Petty Ends Association With Zags

Jerry Petty’s on-again, off-again relationship with Gonzaga is off, again.

This time, it’s permanent.

The North Idaho College guard has asked out of the letter of intent he signed with the Bulldogs two weeks ago. GU coach Mark Few said the school will cooperate with Petty’s request.

The move ends a strange four-month courtship.

In this space in January, I reported Petty’s verbal commitment to Gonzaga. In February, Petty wavered because he felt GU coaches were ignoring him. In March, Petty reaffirmed his intentions to go to Gonzaga. In mid-April, he signed a letter of intent.

According to Petty, reasons for his reversal included disappointment in the way GU recruited him and a verbal spat between Few and ex-North Idaho College assistant coach Mark White.

“I needed time before I signed and they were, `Are you scared? Don’t you think you can play in this league?”’ said Petty, a second-team All-Region 18 selection. “All I wanted to do was think about what I was doing. They’re a good program, but the whole process should have gone a little better than it did.”

Few has no regrets over Petty’s recruitment.

“We recruited the way we’ve always recruited. He was offered a scholarship and he verbally committed in January,” Few said. “Usually when somebody verbals … we’ve never had one go back on us.

Added Few: ”He just didn’t want to come here and be part of what we’ve got going. There was certainly no pressure from here.”

Petty said the final straw came when he learned about an exchange between Few and White.

“They had their words and the day after I signed I was told they got into it,” Petty said. “They made it like Coach White talked me out of going (to Gonzaga). Coach White wanted me to go to Gonzaga from the jump.

“I’m not trying to make anybody look back, but I just disagreed with it.”

Both Few and White declined comment.

Petty also wasn’t happy with the role he was expected to fill at GU.

“They wanted me to throw lobs and run the offense, but I’m more of a shooter,” he said. “I mean, everybody likes to shoot. I have no problem with running the offense, but I wanted to do some offense, too.”

Responded Few: “I would say that would be a mischaracterization.”

Petty has been in contact with San Francisco, Washington State and Southern Mississippi. San Francisco is a WCC member, the same as Gonzaga.

“I just want to go play,” Petty said.

Few said it’s time to move on.

“There won’t be any hold-ups from our end. He can move on and we’ll move on and we’ll work to find kids who want to be part of this.”

Panhandling

Former Idaho point guard Lance Buoncristiani apparently has found a new home. He’s committed to play at Chipola Junior College in Marianna, Fla., ex-ex Vandals coach Kermit Davis’ old stomping grounds.

Ex-UI assistant Steve Forbes helped steer Bouncristiani east after the 5-foot-8 guard quit the Vandals.

“We think he’ll be a solid player for us,” Chipola coach Ryan Cross said. “He’s got a good mind for the game and he shoots well. He’ll do a good job running our team.”

There are innumerable ways to get tossed out of a baseball game. Turns out not catching a toss is on the list.

A Priest River catcher purposely ducked out of the way of an incoming pitch in protest of home-plate umpire Dominic Howard’s strike zone. Howard was struck by the pitch, but he struck back by immediately ejecting the backstop. Good call.

Former Lake City High quarterback Chad Troxel, grandson of ex-UI coach Ed Troxel, is working his way up the depth chart at Idaho. The walkon is a reserve cornerback.

One of his biggest fans is new coach Tom Cable.

“He’s a guy that gets the most out of his talent,” Cable said. “It’s fun to have him on the team for a lot of reasons. One, there’s going to be a day when he makes a contribution here. Two, I don’t know if there’s a guy that works as hard. He’s just not as big or fast or whatever.

“But all the other stuff, he’s a diamond.”

Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston are the best baseball teams in the Border League. They just don’t play their best baseball against each other.

CdA has won two of three wild, run parades against Lewiston.

“We just put the runs up there and if you get a pitching performance, that’s great,” CdA coach Brian Holgate said.

Baseball is in the same boat as softball, where CdA and Lake City are state-title contenders, but only one can advance to state.

“We’re two good teams and it’s a shame only one of us is going to state,” Holgate said.

Grad school

Former Priest River Spartan Missy (Ennis) Vanek is rated No. 1 among Pac-10 heptathletes. Vanek, a junior at Cal, scored 5,554 points at a meet in late March. The mark is third best in the NCAA.

Some of her better marks include a 5-foot-8-1/2 high jump and 13.93 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles.

Vanek competed for Boise State her first two seasons.

Front row

The best prep athletes in North Idaho, regardless of classification, gather for the first District I all-star track meet Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Post Falls High. The meet brings together the top 16 individuals in each event from the A-4, A-3, A-2 and A-1 ranks.

St. Maries is poised to break Lakeland’s regular-season stranglehold on Intermountain League baseball. The Hawks, meanwhile, will try to reclaim the top spot in the A-2 District I Tournament. If the tourney goes according to seed, St. Maries and Lakeland would collide in the title game at 1:30 at NIC.