Idaho Guard Faces More Physical Stuff

UC Irvine found a way to collar Idaho point guard Avery Curry last week:

Thump on him.

“We’d been expecting a box-and-one or a triangle-and-two,” Idaho coach Dave Farrar said. “When Avery had the ball, they’d touch, hold and beat on him. And they limited his catches.”

Curry, who had been on a scoring binge, was held to 10 points.

“It worked in two ways,” said Farrar, who wasn’t critical of the officials. “It kept us from reversing the ball and it forced him to take shots he didn’t like taking.”

On Thursday, Curry faces Nevada, a physically gifted outfit that has four starters 6-foot-6 or taller. UI has one starter above 6-5 in Mao Tosi, perhaps generously listed at 6-6.

Idaho visits Utah State, the lone unbeaten in conference, on Saturday, when Aggies strongman Marcus Saxton will probably defend Curry.

“They’re going to try to outphysical you,” Farrar said. “Saxton bench presses an unbelievable amount of weight, something like 340 pounds.”

This all could lead to more welts on Curry’s body. His free-flowing game thrives on driving and scoring in transition.

“He’s the fastest I’ve guarded,” Cal State Fullerton senior guard Chris Dade said after Curry scorched the Titans for 23 points last week.

Tooth decay

Utah State’s Donnie Johnson lost three teeth and fractured his jaw after taking an elbow to the chops from Cal Poly’s Chris Bjorkland.

Johnson left the game to visit the dentist, who could replace only one tooth.

Johnson returned against UC Santa Barbara two nights later, but was sick before the game. He persisted, though, playing all 5 minutes in overtime, scoring a basket and grabbing key rebounds.

“He was the player of the game,” Aggies coach Larry Eustachy said.

Retraction

Cal Poly-SLO players spouted off in the school’s student newspaper before games against Utah State and Nevada last week.

“We can’t be beat at home,” one said before the Mustangs lost to Utah State in overtime.

“We are not looking past Utah State but we are going to annihilate Nevada,” predicted Cal Poly’s Steve Fleming, who watched his team fall behind by 21 points before losing by 14.

Those comments didn’t escape Cal Poly coach Jeff Schneider. “They should know better,” he said.

They probably do - now.

Tip-ins

Boise State will petition the NCAA in hopes star forward Roberto Bergersen is granted another season of eligibility. He lost a year of eligibility at College of Southern Idaho, though he played in only two scrimmages and one exhibition game.

He left CSI to help his mother, who was battling depression.

Pacific’s Michael Olowokandi completed an eye-catching alley-oop dunk against New Mexico State. It was nice, but not as impressive as one the 7-foot center had in practice.

“Adam (Jacobsen) threw a lob above the backboard and I brought it down for a basket,” Olowokandi said. “Coaches stopped practice for about 5 minutes so we could cherish the moment.”

UC Irvine fans aren’t accustomed to winning. The Anteaters, 1-25 a year ago, are off to a 3-1 start in conference.

Following a 65-63 home win over Boise State, Anteaters faithful stormed the court.

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