WSU, Eastern men’s basketball teams sign junior college players
Washington State signed two junior college players to letters of intent and Eastern Washington added one of its own, the schools announced Thursday.
Rodney Edgerson, a junior college wing/guard from Peoria, Ill., had orally committed to the Cougars in March as reported in The Spokesman-Review. Just this week, WSU added another junior college player, Ivory Clark, to the list of incoming Cougars.
Clark, a 6-foot-6 forward, played last season for Midland College in Texas, where he was the team’s second-leading scorer with 13.2 points a game.
Clark could end up filling the role vacated by the graduating Jeff Varem, although at 210 pounds he lacks some of the brute strength that characterized Varem’s game.
The Cougars had hoped to sign a pair of players from Midland College this spring, but shooting guard J.D. Lewis apparently has chosen Texas and Clark ended up making his visit to Pullman this past weekend on his own. Mamery Diallo, a Midland teammate of Clark and Lewis, has signed to play for Gonzaga next season.
The two newcomers join high schooler Caleb Forrest and JC guard Antonio Chavers, who both signed with WSU in the fall.
The Eagles signed Neal Zumwalt, who for a time in the 2004-05 season ranked second in the National Junior College Athletic Association in 3-point field-goal accuracy.
Zumwalt is a 6-3 guard from Northeastern JC in Sterling, Colo., where he averaged 9.3 points while making 73 of 139 3-point attempts for 52.5 percent. He played two seasons there after graduating in 2003 from Lincoln High in Portland.
Zumwalt ranked 10th nationally in 3-point shooting, but at one point was making 56 percent to rank second in NJCAA. During a four-game stretch in late January and early February, he averaged 20.0 points while making 74 percent of his 3-point shots (20 of 27) and 67 percent from the field overall (26 of 39). Included were two 24-point games, including one against Casper when he sank 8 of 10 3-pointers.
Wrestling
Coeur d’Alene High’s Josh Manes has signed to wrestle for North Idaho College, Cardinals Pat Whitcomb announced.
Manes took second at 135 pounds at the Idaho 5A state tournament. He’ll compete for the starting job at 133 pounds at NIC.
NIC’s Kyle Frawley, who placed fourth at 174 in the NJCAA Tournament, has committed to wrestle for Dana College, an NAIA school in Blair, Neb., Whitcomb said. Former Cardinal Blair Alderman wrestles for Dana.
Golf
Joe Finley fired back-to-back 74s and the Whitworth Pirates finished in a first-place tie with Puget Sound in the two-day Pacific Lutheran University Invitational at Lake Spanaway (Wash.) Golf Course.
Finley ended with a 6-over-par 148 for the Pirates, who carded a 613 team total. Mike VanWingerden shot a 76-75–151 for Whitworth.
Puget Sound’s Matt Ristine earned medalist honors in the eight-team tourney with a 1-under 141.