Yote Notes – Nov. 27, 2007

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@collegeofidaho.edu

ATHLETIC NEWS:

SPECIAL NOTE TO SEASON TICKET HOLDERS: All basketball season ticket holders are reminded that next weekend’s Wendy’s Classic basketball games are not a part of the 2007-08 season ticket package. Tickets must be purchased separately from the season ticket package, as proceeds from the ticket sales will go to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Reserved seat holders can purchase their normal seats through next Thursday by calling Dave Hahn at 459-5835. All remaining tickets will go on sale 90 minutes prior to the first game of the weekend. Joining the Yotes in the tournament are Montana-Western, Northwest Nazarene, and Westmont.

FIRST COYOTE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION DINNER: The first Coyote Athletic Association dinner of the 2007-08 season is set for next Wednesday, December 5, at 6:30 p.m. in the Simplot Dining Hall. To RSVP for the event, contact Dave Hahn at 459-5835.

INDOOR TRACK SEASON OPENS ON SATURDAY: Just two weeks removed from the end of the cross country season, The C of I track team begins their indoor season on Saturday afternoon at the Jackson’s Indoor Meet in Nampa. The Yotes will use the event as a potential NAIA qualifier – as the rarely raced 1,000-meter event is on the schedule of events.

MEN’S BASKETBALL (2-6): Coyotes look to end four-game losing streak with home games vs. OIT and Southern Oregon

COMING UP: vs. No. 11 Oregon Tech, Friday, 7:30 p.m.; vs. Southern Oregon, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

LAST WEEK: at Westminster Holiday Classic, Salt Lake City – vs. Carroll (L 69-64), vs. Westminster (L 64-46)

RADIO/INTERNET: All 30 regular-season games and both exhibition games will be broadcast live in the Treasure Valley on 1490 KCID-AM, the Home of the Coyotes. Sports information director Mike Safford returns for his seventh-year as Voice of the Coyotes, with the pregame show begining 20-minutes prior to tip-off each night. The weekend games will also be simulcast online via The C of I athletic website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/caa/radio.htm. Friday’s games will also be carried live in Klamath Falls on 92.5 KLAD-FM with Bobby Thompson and Mike Garrard on the call and online at http://140.211.130.21:2774/OTsports.nsc. Saturday’s C of I broadcasts will be simulcast live in the Medford-Ashland area on KEZX 730-AM.

CHAMP HAS BIG WEEKEND: The reigning Cascade Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Bryan Champ (Borah, Idaho / Borah HS), had an outstanding weekend at the Westminster Holiday Tournament in Salt Lake City. The junior averaged 13 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and five steals per game in the two contests. Champ currently leads the CCC in steals per game (3.0), while leading the Yotes in both steals, rebounding, and assists.

SPINKS PICKING UP SCORING PUNCH: Leading the Coyotes in scoring this season is sophomore Steffen Spinks (Manteca, Calif. / East Union HS), who has recorded seven double-figure scoring games in eight outings, including a career-high 18 points against Carroll. Spinks has hit 52-percent of his field goal attempts and 46-percent of his three-point attempts in 28 minutes a game.

INJURY UPDATE: The Yotes were without three players last weekend in Salt Lake City. Forward Craig McGee (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) broke a bone in his right hand in The C of I’s loss to Willamette on Nov. 16 and will miss a minimum of ten weeks. Two others missed action in Salt Lake, as Donnel Garner (Scottsdale, Ariz. / Chaparral HS) has been plagued with a nagging groin injury, while Anton Coleman (Las Vegas, Nev. / Eldorado HS) missed time with a concussion sustained in practice last week. Both Garner and Coleman will be game-time decisions for this weekend’s games.

CASCADE CONFERENCE PLAY COMES EARLY: Since the Cascade Conference expanded to ten teams back in 2000, the league schedule has began with a pair of games in mid-December and a pair of games just before the New Year’s holiday. However, with the addition of Northwest Christian to the league, the CCC has moved up the schedule to begin this weekend – keeping the mid-December contests, but eliminating the pre-New Year’s contests. Along with Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon heading east, Concordia and Corban head to Northwest and Evergreen State, with Warner Pacific and Cascade heading to Northwest Christian.

