EWU coach Dan Monson questions ‘overscheduled’ preseason after slow start

The 509 Classic at the Numerica Veterans Arena on Wednesday ended with what Washington State freshman Ace Glass called a “much needed” 78-63 victory, helping an inconsistent Cougars team find its footing at the tail end of its nonconference men’s basketball schedule.

For the losing team, Eastern Washington, the defeat was all too familiar.

After the game, with his team 2-9 overall, with all those losses coming away from Reese Court in Cheney, EWU head coach Dan Monson second guessed the decision to load up November and December with matchups against teams from more esteemed conferences.

“It’s been a frustrating preseason for us because I think we’re better than our record, and I blame myself a lot for overscheduling a little bit,” Monson said. “I think we were excited about the team we had, and we have taken it on the road, and I think it’s starting to affect our confidence a little bit.”

Against the Cougars (4-8), the Eagles fell behind early 13-4 and were never able to capture the lead. They trailed 45-31 at halftime and by game’s end made 38.3% of their shots, their second-worst percentage of the season.

Monson said he wasn’t concerned about Eastern’s ability to score. The Eagles are averaging 77.5 points per game, middle of the pack nationally and amongst Big Sky teams. That’s without Andrew Cook, the team’s leading scorer a year ago who suffered a season-ending ankle injury during a preseason practice.

But defensively, Monson said, the Eagles haven’t been good enough. Opponents – albeit mostly ones a step above the Big Sky – are averaging a league-high 83.2 points and 49.8% shooting against the Eagles.

“We’ve got guys in the right spots a lot, but we don’t have them there for the right reasons,” Monson said. “They’re not there to disrupt. They’re not there to get a deflection. They’re not there to contest a shot. They’re there because this is where they’re supposed to be, and the next step is to be there and make a play.”

Monson highlighted seniors Jojo Anderson and Elijah Thomas as two who did play the sort of defense he wants to see on Wednesday. Anderson finished with two steals; Thomas had a steal and a block.

Anderson played a season-high 32 minutes against the Cougars, partly in compensation for an injury to Emmett Marquardt, the redshirt sophomore forward who left midway through the first half with an injury to his left knee.

After Marquardt left, the Eagles occasionally went with a smaller lineup so that post players Alton Hamilton IV and Kiree Huie could rest for a spell. Hamilton finished with a team-high 16 points; Huie added seven.

“I was just trying to play out of my mind in the second half and not think as much,” said Hamilton, a junior. “A lot of guys stepped up, and we did have to go small, but we’re a scrappy team.”

That scrappiness is apparent in this year’s final scores. Wednesday was just the third time that the Eagles were beaten by double digits.

Monson said he’s confident in the Eagles’ ability to compete in the Big Sky. But the 2-9 record still is what it is, and that, he said, can wear on a team.

“That’s a lot of adversity. And it doesn’t matter who you are or how competitive you are, it becomes too easy to accept losing,” he said. “It becomes too easy to not believe in your teammates or not believe in yourself. So that’s why I am worried about overscheduling. (Our schedule) just doesn’t have enough balance of confidence versus reality.”

Eastern has two more games to play before its Big Sky contests begin on Jan. 3 at Idaho. Saturday, the Eagles will play at Utah (7-4). Two days later, they will take on 10th-ranked BYU (10-1).

The Eagles’ performance against the Cougars wasn’t all bad. Senior guard Isaiah Moses continued a strong start to the season with 15 points and five assists. The Eagles played much closer in the second half, even without Marquardt. And the play of Hamilton – who made 6 of 9 shots and grabbed a team-high five rebounds – remains a point of optimism.

It was that second-half resilience Moses highlighted after the game.

“That kind of intensity with ball pressure and trying to make a play on every possession, I think that’s the energy we need to bring to the whole game,” Moses said. “Not necessarily playing small, but just being aggressive in whatever we are (doing) defensively. I think that’s the biggest thing. Always being hungry for steals and ball pressure.”