Big Sky Conference 2003-04 Season Recap
From his determination and intensity on the court, it’s obvious that Eastern Washington’s Alvin Snow is not a player who can tolerate much losing – which is why it must have been so difficult for the senior swingman to put up with three conference championship game losses over his first three seasons. It’s also why the fullback-sized defensive menace didn’t let it happen a fourth.
After winning the regular season conference title by four games, the Eagles knocked off defending conference champions Weber State 72-53 in the semifinals and a sharp shooting Northern Arizona club in the finals 71-59 to earn a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In the win over Weber, senior Brandon Merritt contributed seven points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals, while junior forward Marc Axton led the team with 21 points. Merritt had 22 points and Snow had ten points and eight rebounds in the championship game to send the Eagles to their first ever tournament berth. Eastern Washington coupled the intensity of a packed home crowd along with the confidence that comes with winning a conference championship with such great ease to help guide them through their conference tournament run.
The Eagles took a stronghold on the regular season championship early by winning eleven-straight conference games before losing their last two games heading into the tournament. The battle for the other five seeds in the conference tournament was not quite as simple as only two games separated the conference’s other seven teams. Northern Arizona, Idaho State, Sacramento State and Weber State all finished with 7-7 records while Montana and Montana State both finished 6-8, though Montana was awarded the sixth-and-final seed because of a tie-breaker which goes to the team with the most wins against the conference’s highest seed (Eastern Washington in this case).
After being predicted to finish near the bottom of the conference, Northern Arizona and Idaho State both had surprising seasons. Northern Arizona, for the most part, lived and died by the 3-point shot, with Aaron Bond (17.4 points) and Kelly Golob (13.4) leading the attack. Lanky 6-foot-3 point guard Marquis Poole (conference leader with 19.0 points and 6.0 assists) led Idaho State, breaking down defenses and disrupting opposing guards with his suffocating wingspan.
Despite not making the conference tournament, Portland State’s second year coach Heath Schroyer increased his team’s win total from five in 2002-03 to eleven this past season. He was helped along by a slew of junior college transfers, including the backcourt tandem of Blake Walker (16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds) and Will Funn (4.0 assists). Sacramento State coach Jerome Jenkins continued the steady improvement of his program as the Hornets hosted their first-ever tournament game – a 68-62 quarterfinal loss to Weber State.
In other tournament action, Montana lost to Idaho State 74-73 in their quarterfinal game. Idaho State then lost to Northern Arizona 91-72 in the semifinals. Merritt was named conference tournament MVP, while his Eagle teammates Axton and Snow were named tot the first team.
Eagles gunned down by Cowboys
No. 2 seed Oklahoma State put an end to any Eastern Washington (the 15th seed) Cinderella hopes by outscoring the Eagles 39-20 in the second half in the opening round on the NCAA Tournament. The two teams we tied at 36 at halftime. The Cowboys advanced all the way to the Final Four where they lost in the semifinals to Georgia Tech 67-65.
Merritt led the Eagles with fourteen points and seven rebounds, but shot only 4 of 14 from the field. Axton poured in ten points while Snow was held to two. For Oklahoma State, center Ivan Mcfarlin had twenty points, ten rebounds and four blocks. Point guard John Lucas, who went on to hit a clutch 3-pointer against Saint Joseph’s to send OSU to the Final Four, had 15 points and Tony Allen had seventeen points, nine rebounds and five assists.
Hoopville All-Conference Team
Marquis Poole (MVP): senior point guard, Idaho State
Alvin Snow: senior swingman, Eastern Washington
Aaron Bond: senior forward, Northern Arizona
Slobodan Ocokoljic: senior forward, Weber State
Seamus Boxley: junior forward, Portland State
Defensive Player of the Year
Alvin Snow
Newcomer of the Year
Kamarr Davis: Junior forward, Montana
Eastern Washington Eagles (17-13 overall, 11-3 in Big Sky)
The Eagles struggled through a brutal preseason schedule which featured road games against Gonzaga, San Diego State, Iowa and Oklahoma, finishing 6-10. But that was all chalked up to experience when conference play rolled around, as the Eagles rattled off eleven conference wins after losing their opener to Montana. Eastern Washington finished conference play with overtime losses at Weber State and Idaho State, but were able to bounce back in tournament play.
Forward Marc Axton helped key the Eagles turnaround with strong post play in conference action, where he averaged 13.2 points.