NEW LOOK OWLS READY TO INVADE CALDWELL: It’s not the same Oregon Tech team heading to Idaho this weekend – as All-Americans Levell Hesia and Joshua Garrett have both graduated. However, the Hustlin’ Owls (8-1) have once again feasted on their non-conference opponents – with five of their eight wins coming by margins of 30-or-more points. They are 1-1 against NAIA Division I opponents – defeating Lewis-Clark State, but losing to Fresno Pacific. OIT, ranked No. 11 in the NAIA Division II Preseason Top-25 Poll, is led by NAIA All-American Ryan Fiegi (17.2 ppg, 7.1 apg), a 6-7 point guard, and 6-10 Maine transfer Christian Cavanaugh (17.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg). Tech has dominated the glass this season, recording 12 more rebounds per game than their opponents, while averaging 92 points a night. The two teams have met 63 times since 1962, with the Yotes holding a 39-24 series edge.

AMONG THE COACHING ELITE: When OIT makes their regular-season appearance on Friday, fans in Caldwell will once again get to see a coaching legend in action. Tech head coach Dan Miles is in his 37th year as the skipper of the Owls ship – winning 824 games, the most wins by an NAIA Division II coach, the second-most wins by an NAIA coach, and the ninth-most wins by a collegiate men’s coach at a four-year institution (all divisions). Miles also ranks No. 1 on the list of coaching wins at a single institution.

SOUTHERN OREGON READY FOR THE YOTES: Saturday’s opponent, Southern Oregon, has had an up-and-down start to the 2007-08 season, winning all four games against California Pacific Conference foes, but going 0-5 against all other teams, with four of the losses by 20 points or more. The Raiders (4-5) are led by senior guard Matt Cowell (11.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and transfer Ryon Pool (10.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg). It is the 53rd meeting between the teams since 1961, with the Yotes holding a 35-17 series edge.

FIRST ONE TO 60 WINS?: Saturday’s C of I-Southern game features the two lowest-scoring offenses in the Cascade Conference, with the Yotes averaging just 64 points a game, while the Raiders average 65. SOU has eclipsed the 70-point mark four times this season, but have also scored 55 points or less four times. The Coyotes have only recorded one 70-or-more point game this season, with six of their other seven games in the 60s.

NAIA POLL: The preseason NAIA Division II poll was released on Oct. 31, with three teams from the CCC in the Top-25. Warner Pacific was ranked No. 3, Oregon Tech was ranked No. 11, and Eastern Oregon was ranked No. 18. The Yotes earned 13 points in the poll, listed in the Others Receiving Votes category. The C of I has a streak of 15 consecutive years of Top-25 rankings on the line in 2007-08.

CASCADE CONFERENCE STATS: The Yotes have struggled this season in the CCC statistical rankings, sitting in seventh or worse in nine of 12 statistical categories compiled by the league office. The Yotes are No. 3 in turnover margin (+3.5), No. 5 in steals per game (9.3) and team defense (71.8), No. 8 in assists per game (11.9) and free throw percentage (.665), No. 9 in field goal percentage (.421) and three-point percentage (.284), No. 10 in blocked shots (1.5) and scoring margin (-8.1), and No. 11 in team offense (63.6), rebound margin (-8.0) and opponents field goal percentage (.501). Individually, only two players rank in any stat category – Bryan Champ leads the league and is No. 9 in the NAIA Division II in steals per game (3.0), with Steffen Spinks eighth in the CCC in three-point percentage (.462).

CASCADE CONFERENCE LEADERS: Scoring Average – Wade Douglas (CRB) 23.2, Eric Taylor (CAS) 21.0, Nate Menafee (ESC) 20.3, Josh Jarrett (NCC) 19.8, Marc Carollo (EOU) 18.9; Rebound Average –Ryan Barker (CAS) 9.0, Jarrett 8.7, Julio Feliciano (ESC) 8.7, Christian Cavanaugh (OIT) 7.9, Joshua Wetzler (OIT) 7.7; Field Goal Percentage – Wetzler .768, Douglas .684, David Howard (ESC) .684, Greg George (NU) .673, Kyle Janke (EOU) .649; Assist Average – Ryan Fiegi (OIT) 7.1, Jesse Alvarez (CU) 5.3, Kyle Masten (CRB) 4.6, Jeremy Templeton (EOU) 4.4, Jguwon Hodges (OIT) 3.9.

