COMING UP: vs. Northwest Nazarene, Thursday, 7 p.m.; at Clearwater River Casino Invitational, Lewiston – Friday vs. Lewis-Clark State, 7:30 p.m. (PT), Saturday vs. Carroll, 5:30 p.m. (PT)
LAST WEEK: vs. Walla Walla (W 80-68)
LIVE STATS/LIVE VIDEO/LIVE AUDIO: Live Stats of Thursday’s game vs. Northwest Nazarene will be available on at YoteAthletics.com at
http://www.sidearmstats.com/cofidaho/mbball/scoreboard.aspx, the new SIDEARM Sports Live Stats portal for C of I basketball. Friday’s game at L-C State will also have Live Stats at
http://tinyurl.com/a3tpyx9, however, there will be no Live Stats on Saturday. Live Video of the NNU game will be available online at YoteAthletics.com via the Yotes LiveStream at
http://yoteathletics.com/sports/2012/8/14/live_video.aspx?&tab=2, while Live Video of both games in Lewiston will be available online via L-C’s website at
http://www.lcsc.edu/athletics/stream.htm. Friday’s game against L-C will also be carried live in the Lewis-Clark Valley on 950 KOZE-AM with Brian Danner calling the action, with the audio available online at
www.koze-sports.com.
YOTES TO HAVE THREE TELEVISION GAMES IN 2012-13: A total of three C of I men’s basketball games will be broadcast live on television during the 2012-13 season. Both United Heritage Insurance Mayors’ Cup games against Northwest Nazarene will be carried in the Treasure Valley on KTVB 7.2 (cable channel 28) – with Jay Tust and Brian King calling the action, while the December game at Utah will be carried live on the Pac-12 Networks.
TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for the United Heritage Insurance Mayors’ Cup are currently on sale at both institutions – contact the athletic marketing office at The C of I at 459-5835 or the NNU ticket office at 467-8876. Ticket prices are $12 for reserved tickets, $7 for general admission tickets, and $5 for student/senior tickets. Gates will open 90 minutes prior to tip-off.
OLDEST COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL SERIES IN IDAHO: The recorded history of The C of I-NNU series began in 1933, with C of I knocking off Northwest Nazarene, 23-16. Statistically, the two teams have met 190 times in men's basketball, with the Coyotes holding a 112-75 advantage (not including a 0-3 mark in exhibition games). The Coyotes have had three seven-game win streaks in the series (1952-56,1960-62. 1984-86), while NNU has won four games in a row three times (1975-76, 1977-80, 1996-97, and 2010-12).
AT THE IDAHO CENTER: The two teams met seven times at the Idaho Center over the last decade, with the Yotes picking up wins in 2000 (73-59), 2001 (99-86), 2005 (78-71), 2006 (88-80), and 2007 (60-54), while NNU notched wins in 2004 (78-75) and 2008 (76-71).
LAST SEASON: NNU swept the home-and-home series last season from the Coyotes for the second-straight season – running their win streak to five in a row. In Caldwell, the Crusaders used a 18-4 run midway through the second half to pull away for a 72-61 victory, as Anthony Golden scored 19 points and J.B. Pillard tallied 16. In Nampa, NNU closed the first half on a 14-0 run to take a 10-point lead to the locker room, topping the Yotes, 73-63. Golden had 22 points for the Crusaders, with Matt Ballenger leading the Yotes with 21.
ABOUT THE 2012 CRUSADERS: NNU, which finished last season with a 12-14 overall record, was picked to finish seventh in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason poll. Head coach Dave Daniels returns two starters in guards Keith Moilanen (11.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg) and Jon Hawkins (10.7 ppg, 3.6 apg), along with seven-foot post Michal Kurimsky (7.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg). Newcomers include UCLA transfer Kenny Jones, who took 22 shots in a 93-45 exhibition loss to Gonzaga, along with 6-10 post Ivan Zidzik and swingman Mario Donaldson.
COUNTER FOR THE YOTES, NON-COUNTER FOR NNU: Just as they did the past three seasons, the home team in each of the United Heritage Insurance Mayors’ Cup Series games will use the game as a counter, while the road team will count the game as an exhibition.
TWO MORE GAMES FOR THE YOTES: The Coyotes’ week does not end on Thursday, as they will board a bus after the game to head to Lewiston for the Clearwater River Casino Invitational. It marks C of I’s first trip to the L-C Valley since Dec. 16, 1985, when the Yotes dropped a 71-70 decision to the Warriors.
ABOUT LEWIS-CLARK STATE: The Yotes open against the host Warriors (2-0), coming off a 16-13 season and picked to finish fourth in the Frontier Conference preseason poll. L-C opened with a pair of routs of Alberta-Augustana, outscoring the Canadian school by an average of 99-32, logging a plus-28 rebound margin. The Warriors return All-Frontier Conference pick P.J. Bolte (13.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg), who averaged 15 points a game last year, while Jacob Champoux (12.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and Nick Fromm (11.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg) are two of four other players averaging in double-figures. L-C defeated the Yotes, 53-50 in Caldwell last season and have won the past four meetings, though the Coyotes hold the all-time series edge, 42-33.
