SPOKANE, Wash. -- The 2007-08 Whitworth University men's basketball team will finally play a home game this week when the Pirates host Lewis & Clark College on Friday night in the Fieldhouse. Whitworth (7-3 overall, 1-1 NWC) has played its first ten games away from not only Spokane, but the entire state of Washington. The first home contest on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. is an intriguing match-up between last season's co-NWC champions. In addition the Pirates will play Pacific University on Saturday in a 6:00 p.m. game. Radio/Internet: All the Pirates' NWC games 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. Also, Whitworth now offers "Live Stats" for all home games. The live stats link is: http://www.whitworth.edu/Athletics/Teams/Basketball/livestats/xlive.htm. Early Start: Saturday's doubleheader against Pacific University is the only date this season that the visiting team elected for the early Saturday start. The women's game will begin at 4:00 p.m., while the men will tip off at 6:00 p.m. Because Whitworth gets to start its NWC Saturday road games early, those schools that come to the Fieldhouse for Saturday contests have the option of starting early to get back home earlier. Pacific is the only NWC school to take that option in the Fieldhouse in 2008. The Pirates: Whitworth opened Northwest Conference play on the road last weekend, losing the first game before winning in overtime on Saturday. On Friday night against a very improved Linfield College squad the Pirates fell behind by as many as 12 points in each half before Tim Sellereit's (Jr., G, Bellingham, Wash.) three-point play with just over five minutes left tied the game at 58-58. But the Bucs could never gain the lead and the host Wildcats hit free throws down the stretch to earn a 77-70 win over Whitworth. Ryan Symes (Sr., F, Palo Alto, Calif.) led the Pirates with 19 points, while Collin Willemsen (Sr., F, Moraga, Calif.) had a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards.
The following night Ross Nakamura (Jr., G, Moraga, Calif.) had a career-high 26 points while making 7 of 10 three-point attempts to lead Whitworth to a 72-65 overtime win at Willamette University. The Pirates forced the Bearcats into an 0-for-6 overtime shooting performance and outscored Willamette 9-2 in the extra period. The only Bearcat points came on a pair of free throws with nine seconds left. Nate Montgomery (So., P, Sammamish, Wash.) contributed to the win with 15 points and six rebounds. Look Familiar?: While many of the faces may be different, the way the Pirates are winning should be very familiar to Whitworth fans. The Bucs are playing tough defense, leading the NWC in both scoring defense (59.5 points per game allowed) and field goal percentage defense (40.7%). In addition, Whitworth leads the rebounding margin category (+7.7). Also familiar is how efficient the Bucs have been on offense. Whitworth is first in the NWC in assists per game (17.4) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.34 assists for every turnover). Therefore Whitworth shoots at a high percentage (46.8%, 3rd in the NWC) and when the team gets to the free throw line, the Pirates make a league-best 74.9%. Steady Symes: Ryan Symes is providing the solid leadership that was expected of the team's only returning starter and a returning First Team All-NWC selection. The 6-6 forward is leading the team in scoring with an average of 15.0 points and he adds 5.9 rebounds per game. He has added a three-point shot to his game this season, making 34% from beyond the arc. He has led the Bucs in scoring five times this season. Frosh Phenom: David Riley (Fr., G, Palo Alto, Calif.) is having a breakthrough freshman season. The 6-5 guard from Gunn High School is second on the team in scoring (13.4 points per game). He has been deadly from three point range, and is the only player in the Northwest Conference to rank in the top five of the league stat leaders in both three-pointers made (5th, 3.0 per game) and three point percentage (3rd, 50.0%). In Whitworth's second game of the season, he broke the school record for three-pointers made in a game when he was 8 for 13 in the win over Caltech. The previous record of seven in a game was shared by three players. Riley has led the Pirates in scoring four times this season.
