).  Kim Strunk is fifth in the CCC and 34th in the NAIA in free throw percentage (.818), while ranking seventh in the league in scoring average (13.4).  Rounding out the Coyote leaders is Desirae Boudreaux (Provo, Utah / Western Wyoming CC), who is fifth in the league in rebounds per game (6.8).

 

CONFERENCE LEADERS: Scoring Average – Jaime Jo Cant (EOU) 17.8, Katie Atkins (CU) 17.6, Christie Weaver (EOU) 16.5, Nikki McElligott (OIT) 16.2, Heidi Horobioski (EOU) 14.3.  Rebounding Average – McElligott 11.6, Kasey Hooter (ACI) 11.5, Atkins 9.4, Cant 7.2, Desirae Boudreaux (ACI) 6.8.  Field Goal Percentage – Sammy Smith (CU) .597, Hooter .564, Sarah Smith (EOU) .548, Bekah Proctor (NU) .496, Horobioski .481.  Assists Average – Vanessa Shelton (EOU) 5.5, Angie Gribble (ACI) 5.3, Cassie Snyder (NU) 4.7, Andra Peterson (EOU) 4.3, Tosha Wilson (WB) 4.2.

 

RECORD BOOK: As the Lady ‘Yotes passed the halfway point of the 2004-05 season, the assault on the single-season and career record book has begun.  Just 17 games into the season, a quartet of players will most likely be in the season record book by the end of next weekend.  Kim Strunk is already ninth in the season free throws made category (81), while Angie Gribble (assists and steals), Valissa Sneck (steals), and Kasey Hooter (rebounds) are all ranked 12th in a season.  Hooter ranks No. 9 all time with 382 rebounds and No. 10 with 17 career blocked shots, while Strunk is ninth all-time with 133 made free throws.

 

RUN-AND-GUN EASTERN HEADS TO TOWN: The hottest team in the Cascade Conference makes their final appearance in Caldwell this season, as Eastern Oregon meets the Lady ‘Yotes on Friday night.  The Mountaineers (7-4, 4-0 CCC) sit alone at the top of the league, one year after earning their first trip to the NAIA Division II national tournament in Sioux City, Iowa.  Eastern has won five games in a row since All-Star Jaime Jo Cant (17.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg) returned to the lineup – moving into the national poll this week at No. 30.  Christie Weaver (16.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Heidi Horobioski (14.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg) have been scoring machines, as the Mountaineers are averaging a league-best 76 points a game and are the top-rebounding club in the loop (+8.3 margin).  EOU will be playing their third game in Caldwell this season – they split two games at the Best Western Lady ‘Yote Classic in November.  It is the 22nd meeting between the teams, with Albertson holding a 13-8 advantage, although Eastern has won the past five games – including seven regular-season games in a row, dating back to 2001.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE LADY ‘YOTES: For up-to-date statistics, stories, and information about the Albertson women’s basketball team, head to the official website for the Lady ‘Yotes – www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmensbasketball.htm.  For updated scores and standings from the Cascade Conference women’s basketball season, head to www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wbasketball/stats/standings.htm.

 

 

- ALBERTSON -