SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whitworth University received the happy news on Monday morning that it has a first round bye and will get to play the second round of the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament at home on Saturday night. The Pirates (20-6) will take on the winner of Thursday night's first round game between Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (15-12) and Occidental College (21-5).
Post Season History: Whitworth is making its second consecutive NCAA Division III tournament appearance and third overall. Last season Whitworth went to St. Louis, Missouri and defeated DePauw in overtime in the first round before falling by two points to host Washington Univ. in the second round. In 2003 the Pirates lost at eventual championship-game participant Gustavus Adolphus in the first round. Even though the Pirates are only making their third appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament, Whitworth is no stranger to post-season. The Pirates played in the 1996 and 1998 NAIA Division II tournaments, hosted by Northwest Nazarene College in Nampa, Idaho. In 1996 Whitworth advanced to the title game before losing in overtime to Albertson (Idaho) College. In 1998 Whitworth lost on a last-second basket to eventual champion Bethel College (Ind.) in the quarterfinals. Prior to the splitting of the NAIA into divisions in 1992, the Pirates played in the NAIA tournament in Kansas City five times. Whitworth advanced to the quarterfinals in 1952 and then suffered first-round losses in 1954, 1955, 1961 and 1991.
Award Winners: Awaiting the winner of the Pomona-Pitzer/Occidental game are the NWC Coach of the Year, the NWC Player of the Year along with two other Pirates recognized by the NWC. Jim Hayford was named NWC Coach of the Year for the second straight season (and third time overall). He became the first NWC coach to earn the honor in back to back years since Whitworth's Warren Friedrichs won in 1994 and 1995. Ryan Symes (Sr., F, Palo Alto, Calif.) was named NWC Player of the Year, becoming the third Whitworth player in a row to win the honor (following Bryan Williams in 2007 and Lance Pecht in 2006). Colin Willemsen (Sr., F, Moraga, Calif.) joined Symes as a member of the All-NWC First Team. Ross Nakamura (Jr., G, Moraga, Calif.) is an honorable mention honoree. Click here for the complete All-NWC team. Radio/Internet: The NCAA second round game on Saturday 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. Tickets: All general admission tickets will be available at the door of the Whitworth Fieldhouse on Saturday night, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The cost will be $6 for adults, and $3 for students (with I.D.), seniors and children. There will be a small number of reserved seats available beginning Wednesday (March 5) by calling 509-777-3224. The Pirates: Whitworth won both the Northwest Conference's regular season and tournament titles for the second consecutive season. It is the first time the Bucs have won back to back titles in men's basketball since 1991 and 1992.
Whitworth won its way to the NCAA Division III tournament by dominating the second half of last Saturday's 96-69 win over University of Puget Sound in the NWC tournament final. The Pirates outscored the Loggers 55-35 in the second half and shot 54.5% (12-22) to 26.3% (10-38) for UPS. Whitworth outrebounded the Loggers 26-15 after halftime and made 26-30 (87%) from the free throw line after the break. Ryan Symes tied his career high with 33 points, making 8-15 shots from the floor and 17 of 18 from the free throw line. Calvin Jurich (Jr., P, Spokane, Wash.) had the best game of his career, reaching career highs with 17 points and 10 rebounds. David Riley (Fr., G, Palo Alto, Calif.) opened up the UPS defense by making 5 of 9 shots from three point range and finishing with 18 points. Whitworth finished the season 3-0 against the Loggers. DEFENSE: Despite four new starters this season, the way the Pirates are winning should look very familiar to Whitworth fans. The Bucs have taken their usually tough defense up a notch this year, leading the NWC in both scoring defense (63.4 points per game allowed) and field goal percentage defense (41.8%). In addition, Whitworth leads the rebounding margin category (+6.7). Offense, Too: Also familiar is how efficient the Bucs have been on offense. Whitworth averages 14.8 assists per game and leads the NWC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.39 assists for every turnover, 5th in the nation). The Pirates commit the fewest turnovers in the league (10.7 per game, 4th in the NCAA) as well. And when the team gets to the free throw line, the Pirates make a league-best 77.5% (6th in the NCAA). 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 6-5 forward earned Northwest Conference Player of the Year by leading the team in scoring with an average of 19.4 points (3rd in the NWC). He adds 6.3 rebounds per game (8th in the NWC). He has added a three-point shot to his game this season, making 33% from beyond the arc. He has led the Bucs in scoring 17 times this season, thanks in large part to his NWC-leading free throw percentage (86.2%) and has been named NWC Player of the Week twice (January 21st and February 18th).
