Nic-Csi Matchups May Fill The Gym
Get to Christianson Gym early tonight. A couple hours early.
It could be packed for the annual North Idaho College-College of Southern Idaho men’s basketball showdown at 7:30.
And the preliminary act, NIC’s women (11-1) and 8th-ranked CSI (14-1) at 5:30, “should be about as fun as it gets,” NIC coach Greg Crimp said. “These are four really good teams.”
First-year NIC men’s coach Hugh Watson is new to the rivalry, but he’s being indoctrinated quickly.
“It’s crazy,” he said. “People calling, wanting tickets, stopping by. People are coming from all over.”
Including Dr. Gail Fields, an old friend of Watson’s who lives in Blackfoot, Idaho. He’s flying up in his Lear Jet. Watson said there will be pockets of fans from Moscow, Lewiston and Spokane.
Both games are rather huge. CSI’s women are 3-0 in the Scenic West Athletic Conference, just in front of 3-1 NIC.
The stakes are even higher on the men’s side. The champion of the North Division (NIC, CSI, Ricks, Treasure Valley and Colorado Northwestern) hosts the Region 18 Tournament. NIC is 3-1, CSI is 2-1, Ricks is 2-2, Treasure 1-2 and Colorado is 0-4.
New-look men’s teams
New NIC forward Leonard Myles, who became eligible in December, adds athleticism to an already talented lineup.
CSI (12-3) has juggled its roster, deleting 6-foot-9 Rich Brown (quit) and adding newly eligible point guard Tony Heard, a transfer from Oklahoma. Also, 6-8 forward Francis Junger is still recovering from an emergency appendectomy and might be limited.
Standouts are wings Jarvis Mullahon and Travon Broadway, the conference’s leading scorer at 19.8 points per game, who often operates inside.
The Eagles, known for high-flying theatrics in the past, are more pedestrian this season. They usually exhaust the shot clock on offense and play nasty defense under new coach Jim Thrash.
CSI allows 54.5 points per game. NIC prefers a frenetic pace.
“If we come down and jack it up, we’re playing right into their hands,” Watson said. “This is a great defensive team and they’ll try to break us down when they have the ball.”
CSI women deep
Like the men, the women’s game probably will hinge on which team can handle the other’s pressure defense.
“They certainly appear to be the team to beat in our league,” Crimp said. “This will give us a real measuring stick for where we are.”
CSI utilizes 12 players and often presses from the opening tip. The leading scorer is reserve Charlotte Norman at about 10 per game, coach Joel Bate said. “We’ve got a lot of kids averaging eight or so.”
, DataTimes