Portland State Defeat Weighs On Ewu Coach

Through the anguish of 36 defeats in less than two seasons, Steve Aggers has masked much of his frustration while trying to rebuild the men’s basketball program at Eastern Washington University.

But last Friday night, after losing at home to Big Sky Conference newcomer Portland State - a school fielding a team for the first time in 16 years - Aggers spoke candidly about the harsh realities of trying to recruit student-athletes to EWU.

His comments came just minutes after three PSU freshmen - Derek Nesland from Vancouver, Mike Vanderhoff from Medford, Ore., and Hasan Artharee from Portland - had played key roles in the Vikings’ 73-58 win.

“We tried to recruit every one of the freshmen they’ve got,” Aggers admitted. “We worked our butts off, and they wouldn’t give us the time of day - not with this program’s history.

“Would you rather play in the Rose Garden or here (Reese Court)? Would you rather live in Portland or in Cheney? That’s an easy answer.”

We feel your Payne - really

The frustration of a second straight 1-8 conference start appears to be wearing on Oregon State coach Eddie Payne, who lashed out at an official after a questionable call helped USC escape Gill Coliseum with a 71-68 victory last week.

The second-year OSU coach called Thursday’s game against USC “one of the worst-officiated games I’ve seen.” (Mr. Payne, there’s a Booker Turner on Line One.)

Payne - who reportedly has yet to hear from Turner, the Pac-10 head of officiating - was livid after referee Deron White whistled OSU’s Corey Benjamin for charging with the game tied at 63 and less than 2 minutes remaining.

Benjamin had stolen the ball and was racing downcourt when USC’s Elias Ayusu caught up, then slid in front of Benjamin to draw the disputed charge. Benjamin fouled out on the play.

After the game, Payne tried to chase White, but was restrained by security personnel.

Payne was similarly frustrated during last month’s road loss to Washington State. He earned a technical foul for berating one official, then skipped the postgame press conference.

His Beavers seek atonement tonight, when WSU (11-9, 3-6 Pac-10) visits Corvallis for a 7:05 tipoff.

Three is the key

Oregon’s slide from the Top 25 to the frustratingly familiar position of NIT hopeful began with a Jan. 9 loss to WSU at the Spokane Arena.

Saturday night’s rematch will be at McArthur Court, which might seem like an unlikely venue for WSU to pick up a road win.

But there is hope.

Oregon is just 1-3 at home this season - easily the most confounding aspect of the Ducks’ trip from 10-0 to 12-6.

WSU coach Kevin Eastman believes Oregon’s inconsistency is tied to its reliance on the 3-point shot.

“I think everyone in the league knows they’re capable,” Eastman said. “A lot depends on whether the 3 goes in.”

The Ducks may rely too heavily on the 3-point fortunes of guard Jamal Lawrence - he made just 2 of 6 in a recent home loss to USC, compared to 6 of 11 against the Bruins.

But Lawrence, who made 3 of 8 in the loss to WSU, isn’t Oregon’s only pivotal player. Point guard Kenya Wilkins was bothered by back spasms in the USC game, finishing with three points and two assists.

Around the conferences

Gonzaga junior center Bakari Hendrix was named West Coast Conference player of the month for January after averaging 15.3 points and 7.8 rebounds. Hendrix led the Bulldogs to a 5-3 record in January, good enough for a first-place tie… . Eastman said Kareem Jackson, who missed most of the last two games with illness, will probably start at point guard tonight. Blake Pengelly will come off the bench. … The top six teams in the Pac-10 are a combined 24-2 at home in conference play. … Arizona State coach Bill Frieder has denied rumors he’ll step down after the season. … Idaho forward Troy Thompson has been slowed by illness. UI coach Kermit Davis said Robert Scott, who has played in six games since joining the team three weeks ago, might get the starting nod.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: AREA LEADERS Scoring Player, school FG-FGA FT-FTA 3pt Avg. Isaac Fontaine, WSU 143-290 98-126 49 21.7 Jason Jackman, UI 134-244 108-132 0 17.9 Ben Heimerman, Whit 113-168 97-122 1 17.1 Lorenzo Rollins, GU 115-268 59-72 32 16.1 Nate Williams, Whit 76-139 47-53 30 14.3 Carlos Daniel, WSU 102-197 68-98 0 14.3 Jeff Mix, Whit 104-171 45-66 4 13.5 Matt Santangelo, GU 97-214 40-57 34 13.4 Travis King, EWU 71-162 43-52 40 11.8 Reggie Rose, UI 52-117 22-39 23 11.5

Rebounding Heimerman, Whit, 8.9 (169); Daniel, WSU, 8.8 (167); Mix, Whit, 7.4 (140); Bakari Hendrix, GU, 5.7 (114); Jackman, UI, 6.0 (125).

Assists Sean Weston, Whit, 4.5 (85); Santangelo, GU, 4.5 (89); King, EWU, 3.6 (68); Derek Elliott, UI, 3.6 (58); Williams, Whit, 3.4 (55); Gabe Jones, Whit, 3.4 (65).

Steals Elliott, UI, 2.1 (33); Rose, UI, 1.9 (25); Weston, Whit, 1.8 (34); Rollins, GU, 1.7 (34); King, EWU, 1.6 (28); Jones, Whit, 1.6 (30).

Schedule Tonight Eastern Washington at Idaho State, 6:35 p.m.; Washington State at Oregon State, 7:05 p.m.; Idaho at UC Santa Barbara, 7:30 p.m. Saturday Idaho at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 1 p.m.; Washington State at Oregon, 7:05 p.m.; Gonzaga at Portland, 7:30 p.m.; Eastern Washington at Cal State Sacramento, 7:35 p.m.; George Fox at Whitworth, 8 p.m. Tuesday Washington State at Idaho, 7:05 p.m.

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN - Men’s college basketball notebook BYLINE = Steve Bergum Staff writer Staff writers Jim Meehan and Mike Sando contributed to this report.