Frosh Phenom: David Riley has had a breakthrough freshman season. The 6-5 guard is third on the team in scoring (11.8 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 six of the league stat leaders in both three-pointers made (5th, 2.52 per game) and three point percentage (6th, 42.9%). 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 year and earned First Team All-NWC honors to show for it. Willemsen leads the team and is third in the NWC in rebounding (7.8 per game) and is second in the league in offensive rebounds (2.6 per game). Willemsen is also seventh in the NWC (second on the team) in assists (3.54 per game). Finally, Willemsen leads Whitworth and is 13th in the NWC in steals (1.15 per game). All of this goes along with a strong 13.6 scoring average (second on the team). His nine double-doubles this season lead the NWC.
Ross Runs the Ship: Even before his breakthrough performance (26 points) in a win at Willamette on January 5th, Ross Nakamura had been a steadying influence as the Pirate point guard this season. A transfer from Diablo Valley JC in Concord, California, Nakamura is fifth in the NWC in assists (4.6 per game). Perhaps more telling about Nakamura's play this season, he leads the NWC and all of NCAA Division III in assist-turnover ratio (4.00 assists per turnover). His steadiness with the ball is nearly matched by his shooting ability, as he ranks third in the Northwest Conference in three-point percentage (43.9%) this season. Nearly Last: There is one category in which the Pirates nearly rank last in NCAA Div. III. Whitworth was the second-to-last NCAA Division III team to play a scheduled home game this season when the Bucs hosted Lewis & Clark in the Fieldhouse on January 11th. Only Lawrence College (Wis.) played its first home game later (by one day, opening on January 12th). However, the Vikings only played seven games to that point, while Whitworth 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 did not play a home game this season.
The Potential Opponents: Occidental (21-5 and ranked 25th in the latest D3hoops.com poll) was the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (SCIAC) regular season champion with a record of 11-3, but the Tigers were upset 66-62 by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the opening round of the conference tournament. A recipient of one of 17 Pool C (at large) bids, Occidental is led by SCIAC Player of the Year Connor Whitman, a senior guard, and Second Team All-SCIAC guard Huston Conti. Whitman averages 18.2 points per game and has made 46.3% of his three-point attempts and averages 3.7 three-pointers per game. Conti adds 11.8 points per game to give Occidental the best back court in the SCIAC. But 6'-10" post Sean Anderson provides a strong inside presence as well, averaging 9.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest. The Tigers, coached by Brian Newhall, defeated Whitworth 68-67 in Los Angeles on January 2nd, 2006 in the teams' only other meeting. Pomona-Pitzer (15-12) earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by winning the SCIAC tournament, upsetting California Lutheran University 54-44 in the opening round and defeating Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges 55-53 in the championship. The Sagehens, who finished third in the SCIAC regular season standings, are led by First Team All-SCIAC forward Jabarri Reynolds (14.1 points per game), First Team All-SCIAC post Justin Sexton (11.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game) and are coached by Charles Katsiaficas. Whitworth defeated Pomona-Pitzer 73-45 on November 30th in the semifinals of the University of Redlands Lee Fulmer Classic. On January 3, 2006 the Sagehens beat the Pirates 68-64 at Occidental. Pomona-Pitzer and Occidental split the teams' two regular season meetings, each winning on the other's home court. The Tigers beat the Sagehens 64-59 on January 23rd, but Pomona-Pitzer returned the favor with a 62-47 win on February 16th. 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 139-45 (.755) in his seventh season at Whitworth (176-70 overall in nine years as a head coach), Hayford is only the third coach in school history to reach the 100 win plateau. Hayford has won three NWC Coach of the Year awards at Whitworth (2003, 2007, 2008) and led the Pirates to three conference championships. In his seven seasons leading Whitworth, Hayford has finished first or second in the final NWC standings six times. Go to Athletics Home Page > Men's Basketball > Sports Releases > |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Click here for a complete NCAA Div. III tournament bracket