LATE RUN LIFTS CARROLL PAST COYOTES: Carroll College held The C of I to just one made field goal over the final 5:43 of the game, as the Saints earned a 69-64 victory Friday in Salt Lake City. The Yotes had built a 60-54 lead on a Josh Owen (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) three-ball, but watched as the Saints scored seven straight points, capped by an Eric Henkel driving lay-up to take their first lead of the second half. After a J.R. Maggard (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) lay-up gave the Yotes a 62-61 lead, the Griffins would can their free throws late to earn the win. Chad Vaculin led Carroll (8-2) with 16 points, as the Saints evened the all-time series, dating back to 1954, to 12 games a piece. Steffen Spinks led The C of I with a career-high 18 points. Bryan Champ, who missed a game-tying three with two seconds left, scored 12 points, had a team-high seven assists, seven rebounds, and five steals.

WESTMINSTER DEFENSE LEADS WAY IN WIN OVER C OF I: A 31-percent shooting night doomed Coyotes in a 64-46 loss at Westminster College in Salt Lake on Saturday night. The game was much closer than the score indicated, as The C of I forced 13 first half turnovers - but missed five lay-ups and trailed 24-21 at the break. The Griffins led 30-28 with 13-minutes remaining, but went on an 11-0 run, capped by a Jordan Jacobs three and never saw the lead below eight points the rest of the way. Jacobs and Danny Reeder each had 16 points in the win, as Westminster swept the season series for the second time in three years. The Coyotes got 14 points and nine rebounds from Bryan Champ - who also had five steals, with Steffen Spinks adding 14 points.

LOWEST SCORING OUTPUT IN 40 YEARS: The 46 points scored by the Coyotes against Westminster was their lowest scoring output against a non-NCAA Division I team in 40 years. The C of I had their lowest output since a 50-40 loss at Whitman College during the 1967-68 season – not counting a 65-46 loss at the University of Nevada in 2003.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the Coyotes, head to the official homepage of The C of I men’s basketball – www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.htm.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (3-1): Lady Yotes open up CCC play at home, meet Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon

COMING UP: vs. Oregon Tech, Nov. 30, 5:30 p.m.; vs. Southern Oregon, Dec. 1, 5:30 p.m.

LAST WEEK: Idle

INTERNET/RADIO: All 20 College of Idaho women’s basketball Cascade Conference games will be carried live on the internet at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/caa/radio.htm with Mike Safford Jr. calling the action. In addition, all ten CCC road games will be broadcast live on the radio in the Treasure Valley on 1490 KCID-AM. Friday’s games will also be carried live in Klamath Falls on 92.5 KLAD-FM with Bobby Thompson and Mike Garrard on the call and online at http://140.211.130.21:2774/OTsports.nsc. Saturday’s C of I broadcasts will be simulcast live in the Medford-Ashland area on KEZX 730-AM.

ROSSI WINS #100: The victory last Monday against Westminster was the 100th career win by C of I head coach Reagan Rossi. The seventh-year head coach has a career mark of 100-86, and trails former coach, Todd Corman, by 23 wins to become the all-time wins leader in Lady Yote basketball history.

SUCCESS IN THE ACTIVITIES CENTER: The Lady Yotes have held a distinctive home court advantage over the years in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center, recording a 102-41 all-time record. The C of I went 12-2 at home during the 2006-07 season.

OREGON TECH HEADED TO CALDWELL: First year head coach Matt Greenleaf has Oregon Tech off to a good start – notching two wins over Bethany, and wins over Fresno Pacific and Northwest Christian. The Owls (4-0) return four key components from last season’s team that went 21-9 and finished fourth in the CCC – guards Jenna Ball (16.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and Crystal Idrogo (16.0 ppg, 8.8 rpg), and forwards Cora McVey (11.0 ppg, 10.8 rpg) and Jenni Miller (10.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg), but are not a deep team, as the four average 35 minutes a game. The two teams split the 2006-07 series, with the Lady Yotes winning in Caldwell, 76-68, but Tech winning in Klamath Falls, 62-58. It is the 14th meeting between the two teams, with OIT holding a 9-4 series edge.

