How a connection to Corey Kispert helped Northwest land exhibition game with Gonzaga

Finding a way onto Gonzaga’s exhibition schedule often requires a tie to the Zags’ coaching staff.

For Northwest University coach Rick Skeen, it involved calling in a favor from Corey Kispert, the former GU standout entering his fifth season with the NBA Washington Wizards. Skeen actually called in a couple favors from Kispert, who starred on a pair of Skeen-coached state championship teams at King’s High (Shoreline, Washington) before donning a Zag uniform.

For GU coach Mark Few, Northwest, an NAIA program based in Kirkland that competes in the Cascade Collegiate Conference, became a late option after a few higher-profile exhibition/closed door scrimmage matchups fell through.

“Any other night but tonight, I’m a Zag guy and always have been for 25-plus years, the late 90s, Casey Calvary and the crew,” said Skeen, whose scrappy Eagles kept it close early before the Zags rolled to a 111-62 win at the McCarthey Athletic Center. “There’d been conversations. I’ve been trying to call in the Corey favor for a while, and it worked out. It was a late thing.”

After the exhibition contest was finalized, Skeen reached out to Kispert to break the news to Northwest’s players.

“The first day of (Wizards) training camp, I texted him. ‘Hey, I understand if you don’t have three minutes to do this video.’ Thirty seconds later, he texted me that he’d have it to me by lunch time,” said Skeen, who is in his fourth season at Northwest’s head coach. “That’s just who that young man is.

“Corey really sold it like he was giving them a have-a-great-year talk. It was, ‘As a lot of you guys know I played for Coach Skeen and all the things you’ve learned, the toughness, togetherness, how to play the game the right way. And right at the end, he said, ‘I don’t know if coach mentioned it, but good luck at the Kennel.’ ”

Skeen said it was a big deal for Northwest to face Gonzaga in terms of recruiting, finances for the program and “even in our preparation and study.

“All the little details that Coach Few and his staff do, it’s been fun for us to go, ‘Hey, look at their ball screen coverage, how they make the extra pass,’ ” Skeen said. “This is a place that does it the right way and teaches it the right way.

“They’re so much bigger and stronger. I was proud our kids played with some force. The reality was if we weren’t going to be physical we were going to get dunked on every time down the floor. As a fan, (Graham) Ike and (Braden) Huff are going to be fun to watch all year. They’re not that fun to try to guard.”

Skeen stays in touch with Kispert, who has averaged double-figures points each of the last three seasons with the Wizards. The coach knew early on Kispert was something special.

“I met Corey when he was in grade school and I actually had said, ‘He’s either going to play in the NBA or be the president.’ I’m still thinking he could do both,” Skeen said. “He’s been doubted his whole life. He was doubted for playing at a small private school. It was, ‘You have to go to the big schools, the prep schools, you can’t play (at King’s) and move up.

“And then of course it was, ‘Well, maybe he’s Division I, but he’s sure not Gonzaga. And he became an All-American. Then it was, ‘He’ll never play in the NBA,’ and he shoots 40% (from 3) and averages 12 a game. At some point, somebody is going to have to figure out not to bet against him because his character is as high as any coach I’ve coached.”

Aside from free-throw shooting woes and misfiring from 3 in the opening half, the Zags had little trouble against the Eagles, picked eighth in the CCC preseason poll. Skeen picks Gonzaga in his NCAA Tournament bracket every year and he expects the Zags to make some noise nationally this season.

“It starts with the two big guys (Ike and Huff),” Skeen said. “Obviously we couldn’t guard them one-on-one in the post, but I don’t think that’s going to be a good idea for anybody because of the way they play off each other, their ability to get early seals and low duck-ins is really tough.”

“Braeden (Smith) is going to really develop as a point guard. People don’t really know how good he is. I’m excited for Steele (Venters) being back on the floor after a couple tough years and having a guy that can shoot, the NBA body – he has some Corey in him with some of those things. If the guys buy in, the Zags have a chance to have a really special year.”