EWU coach dealing with death of brother-in-law
PORTLAND – Give him time, Jim Hayford says, and he’ll have a better perspective on Eastern Washington’s experience in the NCAA tournament.
Not now.
On Friday morning, the Eagles’ coach was weighed down not only by the 84-74 loss to Georgetown, but by the unexpected death of his brother-in-law in California.
“Right now I have to be there for my family,” Hayford said.
At the same time, Hayford and his players were haunted by the what-ifs of Thursday night’s encounter with the Hoyas. What if the Eagles had denied a few more open looks to the Georgetown shooters? What if the officials had called a tighter game, especially the non-call after Tyler Harvey was decked, a play that seemed to turn the momentum in the first half?
That subject came up in the postgame interview room, where even in defeat Hayford drew laughs with this one: “They (the Hoyas) play hard. They play really hard. I’m glad we were playing basketball. I wouldn’t want to wrestle or play football against them.”
And the most nagging question for all: Why couldn’t the Eagles have knocked down a few more 3-pointers?
“A couple more shots and it’s a different game,” Hayford said.
Would it have been a different game if Hayford hadn’t challenged his inner Joe Namath earlier this week and guaranteed a win? He wasn’t saying.
“I just want to put that one to bed,” he said.
Hayford preferred to talk about the moment, one which stretched all the way back to last weekend in Missoula, when the Eagles knocked off Montana to guarantee a spot in the tournament. That it brought them to Portland made it even sweeter.
“I just probably heard from 500 different people this week: Eastern alums, former players. Just the buzz that’s around everything we’re doing is very exciting.” Hayford said.
“The presence that we had, our community showed that we belong in the big time, all the way through,” Hayford said.
Hayford said that he and his staff tried to keep the atmosphere “light” for the players, and not let them become weighed down by expectations.
“I like that we kept it fun,” said Hayford, who guided the Eagles to the most successful season in the school’s history: a 26-9 record and Big Sky Conference regular-season and tournament titles.
That’s one perspective, although sophomore forward Felix Von Hofe found a more poignant one shortly after seniors Parker Kelly, Drew Brandon and Garrett Moon walked off the court for the last time in their Eagle uniforms.
“The hardest thing about this loss isn’t basketball,” Von Hofe said on Twitter. “We lose three seniors who are some of the best people I know. I love you boys.”