COMING UP: vs. Northwest Nazarene (United Heritage Insurance Mayors' Cup Game 1), Wednesday, 7 p.m.; vs. Montana Western (Domino's Classic Game 3), Friday, 7 p.m.; vs. Simpson (Domino's Classic Game 6), Saturday, 7 p.m.
COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
TICKET / FAN PROTOCOLS: Season Tickets for the 2021-22 C of I basketball season are currently on sale through the
C of I Ticket Portal – including a limited number of reserved seats (general admission season tickets are $150, reserved season tickets are $200). Gates to the Activities Center will open 90 minutes prior to tip-off on game days. Per the Cascade Conference Return to Play protocol, all fans will be required to wear a mask over their nose and mouth at all times while inside the Activities Center.
IDAHO APPRECIATION NIGHT: Saturday is Idaho Appreciation Night, as C of I Basketball recognizes the nine student-athletes from the Gem State on the roster. All high school kids will be earn free admission to the game if they bring two non-perishable food items, which will be donated to the Hope House in Marsing.
LIVE LINKS: The United Heritage Insurance Mayors' Cup and all four men's games of the Domino's Classic will be carried live on the
Yotes Digital Network ($10 per game, $50 season pass), with Mike Safford calling the action – as Safford begins his 21st year as the Voice of the Yotes. In addition, Live Stats will be available through
C of I's SIDEARM Sports Portal.
209TH EDITION OF CANYON COUNTY CLASH: Wednesday, the Yotes rekindle the oldest basketball rivalry in the Gem State, hosting Northwest Nazarene in the first of two games of the United Heritage Insurance Mayors' Cup series. The recorded history of the C of I-NNU series began in 1933, with C of I knocking off NNU, 23-16. Statistically, the two teams have met 208 times in men's basketball, with the Coyotes holding a 122-81 advantage in countable games – not including a 1-4 mark in exhibition contests. The Coyotes have had three seven-game win streaks in the series (1952-56, 1960-62. 1984-86), while a 7-game win streak by NNU was snapped in 2012.
HISTORY IN THE MAYORS' CUP: The United Heritage Insurance Mayors' Cup match-up marks the 12th-straight year that the Canyon County schools will meet in a home-and-home series (not including the 2020-21 season that was shortened due to COVID). The two teams met seven times at the Idaho Center before the rivalry game was moved to campus sites in 2009, 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). C of I holds an 8-3 record in Caldwell since the home-and-home series restarted in 2009, including wins in 7-straight games in the Activities Center, while NNU has a 9-2 record in Nampa – including 5-straight wins.
NO TV THIS SEASON FOR NNU GAMES: For the first time since 2003, the United Heritage Insurance Mayors' Cup Series will not be carried live on local television in the Treasure Valley. All parties are hopeful that TV broadcasts of the C of I-NNU games in 2022 will return to the airwaves.
ABOUT NORTHWEST NAZARENE: A very good NNU team heads to Caldwell, as the Nighthawks (1-0) are coming off a 13-5 2020-21 season and advancing to their first-ever NCAA Division II regional tournament. Three starters return this season – guards George Reidy (14.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and Kobe Terashima (7.3 ppg, 4.2 apg), along with forward Gabe Murphy (6.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg), while sixth-man James Nelson (8.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg) looks to make an impact, along with guard Tru Allen, who scored a game-high 21 points in NNU's season-opening 101-91 overtime win over Bushnell. The Nighthawks will need to replace their top player from last season, guard Ezekiel Alley, who transferred to Portland State.
DOMINO'S CLASSIC RETURNS: For the seventh-straight season, the Yotes will hold two tournaments during the preseason, as CCC-rival Multnomah, joins C of I in meeting Frontier Conference squad Montana Western and California Pacific Conference foe Simpson for the Domino's Classic. C of I has won the tournament title in 2014, 2017 and 2018, while splitting games during the 2015, 2016 and 2019 – combining for a 9-3 all-time tourney record.
TOURNAMENT CHAMPS: 2014 – College of Idaho; 2015 – Metro State; 2016 – Eastern Oregon; 2017 – College of Idaho; 2018 – College of Idaho; 2019 – Lewis-Clark State.
OPPONENT PREVIEW – MONTANA WESTERN: A year after having games vs. Montana Western postponed due to COVID issues three separate times, the Yotes and Bulldogs (6-2) finally get to meet on the court. Western finished last season 7-13, but return the bulk of their team – with the squad posting quality wins this season against Corban and Dickinson State, along with a pair of wins over both Yellowstone Christian and Walla Walla. Two players average in double-figures – Jalen Hodges (16.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and Max Clark (15.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.4 apg) – as the Dawgs are allowing just 59 points a game, committing just nine turnovers a night and are making 39-percent of their 3-pointers.
OPPONENT PREVIEW – SIMPSON: C of I will welcome Simpson to the Activities Center for the second-straight year, as the Redhawks (2-3) have just returned from a weekend in Hawaii – dropping a pair of games at Division II Hawaii-Hilo. Both Anthony Rice (17.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and Gary Mims (16.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg) are averaging in double-figures, with guard Dylan Banks (9.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg) returning at the point. SU is converting 44-percent of their field goal attempts on the year and have been outrebounded by nearly three boards per game. C of I and the Redhawks split a pair of games last season.