MVP: Senior swingman Alvin Snow (14.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists)
Top scorer: Alvin Snow (14.7)
Top rebounder: Alvin Snow (5.1)
Top assists: Brendon Merritt and Alvin Snow (3.0)
Starters Leaving
G – Brendon Merritt (graduation)
G – Alvin Snow (Graduation)
C – Gregg Smith (Graduation)
G – Josh Barnard (Graduation)
Key players returning
Danny Pariseau (junior guard, 5.9 points)
Marc Axton (senior forward, 12.9 points, 4.6 rebounds)
Matt Nelson (sophomore forward, 7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds)
Paul Butorac (sophomore forward, 4.0 points, 2.5 rebounds)
Former Washington State assistant Mike Burns will take over the head coaching job at Eastern Washington. Former coach Ray Giacoletti accepted the head coaching job at the University of Utah, where he takes over for legendary coach Rick Majerus.… Freshman Henry Bekkering, who redshirted last season, appeared on Fox Sports’ Best Damn Sports Show in late May to show off him dunking ability. The 6-foot-5 Canadian forward has made a name for himself though Internet. Bekkering averaged 35 points in high school.… Marc Axton competed with Canada’s Senior National team over the summer, while Bekkering competed with the Under-20 Team.
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (15-14, 7-7)
The top scoring team in the Big Sky (75.9 points per game) used the 3-point stroke of Kelly Golob and Aaron Bond to advance all the way to the conference championship game. The Lumberjacks went 8-7 in the preseason and earned a No. 2 seed in the conference tournament by beating Montana in overtime 80-78 in their final conference game.
MVP: Senior forward Aaron Bond (17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds)
Top scorer: Aaron Bond (17.4 points)
Top rebounder: Aaron Bond (5.5 rebounds)
Top assists: Kyle Feuerbach (3.9 assists)
Starters Leaving
F – Aaron Bond (graduation)
F – Kodiak Yazzie (graduated)
G – Chris Ferguson (graduated)
Key players returning
Kelly Golob (junior guard, 13.4 points, 3.9 assists)
Kyle Feuerbach (senior guard, 3.9 assists)
Stephen Garnett (senior forward, 6.3 points)
Paul Meynen (sophomore center, 7-freaking-foot-0)
Ruben Boykin Jr. (sophomore forward, 7.3 points, 3.6 rebounds)
Idaho State Bengals (13-18, 7-7)
After a 5-9 preseason record, which featured three wins against non-Div. I teams, Idaho State seemed doomed for yet another poor season. To top it off, they would half to play the entire season without shooting guard David Schroeder, who injured his knee at Midnight Madness festivities.
The Bengals, led by seniors Marquis Poole and Scott Henry, were able to bounce back and qualify for the conference tournament where they narrowly beat Montana in the quarterfinals 74-73 behind 24 points from Henry. The Bengals then lost in the semifinals to Northern Arizona 91-72.
MVP: Marquis Poole (senior point guard, 19.0 points, 6.0 assists)
Top scorer: Marquis Poole (19.0 points)
Top rebounder: Scott Henry (7.3 rebounds)
Top assists: Marquis Poole (6.0 assists)
Starters Leaving
G – Marquis Poole (graduated)
F – Scott Henry (graduated)
Key players returning
David Schroeder (sophomore guard, medical redshirt last season)
Jeff Gardner (senior shooting guard, 11.1 points)
Doug D’Amore (senior forward, 6.6 points)
Jesse Smith (junior center, 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds)
Scott Henry’s brother, Tim Henry, will transfer to Idaho State from Wyoming. Tim, a 6-foot-5 swingman, will have one year of eligibility left after sitting out the upcoming season because of NCAA transfer rules. He averaged 5.7 points and 2.4 rebounds with the Cowboys.
Sacramento State Hornets (13-15, 7-7)
High expectations surrounded the Hornets this past season, as their top-two scorers from the 2001-02 season -Joseth Dawson and Joel Jones – returned from a year of ineligibility and Massachusetts transfer Jameel Pugh was set to take the floor for the first time with Jerome Jenkins team. The Hornets showed signs of fulfilling the expectations at times, but ended up finishing the season with a disappointing quarterfinal loss to Weber State on their home court.
MVP: Senior swingman Joel Jones (12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds)
Top scorer: Joseth Dawson (14.4 points)
Top rebounder: Cedric Thompkins (5.6 rebounds)
Top assists: DaShawn Freeman (3.4 assists)
Starters Leaving
F – Joel Jones (graduation)
F – Cedric Thompkins (graduated)
C- Tony Champion (graduated)
G – Joseth Dawson (graduated)
G – Brandon Guyton (graduated)
Key players returning
DaShawn Freeman (junior guard, 5.1 points, 3.4 assists)
Jameel Pugh (senior small forward, 9.3 points, 4.9 rebounds)
Chris Lange (junior forward, 3.6 points, 3.6 rebounds)
Head coach Jerome Jenkins signed a contract extension through 2006…. Yikes!!! The Hornets will open at Michigan on November 19, play at Fresno State on December 11, and at Oregon State on December 28.