SUCCESS IN C-TOWN, NONE IN THE FALLS: Since OIT brought their women’s program out of mothballs in 2002, The C of I has had success against the Owls in Caldwell, winning three of the five meetings. However, the Yotes have not had any success in Klamath Falls, losing all five regular-season games on OIT’s home court, but picked up a win over the Owls in the 2004-05 playoffs on the road, a 37-36 decision.

RUN-AND-GUN SHOOTOUT WITH SOUTHERN: Southern Oregon opened the season with a lopsided win at Simpson, along with a home-and-home sweep of Dominican, before losing an overtime tilt at Holy Names. The Raiders (3-1) have scored 78-or-more points in each of the four games, led by All-CCC guard Chelsey Muri (11.7 ppg, 4.0 apg), CCC Freshman of the Year Jackie Speer (14.3 ppg, 11.0 rpg), and newcomer Rhiannon Dickison (10.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg). Last season, The C of I topped the Raiders 83-66 in Caldwell, but dropped a 79-77 decision in Ashland, Ore. The two teams have met 27 previous times, with SOU holding a slim 14-13 series edge.

OVER 90 EQUALS WINS: The 93 points scored by the Lady Yotes at Westminster last week was the 21st time in program history that The C of I had scored over 90 points in a game. In those games, the Coyotes have a perfect 21-0 record.

NATIONAL POLL: No Cascade Conference team was in the preseason NAIA Division II Top-25 poll, released on Oct. 31. However, both The C of I and Eastern Oregon were among the teams receiving votes. The next national poll will be released next Wednesday.

CASCADE CONFERENCE TEAM NUMBERS: As a team, the Lady Yotes lead the league in steals per game (19.3) turnover margin (+7.8), field goal percentage (.458), and scoring offense (83.2), is third in three-point percentage (.410), fourth in scoring margin (+11.5), and fifth in assists per game (16.0). The C of I nationally leads the NAIA in steals per game, is tenth in turnover margin, 11th in three-point percentage, 12th in scoring offense, and 13th in three-pointers made per game (8.0).

INDIVIDUAL CASCADE CONFERENCE NUMBERS: Eight different Lady Yote players rank in the Top-10 in CCC statistical categories. Christon Vander Esch (Riggins, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC) leads the league in steals (4.0), while ranking seventh in rebounds (8.0), and eighth in both free throw percentage (.800) and three-point percentage (5.00). Denise Hill (Eugene, Ore. / Boise State U.) also ranks in four categories – fourth in scoring average (16.8), fifth in both rebounds (9.0) and field goal percentage (.595), and sixth in steals (2.5). Whitney Clark (Jerome, Idaho / Northwest Nazarene U.) is sixth in steals (2.5) and eighth in scoring average (15.5), while five others rank in one category – Whitney Owen (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) is second in steals (3.3), Kayla Brewer (Arco, Idaho / Butte County HS), Ashley Wolfe (Boise, Idaho / Walla Walla CC), and ShaNae Horner (West Jordan, Utah / Snow CC) are all second in three-point percentage (.571), with Josie Pugsley (Park Valley, Utah / Snow CC) is ninth in field goal percentage (.545).

CASCADE CONFERENCE INDIVIDUAL TOP-FIVE: Scoring Average – Emily Gray (NCC) 20.3, Brittany Bowsher (NU) 19.7, Raquel Morin (CAS) 16.9, Denise Hill (C of I) 16.8, Jenna Ball (OIT) 16.3; Rebound Average – Jackie Speer (SOU) 11.0, Cora McVey (OIT) 10.8, Te Awhina Aranui (CAS) 10.0, Gray 9.9, Hill 9.0, Crystal Idrogo (OIT) 8.8; Field Goal Percentage – Emily Goette (CRB) .636, Breana Olson (EOU) .625, Tiffanie Ulmer (EOU) .607, Danielle Clausen (CU) .607, Hill, .595; Assist Average – Meagan Miyasaka (OIT) 6.3, Jenny Fiso (EOU) 5.0, Kailey Bostwick (CRB) 4.8, Rachel Travis (NU) 4.7, Robin Swain (CAS) 4.1.

