SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whitworth College, ranked 16th in the D3hoops.com top 25 poll, hosts Willamette University in the regular season finale of 2007 on Friday night in the Whitworth Fieldhouse. The Pirates can wrap up at least tie for the 2007 Northwest Conference title with a win over the Bearcats. In addition, Whitworth will honor Mark and Marcy Few prior to the game for their efforts in raising money for the fight against cancer. Honoring the Fews: Mark Few, the head basketball coach at Gonzaga University, and his wife Marcy will be honored prior to Friday night's game. The Fews have spearheaded the local BasketBALL and Golf Classic, which as part of the national Coaches vs. Cancer program, has raised more than 2.2 million dollars in its five years of existence. Last August the event raised more than $840,000 and has grown to the largest event of its kind in the country. The efforts are very close to the heart of the Whitworth basketball program. Jayme Hayford, who has survived two battles with Leukemia, will present Marcy with a honorary Pirate jersey. Whitworth President Dr. Bill Robinson will give the Fews a framed commendation for their efforts in raising money and awareness in the fight against cancer.
The Pirates: Whitworth (21-3 overall, 12-3 NWC) is one half game ahead of Lewis & Clark in the NWC standings, and a game and a half ahead of Puget Sound. Whitworth has one game left, while L&C and UPS each have two. They play each other on Friday at the same time Whitworth hosts Willamette. All three have clinched the top three spots in the final NWC standings. So we know for sure which teams are in the NWC playoffs, but seedings remain a mystery. Should Whitworth and L&C finish the season tied by winning out, L&C would gain the top seed based on splitting the season series with third place UPS. Whitworth was swept this season by the Loggers. Last week the Pirates lost a heartbreaking 95-90 overtime decision at Puget Sound on Friday night. The Loggers led by seven points at halftime, before Whitworth took control of the second half, leading by as many as 12 points. But Bryan Williams fouled out with three minutes to go, allowing UPS to rally from a seven point deficit to tie the game and force overtime, where UPS outscored Whitworth 10-5. The Pirates followed with a tough battle at Pacific Lutheran, where Whitworth pulled out a 65-63 decision on James Jones' basket with 2 seconds left. Whitworth won again on Tuesday night at Whitman 84-72. The Pirates turned around a two-point halftime deficit with a 25-3 run over the first ten minutes of the second half. Whitworth is still making a remarkable 52.9% of its shots from the field this season, including a hot 41.0% from three point range. The Pirates have outscored opponents by more than 14 points per contest so far this season. Whitworth has been very good defensively as well, holding opponents to an NWC-lowest 40.8% shooting from the floor. The Bucs have outrebounded opponents by 4.6 boards per game (33.5 - 28.9) and have forced almost 9 steals per game. Nationally Ranked: Whitworth's outstanding start has earned the attention of the voters in the D3hoops.com top 25 poll. The Pirates have been ranked in the D3hoops.com top 25 all season, including this week's rating of 16th. Click here for the entire poll. Radio/Internet: Friday's game will be carried live by KSBN 1230 am and Bob Castle will call the play by play. In addition to the on-air broadcast, the KSBN internet simulcast can be picked up either on the Whitworth Athletics site, or at KSBN.net by selecting the "listen now" button. National Leaders: Whitworth is now ranked second in all of NCAA Division III in field goal percentage at 52.9%. The Pirates are also ranked highly in several other statistical categories (heading into last Tuesday's game). Those include: Scoring Margin (12th: +14.7 ppg)
On the Oregon Trail: Winning on the road in the Northwest Conference has always been a challenge. But since the arrival of head coach Jim Hayford for the 2001-02 season, Whitworth has found success playing in the state of Oregon. Including this season's 4-1 mark, the Pirates are 22-8 (.733) in NWC regular season contests played in Oregon during Hayford's six seasons. Dishing the Ball: Bryan Williams (Sr., G, Colbert, Wash. - Mead) will retire following this season as Whitworth's all-time leader in assists, and is on a record setting pace for the single season mark as well. This season he has 170 assists through 23 games played, averaging 7.5 per contest, which ranks third at the NCAA Division III level. He led the conference last year by