Weber State Wildcats (15-14, 7-7)
After losing conference MVP Jermaine Boyette, the Wildcats knew it would be tough to 3-peat as conference champions. Weber State did win four of their last five conference games to sneak into the conference tournament, where they beat Sacramento State in the opening round before falling to Eastern Washington in the semifinals. The Wildcats had defeated the Eagles in the tournament championship game in 2002 and 2003.
MVP: Senior forward Slobodan Ocokoljic (15.0 points, 6.6 rebounds)
Top scorer: Slobodan Ocokoljic (15.0 points)
Top rebounder: Slobodan Ocokoljic (6.6 rebounds)
Top assists: Jamaal Jenkins (2.3 assists)
Starters Leaving
F – Nic Sparrow (graduation)
F – Slobodan Ocokoljic (graduated)
G – John Hamilton (graduated)
F – Patrick Danley
Key players returning
Lance Allred (senior center, 12.0 points, 6.2 rebounds)
Ryan Davis (senior guard, 2.8 points, 1.7 assists)
Jamaal Jenkins (junior guard, 2.3 assists)
Montana Grizzlies (10-18, 6-8)
The Grizzlies won six of their final seven games to advance as the final (No. 6) seed into the Big Sky Tournament. They were led by junior college transfer Kamarr Davis, who provided an interior presence for the team. The Grizzlies lost six-straight conference games at one point.
MVP: Junior Kamarr Davis (14.1 points, 6.3 rebounds)
Top scorer: Kamarr Davis (14.1 points)
Top rebounder: Kamarr Davis (6.3 rebounds)
Top assists: Derrick Mansell (4.1 assists)
Starters Leaving
G – Derrick Mansell (graduation)
F -Victor Ventors (graduated)
Key players returning
Kamarr Davis (senior forward, 14.1 points, 6.3 rebounds)
Kevin Criswell (junior guard, 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds)
Roy Booker (senior guard, 9.3 points)
John Seyfert (junior center, 3.9 points, 5.4 rebounds)
Head coach Pat Kennedy, a former coach at DePaul and one of the game’s top recruiters, announced he will leave Montana to become head coach at Towson University. Larry Krystkowiak, Montana’s career scoring and rebounding leader who played from 1982-86, was hired to replace Kennedy. He hired Wayne Tinkle and Brad Huse as his assistants.
Montana State Bobcats (14-13, 6-8)
Don’t be fooled by a halfway decent preseason record (8-5), because the Bobcats played their fair-share of crappy teams. “Why must you be so harsh on our Bobcats,” cries a lonely fan from Bozeman. Because tough love is the only thing which can save Montana State at this point. With a 6-8 conference record, the Bobcats failed to make the conference tournament yet again. Oh, and they are losing their best player Jason Erickson to graduation.
MVP: Senior guard Jason Erickson (17.3 points, 2.7 assists)
Top scorer: Jason Erickson (17.3 points)
Top rebounder: Calvin Ento (6.0 rebounds)
Top assists: Frank Brown (4.4 assists)
Starters Leaving
G — Jason Erickson (graduated)
F – Calvin Ento (graduated)
F – Josh Barsh (graduated)
F — Calvin Ento (graduated)
Key players returning
G — Frank Brown (junior guard, 7.7 points, 4.4 assists)
F – Nick Dissly (sophomore forward, 9.1 points)
C – Matt Towsley (senior center, 8.2 points, 4.2 rebounds)
Portland State Vikings (11-16, 5-9)
Although the Vikings did fall short of another tournament berth, they did improve their win total from four in 2002-03 to eleven this past season. But losing their last three games with a tournament berth at stake was not a good way to end the season.
MVP: Junior guard Blake Walker (16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds)
Top scorer: Blake Walker (16.1 points)
Top rebounder: Seamus Boxley ( 9.4 rebounds)
Top assists: Will Funn (4.0 assists)
Starters Leaving
F — Marshal Hartman(transfer)
Key players returning
Blake Walker (senior guard, 16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds)
Will Funn (senior guard, 7.7 points, 4.0 assists)
Seamus Boxley (senior forward, 14.8 points, 9.3 rebounds)
Antone Jarrell (senior forward, 8.6 points)
The Vikings have hired two new assistants, Senque Carey and Fred Langley. Carey’s college career ended two seasons ago at New Mexico after suffering a severe spinal cord injury.
