Leep will assist at Eastern
Community Colleges of Spokane assistant men’s basketball coach Grant Leep, a former high school All-American at Mount Vernon and captain of the Washington Huskies, is joining the Eastern Washington University staff.
Leep replaces former Gonzaga player Winston Brooks, who resigned to concentrate on finishing his master’s degree, on the staff of second-year head coach Mike Burns.
Leep, who was at CCS for two seasons, was the 1998 Mr. Basketball for Washington after twice leading the Bulldogs to the semifinals of the State 3A tournament. He went on to UW, playing in 89 games and starting 28, 27 his senior season when he led the Pac-10 in 3-point shooting by making 39 of 74 (.527). He averaged 7.8 points for the 11-18 Huskies. UW made the 1999 NCAA Tournament, Leep’s freshman season.
Mount Vernon was a 3A state power during Leep’s career. He averaged 20.1 points and 9.0 rebounds as a sophomore when he was MVP of the WesCo Conference. As a junior his Bulldogs went 28-1, losing to Mercer Island in the state championship game. Leep averaged 18.2 points and 8.5 rebounds. He averaged 17.3 points his senior season when the Bulldogs lost to eventual state champion Rainier Beach in the semifinals.
Prior to his two seasons at CCS, Leep spent one year as an assistant at Seattle Community College.
A political science major, Leep is married to Allison Leep, a sports reporter for KXLY-TV.
Great Alaska Shootout
Marquette is the marquee team for the 2005 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout and the first opponent for Eastern Washington.
The Eagles face the Golden Eagles at 8:45 p.m. on Nov. 23. Two days later, EWU will face the winner or loser of the Southern Cal and Oral Roberts game. The other four teams are NIT champion South Carolina, Monmouth, Southern Illinois and Alaska-Anchorage.
Marquette beat Gonzaga in the championship game of the 2000 tournament with Dwyane Wade the MVP. Washington won the tournament last year.
“That’s fine. That will be a good test for the Eags,” second-year head coach Mike Burns said. “In those deals you’re going to play them the first night, second night or third night. They’re going to be well coached, they’re going to play very sound basketball. They should be ranked in the Top 25 or 30. That’s why you go to those tournaments, to play programs like that on a neutral floor. We’re looking forward to it.”
WNIT
The Eagles women are also in a preseason tournament, playing at California in the preseason Women’s NIT. The Eagles would face the Oral Roberts-New Mexico winner if they get by the Bears in the single-elimination tournament.
Other teams in the tournament include Connecticut, Oklahoma and Boston College.