A SPLIT IN MONTANA: The Yotes made the trip to Butte, Mont., playing a pair of games at 5,500-feet in elevation – earning a key win over Montana Tech, while dropping a tight contest to No. 10-ranked Carroll. C of I used a big second half against Tech – holding the Orediggers to just 37-percent shooting in the period in the victory. The two games are the lone road preseason games the Coyotes will play this season.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: Defense has been the calling card for the 2021-22 Coyotes through the early season – limiting opponents to just 59.5 points per game and 39-percent shooting from the field and 32-percent shooting from 3-point range. The 4-straight games holding foes to 60 points are less marks just the sixth time a C of I team has achieved the mark since 1952 – as the 1998-99 team held 4-straight opponents to 60-or-less in January, while the 2019-20 team, the 2017-18 team, the 1983-84 team and the 1951-52 team all held five consecutive opponents to under 60. The school record (not counting games from 1919-45, when teams scored over 60 points against the Yotes just five total times) is 10-straight games during January of 1950.
STREAK SNAPPED: C of I had a 49-game win streak snapped on Saturday when opponents failed to score 60 points, as Carroll scored 59 points in the 59-51 setback. It marked the Yotes first loss in such a game since Metro State topped C of I during the 2015-16 season.
WADSWORTH TIES FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE MARK: It was a night for the ages for
Derek Wadsworth against Tech, as the senior converted all eight field goal attempts and all three free throws, part of a career-high 23-point outburst. Wadsworth made four 2-point field goals and four 3-point field goals in the victory – joining Steve Masten, who posted a 13-for-13 night vs. Eastern Oregon in 1980 and Chuck Blackhurst, who finished 9-for-9 vs. Whitworth in January of 1986. Eight different players in program history have posted a 7-for-7 game from the field – including Roosevelt Adams vs. Multnomah in 2018.
WYMAN AND HANDRAN RETURN HOME: True freshmen
Drew Wyman and
Caden Handran made the trek back to their home state and played well under the lights in Montana. Wyman had a big opener against Montana Tech, scoring 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while adding four assists against Carroll. Handran led the Yotes with nine rebounds in Friday's win, while adding two points and three boards in Saturday's match-up.
MILES-WILLIAMS SEES MORE RUN: Senior
Ivory Miles-Williams played in 20 minutes in both weekend games, as his court time continues to increase after missing last year due to injury. The point-forward scored six points with six rebounds against Tech, adding five points and four rebounds vs. Carroll. Miles-Williams is averaging 5.5 points per game and converting 55-percent of his field goal attempts.
YOTES PICKED SECOND BY CCC COACHES: C of I was selected second overall in the 2021-22 Cascade Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, released last week by the league office. The Yotes, who have won 20-straight CCC games and were the 2019-20 regular-season and conference champions, received 127 voter points and two first-place votes from the 12 league coaches. Oregon Tech claimed five first-place votes and grabbed the top spot with 135 points, Lewis-Clark State, which won the Best-of-3 series with C of I to claim an automatic bid to the 2021 NAIA Championships, was third with 125 points and spring season champ Corban was ranked fourth (108). C of I has won the past three CCC Tournament titles and have won four regular-season and five tournament titles since 2014. The Yotes are coming off a shortened 2020-21 season where they posted an 8-9 record, with eight of the losses against either Division I or ranked opponents.
CCC BACK TO FULL STRENGTH: After a season that saw just two teams compete in the full regular-season (C of I and Lewis-Clark State), seven teams compete in a spring season (Bushnell, Corban, Eastern Oregon, Multnomah, Oregon Tech, Southern Oregon, Warner Pacific), one team play a limited schedule (Northwest) and two teams opt-out completely (Evergreen, Walla Walla), the Cascade Conference is back to full strength. The CCC will compete as a 12-team league for the first time, with each team playing a 22-game conference schedule – a double round-robin slate against every team. The regular-season and conference tournament champions will earn automatic bids into the 64-team NAIA National Tournament.
AROUND THE LEAGUE: Lewis-Clark State remained unbeaten at 5-0 with key home wins over Montana Western and Providence, while Corban joined C of I at 3-1 by splitting games in Lewiston (defeating UP, but losing to Western). Both Bushnell and Northwest got in the win column – Bushnell routing Willamette 117-83 and NU defeating Linfield, 77-73. Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon split games in Klamath Falls – each defeating Embry-Riddle, but both losing to William Jessup. Key match-ups this weekend including OIT and Southern meeting Park-Gilbert and Montana Tech in Ashland; Corban and Bushnell meeting Carroll and Pacific Union in Eugene; while Northwest travels to Montana to meet Providence and MSU-Northern. The league schedule is set to begin Nov. 23 with games against travel partners – including C of I hosting Eastern Oregon.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: The J.A. Albertson Activities Center is arguably one of the toughest venues in all of NAIA Basketball, as the Coyotes have posted a staggering 117-15 overall record on their home floor since the start of the 2013-14 season – averaging over 1,450 fans per game, tops among all small college teams in the Northwest. Since the Activities Center opened in 1991, the Yotes have recorded a 333-98 all-time record – with the mark ballooning to 449-107 when accounting the previous decade at O'Connor Fieldhouse.
RECORD BOOK: Four C of I players are ranked in the Top-50 of the career record book – as
Ricardo Time ranks No. 27 in 3-pointers made (109) and No. 29 in 3-point attempts (284),
Derek Wadsworth is No. 34 in 3-point attempts (250), No. 35 in 3-pointers made (90) and No. 46 in games played (87), with
Ivory Miles-Williams No. 28 in games played (98) and
Paul Wilson No. 50 in blocked shots (21).