ABOUT CARROLL: Saturday, the Coyotes meet the Saints (0-1), coming off a 14-13 season and picked fifth in the Frontier Conference preseason poll. Carroll opened the year with a 91-72 loss at MSU-Billings – trying to rebuild after losing six of their top seven scorers to graduation, with only Ben Cutler (13.2 ppg) returning. Boise product Dennis Mikelonis had 17 points in the loss to MSU-B, with 6-7 post Noah Kone-Nelson adding 14. The Saints defeated the Yotes 78-69 last season and has won four-straight in the series. CC leads the all-time ledger, 15-12.
DELGARDO SHINES AGAINST WALLA WALLA: It was a dominating game at both ends of the floor for
Rodney Delgardo (Seattle, Wash. / Spokane CC) on Thursday against Walla Walla, tying a career-high with 30 points in the victory. The senior hit 12-of-17 shots from the floor, including two thunderous dunks, and added a career-high five steals.
UNSELFISH PLAY: A key in the win was the Yotes ability to share the basketball, as The C of I recorded 24 assists on their 30 made baskets.
Duncan Koga (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) led the way with a career-high nine assists, while
Miguel Rodriguez (Wilder, Idaho / Wilder HS) had seven.
TURN UP THE DEFENSE: The Yotes forced 32 turnovers in the victory – the highest total by a C of I opponent since Menlo recorded 39 turnovers in a 73-44 C of I victory in California during the 2008-09 season. Three different players had at least five steals in the game – post
Taylor Pruett (Arroyo Grande, Calif. / Hancock CC) had six swipes, with both Rodney Delgardo and Duncan Koga each recording five.
CASCADE CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL: The Coyotes were picked to finished sixth in the annual CCC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, released on October 15. The C of I received 45 voter points from the 10 league coaches, just ahead of Corban and Concordia, with Northwest Christian and Evergreen rounding out the Top-10. Oregon Tech received four first-place votes and 91 total points to earn the top-billing, followed by Eastern Oregon, Warner Pacific, and Southern Oregon – who all each had two first-place votes. Northwest was picked fifth by the coaches.
NAIA TOP-25 POLL: Five CCC teams were represented in the NAIA Division II Preseason Top-25 Coaches’ Poll, released October 23. Defending NAIA champ, Oregon Tech was ranked No.2, Eastern Oregon was ranked No. 9, Warner Pacific sits at No. 15, Southern Oregon begins the season at No. 23, while Northwest received votes. Northwood (Fla.) earned five first-place votes and holds the top spot, followed by OIT, Dordt (Iowa), Indiana Wesleyan, and Cardinal Stritch (Wis.). The first regular-season Top-25 poll will be released on Nov. 27.
GAME RECAP – C OF I 80, WALLA WALLA 68: Rodney Delgardo tied a career-high with 30 points and the Coyotes forced 32 turnovers, as The College of Idaho picked up their first win of the season, topping Walla Walla University, 80-68, inside Quinn Coliseum. Delgardo had nine points and Taylor Pruett added eight in a 20-5 first half run, as the Yotes built a 30-13 edge and led by as many as 27 in the victory. Pruett had 13 points and six steals for the Yotes, with Duncan Koga logging eight points, a career-high nine assists, and five steals. James Thorn led the NAIA independent Wolves with 11 points and four rebounds. WWU held a 40-34 edge on the glass and hit 46-percent of their field goal attempts, but the Coyotes scored 38 points off the Wolves miscues.
ABOUT THE COACH: Rod Jensen is in his third season as head men's basketball coach at The C of I. He came to The C of I after five seasons at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he served as associate head coach for the last four years. His Coyote teams have posted a 24-39 overall record, advancing to back-to-back CCC postseason tournaments. Jensen has earned notoriety as a defensive coach, especially during his 19 years as a coach at Boise State University. From 1983-95, he was the top assistant to head coach, Bobby Dye, helping the Broncos rank among the Top-15 in the NCAA Division I in scoring defense for four-straight seasons, winning Big Sky regular-season championships in 1988 and 1989, along with Big Sky Tournament titles in 1988, 1993, and 1994. BSU teams advanced to the National Invitational Tournament in 1987 and 1991, and the NCAA National Tournament in 1988, 1993, and 1994. In 1995, Jensen became the head coach at Boise State - compiling a 109-93 overall record in seven seasons at the helm - recording the third-most wins in BSU history. During his tenure, the Broncos ranked among the NCAA Top-25 in scoring defense in 1998 and 1999, while winning the 1999 Big West East Division Championship. Jensen headed east in 2002, becoming an assistant coach for Pete Gillen at the University of Virginia, where he helped the Cavaliers to NIT appearances in 2003 and 2004 - leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in defensive field goal percentage. In 2005, he headed south to UNC-Greensboro, working for Mike Dement, where during his tenure, every player who exhausted their eligibility, graduated. A graduate of the University of Redlands in California, Jensen began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1980, serving as an assistant for two years, before spending one season at Penn State. Jensen and his wife, Brenda, have six grown children - daughters Nicole (and Jon Grzeskowiak), Emily (and Drew Hadley), and Kate, and son Tucker.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the Coyote men’s basketball program, head to the official homepage of the Yotes -
http://www.yoteathletics.com/index.aspx?path=mbball&tab=0.
