Nic Loses Star Transfer As Year Opens

North Idaho College opens its regular season tonight, but it may have lost a wrestler it expected to contribute in the second half of the season.

The Cardinals face Pacific Lutheran tonight at 7:30 at Christianson Gym. NIC’s annual take-down tournament is Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m.

However, Troy Sabot, a transfer from Oregon State who is academically ineligible until the second semester, suffered an arm injury and might miss the entire season.

Sabot, expected to eventually start at 134 pounds, put his arm through a window at his home, tearing several tendons and rupturing an artery, according to coach Pat Whitcomb.

“I sat him down and we talked,” Whitcomb said. “We didn’t bring Troy here just to wrestle. One part of it (wrestling) isn’t going to work for a while; the other part (academics) better work.”

Williams staying home?

It appears former North Idaho College men’s basketball coach Rolly Williams will not be going to China after all.

Williams isn’t sure why the overseas opportunity didn’t evolve. He was told last week there was an “80 percent” chance he would be coaching a team in the Chinese professional league.

“I was looking forward to it and was excited about the possibility,” he said. “I would think it’s probably off because they start playing by the middle of the month.”

An exchange of calls with his contact in Los Angeles yielded no answer. An expected follow-up call from L.A. has yet to come.

“I lost two days of golf, just dealing with this stuff,” Williams joked.

Vandals tabbed fifth

The Idaho men’s basketball team has been picked to finish fifth by the media and sixth by the coaches in the Big West Conference’s Eastern Division.

The poll results were announced at the media day Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Nevada was the coaches’ pick for first. The media went with New Mexico State. Boise State was chosen fourth in both polls.

Pacific was favored to win the Western Division.

Idaho’s women were picked second by the media and third by the coaches. Nevada was the unanimous selection for first in the Eastern Division.

UC-Santa Barbara was favored to capture the Western Division in both polls.

Vandals land CV guard

Rikki Jackson, an All-Greater Spokane League guard who helped lead Central Valley to the championship game of the State AAA girls basketball tournament, made an oral commitment to attend the University of Idaho next year.

“It’s close to home and I love the coaching staff,” said Jackson, who was All-GSL second team as a sophomore. “I get to play two years with Alli Nieman, Freshman of the Year (in the Big West Conference).”

Jackson, 5-foot-9, who was also on the Spokane Stars team that finished third in the AAU 18U national tournament last summer, also considered Montana, St. Mary’s and Pepperdine.

Zach Gourde, a 6-foot-8 forward for Prairie, which finished third in the State AAA boys tournament last year, has committed to Gonzaga.

, DataTimes