Idaho-Eastern Rivalry As Hot As Lionel Richie
The last time Eastern Washington beat Idaho in a men’s basketball game, EWU coach Steve Aggers was the head coach at Division II Wayne (Neb.) State and Vandals forward Jason Jackman was in junior high school.
Recording artist Lionel Richie was hot. Yikes!
In 1986 the Joe Folda-coached Eagles posted a 79-67 win over UI and counterpart Bill Trumbo.
Idaho has won 20 straight games in the series as the teams prepare to renew the one-sided rivalry on Friday in Cheney.
EWU has had only one winning season since 1986. UI replaced Trumbo with Tim Floyd after the ‘86 season and launched a string of winning seasons that ended with last year’s 12-15 mark.
“I’m more concerned about this year than the past,” said Aggers. “All I know is, right now we’re 0-2 and we’re looking for our first league win. We have three straight at home and hope to get it done.”
The Eagles were blown out at Boise State and squandered a late lead at Idaho State over the weekend.
“We’ve improved with every game,” Aggers said, “particularly since Christmas.”
Idaho, meanwhile, has been an inconsistent.
“I told my team, maybe I started putting the cart before the horse. I said, ‘You win these first three on the road, and you’ll be right there for winning the championship,”’ said Idaho coach Joe Cravens, whose team last weekend at Idaho State and Boise State.
“At Eastern, we just need to concentrate on Eastern. After that, we’ll concentrate on the next one.”
The Vandals have been paced more in recent weeks by junior-college transfers than seniors who have been in the program for a couple of years.
Jackman, a transfer from Dixie Junior College, has become UI’s most consistent inside threat. His 31 points against Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo on Tuesday was the most by a Big Sky player this season.
“Jason Jackman has really been playing well for them lately,” Aggers said. “He’s their first front-liner off the bench, and of course Harrison is outstanding.”
NCAA calls on Weber
The NCAA is conducting a preliminary inquiry into possible violations at Weber State.
“We are cooperating and providing any information they require,” Weber State president Paul Thompson said.
Thompson said the university was contacted by the NCAA in October, but he believes the organization was gathering information before that.
No one at Weber would say what the NCAA is investigating. The NCAA has told the university not to comment.
Last August, Sports Illustrated published a story about a small college in Florida where many athletes - including EWU center Melvin Lewis, since cleared by the NCAA were earning substantial credits quickly through correspondence courses.
Weber State has had at least two players who took correspondence classes at the college in question, Southeastern College.
Last August, Weber State coach Ron Abegglen said one of the players barely passed his course and the other failed. The player who failed never participated in a practice or game.
Sky lines
Weber State’s Ron Abegglen and Montana’s Blaine Taylor each have 41-19 conference records in four-plus Big Sky seasons. … Montana and Montana State, both off to 2-0 starts, meet in Bozeman on Saturday night. A crowd in excess of 8,000 is expected… .
Because of suspensions and defections, no Idaho State player has started every game this season. Idaho isn’t far behind as only Nate Gardner has started all 13 games.
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