Eagles treat hoops fans

Clearly there was a method behind Eagle Madness: Raise some interest in Eastern Washington basketball by raising the roof at Reese Court.

From the T-shirt giveaway to the slam-dunk contest to the intersquad scrimmage, the Eagles accomplished both goals, punctuating a week when both the men’s and women’s teams were picked for high finishes in the Big Sky Conference.

“I don’t think we can lose,” said EWU athletic director Bill Chaves, before a freewheeling event at Reese Court in the middle of football season.

Then again, basketball is just around the corner. The men open on Nov. 14, while the women play an exhibition on Thursday against Central Methodist.

“I think it’s a great way to get both teams together,” said women’s coach Wendy Schuller.” All of our student-athletes have worked really hard.”

So did some of the regular students, who were enriched in more ways than one. When the call went out for volunteers to compete in a 3-point shooting contest, Matt Sheehy was there.

“I just screamed louder than everyone else,” said Sheehy, a junior from Longview, Washington, who was lucky enough to be teamed with Eastern ace Parker Kelley.

Sheehy hit a few shots of his own on the way to pocketing a $125 prize. “Just awesome,” Sheehy said.

So was the slam-dunk contest, which was won by EWU forward Venky Jois with a high-rising, 360-degree spin that left the whole joint jumping for Jois. Frederik Jorg, a 7-foot-1 center who redshirted last season, showed some moves on his way to a runner-up finish.

The event was originally scheduled to take place on First Street and College Avenue in downtown Cheney, but was relocated to Reese Court when the weather forecast turned to rain. The fans were treated to a full-court intersquad came that was short on teamwork and defense but long on entertainment value.

Even the missed slam dunks drew cheers from the fans, most of whom went home with team posters.