"Will"-do-it-all: One of the best sixth-men in the NWC last season, Colin Willemsen has been the do-everything player as a starter for the Pirates this season. Willemsen leads the team and is third in the NWC in rebounding (7.6 per game) and is second in the league in offensive rebounds (2.9 per game). Willemsen is also sixth in the NWC (second on the team) in assists (4.2 per game). Finally, Willemsen leads Whitworth and is eighth in the NWC in steals (1.60 per game). All of this goes along with a respectable 10.2 scoring average. Each of Willemsen's per game averages would be higher but for five minutes of fill-in duty during the win over Caltech. Ross Runs the Ship: Even before his breakthrough performance in the win at Willamette, Ross Nakamura had been a steadying influence as the Pirate point guard this season. The transfer from Diablo Valley JC in Concord, California, Nakamura is fourth in the NWC in assists (5.2 per game). Perhaps more telling about Nakamura's play this season, he leads the conference in assist-turnover ratio (3.47 assists per turnover). His steadiness with the ball is matched by his shooting ability, as he leads the Northwest Conference in three-point percentage (52.5%) this season. Nearly Last: There is one category in which the Pirates nearly rank last in the nation. Whitworth will be the second-to-last NCAA Division III team to play a scheduled home game this season when the Bucs tip off against Lewis & Clark College in the Fieldhouse on Friday night. Only Lawrence College (Wis.) will play its first home game later (by one day, opening on January 12th). However, the Vikings will have played only seven games to that point, while Whitworth will have played 10 games before getting to play at home. Neither Whitworth or Lawrence can complain much, however, when compared to UC Santa Cruz. Because of refurbishing of their gym, the Banana Slugs will not play a home game this season.
On the Oregon Trail: Winning on the road in the Northwest Conference has always been a challenge and opening this season's NWC schedule at Linfield and Willamette was tough. 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 1-1 mark, the Pirates are 23-9 (.718) in NWC regular season contests played in Oregon during Hayford's seven seasons as coach. The Opponents: Lewis & Clark (7-3 overall, 1-1 NWC) was picked first in the 2007-08 NWC preseason coaches poll for good reason. The Pioneers return all five starters from last season's NWC regular season co-title, including First Team All-NWC point guard Thomas Tillery. L&C added transfer Tyson Papenfuss (Jr., F), who averages 15.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Senior guard Mark Robinowitz demonstrates the Pioneers' depth by coming off of the bench to tie Papenfuss for the team lead in scoring average. Last week L&C pulled out an 80-75 overtime win at Pacific, but fell at home to upstart Pacific Lutheran (108-95) on Saturday. In 2006-07 Whitworth and L&C split regular season meetings, each winning at home, before the Pirates defeated the Pioneers 69-62 in the NWC tournament championship game. Bob Gaillard is in his 19th season as head coach at Lewis & Clark. Pacific (2-9 overall, 0-2 NWC) had the unenviable task of opening its conference schedule at home against the two conference favorites. The Boxers dropped the tough overtime decision to L&C last Wednesday then were beaten by league-leading Puget Sound 82-61 on Friday night. Third-year head coach Jason Lowery has been getting great contributions from his inside-outside combination of senior forward Joe Van Domelen and junior guard Maurice Ross. Van Domelen averages 12.3 points and 6.7 boards per game, while Ross leads the team in scoring at 12.6 points per contest. Last season Whitworth was the only team in the NWC to win twice against Pacific, 62-57 in Spokane and 77-69 in Forest Grove. The Pirates currently hold a seven-game winning streak in the series. The Coach: Whitworth head coach Jim Hayford became the fastest coach in Pirate history to record his 100th victory as head coach of the Bucs with a win over Whittier on November 25th of last season. Now 126-42 (.750) in his seventh season at Whitworth (163-67 overall in eight years as a head coach), Hayford is only the third coach in school history to reach the 100 win plateau. Hayford has won two NWC Coach of the Year awards at Whitworth (2003, 2007) and led the Pirates to a pair of conference championships. Go to Athletics Home Page > Men's Basketball > Sports Releases > |
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