Dave Trimmer

Former Lake City standout Matt Dlouhy, Class of 2002, was a walk-on at Montana and is a key contributor for the Grizzlies, averaging 8.7 points and 4.3 rebounds. Last weekend he moved into the starting lineup and in two wins totaled 26 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. With the Griz playing at Eastern Washington Saturday night, it was a perfect opportunity for the 6-foot-6 redshirt sophomore forward to catch up area fans on his progress by answering questions from The Spokesman-Review. S-R: Do you consider the game at Eastern a homecoming?

Paul Wulff, who has been the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year twice in his five years as the head man at Eastern Washington University, has agreed to a new five-year contract. "Our intent is to keep Paul here as long as we can and continue to build on the success we have had," EWU athletic director Scott Barnes said. "We hope this new contract will help do that."

There were many good reasons to pick the Portland State men's basketball team as the Big Sky Conference team to beat before the season except for one thing – the Vikings were last a year ago. Turns out that may have been the best reason to pick them first instead of second.

Maybe the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team has been playing possum. The Eagles have struggled on Reese Court, rarely showing their trademark tenacity. Wins were even more scarce.

Khary Nicholas was a late comer to basketball, preferring soccer and cricket until he dunked on an outdoor court in a ghetto of his native Trinidad. His hard-working parents left him with a grandmother, moving to Tacoma to start a better life. The middle and tallest (6-foot-7) of three sons, he joined them before his sophomore year in high school. Foss High School, with current Eagles Marc Axton and Rachi Wortham, won the State 4A title his senior year. He went to Tacoma Community College where he hooked up with former Eagles Brendon Merritt and Josh Bernard and won the NWAACC title his second year when he averaged 10.1 points and 7.6 rebounds. He redshirted at EWU his first season and played 28 minutes in eight games last year.

Despite its struggles, the Eastern Washington men's basketball team is making history. For the first time the Eagles will play three Top 25 teams in the regular season by playing back-to-back games against ranked teams for the first time.

PULLMAN – An abundance of talent, relentless pressure and motivation. The 21st-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils had all of those and used them effectively. Led by Emily Westerberg, a sophomore out of Central Valley, and a deep bench that included sophomore Aubree Johnson of Post Falls and freshman Regan Pariseau from CV, the Sun Devils kicked off the Pac-10 women's basketball season Monday night by rolling over Washington State 67-39 at Friel Court.

By now the doubters should be convinced. Reagan Pariseau, a 5-foot-5 point guard out of Central Valley via Brewster, belongs in the big time.

Bigger, stronger, faster. That's what the Washington State women's basketball team faces next week when the Pac-10 season starts.

Erik Benzel's last trip home as a college basketball player wasn't quite perfect, if you were expecting absolute perfection. But if perfection is a win and a memorable performance, the 2001 Ferris grad can feel good about Saturday night.