Chad won’t leave Eastern hanging
Eastern Washington University had a superstar last year, but that didn’t mean a lot when the Big Sky Conference season opened.
Kathleen Nygaard put up big numbers all year, but after going 7-6 in non-conference games, the Eagles went 5-9 in the Big Sky.
The young Eagles learned from that.
“The biggest thing is we need everyone to do what they do well,” point guard Joanna Chad said. “Our coaches are really trying to send us a message: It’s when you do what you do well, that you become great. … None of us are great players; we’re great when we play as a team.”
Chad’s improved play is one reason for optimism. As a freshman she started 23 games, including all 14 in conference, and played the second most minutes on the team.
“I feel a lot more sure of myself this year. Each day it feels like I’m moving forward,” Chad said. “I know there were things in my game last year that I’ve tried to eliminate, different decisions I can make.”
Chad averaged 7.3 points a game and more than three assists last year with almost as many turnovers. She has bumped her scoring and assists while making fewer turnovers this year.
“It makes a big difference because she’s been to battle before and it’s nice to have someone out there that has been there and understands what lies in front of us,” EWU coach Wendy Schuller said of Chad. “Some nights she’s still a rookie.”
Sky queens
In the first 16 seasons of Big Sky play, Montana won or shared the title 10 times, including last year.
The Grizzlies are one of the favorites again, despite their 7-6 non-conference record.
Weber State, which won titles in 2002 and 2003, is 9-4 with a league-best RPI rating of 74th. Northern Arizona is also 9-4, but hasn’t played as tough of schedule.
Eastern opens at Portland State (2-10) on Saturday.
“It’s going to be a real competitive league this year,” Chad said. “There is no night you can kick back and say ‘This is going to be a cupcake.’ There is not one team that’s unbelievable … there are a lot of good teams in our league.”
Big Big West win
Idaho saved one of its best wins for last. In their last tour through the Big West Conference before moving to the Western Athletic Conference next year, the Vandals posted their first win at national power Santa Barbara. Idaho’s 75-62 win ended the Gauchos’ 29-game home winning streak in Big West play.
“I have been telling these players there is greatness within this team and a win like this goes a long way to prove it,” Vandals coach Mike Divilbiss said. “We are getting tougher and are improving. … We have our best basketball ahead of us still and I feel our team is going to accomplish some tremendous things.”
The highlight was sophomore Leilani Mitchell’s 20-for-20 performance from the free-throw line, making her the ninth player in NCAA D-I history to shoot at least 18 free throws and make them all.
Local watch
Gonzaga (2-0, 13-2) hits the road this weekend, facing defending West Coast Conference champion Loyola Marymount (2-0, 8-7) on Thursday and Pepperdine (1-1, 5-10) on Saturday. GU’s Ashley Burke and Loyola’s Mary Turner shared the conference Player of the Week honors. The Zags have won a school-record nine straight, breaking the previous mark of eight set in 1988-89. … Washington State (0-6, 4-11), which has lost eight straight, is at Oregon State (0-5, 4-10) on Thursday night and Oregon (3-2, 10-4) on Saturday afternoon. OSU has lost five straight. … Ferris grad Brynn Kelly, a sophomore at Davidson, suffered a broken hand Dec. 22 when taking a charge at Western Carolina. She is expected back on Jan. 25 in the rematch. “We are certainly missing her,” Davidson coach Annette Watts said. … Mead grad Courtney Ferguson has returned to the Irvine lineup after missing four games with tendinitis in a knee.
Tip-ins
Whitworth continues to climb both Division III national polls, which were released Tuesday. The Pirates (11-0) are 10th in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA coaches poll, up from 14th. They are 18th in the D3hoops.com poll, moving up one spot. … EWU junior Felice Moore leads the Big Sky in shooting at 55 percent. … WSU sophomore Kate Benz leads the Pac-10 in rebounding at 9.1 … WSU is 1-4 in games decided by five points or less.