SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whitworth's men's basketball team heads into an important week in unfamiliar circumstances. The 24th-ranked Pirates are spending the week preparing for their next three home games while coming off of a loss. How Whitworth responds to that loss could determine how the rest of the season progresses. The Bucs host 12th-ranked Puget Sound (Friday at 8:00), Pacific Lutheran (Saturday at 6:00) and Whitman (Tuesday at 8:00) over the next week. The Pirates were able to follow up their first loss this season (vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the semi-finals of the Lee Fulmer Classic) with a game the very next night - a big win over Cal State East Bay. They don't have that opportunity for a quick flush following last Saturday's 88-79 loss at Linfield. But Whitworth did earn an important 69-68 win at Willamette the night before.
Statistically Speaking: In a classic case of the "whole being greater than the sum of the parts", Whitworth continues to lead the Northwest Conference in several team statistical categories, yet have only one individual leading the NWC in any statistic. The Pirates top the conference stats in scoring defense (61.8 points allowed), field goal percentage (49.3), field goal percentage defense (39.2), three-point percentage (39.0), three-point percentage defense (28.0), rebound margin (+7.1) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.28). All of those stats point to the pillars of head coach Jim Hayford's emphasis with the Pirates - efficient offense and strong defense. Ross Nakamura (Sr., G, Moraga, Calif.) is the only Pirate leading the NWC in any individual category - assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.63 assists for every turnover. Nate Montgomery (Jr., P, Sammamish, Wash.) posted back-to-back double-doubles last weekend to raise his season total to three, the second highest total in the NWC this season. Nationally Ranked: After last Saturday's loss at Linfield, the Pirates slipped nine spots to 24th in the D3hoops.com poll this week. Whitworth finished second in the 2008 NWC Preseason Coaches Poll. Ross Runs the Ship: Ross Nakamura was a steadying influence as the Pirate point guard while leading the team to a 2007-08 Northwest Conference title. A transfer from Diablo Valley JC in Concord, California, Nakamura led all of NCAA Division III in assist-turnover ratio (4.1 assists per turnover) last season. He is averaging 10.6 points per game and has made 46% (16/35) of his three-point tries in 2008-09 (4th in the NWC), while leading the Northwest Conference in minutes played per game (35.4). He is currently first in the NWC and 4th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.63). Sharp Shooter: David Riley (So., G, Palo Alto, Calif.) has taken his game up a notch as a sophomore. He is second on the team in scoring average (15.6 ppg) and making 56% of his shots from the field, including 50% of his three-point tries (37/74). Riley is the only player in the NWC currently ranked in the top five individually in both three-point percentage (3rd) and three-pointers made per game (2nd at 3.1). He was named MVP of the JHU Blue Jay Invitational after scoring a tournament-record 34 points in the opening win over Brockport State and leading the tournament in scoring. In Whitworth's second game of 2007-08 he broke the school record for three-pointers made in a game when he was 8 for 13 in the win over Caltech. Big, Really Big: Whitworth's post combination has lived up to expectations. Calvin Jurich (Sr., 6-6, P, Spokane, Wash.) and Nate Montgomery have combined to average 28.2 points and 14.8 rebounds per game. Jurich is second in the NWC in rebounding average (7.8) and is also a Pirate leader in both assists (2nd on the team) and steals (1st). Montgomery is leading the team in points per game (16.3) and had back-to-back double-doubles last weekend in Oregon. Know Bo Too: Bo Gregg (Jr., F, Lewiston, Idaho) has come on strong in Whitworth's four Northwest Conference games. The transfer from a Community Colleges of Spokane team that finished 30-2 last season, Gregg is averaging 12.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in NWC play and has made almost 44% of his three-point tries. Live Stats: Live statistics of all games played in the Whitworth Fieldhouse will be available all season by opening the following link in your web browser: The Opponents: Whitworth will prepare for three high-scoring, high-pressure teams over the next five days. How the Pirates hold up may determine how the rest of the season plays out. Puget Sound is 11-2 overall and 4-0 in the NWC, the only conference school without an NWC loss so far this season after last week's wins at Pacific Lutheran (77-60) and at George Fox (87-60). The Loggers, ranked 12th in the latest D3hoops.com poll, lead the conference (and are ranked 7th in the NCAA) in both scoring offense (87.8 ppg) and scoring margin (+17.2). Senior posts Jason Foster and Robert Krauel average 16.2 and 14.0 points per game, respectively. Senior point guard Antwan Williams leads the NWC in assists (5.9 apg). Last season Whitworth managed to defeat UPS three times: 83-78 in Tacoma, 80-78 in Spokane and 96-69 in Spokane in the NWC tournament final. Pacific Lutheran is 6-6 overall, but has started 0-3 in the NWC with all of the conference losses coming at home. The Lutes are another high-scoring outfit, averaging 81.9 points per game and leading the NWC in assists per game (16.83). Senior wing Josh Dressler, one of the most explosive players in the NWC, has been averaging 20.2 points per game but has missed the last two games for undisclosed reasons and is not expected to play this weekend. Freshman Nick Stackhouse has scored 44 points in the two games Dressler missed. PLU's game at Pacific last Friday as postponed because of freeway closures between Tacoma and the Portland area. Last season Whitworth defeated the Lutes 66-62 in Tacoma and 76-66 in Spokane. Whitman is arguably the most improved team in the NWC this season under new head coach Eric Bridgeland, who won three straight NWC titles at UPS. The Missionaries, who average 82.2 points per contest, are 6-7 overall and 2-2 in the NWC after falling 94-83 at Linfield and 84-70 at Willamette last weekend. Senior guard Chris Faidley leads the conference in scoring average at 23.2 points per game and is the NWC Student-Athlete of the Week after he averaged 29.7 points per game this week and became just the sixth player in the history of Whitman basketball to score 1,500 career points. Last season Whitworth defeated Whitman 85-68 in Walla Walla and 73-61 in Spokane. The Coach: In seven season's leading the Pirates, Whitworth head coach Jim Hayford has averaged 20 wins a season for a team that can only schedule 25 games a year. Now 151-48 (.759) in his eighth season at Whitworth (188-73 overall in his tenth year 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. Coach Hayford's Quotes: On last weekend's games: "We were fortunate to hang on at Willamette for a win. Nate had a great weekend with two double-doubles. He is coming into his own as a dominant post player in our conference. The second night at Linfield we were out-hustled and out-played. Coach Doty's team taught us a lesson. Linfield might not lose any more games at home. They are a good team that has found a groove." On this weekend's schedule: "It is always fun to play UPS and the up-tempo style of play they create. Our guys really enjoy it and it is a fun system to coach against. They are very talented and we have great respect for them. It is really neat to have two top 25 teams playing a conference game. That has not happened too many times in my eight years at Whitworth. PLU is a very well coached team with a great player in Josh Dressler. He has not played their last few games so I am not sure what to expect. Even without him they are very dangerous and shoot the ball from deep. Whitman is the most improved team in the conference and we have to respect how well they are playing this season." Go to Athletics Home Page > Men's Basketball > Sports Releases > |
