How does this Eastern Washington NCAA Tournament team compare to the previous two? Former stars weigh in

Before lively Eastern Washington coach Shantay Legans’ band of deep-shooting commodities enjoyed the distinction of NCAA Tournament team, just two previous Eagles squads saw their logo flash across the screen on Selection Sunday.

EWU’s 2004 and 2015 teams were further apart in style than the 11-year gap.

When EWU won the Big Sky Conference regular-season and tournament titles in 2004 under Ray Giacoletti, it relied on a strict, half-court Princeton offense and physical play on both ends of the floor. The gritty Alvin Snow, Big Sky Most Valuable Player in 2004, led that charge.

Six years ago, the Eagles’ high-powered, wide-open offense under Jim Hayford was stocked with many options, including the nation’s leading scorer in eventual NBA draft pick Tyler Harvey (22 points per game).

Legans, formerly an assistant under Hayford before taking over in 2017, naturally runs an offense (79 ppg) much more similar to 2015 than 2004, but looks to attack on defense like the older squad.

EWU surrendered an average of 55 points in its three Big Sky Tournament wins last weekend.

Snow, a Seattle-based sports agent with roughly 40 clients, and Harvey, playing professionally in Australia, compared their respective teams to the 2021 Eagles (16-7), who open the NCAA Tournament on Saturday as a No. 14 seed in Indianapolis against No. 3 seed Kansas (20-8).

‘We made you earn every inch of space’

Snow averaged 14.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, three assists and nearly two steals a game as a senior, well-rounded numbers that helped him become the program’s first All-American.

But Snow, who was the conference’s defensive player of the year, doesn’t believe EWU’s first NCAA Tournament team was the best team he played on in Cheney.

“My junior year team was better, honestly,” said Snow, who played in four consecutive Big Sky championship games before breaking through his final year. “We beat Washington, San Diego State, Saint Mary’s, Boise State. We almost beat Gonzaga (67-64 loss).”

But an exceptional Weber State team that ran the Big Sky table that season downed the Eagles 60-57 in the tournament title game. EWU’s nonconference resume was so uniquely impressive for a Big Sky team that it still earned a bid to the National Invitational Tournament.

EWU took care of business the following year, though, when it earned the right to host the Big Sky Conference Tournament and defeated Northern Arizona 71-59 in front of raucous and packed Reese Court.

Behind figures like Snow, forward Marc Axton (12.9 ppg) and guard Brandon Merritt (11 ppg), EWU fit Giacoletti’s hard-nosed identity.

The Eagles were patient on offense, ranking 24th in the nation in field-goal percentage (47.5) and 38th in assists (16 per game).

They put up just 16 3-pointers a game, a number the current Eagles often hit before halftime.

“Huge difference in the way our teams played,” Snow said. “This EWU lets it fly, and I love it. It’s more modern basketball. But we played the clock, guarded the heck out of it.”

The 2004 Eagles were given a No. 15 seed and faced No. 2 seed and eventual Final Four qualifier Oklahoma State in Kansas City, Missouri.

EWU forged a 36-36 halftime tie with the Cowboys before the Big 12 team shifted gears in a sound 75-56 win.

Days later, Giacoletti accepted the same job with then-Mountain West power Utah.

“It was completely new territory for EWU. We were excited to be there,” Snow said of the NCAA Tournament. “I wish we were more optimistic.

“I don’t think we enjoyed it the way this team will. We were a little too serious. This is a loose bunch and will still play loose, and I think Shantay has a lot to do with that.”

EWU finished 17-13 overall.

‘We loved 3-pointers’

Harvey, drafted by the Orlando Magic in the second round in 2015, had no problem hoisting from deep.

Neither did his teammates, similar to the 2021 squad.

The 2015 Eagles (80.6 ppg) ranked first in the nation in 3-point attempts (25 per game) and seventh in 3-point percentage (39).

Harvey, Parker Kelly, Felix Von Hofe, Drew Brandon, Bogdan Bliznyuk and Obnjen Miljkovic led that charge, but when the up-tempo Eagles wanted points by other means, they would go to three-time All-Big Sky forward Venky Jois (16 ppg).

“We were a really high-powered offense, very run-and-gun,” Harvey said. “This EWU team has a beast in the paint, though, in (Big Sky MVP) Tanner Groves, and he draws so much attention that it opens up 3-pointers for guys on the wing.

“We were kind of the opposite. We had great bigs, but we loved 3-pointers and ranked No. 1 in the nation in attempts.”

EWU had a signature nonconference win at Indiana that season when it snapped the Hoosiers’ 43-game nonconference home winning streak, an 88-86 upset in Bloomington.

EWU also beat eventual Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Texas Southern 86-62 in a season opener.

The Eagles, co-Big Sky champions with Montana, earned their NCAA Tournament spot after beating the Grizzlies 69-65 in Missoula in the tournament title game.

EWU earned a No. 13 seed and faced fourth-seeded Georgetown. The Eagles fell 84-74 in Portland.

Harvey said he believes Legans and his staff will be well-prepared for Kansas.

“You kind of have to pick your poison with (EWU) this year,” Harvey said.

Under Hayford, who is now the coach at Seattle University, EWU finished 26-9.