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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Zags, Eags set to host UCSD in exhibitions

Gonzaga University wraps up its two-game men’s basketball exhibition schedule tonight against UC San Diego, an NCAA Division II team that will then turn around and provide the opposition for Eastern Washington’s exhibition opener at Reese Court on Sunday evening.

UC San Diego is coached by Bill Carr, who is good friends with both Gonzaga coach Mark Few and Eastern coach Mike Burns.

“So he’s coming up to play both of us,” explained Burns, who expects to debut nine new players in Sunday’s exhibition opener, which tips off at 7:05. “He’s a good coach, and that will be a very good Division II team. I want our guys to understand right away that if they play against a gritty, tough team, if they don’t bring the same grit and toughness, themselves, they’ll get beat.”

Working in Eastern’s favor is the fact that the Tritons, who finished 11-16 last year and lost an exhibition to UC Santa Barbara earlier this month by a lopsided 57-36 margin, will be coming off what promises to be a difficult game against a veteran Gonzaga team that is ranked No. 8 in the country and toasted Lewis-Clark State College 83-31 in its exhibition opener last Saturday.

GU coach Mark Few got a good look at some of his younger players in the rout of L-C State and hopes to do the same thing this evening.

“It’s important just to see if we can’t build on what we did last Saturday and take another step,” Few said of tonight’s exhibition finale.

“We’re not anywhere close to where we need to be. We’ve got Idaho coming right down the pipes here (for Friday’s season opener for both schools at the McCarthey Athletic Center), and it’s going to be huge that we take a step up in all areas,” Few said.

Freshman wing Larry Gurganious scored 16 points to lead GU’s offense against L-C State, but three other Bulldogs – including senior center J.P. Batista and junior guards Adam Morrison and Derek Raivio – also finished in double figures.

It stands to reason that UC San Diego, which lists A.J. Maulhardt, a 6-foot-8, 235-pound freshman, as the biggest player on its roster, will have its hands full trying to deal with the 6-9, 269-pound Batista.

The Bulldogs, who head to Hawaii for the EA Sports Maui Invitational following their season opener against Idaho, will probably be without the services of senior forward Erroll Knight (knee) and redshirt freshman forward Josh Heytvelt (foot) in tonight’s exhibition.

Knight underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair damaged cartilage in his left knee earlier this week and Few has promised not to rush his defensive stopper back into action. The 6-11 Heytvelt is recovering from what he called a “stress reaction” in his left foot and is listed as day-to-day.

Burns said he is eager to get his Eastern team onto the court in a situation in which the Eagles can test themselves against someone other than themselves.

“One of the exciting things for our staff is that (the lineup) is still wide open for this group,” explained Burns, who went 8-20 last winter in his first season as the Eagles head coach. “Everybody is going to contribute and be needed to contribute. I think that provides for good chemistry.”

Only two starters, guard Deuce Smith and forward Jake Bettinger, are back from last year’s team. But Burns likes several of his newcomers, including Rodney Stuckey and Nick Livi, who both sat out last season because of academic reasons.

“We have a physically talented and physically tough group that has a chance to be pretty special, if they also become mentally tough and talented,” Burn said.