Cravens To Visit Vandals Next Year As - Irvine Assistant

Former Idaho men’s basketball coach Joe Cravens has accepted an offer to become an assistant at Cal-Irvine.

Cravens and his family visited the university last week.

“I’m happy to be able to stay in the profession and I’m going to work for a very good friend (coach Rod Baker),” Cravens said. “We’re sad to leave this community, but we’re trying to move forward.”

Cravens officially starts on July 1. He was fired after three seasons at Idaho.

Cal-Irvine is a member of the Big West Conference, which Idaho will join this fall. The Anteaters (15-12) were second in the Big West last season, but graduated several seniors. In addition, some key underclassmen are in the process of transferring.

The Anteaters play at Idaho, Eastern Washington and Washington State next season.

North Idaho College sophomore forward Eric Sanchez has orally committed to play basketball at Western State College in Gunnison, Colo.

Sanchez, who averaged 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds last year, chose the Division II school over NAIA member St. Martin’s.

Idaho’s recruiting interest in Arkansas guard Jesse Pate has cooled, apparently because he’s struggling academically.

Pate, who has one year of eligibility remaining, was considering Idaho as well as Fresno State, Memphis and Oklahoma.

A basketball clinic featuring three former Vandals players will be held this weekend at Mullan High School.

Orlando Lightfoot, Mark Leslie and Leonard Perry, an assistant at Utah State University, will be guest clinicians. The clinic begins Thursday and concludes Saturday.

The cost is $25. The clinic is open to boys and girls entering the seventh grade and through 12th grade.

Information: 208-744-1126.

Swimming

Two swimmers representing Lake City Masters competed last week in the Masters National Championships held at DeAnza College in Cupertino, Calif.

Dave Deboll and Margaret Hair were among 2,000 men and women competing from across the nation. Deboll, 59, swam in six events in the 55-59 age group. He placed second in the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke, third in the 200 breaststroke and sixth in the 400-meter individual medley. He also placed eighth and seventh, respectively, in the 100- and 200-meter individual medley. He holds all the Inland Empire regional records in the breaststroke and has consistently placed first or second nationally.

Hair, 41, placed seventh in the 400 individual medley, ninth in the 200 and 10th in the 100 while competing in the 40-44 age group. She also placed seventh in the 200-meter breaststroke and eighth in the 100 breaststroke.

Officials honored

The North Idaho Officials Association has established a Hall of Fame and honored an inaugural class of 11 former officials.

Inducted during a ceremony last weekend were: Bill Pecha, Don Rinaldi, Paul Young, George White, Jim Kraus, Pat Gooby, Lloyd Finley, Don Scott (deceased), Bill English (deceased), Otto Litzenberger (deceased) and John Fealko (deceased).

Preps sign

Lakeland High School baseball standout Al Bevacqua has signed a letter of intent to play at NIC.

Bevacqua, a four-year starter and three-sport athlete at Lakeland, will join his father, Tony, at NIC. The elder Bevacqua is an assistant coach.

Another multiple-sport standout, Chad Beadell of Lake City, has signed a letter of intent to play soccer at Clark Community College in Vancouver, Wash.

Beadell, a two-year starter in basketball and three-year starter at goalie in soccer, will be a goalkeeper at Clark.

IHSAA honors student

Genesee High School junior Ellie Moser has been named the 1996 recipient of the Interscholastic Star Student Recognition Scholarship, awarded annually by the Idaho High School Activities Association and its official sponsor, The United Dairymen of Idaho.

Moser was chosen over four finalists from a field of 23 applicants. Bonners Ferry junior Brian Meeker was also a finalist.

All-league teams

All-league teams have been announced in North Idaho soccer and Intermountain League baseball.

Named to the NI soccer first team were: Mike Thompson, Tim Kerns, Ean Estep, Will Scott and Chad Beadell of Lake City; Scott Strobel and Tony Gagon of Moscow; Jason Campbell and Derek Mahoney of Sandpoint; and Ty Kovatch and Joel Grabenstein of Coeur d’Alene.

Named to the all-IML first team were: outfielders, Bryne Reynolds (St. Maries), Jessica McBride (Lakeland), Naomi Wilcott (St. Maries) and Maria Battaglia (Moscow); infielders, Jenny Moslemi (Moscow), Sarah Shippy (St. Maries), Toni Goetz (Moscow), Tami Blanford (Bonners Ferry), Angie Epler (St. Maries); pitchers, Monica Hall (Lakeland), Katie Scott (Priest River), Brianne Badgett (St. Maries) and Jenni Borg (Lakeland); catcher, Amanda Tams (St. Maries).

Sports physicals

Area physicians and medical personnel will be on hand Monday at 6 p.m. at Coeur d’Alene and Lake City High Schools to give physicals for all freshman and juniors who will be involved in sports in the 1996-97 school year.

The cost is $10. Call 667-4500 to register. All proceeds benefit training departments at the high schools.

Legion tryouts

The Coeur d’Alene American Legion baseball team will hold tryouts beginning today.

Tryouts today and Thursday are for returning AA and A Legion players and varsity and junior varsity high school players. Freshmen-to-be and sophomores may turn out Friday and Saturday.

The tryouts will be held at NIC, beginning at 4 each day. Info: 664-0396.

The Post Falls American Legion program will hold tryouts for its AA and A teams Monday.

Tryouts will be held at North Idaho College, from 4 to 6 p.m. Info: 773-6952.

, DataTimes