averaging 5.7 assists per game. He also led the league as a sophomore when he dished 5.58 assists per contest. He has averaged nearly 5.5 assists per game during his career. He is averaging 11.2 points per game and became the 19th player in Whitworth history to score more than 1,000 points in his career. He is the first player in Whitworth history with more than 1,000 career points and 500 career assists. Sir James is Back!: James Jones (Sr., G, Manchester, England - St. Mary Coll.), Whitworth's leading scorer through the first 12 games of the season, has returned to the lineup after missing six games with a broken right hand. He has averaged 18.4 points per game in his five games back, surpassing the 16.1 points per game through the first 12 games. He has made more than 54% (19/35) of his three pointers since his return, giving the Pirates a much-needed extra weapon from the outside. The Shooter: Jon Young (Sr., G, Tracy, Calif. - Tracy) holds the Whitworth single season records for most three pointers made (92) and attempted (225), set in 2004-05. At the end of last season he broke Ryan Nelson's (1998-01) career marks for three pointers made (252) and attempted (583). Young has made 305 career three pointers in 759 tries (.402). He is also the 18th player in Whitworth history to score more than 1,000 career points, surpassing that total in last season's NWC Playoff Championship at UPS. Big Hos: Kevin Hasenfus (Sr., P, Lodi, Calif. - Delta Coll.) responded well to the absence of James Jones in the lineup with the best stretch of games in his career. He was the NWC Player of the Week on January 22nd after averaging 19 points and 12 rebounds in that weekend's wins over Whitman and Willamette. The 6'-7" center is currently averaging 12.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest. Symes of the Times: Ryan Symes (Jr., F, Palo Alto, Calif. - Delta Coll.) has also stepped up his game recently. Over his last ten games, Symes has improved his season scoring average to 15.1 points per contest. He scored a career-high 27 points in the win at Pacific on January 26th. He is making 55% of his shots from the floor, 81% of his free throws and grabs 5.1 rebounds per contest. The List of 1,000 Point Scorers (19 total): Bryan Depew (2001-04) 2,013; Rod McDonald (1964-67) 1,807;Jim Doherty (1951-53) 1,726; Nate Dunham (1994-97) 1,551; Marv Adams (1955-57) 1,457; Todd Martin (1987-90) 1,403; Tommy Stewart (1982-85) 1,358; Jason Hull (1991-94) 1,348; Ralph Polson (1951-52) 1,302; Bob Mandeville (1981-84) 1,296; Jon Young (2002- ) 1,260; Brian Meyers (1984-87) 1,107; Steve Mihas (1987-1991) 1,070; Ryan Nelson (1998-2001) 1,069; Doug Loiler (1991-92) 1,060; Steve Street (1987-88) 1,059); Chase Williams (2000-2003), 1,053; Bryan Williams (2003- ) 1,043; Phil Jordan (1953-55) 1,024. Hayford Nets His 100th: Whitworth head coach Jim Hayford became the fastest coach in Pirate history to record his 100th victory as head coach of the Bucs with the win over Whittier on November 25th. Now 114-37 (.754) in his sixth season at Whitworth (151-64 overall in eight years as a head coach), Hayford is only the third coach in school history to reach the 100 win plateau. Hayford was the 2003 NWC Coach of the Year. Dick Kamm (1961-64, 66-69) was the first, but he did it at the end of his seventh season. He was 110-99 in eight years. Warren Friedrichs (1986-2001) is Whitworth's all-time winningest coach (251-195, 16 years), but he didn't get his 100th win until his 7th season. Globetrotters: The Pirates traveled more than 9,300 miles around the United States over the course of eight days to pick up their first six wins of the season. Whitworth won two games at the Lee Pfund Classic hosted by Wheaton, Illinois on November 17th and 18th. Then the Bucs won both of their games at the US Bank - Whitworth Maui Classic in Hawaii on November 22nd and 23rd. The Pirates closed the trip in Southern California with the two wins at the Caltech/Whittier Thanksgiving Classic last weekend. The Opponents: Willamette University comes into the weekend with an overall record of 10-13 and a conference mark of 6-8. Last weekend the Bearcats defeated George Fox 84-79 in their home finale before losing a hard fought 83-80 decision at Linfield. Willamette has undergone a youth movement this season, led by freshman wing Dan Nugent's 16.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Whitworth defeated Willamette 79-66 in Salem, Oregon on January 19th, the Pirates' seventh consecutive win in the series. Go to Athletics Home Page > Men's Basketball > Sports Releases > |
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