Eagles, Vandals reignite basketball rivalry
Let’s call it a rivalry in the re-making.
Some of the Eastern Washington and Idaho players weren’t yet born in 1996, when the Eagles and Vandals last played a Big Sky Conference basketball game against each other.
“I’ve been in the community for 15 years, so this rivalry isn’t only before the players, but before me,” EWU coach Jim Hayford said earlier this week as the Eagles prepared for Saturday’s game in Moscow.
“I hope it turns into something that’s really special. It’s between the two schools closest to each other in the Big Sky Conference, and that makes the regional significance all the better.
“We’re looking forward to do our part,” said Hayford, now in his fourth year.
Moments later, EWU senior guard Parker Kelly said it means more than the average game.
When you have another school that’s so close regionally, you want to take care of business,” Kelly said.
Likewise, seventh-year Vandals coach Don Verlin sees this as a “natural rivalry,” but one that probably will rank third in the pecking order, behind UI’s contests against Boise State and Washington State.
“But I know that our fans are excited about the Big Sky Conference as a whole, and they like us being back in the Big Sky,” Verlin said.
On the other hand, the Vandals were “welcomed” back to the Sky by being picked eighth by the media and seventh by the coaches in this year’s preseason poll.
“Hopefully we can sneak up on people,” Verlin said.
More important for now, both teams are 2-0 in the Big Sky after home sweeps of Weber State and Idaho State. Montana and Sacramento State also are 2-0 in league, but this is the week’s only matchup of unbeatens.
Eastern is off to its best start since it switched to Division I in 1985, going 11-4 overall with wins over Indiana and San Francisco. National scoring leader Tyler Harvey (23.4 points per game) “can score in all three areas. He has quickness and good size, and they do a great job of isolating him,” Verlin said.
Harvey also leads the nation in 3-pointers made with 4.6 per game while playing 36.1 minutes a game. Against Weber and ISU, he never saw the bench.
Inside, Verlin is impressed with EWU forward Venky Jois (19.8 points, 8.0 rebounds per game) and his ability to drive to the basket.
The Vandals (7-6 overall) counter with a senior point guard Mike Scott, who averages 14.4 points a game and owns a turnover-to-assist ratio (70 to 13 or 4.6 a game) that ranks second in the nation. Classmate Connor Hill, from Post Falls, leads UI in scoring (15.6 ppg) while shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range (45 for 105).
Says Hayford, “Don has this program in a good place … with great chemistry, and he’s done a really good job building his underclasses.
“Hopefully we’ll be doing the same, and hopefully these Eastern-Idaho games will become something special.”