Cougars, Bulldogs Plan To Shoot It Out In Arena

Mark Nov. 24 on your calendars - the date of the inaugural Kelvin Sampson Basketball Classic.

O.K., it’s actually the date the Washington State and Gonzaga men’s basketball teams renew their rivalry in the first collegiate basketball game scheduled for the new Spokane Arena.

And they’ll really call it Shootout Spokane - the 1995 version of what previously had been a four-team tournament hosted at the Martin Centre by Gonzaga.

The pairing of the teams makes great geographical and competitive sense, but was one that has been avoided since 1988 because Sampson, the former WSU coach now at Oklahoma, saw no benefit in it.

“To be honest, Gonzaga’s program is established and ours isn’t,” Sampson said in 1989. “We need to play some games we can win.”

And that’s how it stayed, with WSU and Gonzaga separated by 75 miles of wheatland and one adamant coach.

Sampson headed South more than a year ago, though, clearing the way for a meeting between teams coming off successful seasons - GU winning the West Coast Conference Tournament to advance to the NCAAs and WSU making it to the NIT quarterfinals.

“We’re certainly excited to resume a great rivalry that started many, many years ago (1908),” said Dan Fitzgerald, GU coach and athletic director, at a press conference at the Arena on Thursday. “It’s an event that brings great basketball to this community and exposes two really good programs.

“It showcases the great game of college basketball, and how better to start the 1995-96 season than by playing this game in this great building?”

When Cougars coach Kevin Eastman arrived in Pullman to replace Sampson, “one of my first questions was, why isn’t this game being played?” Eastman said.

“It doesn’t matter why it wasn’t played, that isn’t important at this point; what does matter is that both schools finally agreed again to play,” Eastman said. “I think all the Division I’s in the state should be playing each other, that’s a no-brainer.”

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and ticket prices and availability have not been determined.

Rick Dickson, WSU athletic director, hopes that demand for tickets is high as this will provide Spokane fans with a shot at seeing the Cougars without a drive to the Palouse.

“One of the things we talked about when I came here was we wanted to continue to have a greater presence in (Spokane),” Dickson said. “We think this event will give us a chance to do this.”

Officials of both schools told of a long-term commitment to this season-opening event, and also voiced hopes that this would return to the four-team format of the past.

Actually, as this was being put together, several possible four-team formats were examined, but none could be solidified.

One tentative incarnation called for this to be a revival of the old Alpo Classic, which brought together the area’s Division I schools - WSU, GU, Idaho and Eastern Washington - in the old Coliseum.

Idaho officials had trouble with that concept.

“Specifically, our concern was, we’re playing Eastern in a conference where conceivably, we could play them three times a year (twice during the season and once in the postseason tournament) and certainly no one would want to add a fourth,” said Pete Liske, Idaho athletic director.

Also, during a period of uncertainty over the format, Idaho filled its schedule, Liske said.

Liske said the all-local-team format would suit the Vandals next year when Idaho moves into the Big West Conference - leaving the four schools in different leagues.

The absence of a fourth team left Eastern hanging a bit as its schedule was being put together.

To compensate EWU for not being included in the Shootout, GU has added a game against the Eagles in Cheney on Jan. 5. Also, WSU will play host to the Eagles on Nov. 26, the Sunday after the GU-Cougars game.

Fitzgerald said he’s not yet certain of the status of Shootout ancillary activities such as the youth clinic and three-on-three tournaments, although he said the clinic, at least, could be continued.

, DataTimes