ABOUT THE COACH: Reagan Rossi is in her seventh season as head coach of the Lady Yotes. During her tenure at The College of Idaho, the native of Mukwonago, Wisc. has compiled a 100-86 overall record, with six consecutive appearances in the Cascade Conference Tournament. The 35-year-old took a 2001-02 team that had only one returning starter and only four players with extensive collegiate experience, and brought the Lady Yotes to within one game of the national tournament. During the 2004-05 season, she did it again. The squad, which had just two players with considerable experience with the Coyotes, won 20 games, and dropped the CCC Tournament title game to Western Baptist, 60-57. This past season, she took a squad with one returning starter and five true freshmen and won 19 games, earning an NAIA Top-25 ranking, and advancing to the CCC semifinals. Rossi was no stranger to The C of I, as she was a member of Todd Corman's inaugural coaching staff for two seasons, and was on the bench when the Coyotes took to the floor for the first time on Nov. 4, 1995 against Carroll College, ending an 18-year hiatus of women's basketball at the school. Rossi has an extensive background in coaching - having been an assistant coach at Georgetown (Ky.), a fellow NAIA institution, along with Morehead State (Ky.), an NCAA Division I program. Before coming to The C of I in 1995, Rossi was an assistant coach with the Skagway High School boys' varsity team in Skagway, Alaska. A 1994 graduate of Saint Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, Rossi played four years of college basketball for the Queen Bees. Two of her teams qualified for the NAIA National Tournament, including the 1993-94 squad which advanced into the "Sweet Sixteen." She was the starting point-guard for two seasons, averaging ten points and six assists per game during her senior season. In 2006, she was inducted into the Mukwonago High School Hall of Fame. She and husband Rudy live in Caldwell - and have three-year-old twin daughters, Maggie and Darby.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the Lady Yotes, head to the official homepage of The C of I women’s basketball – www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmensbasketball.htm.

SWIMMING: Yotes head to Oregon for Northwest Invitational

COMING UP: at Northwest Invitational, McMinnville, Ore. – Friday and Saturday.

YOTES HEAD TO NORTHWEST INVITIATIONAL: The Coyotes will compete for the last time during the 2007 portion of the schedule this weekend, traveling to McMinnville, Ore., for the Northwest Invitational. The two-day meet will feature 36 events, with eight other teams - host Linfield, Pacific, Willamette, Lewis & Clark, Whitman, Pacific Lutheran, Puget Sound, and Mills.

LAST YEAR AT THE NWI: Last year, the Yotes had a banner Northwest Invitational, with the men's team placing sixth and the women's team placing eighth. Men's sprinter John Green (Pleasanton, Calif. / Foothill HS) took home the crown in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle events, while the men's 200-freestyle relay was victorious.

NAIA AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS: Casey Walker (Caldwell, Idaho / Skyview HS) – 100-backstroke; John Green – 50-freestyle; Alphonsina Savell (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) – 100-breaststroke, 200-breaststroke; Ashlee Byrnes (Vancouver, Wash. / Columbia River HS) – 200-butterfly; Men’s 200-freestyle relay; Men’s 200-medley relay; Women’s 200-freestyle relay; Women’s 200-medley relay.

NAIA BONUS CUT QUALIFIERS (must have at least one “A” qualifying time): Casey Walker – 100-butterfly, 200-IM; John Green – 100-freestyle; Alphonsina Savell – 200-IM.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW: Following the Coyotes three-way dual against Boise State and Mesa State, it looked as if sophomore Ellen Judd (Missoula, Mont. / Sentinel HS) had met the NAIA "A" qualifying time in the 200-breaststroke. However, that was based on the 2006-07 NAIA standards - which were the ones posted on the NAIA website at the time. Unfortunately on November 15, the NAIA posted the 2007-08 standards - which made many of the women's standards more difficult, including the 200-breaststroke. Judd missed the qualifying time by 25-hundredths of a second.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more on the Coyote swim team, head to the official homepage of The C of I, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/swim.htm.

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